LISA FEGEN: lisa@raisingthebarcc.com

Lisa Fegen has taught middle school science in HISD for 12 years and was honored to receive the Teacher of the Year award during the 2007-2008 school year. She has created and implemented a series of successful camps at Lanier Middle School, including all levels of science instruction ranging from grades 6-8. One of her biggest accomplishments has been the development and execution of a comprehensive sixth grade orientation packed with activities to help incoming students make the often stressful transition from elementary to middle school a memorable and enjoyable experience for both students and parents. When she is not teaching, learning or running her own business, Lisa’s secret ambition is to compete on Dancing with the Stars.

MIKEY KEATING SMITH: mikey@raisingthebarcc.com

Mikey Keating Smith comes from a family of teachers – her mother, father, and sister are all educators! Mikey has worked for HISD for 7 years and is currently the Graduation Coach at Bellaire High School. Before moving to High School, she taught 6th & 7th grade literacy, ESL Oral Language Development and Home Economics at Lanier and Pin Oak Middle Schools. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism with a minor in American Studies from Penn State, is a Dyslexia Specialist, and has created curriculum for and taught classes on cooking, etiquette, and all facets of the writing process. She is a Gemini, has a dog named Cleo, and enjoys cooking and running.

LAURA ANDERSON

Laura Anderson is a 6th grade Literacy teacher at Lanier Middle School. She has a Middle School Education degree from Texas A&M University in Language Arts and Social Studies. Laura believes that in order to be effective, teaching can’t be a job you settle for but a passion! She strives to ignite in every student the desire to be the best they can be. Writing can open a young person’s mind to expand their creativity and ability to succeed across all walks of life. Outside the classroom, Laura loves to be outdoors and active, and her life goal is to compete on and WIN Survivor!

BARB FINKEL-BENNETT

Barb Finkel-Bennett loves teaching and kids of all ages. She facilitated staff workshops on writing instruction and taught Spanish at St. John’s School and Poe Elementary before becoming a seventh grade math teacher at Lanier Middle School. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Baylor University and is currently working on her Master's Degree in school counseling. She hates to cook but loves exercising and running. In fact, she just completed her certification in Spinning and is qualified to teach Spinning classes although she has no intention of actually teaching a Spinning class. In fact, she just wanted to learn how to adjust the bicycle, but was too embarrassed to ask!

PAULETTE BOGERT

Paulette Bogert likes to spend her time in the classroom as both a student and a teacher! In addition to holding a principal’s certificate, she has a B.A. in French from Oberlin College, an M.A. in French from Bowling Green State University and an M.B.A. from Tulane University. Paulette has been teaching in HISD for 12 years at the middle school level preceded by 5 years at the high school level. She has served as technology coordinator and technology department chair, Saturday Math Camp instructor, and has taught web design, keyboarding, podcasting, journalism, business ventures, English as a second language (ESL), French 1 & 2, and German 1 & 2 in the HISD Virtual School. Her hobbies include reading, cooking, sailing, swimming, and anything else that gets her outdoors.

RICK BRENNAN

Rick Brennan holds a bachelor’s degree in history with minor degrees in Spanish and Education from the University of Houston. He has taught social studies in HISD since 2000, and currently teaches sixth grade world cultures at Lanier. Rick also works with both Writers in the Schools (WITS) and the Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG). At WITS, Rick teaches poetry and creative writing to high school students and provides teacher training and professional development, while at SIG, he developed advanced academic courses for gifted and talented students from around the world. In his spare time, Rick has been known to finagle keys to the city from unsuspecting mayors and to enjoy his favorite food, peanut butter.

DANA LUTERMAN

Dana Luterman has taught elementary and middle school for 8 years. She currently teaches 8th grade science at Hogg Middle School. She has a bachelor’s Degree in Human Nutrition and Foods with a minor in Psychology. Besides being a member of several professional science organizations, she was a resident at Lanier Middle School’s Rice Model Science Lab in 2006-2007. She has also presented at several professional Science conferences. In her spare time she loves mountain biking and yoga, but her real talent is making doilies out of flour tortillas!

AURORA TERRY

Aurora Terry is a world traveler who takes time out of her busy globetrotting schedule to work as a history teacher and International Baccalaureate instructional coordinator at Lanier Middle School. She got her bachelor’s degree in history and her master’s degree in education from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and she has taught in Spain, Mexico, and Colombia. She has traveled through Europe, South America, and China and this summer she hopes to make it to Turkey. Although she has made her home in Texas for years, Aurora grew up in Lake Tahoe, Nevada where she still likes to return in the winter to dominate the black diamonds on the ski slope.

POLO VIGIL

Polo Vigil is a seventh grade vanguard math teacher at Lanier Middle School, where he has worked for 7 years at a variety of grade levels. He enjoys teaching middle school and preparing students for their academic journeys from high school to college and beyond. Before becoming a teacher, he worked in many areas of chemistry, including Environmental, Petroleum, a Research Chemist at Argonne National Laboratory, and finally as a Forensic Chemist with the Houston Police Department Crime Lab. He has a degree in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics from the University of New Mexico. He is an identical twin (older by 5 minutes) and an avid coffee fan who worked as a barista at Starbuck’s for four years but has learned to balance out the caffeine by practicing yoga several times a week.

BOYD WISNIEWSKI

Boyd Wisniewski tried his hand at a variety of professions before finding his true calling as a math teacher. He worked as a lumberjack and served as an officer in the US Navy, which were walks in the park compared to Middle School. He worked at the college level for 4 years before moving to Lanier Middle School, where he has worked for 12 years teaching 8th grade math and Algebra 1. Boyd is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and is a Texas Certified Math teacher in grades 1 through 12 with a special certification in Math for grades 1-8.