Tim Deidrick
Secondary Math Specialist
tdeidrick@pistem.org

Mr. Deidrick has been a member of the Pi STEM team since the Fall of 2019.  He has experience teaching, coaching, and mentoring students at many different educational levels including junior high, high school, and college.  He loves teaching math and enjoys bringing his love for learning and math to this new position.

Early in Mr. Deidrick’s career, he taught math at the Junior College level.  During this time, he also coached men’s basketball, recruiting and coaching eighteen players that went onto play NCAA Division I basketball and two players that went on to play professionally.  He then went on to teach and coach at Truman State University.


After spending 11 years at Truman, Mr. Deidrick joined the athletic department at the University of Missouri, where he mentored and tutored athletes and organized and ran college sporting events.  Missing teaching, Mr. Deidrick went back into the classroom full-time to teach Algebra and Geometry for Columbia Public Schools. Tim was fortunate to work alongside Kathy Steinhoff who was National Teacher of the Year.  Mr. Deidrick accredits Kathy for his passion for teaching Geometry and his development as a strong secondary teacher.  Kathy taught him how to use geometry activities and projects to engage students and help them develop mathematical thinking and deductive reasoning.

Mr. Deidrick left Missouri when his wife was offered a position in Boise.  During the transition, he taught Trigonometry as an adjunct instructor at Boise State University and again found himself working in the athletic department as an advisor and tutor for student-athletes. Mr. Deidrick spent four years at Compass Public Charter teaching Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Math in Modern Society and AP Statistics before joining PiSTEM Academy in 2019.  

In his free time, he spends time with his wife and two children (ages 7 and 13). They spend vacations visiting family in Missouri and spending time in the mountains of Idaho. He enjoys running, hiking, and swimming.

Elliott Marshall
Secondary Math/Engineering Specialist
emarshall@pistem.org

Mr. Marshall received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 2017. After graduating, he worked for a software start-up in Madison, where he produced 3D models of customers’ buildings and trained users how to utilize the facility maintenance software.

Mr. Marshall left Wisconsin to join the Peace Corps, where he worked to promote Economic Development across rural communities in Senegal. After being evacuated due to the pandemic, he continued his service-driven work through an Americorps position at the school in Creede, CO. He assisted in math instruction for 9th and 10th graders as well as 4th and 5th graders, and supported the Engineering Tech class by helping students understand the real-world application of the software and technologies they learned. Through his work with the Creede School District, Mr. Marshall confirmed his passion for teaching and is excited to launch his education career at Project Impact STEM Academy.

Mr. Marshall grew up in the suburbs of Houston, but spent his summers at a backpacking camp in Durango, CO. He developed an appreciation for the outdoors and a love for the mountains at a young age and continues to spend as much time outside as possible. He is excited to explore the Sawtooths and is thrilled by Boise’s proximity to his favorite mountain range, the Tetons.

Zizly Quiroz
Secondary ELA Specialist
zquiroz@pistem.org

Mrs. Quiroz received her Bachelor degree in Broadcasting and Electronic Communications in 2012 and is in the process of completing a Master degree in Communication at Boise State University. This will be Mrs. Quiroz’ third year as the Secondary English Language Arts teacher. She transitioned from a career in broadcasting as a radio personality. 

In her free time, Mrs. Q enjoys listening to music, any activity outdoors, but especially spending time with friends and family. When she married her husband she gained a gorgeous bonus daughter! She also has two pups, Gracie and Sausage.

She loves bringing her lived experience from her previous careers in broadcasting and communication into her teaching. She uses her lived experience to engage her students and invigorate their love for English. She wants her students to learn to value a great education while having fun!

Lauren Young
Secondary Science Specialist
lyoung@pistem.org

Miss Young has a Bachelor of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Zoology from Boise State University. During her undergraduate years, she traveled to India to learn about Indian Vulture Conservation and to New Zealand to plant Manuka Honey trees in the clear-cut forests of the North Island. Miss Young coached gymnastics for three years while in college and then transitioned over to teach preschool after graduation. She has taught preschool for two years, which inspired her to enter teaching as a career. She began her journey into teaching as science teacher at Project Impact STEM Academy in the Fall of 2019.

Miss Young grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. With this she gained an immense love for the redwoods that she would climb and the overall beauty of the great outdoors. Her free time is spent doing anything and everything active with a dash of reading. She loves climbing, acro-yoga, aerial silks, backpacking, biking, and traveling. Her passion for exploration has also led her to Peru to backpack the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, the Falkland Islands to learn about the conservation research taking place with the Gentoo Penguins and Black-Browed Albatross, and to Canada for acro.

Keoni Eshelman
Secondary History/Social Studies Specialist
keshelman@pistem.org

This will be Mr. Eshelman’s third year at Project Impact STEM Academy. He came to Idaho from Discovery Bay, California to teach at Project Impact STEM Academy. In 2019 he graduated from Northwest Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education. He is certified to teach grades 6-12 in World History, U.S. History, and Government.

In his free time, he loves to be with friends and family. Going out to record shops, buying vinyl's and listening to music. When the weather is nice, he likes to go hiking, play sports, and swim. His favorite thing to do is to go on adventures with his 1-year-old corgi named Sir Maximus McFluffbottom.

As a teacher, his goal is to inspire the hearts and minds of all his students so that they can go into the future knowing they can make an impact in the world around them.

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!

Athea Prillaman
High School CTE Agriculture Teacher
aprillamn@pistem.org

Mrs. Prillaman has her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Science from California Polytechnic State University and her Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Idaho. She is a graduate of the Professional Technical Education Leadership Institute and served as an Attendance Dean at Columbia High School in Nampa from 2013 to 2016.

Mrs. Prillaman grew up in the mountains of California riding horses on a Christmas tree farm.  She has always loved the outdoors and animals.  Her favorite place is sitting on a stump at Bull Trout Lake taking in the view.  She loves hiking, camping, biking, swimming, paddle boarding, and riding horses. She grew up on a ranch where working and playing hard was the only way to live life.  She loves balancing life with new experiences and challenges.  Her passion for traveling has taken her all around Idaho, the United States, and the world.

Mrs. Prillaman loves helping people find meaning in what they are doing and teaching others how to make their life easier.  She has enjoyed sharing her passion for technology to the students at Pi STEM for the last three years, but also looks forward to sharing with them a love for agriculture. Through her work she hopes to help students to discover the important connections that exist between the agriculture industry and technology. She is excited to bring Agriculture education to the students at Project Impact STEM Academy during the 2021-2022 school year.

Mrs. Prillaman loves country music and classic rock music, she enjoys action movies. She considers herself one of the original 80's Star Wars fans.

She lives in the country with her family, three horses, and one dog.

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.