Miranda Rick
Kindergarten Teacher
mrick@pistem.org

Mrs. Rick grew up in Idaho. She currently lives in Nampa with her husband of 7 years, their 2-year-old son, and their 2 dogs Duke (a lab) and Midnight (border collie mix).
Mrs. Rick loves spending time outdoors. She loves camping, fishing, boating, and hunting. 
In her free time, Mrs. Rick enjoys watching football, reading a good book, and spending time with her family. 

Mrs. Rick has an associates degree from College of Western Idaho and a bachelor's degree from College of Idaho. She is certified in Elementary Education (K-8). Mrs. Rick has been the Kindergarten teacher at Project Impact STEM Academy since the Spring of 2019.

Arie Sparkman
1st-3rd Grade Team Teacher (Math Specialist)
asparkman@pistem.org

Mrs. Sparkman has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education Interdisciplinary Studies from Liberty University. Her education classes focused on teaching math and reading. She was a substitute teacher for 17 years in the West Ada School district where spent most of her time at Summerwind STEM School in the West Ada School District. She has always enjoyed teaching the primary grades. Mrs. Sparkman is passionate about both math and reading.  For fun, she enjoys reading and working through algebra problems.  She has books in every room in her house, including a collection of over 1,000 children’s books.  Her goal is to teach children to love math and reading as much as she does. She has two grandsons who are in the second and fourth grades.  She tries to be the kind of teacher that they would want to have.

Taiana Carvalho
1st-3rd Grade Team Teacher (Science Specialist)

Ms. Carvalho earned her BS degree in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota. She spent a decade working in wildlife conservation in her roles as a zookeeper at the Fort Worth Zoo, as well as a propagation specialist working for The Peregrine Fund in conjunction with the federally managed California Condor Recovery Program.  Ms. Carvalho then transitioned into education and earned her K-8 Elementary certification, as well as a K-12 Literary endorsement.  She started her teaching career in the Boise School District, and is excited to join the Pi STEM community! 

Ms. Carvalho is originally from Brazil, and is a mom to a lovely 7 year old daughter. They enjoy spending time outdoors, reading, gardening, and traveling together!

Lorae Crownhart
1st-3rd Team Teacher (ELA Specialist)
lcrownhart@pistem.org

Mrs. Crownhart is so excited to return to Project Impact Stem Academy this school year. While away, she has been raising two children and given them a great start. Previously, Mrs. Crownhart taught 4th-6th grade ELA for Project Impact STEM Academy. 
In 2017, she graduated from Northwest Nazarene University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Literature. After graduation from NNU, she moved to the island of Oahu, Hawaii to begin a job as a Registered Behavior Technician. For the next year and a half she worked one on one with children in the primary grades diagnosed with Autism and other learning/behavioral disorders. Currently, Mrs. Crownhart is working on completing a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
Mrs. Crownhart enjoys spending time with her family and friends. When the weather is nice she enjoys exploring nature by hiking, swimming and camping. She enjoys reading, playing the piano, and enjoying time with her two children.

Josephine Fisher
K-8 Technology/Agriculture Teacher
jfisher@pistem.org

Mrs. Fisher graduated from Boise State with a Masters in Education Technology. She has taught various elementary grade levels in the Nampa School District for the last 8 years. Mrs. Fisher grew up in the Treasure Valley and enjoys being able to share exciting learning experiences with as many students as possible. In her spare time she likes to craft, build webpages, volunteer and help run the family business. Mrs. Fisher and her husband have been married for 10 years and have two wonderful children plus one on the way!  Their free time is spent as a family taking daily walks, watching Marvel movies, flying, and crafting.

Jennifer Robinson
K-6 Social Studies/History Teacher
jrobinson@pistem.org

Crystal Myers
K-12 Visual Art
cmyers@pistem.org

Mrs. Myers is a native to Idaho and she received her BA degree from Boise State University in Art Education. She is certified in K-12 Art. She spent the last ten years teaching at a rural middle and senior high school where she built and expanded the art program. She enjoys traveling with students abroad and introducing them to the arts and cultures of other countries.

Mrs. Myers is excited to teach the younger grades and looks forward to being able to instill confidence and creativity, while teaching appreciation and awareness of the visual arts inside and outside of the classroom.
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Mrs. Myers and her husband have two sons (18 and 14) and one daughter (10). She enjoys spending most of her time outdoors going on horse pack trips with her family, “plein air” painting, working in the garden, and reading in her hammock.

Vince Taylor
1st-12th grade Physical Education/Health Teacher
vtaylor@pistem.org

Mr Taylor graduated from Boise State University in December of 2014 with a Bachelor's in Kinesiology.  He taught PE & Health at Idaho Arts Charter School & Pathways In Education prior to joining the team at Project Impact STEM Academy.  He loves helping students grow and develop academically, socially, and physically.  He keeps his classroom a safe, fun, and respectful environment to learn. 
Mr. Taylor has a 5 year old son, Brody. He enjoys spending time with his son going to  Monster Truck Rallies, Bull Riding events, & Dinosaur expos!  In the summer you will catch these two on a paddleboard and in the winter you may see them sledding or snowboarding to stay active.  Mr. Taylor is very excited to be a part of Project Impact STEM Academy and help students develop lifelong skills to use toward their futures.

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.