Scott Thornton
​4th-6th Team Teacher (Math Specialist) - Building Lead
sthornton@pistem.org

Mr. Thornton is in his third year of teaching. He graduated from Boise State University in 2012 with a Bachelors in Communication. In August of 2016, he received his teacher certification through ABCTE.  Mr. Thornton taught 7th-grade Math at Kuna Middle School during the 2016-17 school year and 4th-grade in Marsing during the 2017-18 school year.  He loves the time he gets to spend with all of the students, helping them learn how to become the best version of themselves. His favorite part about teaching is seeing kids laugh and smile while they are learning.

Mr. Thornton and his wife Jessica have been married for 11 years and three wonderful children,  Natalee (9), Grant (5), and Jack (2).  Their free time is spent as a family, supporting their children in sports, 4-H, camping, and traveling. His children are involved in basketball, baseball, and softball. Mr. Thornton also enjoys being a high school football official in the Fall and having season tickets to the Boise State University football games.

Julie Duty
4th-6th Team Teacher (Science & Engineering Specialist)
jduty@pistem.org

Mrs. Duty graduated from Lewis-Clark State College in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Standard Elementary Education all subjects K-8 with a minor in Literacy K-12.  She spent her first year as a teacher in a one room schoolhouse in Pine, Idaho.  She taught grades K, 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 7th.  She found teaching in a one room school a wonderful experience, but wanted to live within a larger community.  Mrs. Duty worked at the BSU Children’s Center from 2011 to 2017, as an assistant teacher and then lead teacher. After substituting in area charter schools, she discovered the joy of working within a charter school environment. Mrs. Duty has been at Project Impact STEM Academy since the Spring of 2019 as the 4th - 6th grade science teacher.

Mrs. Duty enjoys reading and writing and has recently taken an interest in acrylic painting.  She has a black belt in Kajukenbo and her favorite animals are cats, wolves, and jellyfish. She believes in teaching through doing and she is enjoying the opportunity to teach science at Project Impact STEM Academy.

Anna Weise
4th-6th Team Teacher (ELA Specialist)
aweise@pistem.org

Mrs. Weise graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor's degree in English and then earned her Elementary Teaching credentials through ABCTE. She is currently finishing a Master’s degree from Western Governors University in Curriculum and Instruction. Last year Mrs. Weise taught students in grades K-8 for an online school.

Mrs. Weise grew up in North Carolina and currently lives in Nampa with her husband and daughter (8).  She loves reading, music, and all things nerdy!  Some of her favorite books are included in the 4th-6th grade curriculum.  Her family loves to play games, read, and laugh together.

Elizabeth Covarrubias
K-6 Social Studies/History Specialist
ecovarrubias@pistem.org

This is Ms. Covarrubias’s first year teaching social studies. For the past year she has been the assistant director and a teacher for various age groups in a before/after school program within a Meridian charter school. During the summer of 2021 she worked as a summer school elementary art teacher for the Boise School District. Ms. Covarrubias graduated from Boise State University in 2019 with a BFA in Visual Arts; K-12. She is adding her K-8 all subjects endorsement through an alternate endorsement path through the State Department of Education.

Ms. Covarrubias grew up in a very small town in Southern Idaho on a small five-acre farm next to the Malad River. Her family’s farm is currently home to a spoiled pig named Cleopatra, a chicken named Rose, many barn cats, and a few adorable dogs. Ms. Covarrubias currently lives in Boise and enjoys walking downtown for coffee, food, and tubing down the Boise River. She has three cute and adventurous dogs named Jax, Edwin, and Burrito.  In her free time she also enjoys painting, reading, swimming, camping, and traveling.

Lorri Brenneman
K-12 Art Specialist
lbrenneman@pistem.org

Mrs. Brenneman has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Horticulture/Plant Science minor from Montana State University.  She also has a Master’s degree in Education and Curriculum Development/Instruction from Montana State University.  She has taught art and agriculture in public schools, colleges, and universities for over 17 years.  She has served as the Agriculture Literacy Specialist for the Department of Agriculture in Montana.
Mrs. Brenneman has also served as the President of the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO) and served on their Board of Directors for several years.  She has been the Executive Director of the Montana Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, and for her work with agriculture literacy was chosen as the “Ambassador of Education” award recipient for the state of Montana in 2014 by Governor Steve Bullock.
Mrs. Brenneman grew up in a cool mountainous area near Glacier National Park in Montana. She loves nature, animals, huckleberries, and farming.  She has owned and operated her own pottery business, and currently lives on a small farm with her husband and several farm animals. She loves cats, horses, flowers, and creating habitats for wild birds and animals.  In her spare time, she enjoys watching British comedy and funny movies.
In the classroom Mrs. Brenneman and her students learn alongside each other about the connections of the world and its cultures through the arts.  She introduces nature into her art studies as often as possible and integrates agriculture into the lessons as well.

Scott Shultz
K-12 PE/Health Specialist & Special Education Teacher
sschultz@pistem.org

Mr. Shultz is a recent transplant to Idaho, relocating so that he and his family could live near their extended family that had migrated several years earlier. As a native of Southern California, he grew up playing competitive sports year round, which led to his love of teaching and coaching. While in high school, Scott realized how  intrinsically woven both disciplines were, and he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Physical Education as well as a Master’s Degree in Special Education at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California.

Mr. Shultz has 17 years experience teaching High School Special Education with an emphasis in math, as well as Physical Education. In addition, he coached High School Varsity football as Offensive Coordinator for 24 years, leading his team to 11 League titles and two CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) championships.

As a Special Educator, Mr. Shultz oversees the development of IEP’s (Individualized Education Plans), Assessment and Vocational Plans, along with classroom instruction. Mr. Shultz’s passion is to encourage students to overcome challenges to reach their full potential through one-on-one instruction, perseverance, and guiding them as they discover their purpose while maintaining an optimistic attitude. Mr. Shultz strives to establish a positive relationship with students and staff and encourages an open door policy for communication.

Along with his lovely wife Lisa and their three children, he enjoys spending time hiking, attending sporting events (especially hockey), playing games and getting together with family.

Amanda Harris
K-8 Technology/Agriculture Specialist
aharris@pistem.org

Mrs. Harris is a University of Idaho alumni graduating in 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture Economics and Elementary Education. In 2017 she received her Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math from Concordia University of Portland. She has been teaching for 8 years along with many years of STEM camps during the summers. Mrs. Harris has mentored teams in Robotics and Engineering.

Mrs. Harris spends her free time with her family:  Husband: Braden & Daughter: Vivian and pets. She loves to explore the great outdoors of Idaho. She is often out fishing, four-wheeling, or rock hunting!  If she isn’t out exploring, you can find her outside reading! Mrs. Harris loves to learn!

Catherine Keesee
K-12 Special EducationTeacher
ckeesee@pistem.org

Mrs. Keesee graduated from Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She received her teacher certification in Special Education and Elementary Education through American Board. Prior to joining PiSTEM Academy, Mrs. Keesee worked in several areas of education and child advocacy. She began her journey as a Court Appointed Child Advocate for the state of Iowa. Additionally,she taught preschool in Iowa for 5 years before realizing her true calling...Special Education. She then worked as a Special Education  Paraprofessional for 4 years in Iowa and spent another 4 years as a Special Education Paraprofessional at North Star Charter School in Eagle, Idaho.

Mrs. Keesee is married with three daughters, Madeline (20), and twins, Allison and Amelia (16). She also has three fur babies, a dog (Ernie), and two cats (Lucy and Autzen). In her free time, you can almost always find Mrs. Keesee hiking somewhere in the Idaho foothills with her husband, Scott.