Teachers and Aides
We seek out highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals who are ready to partner with you in educating your children.
Kindergarten
Mrs. Erin Smith, Kindergarten A
Mrs. Shelly Donner, Kindergarten B
Mrs. Shelly Donner has taught at Snowy Range Academy since it opened in 2002. Besides her role as a kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Donner has served as a head teacher, employee representative on the board, and scheduler. She was born in Nebraska and has also lived in Rawlins, WY, and Brighton, CO. She is a 1997 B.S. Civil Engineering graduate of Colorado State University. In 1999, she completed her Master's in Curriculum and Instruction through Colorado University in Denver. Mrs. Donner enjoys paddle boarding, reading, traveling, dark chocolate, and being with her family. You will often find Mrs. Donner at the baseball fields in the spring and the football fields in the fall to watch her boys play.
first grade
Ms. Megan Butters, 1st Grade A
Megan Butters was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. Megan began her teaching career here at Snowy in the fall of 2023. Megan enjoys being outside and spending time with family and friends.
Ms. Stefani Yarger, 1st Grade B
Stefani Yarger was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. She graduated with her Elementary Education degree in 2016 from the University of Wyoming, and she began teaching at Snowy Range Academy in 2017. Outside of school, Stefani enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and playing games.
second grade
Ms. Jessica Stoner, 2nd Grade A
Jessica Stoner was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado. She has an associate degree in elementary education from Laramie County Community College and a Bachelor's in elementary education from the University of Wyoming. She started teaching in 2022 and loves sharing knowledge, as well as making a difference, with all learners at the elementary level. With her free time, Jessica enjoys drawing and painting, reading, being outside, and hanging out with family and friends.
Ms. Bobbi Huston, 2nd Grade B
third grade
Mrs. Carla Bayne, 3rd Grade A
Mrs. Carla Bayne graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and mathematics, and she graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2009 with a Master of Science in natural sciences. She worked in the Cherry Creek School District #1 as a classroom teacher for several years before moving to the wonderful state of Wyoming. She then worked for the Laramie County School District #1 as a classroom teacher. Mrs. Bayne has worked as a paraprofessional in the Albany County School District #1 for the past several years. In 2022, she accepted a third-grade teaching position at Snowy Range. Mrs. Bayne loves to run races and usually participates in one to two half marathons per year. In her spare time, Mrs. Bayne enjoys attending UW events, camping, skiing, gardening, and spending time with her family.
Mr. Samuel Adamson, 3rd Grade B
Mr. Adamson grew up on a ranch outside of Laramie and attended elementary school, junior high, and high school in town. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2014 with his Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. After spending three years as a substitute teacher in Albany County School District, Mr. Adamson journeyed to Northern Colorado where he got his first teaching job. He taught kindergarten in the small farming community of Galeton, Colorado for four years. Mr. Adamson started teaching at Snowy Range Academy in the fall of 2021. Some of Mr. Adamson's interests include reading, taking walks, and spending time with his family and cats.
fourth grade
Mr. Andrew Johnson, 4th Grade A
Mrs. Sheila Monteith, 4th Grade B
fifth grade
Mrs. Diane Cook, 5th Grade A
Diane Cook was born in Sheridan, Wyoming and has lived in Laramie since she was two years old. She graduated with her Bachelor's in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming. She started teaching fifth grade at SRA in 2021. Diane Cook enjoys reading and baking. She and her husband have four daughters and they enjoy spending time together as a family playing board games and telling jokes.
Mr. KEITH GROSS, 5th Grade B
Mr. Gross grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado and moved to Laramie in 2014. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with his BA in elementary education after student teaching at Snowy Range Academy in 2020. Following graduation, Mr. Gross moved to Douglas, Wyoming where he taught fifth grade for three years. He began teaching fifth grade at SRA in 2023. Mr. Gross is an assistant coach for the University of Wyoming’s Men’s Rugby team, a father of three, and an aspiring carpenter.
sixth - eighth grade
Mrs. Boa Byeon, 6th-8th Grade Math/Paraprofessional
Boa Byeon was born and raised in South Korea. She came to the United States in 2012 and has been in Laramie, Wyoming since then. She has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and earned Wyoming Elementary Education Teaching Certificate from University of Wyoming in 2019. She has more than 3 years of experience teaching/creating math materials. With her positive attitude and enthusiasm in teaching, she loves interacting with students, helping others and making a difference. In her free time, Boa enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her family and friends.
