NextGen Under 30 Winners

This recognition is well-deserved for these three hard-working teachers who make a difference for our children every day in the classroom and have made a significant impact on the Casady Community!

 

Ashlynn Dickinson, a nationally certified Kodaly Educator, is always striving to bring the best practices into her music program for Casady's Pre-K through 4th grade students. By investing time and energy into certification programs, Mrs. Dickinson believes these are an integral part of bringing engaging and meaningful learning to her classroom. When she works with students, Mrs. Dickinson strives for literacy through creativity, process through product, beauty through perfection, and meaningful relationships. 

 

Karla Zuñiga teaches Spanish to Casady School’s youngest Cyclones in their Montessori-based program. During the 2018-2019 school year, Ms. Zuñiga started a Kindergarten Spanish Enrichment Class, which includes Spanish vocabulary, children’s literature, culture, and music. In the 2019-2020 school year, Ms. Zuñiga will be creating, developing, and expanding the Spanish curriculum in Pre-Kindergarten in addition to Kindergarten and will do it mindfully, intentionally, and thoughtfully. She has also created and taught Spanish camps during Casady’s Summer by the Lake program.

 

Karla Shirazi, a French teacher for Casady School’s fifth, seventh, and eighth grade students, has developed creative ways to engage and encourage her students to enhance their language skills. Mrs. Shirazi fosters an environment in which students learn while having fun. She has implemented a teaching method to convert her classroom to nearly 95% Comprehensible Input, which is considered key acquisition through meaningful interaction in a target language. Throughout the year Mrs. Shirazi’s students learn about phonetics in a non-traditional way that enhances their comprehension of words and sounds in French, while working on songs, poems, nursery rhymes, and tongue twisters.