Science 6

Kamille Finklea | Teacher

Mrs. Finklea loves claiming Utah as her home state. Raised in parts of southern and northern Utah, she has also taken up temporary residence in other states such as California, Hawaii, and Nebraska. St. George has been her home for over 30 years, where she and her husband raised their three boys and she pursued her love of teaching.

Mrs. Finklea has been teaching at Lava Ridge for 19 years. It is her 22nd year of teaching. Some of her favorite classes to teach include Science, ESOL, Language Arts, Reading, and World History. This year marks her 6th year teaching 6th Grade Science. She loves teaching science because she is very curious, and science allows her to keep learning new and interesting things about the world every day. One of her mottos to live by is "stay curious!"

In her free time, Mrs. Finklea enjoys spending time with family, playing in the water or relaxing on the beach at a favorite lake or the ocean, and traveling to new places and returning to old ones. She enjoys riding her bike, hiking, and exploring the world around her. Washington County is the perfect home for her because there is always something new to see and do.

Mrs. Finklea loves being a teacher because of the students she gets to teach. Learning each day with them keeps her going and motivates her to provide a high-quality classroom experience. Each year, she hopes to influence her students' lives in a positive and meaningful way as they discover science together.

Associate of Science from Dixie State University
Bachelors in Elementary Education from Dixie State University
Masters of Education from Southern Utah University

Angela Fishel | Teacher

My Email: angela.fishel@washk12.org

Mrs. Fishel is a transplant to Utah and grew up living in Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Nevada. She attended college in Las Vegas at the University of Nevada and began her teaching career in Clark County, but moved to Santa Clara 22 years ago. She is here, marking her 26th year in the teaching profession and she's dedicated the past decade to teaching science at Lava Ridge. Before that, Mrs. Fishel shared her expertise with 2nd-5th graders at Santa Clara and CP Squires Elementary Schools.

Her love for science has been a constant throughout her career, and having the opportunity to teach it every day feels like a dream come true. Mrs. Fishel finds immense joy in how science can ignite students' curiosity and challenge their thinking, making it a subject that naturally draws their interest as they explore the world around them.

Outside the classroom, Mrs. Fishel has been happily married to her husband Jerry for 31 years. Together, they have two adult sons named Matthew and Ethan, along with a golden retriever, three cats, and too many fish to keep track of. She enjoys reading, embracing new knowledge, hiking, exploring the beautiful desert, volunteering and seizing any opportunity to travel. It's a wonderfully chaotic life!

Community College of Southern Nevada: Associate in General Studies
University of Nevada: Bachelor's in Elementary Education
University of Nevada: Master's in Curriculum and Instruction

Jaycee Hafen | Teacher

My Email: jaycee.hafen@washk12.org

Mrs. Hafen grew up in St. George/Ivins, UT, attending Lava Ridge and Snow Canyon High School. She received her Bachelor’s in Education from Dixie State University. While in college, she met her wonderful husband, Brady, who is also a teacher. Brady taught 3rd grade at Red Mountain Elementary for several years and now teaches 4th grade at Legacy Elementary.

Mrs. Hafen is starting her 10th year of teaching and has experience teaching 5th grade and 6th grade Language Arts at Lava Ridge. This will be her second year teaching 7th grade. She comes from a family of teachers, including her dad, Mr. Jolley, the art teacher at Lava Ridge.

Mrs. Hafen and Brady welcomed their first child this past spring, a baby girl named Stevie. They have two dogs, Penny and Pax. Mrs. Hafen enjoys spending time with family, reading, listening to music, playing board games, anything ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Disney’, traveling, cooking, gardening, and hanging out at the pool, lake, or beach. She loves Coke and Rootbeer (especially from Swig), good snacks, and trying new foods. In her free time, Mrs. Hafen can usually be found with a big drink or soda, a snack, and a really good book, preferably by the pool, or hanging out with family.

Bachelors in Elementary Education from Dixie State University
Bachelors in Biochemistry from Dixie State University