Meet Your RISE Instructors
My name is Nicole Ball, and I have the honor of being the RISE Math 6 teacher. I’m really excited to be teaching this class. I am eager to help engage students in mathematical concepts and enVision Math. Together we can work to meet the goals you have for your students. I look forward to working with you to help make your child’s educational experiences successful!
We are going to sharpen our math skills, build self-confidence and practice a growth mindset while learning new, exciting things related to math. With over twenty years of teaching experience both in the classroom and as a homeschool teacher, as well as serving as Cottonwood’s Math Intervention Coordinator teaching our WiN Math classes for the past seven years, I am thrilled to embark on this virtual learning experience with you.
On a personal note, I have three wonderful daughters and a supportive, loving husband of twenty-two years. My oldest daughter, Maddy, is a junior this year at Folsom High School. She is a courageous synchronized swimmer and lacrosse player. It is so much fun watching her succeed both in and out of the water! My middle daughter, Lucy, is an 8th grader at Sutter Middle School and plays competitive soccer while also playing goalie for her lacrosse team and synchronized swimming as well. Lucy is always on the go with some sort of practice and we couldn’t be more proud of her hard work! My youngest daughter, Claire, comes along for the ride with a giant smile on her face :). She loves playing soccer, is an avid reader and talented artist, and is very excited to be a second grader this year! I sure love being in her company.
I am fortunate to be a part of the Cottonwood Team and am looking forward to a terrific year with your student!
With 27 years of teaching behind me, I feel confident in teaching students how to write in an organized manner so that they feel comfortable writing in response to any prompt given to them. Another interest of mine is novel discussion and history. When I am not at work I enjoy spending time with friends and family. I love being a part of the Cottonwood team.
I have been a homeschool teacher for six years now. Before I became a homeschool teacher I was a classroom teacher for 12 years, and then I took time off to be a stay-at-home mom. I enjoyed that experience, but being a teacher is rewarding, and fun, and I wanted to go back. So, when my children were well into their school years, I came back to teaching and found homeschooling. I love the idea of partnering with parents to give students the best education for them. Building relationships with families and students is the Heart of Homeschooling. My role at The Cottonwood School is that of HST, RISE Math 7 Teacher, and Digital Literacy coach. I enjoy each of these roles and especially look forward to helping students learn to love math and have fun doing it.
On a personal note, I have 5 children and have been married to Tom for 32 years. I have 2 daughters and 3 sons. My 2 oldest children are serving in the military; Macie, 25, is an army paratrooper, the first active duty woman sniper in army history, and is serving in Germany. Thomas, 24, is a marine serving in San Diego in communications. The other 3 children live with my husband and me. Julia, 21, and Matthew, 19, are going to Sierra College. Henry, 17, is a senior in high school.
I am so excited to be the 7th-grade RISE English language arts teacher, and have so much compassion and excitement to share with students of this age! I absolutely love the Cottonwood School. The students, families, and staff are amazingly heartwarming, supportive, and inspiring!
Previously I was a 3rd-grade teacher for 6 years. I have also taught TK, 4th grade, 5th grade, and PE for 7 years. In between teaching, I stayed home for 7 years with my two sons who are now 16 and 14, and the absolute light of my life! Landen (19) and Logan (16) have helped me to be a well-rounded teacher and to fully understand the love parents have for their children!
In my spare time, I love to spend time in nature riding my mountain bike with my sons. My love for the outdoors and spending time in nature helps me find balance in my busy teaching schedule. One of my passions is teaching people how to mountain bike, especially kids! If I am not teaching online you can usually find me on the trail teaching someone mountain biking skills or holding an event for kids to learn to ride in a group.
I also have two dogs who are showered with love, Cali, our 4-year-old Border Collie, and Peanut, our 12-year-old chihuahua. They constantly have us laughing with all the funny things they do and they definitely help make our house a home!
My hope is to convey my passion for supporting you, my student, and that you find me a part of your educational team who cares deeply about your education but also about who you are as a person. I am very much looking forward to getting to know you!
Hello! My name is Stephanie Mitchell, and I’m excited to share a little about myself. I grew up in Orangevale, CA, and graduated from Rocklin High School. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento, and later obtained my teaching credential and Master’s in Education from National University.
I began my teaching career as a middle school classroom teacher, where I taught for three years before transitioning to the role of a Homeschool Teacher (HST). Over the past eight years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting families and students in their educational journeys.
I have two daughters, who are 7 and 12 years old. As a family, we love spending time outdoors hiking, kayaking, and exploring nature.
I’ve been a part of the Cottonwood community for several years and deeply enjoy collaborating with both the Homeschool and RISE Junior High communities. I’m passionate about fostering inquiry, learning, and growth and look forward to another wonderful year of working together to help students thrive.
My name is Mr. Clark, and I’m thrilled to be the Math 8 teacher this year for RISE. My primary goal as a teacher is to help create an academic community where all students learn and have fun. Personally, I grew up in Cameron Park and am an outdoor enthusiast; I try to backpack in the mountains and ride my mountain bike whenever I can. I also enjoy video games, soccer, and playing music. I’m looking forward to working with you.