Ms. Samantha Cripps, 6th-8th Grade Math
Ms. Cripps joined SRA in August 2009 after completing degrees in math and business education at Black Hills State University. She believes that every student can be successful in math and works diligently with students to reach their full potential. She strives to create a learning environment that is both challenging and fun which results in the enthusiasm and laughter of her students radiating from her classroom. Outside of school Ms. Cripps can be found hiking through the mountains she loves or at home sewing the parts of a quilt together.
Mrs. Kadria Drake, 6th-8th Grade Science
Kadria Drake earned her degree in education from the University of Wyoming in 2010. She started teaching that fall. Kadria has been at SRA since August 2017. Kadria is passionate about all areas of science. She worked in chemistry labs in Wyoming and Arizona during her undergraduate degree. She enjoys computing and LEGO's and bringing them together. Kadria likes to travel with her husband and 4 kids. She also enjoys sewing, baking, reading and hearing fun facts about her favorite animal the hippopotamus.
Mr. Samuel Johnson, 6th-8th Grade Social Studies
Mr. Sam Johnson has been teaching middle school social studies at SRA since 2022. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with his bachelor's degree in secondary education. Mr. Johnson comes from a family of teachers. Both of his parents taught elementary education and three of his siblings currently teach. Mr. Johnson likes to rock climb, travel, and spend time with his family.
MS. JEANETTE WATSON, 6th-8th Grade LANGUAGE ARTS
Ms. Jet Watson has been at SRA since November 2023, but she is not new to teaching or to this district. She taught for a year at Laramie Middle School and has been with the Albany County School district since 2018. She has five daughters that keep her very busy when she isn't teaching students. She loves animals and has two dogs, two cats, a goat, and 11 chickens. Ms. Watson enjoys outdoor activities, sports, crafts, and reading. She is dedicated to keeping academic expectations high, while also showing students how fun learning English Language Arts can be.
specials
Mrs. Jessica Arnold, K-5th Grade Spanish
Jessica Arnold, also known as Señora Arnold to her students, has been working as the Snowy Range Academy Elementary Spanish teacher since the doors opened in the fall of 2002. Mrs. Arnold also teaches third through fifth grade Character Education. Señora Arnold first learned Spanish her senior year in high school while studying abroad in Santiago, Chile. Mrs. Arnold received her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish at the University of Wyoming. While at the University of Wyoming, she also spent a semester in Montevideo, Uruguay. Mrs. Arnold received her kindergarten through sixth grade Master of Education from Western New Mexico University in 2002. While studying for her masters at Western New Mexico, Mrs. Arnold taught at an elementary school on the U.S./Mexico border where she taught all of her classes and students in Spanish. Señora Arnold has also earned a kindergarten through twelfth grade Master of Education from Montana State University in 2017. She has traveled extensively to Mexico and enjoys sharing the experiences of her travels and the cultures therein with her students who love to hear the stories that she shares. Señora Arnold has proven over the years to specialize in making second language learning a success for the students at SRA through her experiences in the language and culture.
Ms. Amy Cowell, Music
Amy Cowell has taught general music, choir, and orchestra at Snowy Range Academy since 2006. Amy received her bachelor of music education degree from the University of Wyoming in 2005. She earned her master of music education degree from the University of Wyoming in 2015. Amy is an active member of the Wyoming Music Educators Association as well as the American String Teachers Association. She is also a cellist and performs regularly with the Wyoming and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestras. She also enjoys spending time with her family participating in numerous Wyoming outdoor activities.
Ms. Anne Hedderman, 6th-8th Grade Spanish and K-8th GRADE ELL
Originally from Powell, Wyoming, Ms. Hedderman has been part of the SRA community since 2015. She holds a BA in history, a MA in Spanish and certifications in ESL (English as a second language) and Spanish language education from the University of Wyoming. After college, she worked for the US Senate in Washington D.C. for two years and then spent about five years in southern Chile. While in South America, she traveled, taught English at an agricultural vocational high school and started a small tour business. Her experiences abroad strengthened her belief in the power of language as a tool for building bridges and fostering cross-cultural connections and understanding. Anne appreciates the ability to teach both English and Spanish daily at SRA. She believes that language learning is not just about learning vocabulary and grammar rules; it also opens doors to diverse worlds and opportunities. When not teaching, Anne enjoys spending time outside with her husband, two young children and dog Benny.
