Faculty & Staff Directory

What is your role at CSS? I am a theatre teacher and a Middle School Spanish teacher.

What are you looking forward to at CSS? I am looking forward to utilizing my strengths in Spanish and Theatre to connect with the community at CSS. I am happy for the opportunity to share my first language with eager students. I am also looking forward to building onto the legacy of the CSS theatre program.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? The first language I spoke was Spanish. I was born in Puerto Rico. And I have successfully eaten the 72-ounce steak challenge in Amarillo, Texas.

What is one thing you’ve learned from students? PATIENCE! Students always respond to patience and a deeper need for understanding.

If you were a superhero, what powers would you have? I would like to be an Earth Bender. I have always wanted to mold the elements.

What did you want to be growing up? I have always wanted to be a teacher! Also, an actor.

What draws you to teaching? The idea that I can pass on my knowledge to the next generation is intriguing. I feel that I am good at relating complex ideas using simple concepts.

What is your favorite spot in the world? Flamenco Beach in Puerto Rico.

What is your role at CSS?⁣ I am a Middle and Upper School math teacher, a Middle School volleyball coach, a Middle School girls’ assistant soccer coach, and a Middle School student council faculty representative.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? I grew up on a small island 8 miles called Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, northern Michigan. There is a population of about 400 year-round residents. No motorized vehicles are allowed, except emergency ones. The island has about 100 kids total in one building for public school for kindergarten through 12th grade. I graduated with 4 students in my grade.

What did you want to be growing up? I have always wanted to be a teacher. I loved helping friends with their math for as long as I can remember. My mom has also saved quizzes that I created and gave my younger brother when I was about 10. They were normally quizzes about our mom. I even had some extra credit questions on them.

What is one thing you enjoy about CSS? There are so many. CSS has given me relationships with students and other faculty members that I never dreamed possible. I have definitely found another home here. I have had the opportunity to teach some students two years of math, teach siblings, coach athletes for four years in a row in two sports, camp and cook with students and faculty members, design numerous different seminars with faculty across curriculums, and work with students from 3rd grade to 12th grade.

What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be a scientist. I was able to fulfill that dream by working as a research technician in a biomedical engineering lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I found out that working with kids and sharing my passion for science is much more fulfilling for me!

What draws you to working with students?
Working with kids is the best. Their energy is contagious. I learn something new from them every day.

Ali graduated cum laude from the University of South Carolina with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. During her time at the University of South Carolina, she worked in a laboratory in the department of pharmacology, physiology, and neuroscience studying the effects of chronic amphetamine use on the prefrontal cortex in an animal model for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Following graduation, she began working in a biomedical engineering lab at Georgia Institute of Technology studying the use of biomaterials to augment healing following rotator cuff tears. The 2021-2022 school year will mark her fourth year bringing science to life in the classroom. Ali has taught students in grades 3-12 in a myriad of subjects, including physics, chemistry, biology, life science, and more. She taught in the Atlanta Public School system, at a small private homeschool hybrid school, and at a charter school in the Colorado Springs area. Ali has also tutored in math.

What is your role at CSS? I am the chef who prepares lunch and other goodies for the children and faculty and staff.⁣⁣
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What do you enjoy about your role?⁣⁣ I am the lucky one who gets to provide food and other refreshments to some incredible students and faculty and staff. My career philosophy is, “Always go beyond what your clients wants/needs,” and my customers are the kids. I want their time during lunch to be a place to laugh, relax, eat good food, and just be kids.⁣⁣
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⁣⁣What draws you to working with children?⁣⁣ Well, kids of all ages LOVE to eat. My profession allows me to see the excitement when there are “curly fries” on the menu. I so appreciate their smiles, intriguing questions, practicing manners daily, and so much more. Everyday you have a different cast of characters that makes⁣ your day perfect.⁣⁣
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⁣⁣-If you were a superhero, what powers would you have?⁣⁣ I don’t need to be a superhero, but I would like to FLY.⁣

Heidi Cooper is happy to be a Kodiak. She earned a Master of Social Work degree from Widener University in Chester, Penn. Prior to joining The Colorado Springs School, Heidi worked as a family coach for children and families with Maple Star Colorado. Most recently, she served as a School Social Worker for Colorado Springs School District 11.

