Our 5th grade teachers!
Ms. Begnel
Hello! My name is Katie Begnel. I originally grew up in southern Illinois. I moved to Grand Junction for college and I have loved being in Colorado. One of my favorite things is the outdoors. I also love spending quality time with my family and friends. A fun fact about me is that my favorite food is tacos!
I am so excited to be at Buffalo Ridge Elementary, where I will be starting my education career. I want to be a teacher because I have a passion for children and growing relationships with them. I can't wait to learn and experience new things this year!
_thumb_thumb.jpg)
Ms. Bethea
Hello Buffalo Ridge Families! My name is Maya Bethea and I am very excited to be teaching 5th grade this year at Buffalo Ridge! I am a Colorado native and grew up in Denver, I moved to Parker when I began teaching 3 years ago. This will be my fourth year teaching!
My experience teaching is in upper elementary. Before joining the Buffalo Ridge team I worked as a 5th grade teacher at Gold Rush Elementary. I also did my student teacher residency in a 5th grade classroom. I graduated from the University of Colorado Denver with my Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education.
As a teacher I enjoy creating a classroom community with my students. I think this is the most important factor in creating a successful classroom of students who thrive both academically and socially. I am always looking for new ways to engage my students creatively and find what excites them about learning. In addition to relationship and community building I believe in holding students to high expectations, challenging them academically and socially, teaching them to be respectful of the differences of others, and instilling a growth mindset in which students aren't afraid of taking risks and believing in themselves.
My immediate family is pretty small as I am an only child. However, my best friend of 14 years is like a sister to me. We spend a lot of time with our Shih Tzu Lila! I enjoy spending time in and out of the city trying new restaurants, attending concerts at Red Rocks, or going to hot springs pools in the mountains.
I am always open to sharing my experiences with students and families so please feel free to ask. Being in communication with families is important to me and I will be more than happy to answer any questions over the phone or through email. I am looking forward to teaching your students this year and creating a partnership to be the best support system for them.

Ms. Garbett
My name is Stacey Garbett. I am 28 years old. I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, for most of my life before moving to Colorado last year. I travel to California to work as an Aquatics Director for a scout camp during the summer. I am currently working on my Master in Educational Psychology, and should be graduating by the end of this year.
While I have only had my own classroom for the last four years, I have been working in schools since 2012. Most of that time was spent as a teacher in the after-school program. When I wasn't tutoring the little ones, I ran enrichment classes which included ballroom dancing and pottery. I also worked as an interventionist, teacher assistant, and as a substitute.
When I'm not teaching I love to go on adventures! I enjoy hiking, paddle boarding, and camping. I love to dance but haven't been able to find a spot to do so in Colorado. Lastly, I have recently gotten into kickboxing, which is so much fun!

Mr. Schlatter
Hello! This is my FIRST year as an educator and I could not be more excited to spend my first year with Buffalo Ridge! I received my BA in Elementary Education from IUPUI in Indianapolis, Indiana and I just moved out to Colorado in July. I fell in love with the mountains and the people and knew that this was going to be my new forever home. I have 3 cats named Jasper, Juno, and Link and an amazing fiancee by my side. I left behind my closest friends in Indiana but I'm beyond excited to create more!(: I cannot wait for the school year to start and to begin my passion with some amazing kiddos!