Mrs. Patricia Jacobsen, Librarian/Interventionist
Trish Jacobsen joined SRA in 2010 as a reading interventionist. She then taught first grade for six years before becoming our librarian in 2017. Prior to teaching at SRA, Trish was a reading interventionist, elementary teacher, and junior & senior high English teacher in Idaho and Wyoming. She enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time in the outdoors with her children.
Mrs. Laura Palmer, Physical education
After earning her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2008, Laura Palmer worked as a strength and conditioning coach and youth counselor in Turlock, California. She then moved back to her hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana to open Whole New You, LLC, providing personal training and health education for families while employed with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as an adjunct instructor in the Kinesiology department. In 2014 she earned her K-12 Physical Education teaching certification in the state of Louisiana and went on to found LASOAR, the Louisiana Association of Sports, Outdoor Adventure, and Recreation, a non-profit organization based in Lafayette, Louisiana promoting the power of play and reconnecting families to the natural world, serving as chief executive officer for six years. Laura earned her Master of Science degree in Physical Education Teacher Education from the University of Wyoming in 2023 and became licensed to teach Physical Education in the state of Wyoming. She was thrilled to be hired as the Physical Education Teacher at Snowy Range Academy shortly after her graduation. When not at SRA, Laura can often be found hiking at Happy Jack, paddleboarding at Curt Gowdy, gardening, or cooking Cajun southern soul food in her kitchen.
Mrs. Megan Smerud, Instructional facilitator
Megan Smerud joined SRA in 2011. A student at heart, Megan earned an MS in elementary education with an emphasis in elementary math from Walden University in 2012 and an MA in educational leadership from the University of Wyoming in 2021. Megan also enjoys being outdoors, reading, and spending time with her family.
Mrs. Marilyn Specht, Literacy/TECHNOLOGY
Marilyn Specht is an interventionist for Snowy Range Academy. She is originally from Aurora, Colorado but has lived in Laramie since 2006. Mrs. Specht began working for Snowy Range Academy in 2016. She has a master's in elementary Education from the University of Phoenix. Mrs. Specht enjoys reading, math, playing music and is always ready to learn new things.
Mrs. haley Stebbins, Art
Haley Stebbins is a seasoned art educator who finds joy in the outdoors and spending quality time with her two sons, husband and family pets. She moved to Laramie, Wyoming in 2011 to attend the University of Wyoming and graduated with Bachelors in Education and Art, and minors in both Spanish and art history. She holds a teaching certificate for K-12 art education and became a part of the SRA team in 2017. She has a love for reading, watching movies, and is particularly passionate about tennis and outdoor activities/sports. Growing up off the grid on 30+ acres in Northern Colorado, surrounded by forested hillsides, a large meadow and a thriving garden, she developed a deep appreciation for nature. This upbringing instilled values of self-sufficiency and sustainability. Today, Haley embraces these values while striking a balance between a very active family, lifestyle and personal pursuits.
Mrs. Roxane Todd, Resource Room
Mrs. Roxane Todd began her career in education as a school bus driver, then became a paraprofessional, next a first-grade teacher, and moved on to teach Special Education on the Western Slope of Colorado. She then moved to Laramie in 2014 and started teaching at SRA. Outside of school, Mrs. Todd enjoys seeing new places, being with her family, helping her husband and son run the family business, and crafting.
Mrs. Hannah LaBuda, Resource Room
Hannah LaBuda was born and raised in Pinedale, Wyoming before moving to Laramie in 2019 to persue her teaching degree. Ms. LaBuda graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2023 with her Bachelor's in Elementary and Special Education. She substituted at Snowy Range Academy for two years and is excited to start her teaching career here. Outside of school Ms. LaBuda enjoys hiking, skiing, fishing and spending quality time with her friends and family.
Mrs. Connie Klements, Resource Room
Connie Klements has been a special education teacher in Laramie for the past 23 years. She enjoys helping students with reading fluency, writing structured paragraphs and learning math facts. Outside of school Ms. Klements enjoys hiking in the Snowies, traveling and visiting her grandchildren.
