Faculty in the Spotlight

Part of what makes a Kent Denver education so extraordinary are the amazing educators who lead our Sun Devils each and every day. Our teachers create engaging, insightful, thought-provoking lessons that immerse our students in their units of study—and as experts in their field, many of our educators are asked to share their knowledge with other teachers around the country. 

Upper School math teacher Arty Smith has become a leader in data analytics. He shared his expertise at two national conferences this semester. The first was in September at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago where he gave a speech called “March Madness: A Data-Driven Exploration.” Mr. Smith also traveled to Michigan in October for the Academic Data Science Alliance Annual Meeting, which focused on data science and AI, and spoke about the rise of the robo-umpire in Major League Baseball.

Science department chair Dr. Mary Fran Park attended the Rocky Mountain Mind, Brain & Education Conference at the beginning of November and had the opportunity to serve as both a presenter and panelist. She led a session centered on transforming student learning through science-based strategies, and she also got to be part of a panel that discussed how educators can leverage the science of learning to advance equity in the classroom. 

Representing our World Languages department, Upper School Chinese teacher Amanda Lin presented at the ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo in Philadelphia at the end of November. She and a group of Chinese teachers from other schools demonstrated proven strategies teachers can implement in the classroom to help students improve their reading literacy.

These are just a few examples of the many conferences our faculty have presented at and attended during the fall semester. We are so grateful to have such amazing teachers leading our Sun Devils in the classroom and sharing their expertise with other educators.