Kristina Black has been teaching middle school English for five years. She graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2016 with a degree in Secondary English Education. She enjoys reading, running, rock climbing, and hiking. She spends most of her time hanging out with her daughter and two dogs.

kristina@poderacademy.com

Bailee Karolchyk is the high school science teacher at PASS. She holds a pre-veterinary medicine degree and chemistry degree, as well as her certificate in teaching in secondary content. She grew up in Wisconsin and is a big Packers fan. She has 3 dogs and loves being outdoors every moment that she can.

bailee@poderacademy.com

Mr. Polland is in his second year of teaching here at PASS. He is from Greeley, Colorado and received his degree in History/Secondary Education from the University of Northern Colorado. Being from Colorado, he is a big Broncos fan and watches them every Sunday. He and his wife have called Cheyenne home for the last three years with their two dogs and two cats.

andy@poderacademy.com

hunter@poderacademy.com

Sandi Arnold is a high school math teacher at PASS. She earned a Mathematical Science degree from South Dakota School of Mines. After working for 10 years in the corporate world, she returned to school to get her teaching degree. Since then, she has taught for 11 years in South Dakota and before moving to Wyoming. She received her Masters in Mathematics Education three years ago and has been teaching at PASS since then. Her family enjoys camping and exploring the great outdoors. She has also competed in the Wyoming and the National Senior Olympics.

sandi@poderacademy.com

Gabrielle is originally from Laramie, Wyoming, and received her Bachelor or Arts degree in English from the University of Wyoming in 2010 and returned for a post-baccalaureate in English Secondary Education. In her free time, she absolutely loves scouring Gryphons Games & Comics for the newest comic books, playing video games and watching horror movies with her husband, running with her Siberian Husky, and going to heavy metal concerts.

brie@poderacademy.com

My name is Heather Roland, and I will be teaching 7th, 8th and 9th grade Science for the 2022-2023 school year. This will be my first year at PODER Academy Secondary School (P.A.S.S.) and my first year teaching Science.  I am originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Sciences concurrent with Earth Space Sciences from the University of Wyoming in 2022, and I am currently working on completing an endorsement in ESL, English as a Second Language.  In my free time, I absolutely love playing video games and watching movies with my children, working out at the gym, and going to sporting events.

Austin Fermelia is the Tennis Director at PODER Academy. Tennis, teaching and coaching have always been huge passions of his and luckily he gets to do all three at PODER. Some of his other passions are running his general contracting business during the summers, staying fit, and hanging out with his two Shih Tzu's Atlas and Ellie.

austin@poderacademy.com

Mr.  Piccirilli grew up near Buffalo, New York. He is a life-long learner and has attended multiple universities and holds three degrees. He has been in education for over 20 years and has taught in four different states. He enjoys hiking and visiting new places. Currently, he is a PhD candidate.

ronald@poderacademy.com

Ms. Blattner is in her first year of teaching here at PASS. This is also her first year teaching. She is from Wichita, Kansas and received her degree in Mathematics/Secondary Education from the University of Wyoming. She was a part of the swimming and diving team while attending the University of Wyoming. She also just moved to Cheyenne over the summer.

katelyn@poderacademy.com

I am from Mexico City where I lived until I was 24 years-old. I got my Bachelors degree from the Universidad del Valle de México. This will be my first year teaching at P.A.S.S; previously I worked as an Speech Language Therapist Assistant for 3 years. As a native Spanish speaker, I want to share my love for the language and culture with young people. Also, I consider being bilingual is a great tool in today’s diverse world.

Morgan is excited to be the Physical Education teacher at PODER and P.A.S.S! He's originally from Madera, California where he taught high school Physical Education. He was also the Defensive Coordinator of the Varsity Football team at Madera South High School. He graduated from Fresno State University in 2018 and has always been passionate about Physical Education and health. He loves anything outdoors; hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and is a huge LA Charger Fan!

morgan@poderacademy.com

Dominic is the Chess teacher / coach at PODER and P.A.S.S. He has been a Chess teacher for many years and has been in the education field for over 10 years. He loves what he does and loves helping and seeing students grow in a multitude of ways.

Derek is the School Guidance Counselor at P.A.S.S. As a native to Wyoming, he was raised just beyond the summit in Laramie, WY. He graduated with his Masters in School Counseling, from the University of Wyoming. He is a sports enthusiast and ex-collegiate athlete in both Football and Rugby and also able to connect with students of many interests as he enjoys video games and board games as well. His goal is to help students meet all academic requirements for graduation and to attend the college that best fits their personal interests. He will work with your student to overcome any hurdles that may get in their way, on their academic journey.

derek@poderacademy.com

Jessica is a Cheyenne, Wyoming native who attended the University of Wyoming for both her undergrad and graduate degrees. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has experience in various areas of mental health including family therapy; substance abuse; social and emotional disabilities; suicidality and self-harm. She loves spending time with her pets, reading, and traveling the world. She is very passionate about working at PODER and hopes to help in any way she can!

Rhonda is excited to be at PODER Academy.  She received her degree at the University of Wyoming. She's lived in California, Arizona and Wyoming and loves to do things with her family on her days off. She enjoys doing crafts and being outdoors, and also enjoys watching movies and reading.