Math 8 (pre-algebra) is a pivotal class which solidifies early math knowledge while preparing students for high school and college math. I’m excited to help ensure students’ proficiency in computational skills while introducing equations with variables and linear functions. We’ll also be studying some statistics and geometry. On the way, we’ll explore how math and logical reasoning (critical thinking) play a role in computer science, engineering, video game design, construction, finance, sports and much more.
I’ve been a teacher for over 20 years, and have taught almost every grade level and subject, but English is definitely the most fun! I love reading and writing in my free time whenever I can. Reading about new people and ideas, or different times and places, is one of my favorite ways to learn and connect with the human experience. I’m eager to hear from you what you’ve been reading recently, and to help introduce you to new books that help you feel excited about reading and that broaden your perspectives on different people, places, and ideas.
I love writing because of the way it helps people see one another. While many middle school students find writing intimidating, it’s a passion of mine to instill in students the belief that they have something of value to bring to the world, and that writing can be a lovely avenue to bring it. I can’t wait to find out what your favorite things are to write about, and to give you the tools you need to be an effective writer and communicator.
In addition to being an English teacher, I’m also a homeschool mom of six kids and way too many pets. We love camping on the beach, paddleboarding on Lake Tahoe, and other outdoor adventures. I’m looking forward to meeting you and hearing about the adventures you’ve been taking!
I’m thrilled to be the RISE Science 8 teacher. Having worked with homeschool families for most of my teaching career and being a homeschool mom of three myself, I am deeply committed to student-centered, personalized learning. I’m excited to bring my experience as a middle school science teacher, science content specialist, and content creator in the educational technology sector to my new position. My goal is to create engaging, interactive learning experiences that inspire curiosity and critical thinking, while also learning what excites each student.
Outside of teaching, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my husband, three kids, and our dog. I’m also passionate about fitness and teach Mom Strong workout classes for moms at our local yoga studio. I look forward to fostering a love for science and lifelong learning in my students!
I’m originally from Visalia, California. I graduated from Redwood High School in 1992 as Student Body President and was recruited to play soccer for Sonoma State University. After graduation from SSU, I was fortunate enough to play professionally for the Stanislaus County Cruisers and for a top amateur club called Quick in The Hague, Netherlands.
I have a decade of experience as the lead teacher in a lower elementary Montessori classroom. I have also been a facilitator for the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) team and earned my Preliminary Administrative Service Credential (PASC) at Chico State University. I love learning and believe deeply in human development and systems thinking.
I live in Chico, California, with my wife and two children, ages fourteen and seventeen. We enjoy skiing together, camping, and boating on the local lakes and rivers. This is my fourth year working with The Cottonwood School as an HST and as an instructor in the RISE program. The members of the TCS and RISE community are amazing and supportive. I am excited to learn new things and work with your students.
I attended San Diego State University and received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Pathology with three Minors in Psychology, Chicano Studies and Spanish. After graduation, I started working for Los Angeles Unified School District as a dual-language immersion teacher in the elementary grades. While working there, I attended Cal State LA and completed the coursework for a Multi-Subject BCLAD credential. I worked in Los Angeles for 10 years.
In the past three years, I attended Brandman University in Roseville and received a Single Subject Credential to teach Spanish. I worked as a substitute teacher at the middle and high school levels before coming to The Cottonwood School. I feel appreciative of the opportunity to be part of this wonderful community.
As a kid, my family always had art supplies around the house to make things with. In 7th grade, I had a teacher who encouraged drawing but didn’t do any lessons on it. Me and my friend Dave did drawing contests to see how much we could fit on one piece of paper. When I got to high school, it was my first chance to take a ”REAL” art class and I was super excited to get it. I tried as many kinds of art as I could, but I found I LOVED photography because a new teacher was building a darkroom, and I wanted to do my own film developing! In college I tried all kinds of art, and I always loved science classes, too. I ended up as an art major and worked in a portrait photography studio and darkroom when I graduated.
After 10 years of photography work, I started my second career and became a teacher! I taught almost all grades, but mostly grades 7 and 8, and then 15 years of high school also. I LOVE staying in touch with my former students who are doing art as adults.
I’m always asked if I do any art of my own. First, my passion is helping students learn how to do satisfying things with art. But yes, I do but I don’t sell anything. This summer, I worked hard to ramp up my watercolor painting skills, and wow was it challenging! I always work on my drawing skills, and I have a lot of interest in simple, colorful designs that play with geometry.
I love to facilitate “ah-ha” moments with students of all ages and have a unique talent for inspiring curiosity. A homeschool parent of six kids and former homeschooler myself, I have decades of classroom and private music teaching experience, and have served as an influential board member of non-profits like Classical Masters and The Young Musician’s Association. As the world’s first piano education live-streamer, I love to expertly use technology to combine the whimsy of music with its inexhaustible explorability to make music fun and engaging for parents and students alike!