Prior to pursuing her love of counseling and supporting students with social needs, Heidi worked as a volunteer coordinator for nonprofit organizations such as the Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center in Colorado Springs, where she learned about being around horses and how they can calm us. Some of her favorite social emotional learning tools include Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication, also called NVC, and releasing anxiety using Tapping. She loved learning about Israel and Palestine when she travelled to the Middle East as part of the Earth Stewards Network and also attended the centenary gathering of the Hague Appeal for Peace in 1999.

Fun fact about Heidi: she recorded her own musical CD called La Mariposa. Feel free to reach out to Heidi anytime by phone or email. She would love to hear about who you are and help you navigate any bumps in the road.

What is your role at CSS?⁣ I am a first grade teacher.⁣

What would people be surprised to learn about you?⁣ I built my first home with my husband. It was called an Earthship and was made of tires and completely off the grid.⁣
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⁣What is a favorite memory at CSS?⁣ Every memory involves the community - first as a parent, now as both a parent and teacher. We have such incredible people here!⁣

⁣What is one thing you’ve learned from students?⁣ You can ALWAYS learn something new!⁣

⁣If you were a superhero, what powers would you have?⁣ I would invent a new one: octopus arms that I could deploy when I need to be doing several things at once!⁣
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⁣What did you want to be growing up?⁣ A teacher - a nurse was a close second.⁣

What draws you to teaching?⁣ The wonder and joy of children - helping to build on that is an incredible gift!⁣

⁣What is your favorite spot in the world?⁣ Any place with my family!⁣

What is your role at CSS? I currently teach PreKindergarten. That’s what I taught when I started at CSS in 2003. After a few years, I also taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades in the Children’s School. I’m thrilled to be working with our youngest learners again!

What would people be surprised to learn about you? I love growing vegetables, but I really love houseplants. Between home and school, I have about 80!

What is a favorite memory at CSS? I have so many cherished memories. One of my proudest moments was at graduation in 2016 when I had the honor of presenting the Longevity Award to my former PreK students as they concluded their CSS careers.

What is one thing you’ve learned from students? I’ve learned so much about resilience from my students. When reflecting on my days at school, I try to see the world through their eyes. We set a high bar for our kids and that inspires me to do the same for myself.

If you were a superhero, what powers would you have? I would love the power to play any instrument and sing any song. I grew up in a very musical family, but I haven’t made it a priority as an adult.

What did you want to be growing up? If I didn’t become a teacher, I probably would have become a veterinarian or a zoologist. With three dogs, a cat, and a couple of lizards at home, sometimes I feel like one!

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I am a committed vegetarian cook. I can make a mean meatless taco.

If you were a superhero, what powers would you have and why?
I would want to be able to transform into any animal in a moment’s notice. My default avatars would be a Capuchin monkey, a Narwhal, and one of those baby goats that plays dead to confuse predators.

What is one thing you've learned from students?
I have learned from my students, through their example, that learning can be a great deal of fun. There’s nothing better than having a classroom full of students who are genuinely excited to hear the lesson and contribute to the conversation.

What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be like Jacques Cousteau - not just a marine biologist but a pioneer for environmentalism and exploration! ... Plus he had a cool hat.

What draws you to working with students?
Teaching a foreign language to students is the most rewarding thing in the world to me. Language is the vehicle that we use to communicate our humanity, and every time a person learns a new language, they open the world up ten fold for themselves.

What is one thing you enjoy about CSS and why?
The academic environment that has been fostered through years of innovative educators refining the scholastic process at CSS has made for an exceptionally motivated student body. The relationship between teachers who are passionate about their field and students who find fun in learning is something that cannot be understated.

What is your favorite spot in the world and why?
It’s a tie - I love Paris, France, and Akumal, Mexico. Two opposite ends of the spectrum that represent uniquely vibrant and timeless cultures.