Prior to teaching at BCD, I taught for five years in Chicago at a high school and middle school. I have also taught in Colorado at the college level and middle school level. I enjoy reading, travel and baking, as well as spending time with my daughter, Madeline, and son, Henry. I moved to Colorado from Chicago in 2004 and love to hike and ski.
Catherine Barnes was born in the UK and emigrated to the United States when she was 7. She grew up in Buffalo, New York and attended Miami University of Ohio where she received her degree in Business Marketing. She later received her MBA From the CU Boulder LEEDS School of business, where she also met her husband of 20+ years. She had career in high tech marketing and corporate training before taking some time off to raise her two children, Elizabeth and Colin. In her consulting career she has worked with Boeing, The Federal Aviation Administration, Elkay and others on Visual inspection and Failure to Follow Procedures in airplane inspections. She received her Master’s in Educational Psychology from CU Denver and has taught at Douglass Elementary and substituted at BVSD elementary and middles schools. Most recently she worked as the outreach coordinator at Mackintosh Academy creating curriculum led field trips, experiences and bringing in orchestras, choirs and guest speakers.
Catherine enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, skiing, walking her dog Bella and being outdoors in Colorado. She also enjoys travelling to new places each year, though always loves coming home to Boulder.
I taught 6th grade in Missoula, Montana for a year, moved home to New Jersey and taught for one year before moving to Sumatra, Indonesia to teach English to High School aged children. Later I moved back to the east coast and taught children who were on Broadway Musicals and on the Disney Channel as well as several movies. In my spare time I love to mountain bike, ski, fly fish, travel and go birding with Robin Hoover and Kathy Steinbaugh! I volunteer at the Birds of Prey Foundation in the ICU working with sick or injured raptors. I also volunteer and travel with People to People Student Ambassadors. I have lived and taught in New Jersey, New York, Montana, California, Sumatra, and England before settling down in Colorado in 2001.
As an alumnus of BCD it is very exciting to come back as a teacher. Before coming here I spent two years in the training and development department of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. It is a joy being back in Boulder, as I love to hike and camp with my dogs. In the winter I also enjoy teaching kids to ski and watching the Toronto Maple Leafs play hockey!
When I am not playing with my dog or taking care of the house, I am an avid bowler. I also like to sail on Lake Pueblo whenever I have the chance to do so. I like to travel and keep current on the latest movies.
As a Colorado native, I spent my childhood playing outside and climbing trees. Prior to teaching at BCD I lived in Los Angeles from 2008 -2016; where I taught a variety of middle school subjects including math and science. I consider myself an adventurer and enjoy traveling to new places, meeting new people, and eating new foods. After leaving LA in the summer of 2016 I traveled to Europe and Central America for six months before returning to Colorado. As a teacher, I love to engage students by getting them excited about new content and asking thoughtful questions that have them go deeper into topics that interest them. I am excited to join the BCD community and am happy to be back in Colorado.
Prior to teaching at BCD , I taught in public and private, urban and suburban middle schools for 16 years in California. I have taught almost every subject but my specialty is science where I have held several leadership roles. When not in the classroom, I spend as much time as possible exploring the outdoors. I love animals, nature, gardening, watching my sons play ice hockey, and my daughter ride horses.
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Tricia Pezdek
Middle School Math Teacher Assistant Head of Middle School High School Transition Coordinator tpezdek@bouldercountryday.org
Utica College of Syracuse University B.A. Mathematics M.S. ED - Leadership & Instruction for Inclusive Classrooms
Prior to teaching at BCD , I taught secondary and college level mathematics for eight years. While teaching high school, I taught many different levels of mathematics. This included courses that ranged from Pre-Algebra through Advanced Placement Calculus. At the collegiate level, I taught Algebra I and Algebra II/Trigonometry. In my free time I enjoy being outside and taking advantage of the beautiful scenery Colorado has to offer. I love to hike, run, mountain bike, and snowboard. I also love spending time with my family and dog and traveling to new places.
Smith College B.A. French Language and Literature B.A. Comparative Literature Université de Paris IV, La Sorbonne University of Colorado at Denver M.A. Educational Psychology
Prior to teaching at BCD, I worked in the publishing world and coached swimming for the US Swimming Association.
I spend most of my free time playing with my two children and my husband. I enjoy being active outdoors, whether hiking, swimming, or snowshoeing. When I’m ready to come inside, I like to read, write, or listen to music.
Over the past eight years I have been teaching Language Arts and Literature (English) to sixth and eighth graders at Sacred Heart of Jesus Middle school in Boulder; prior to that, I worked for the Colorado Outward Bound School. I am an avid outdoors person; specifically I enjoy rock and ice climbing, mountain biking, and disc golf.
Prior to teaching at BCD, I taught 7th grade Language Arts in Austin, Texas, my hometown. I love teaching reading, writing, and even grammar to middle school students. In my free time, you can find me birding (sometimes with Ms. Bond!) or hiking with my husband and two sons. I also enjoy baking, reading, writing poetry, and spending time with family and friends.
I am passionate about sharing knowledge and have been teaching for as long as I remember. Right before I came to BCD, I was at CU, educating future Spanish teachers!
In my spare time, I like to keep moving – I worry that if I stop, I might crumble and turn to dust. You might find me chasing around after one of my daughters or one of the many pets in our menagerie, running in the mountains or doing yoga. You will never find me sitting still!
Boulder Country Day School, where academic distinction meets education with character. BCD is a top rated, accredited private school in Boulder, Colorado where every child has the opportunity to discover their own unique excellence. Distinguished by small class sizes, outstanding faculty, engaging academics and a focus on community, our preschool, elementary and IB middle school teachers strive to create a well-rounded educational environment that balances traditional subjects with the arts, world languages, athletics and project-based learning.