Middle School Faculty
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8th Grade US History and Physical Education
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Certfications: English 6-12, Social Science 6-12 Mr. Adams has a degree in video game design. After college, he worked in his family business that specialized in towing and salvage of recreational boaters. He held a Coast Guard captain's license and worked as a salvage diver, salvage master, and company president. Mr. Adams went into teaching as a second career and is certified in English and social studies for both middle and high school. Prior to coming to STEMM, he worked at Destin Middle School. |
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6th Grade English Language Arts
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Certfications: English 6-12 Ms. Bikakis graduated from University of North Carolina Pembroke in May 2021. She currently holds a BS in English Education with a Literary studies emphasis. She is brand to the teaching field and STEMM academy is her first teaching gig. She dabbled in teaching young children as she was certified to teach Birth to Pre-K in NC. But she decided it was time to move onto older kids and try and instill the love of reading she has and bring back reading for enjoyment instead of reading for "work." Ms. Bikakis and her fiance just moved back to Niceville in June of 2021. She will be getting married in November! Her hobbies include playing the piano, reading, photography, and visiting the beach. She has two rescue dogs,Teddy and Toby; a corn snake named Houdini; a western hognose snake named Tucker; and two crested geckos, Geralt and Triss. |
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6th Grade Math
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Certifications: Elementary Education and Middle Grades Mathematics 5-9 Mr. Brown’s superpower is his ability to connect with students on several levels, teaching through differentiation. Mr. Brown says, "Having six children of my own has taught me that every child is an individual and has their own way of seeing the world.” He loves the hands-on approach to learning and exploration. Seeing the students start to own and take responsibility for their educational experience is what makes him work even harder. Mr. Brown has his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems and his Master’s Degree in Curriculum Design and Instruction. Walton Middle School, teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math, is where he started teaching, and he transferred to Wright Elementary School where he has been recognized as a Florida High Impact Teacher for 8 consecutive years. He moved back to middle school last year when he joined us at STEMM teaching 7th Grade Advanced Math. Mr. Brown is dad of six and a grandpa of nine, so the students need to be prepared for DAD JOKES. He is also certified as a Single Gender Teacher, Leader in Me teacher, and is Cognitively Guided Instruction Certified. He uses his skills derived through these trainings to adapt his teaching to the various learning styles of the students. He is currently enrolled in classes to receive his Gifted Endorsement. Mr. Brown insists that there is NO MATH GENE! “You are not born with the ability or inability to do math, it’s a mindset. Be the little train that could.” |
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8th Grade Physical Science and CTE Electives
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Certifications: Elementary Education, Exceptional Student Education K-12 Mr. Cheon, who has bachelor’s degrees in both Physics and Philosophy and an MA in Philosophy, is teaching Physical Science and Algebra I. Mr. Cheon has worked in OCSD since 2016. Currently, he is working on a doctorate in Philosophy of Physics. |
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6th Grade World History
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Certifications: Elementary Education, Exceptional Student Education K-12, English 6-12, and Social Sciences 6-12
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8th Grade Geometry and Digital Arts
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Certifications: Middle Grades Mathematics 5-9, Middle Grades General Science 5-9, Mathematics 6-12, Art K-12 Ms. Imboden's specialty in math is Geometry (which makes her weird even among math teachers). She loves the visible and tangible aspects of Geometry and the ‘now it makes sense’ moments that her students have when they connect with math. Her career started in Lake County (north of Orlando) and gave her the opportunity to work with a variety of grade levels and math subjects. Teaching is not Ms. Imboden's first career. Her Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE) is in Graphic Design. As a graphic designer at the beginning of the computer age, she used ratios and proportions every day. When she decided to become a teacher, she remembered grouchy math teachers, even in the advanced classes, and felt she could make math more friendly and approachable. With her visual communications background, she works to make math more than just numbers. Ms. Imboden and her family moved to Okaloosa Countyin 2015. She been married for over 30 years and has 2 amazing children plus a rescue dog who is probably part alligator. Crafting, thrifting, and reading are her favorite hobbies. Ms. Imboden says, "Remember: Math teachers aren’t Mean; they’re above average." |
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CTE Electives
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Certifications: Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum 5-9 Mathematics 6-12, Technology Education, Computer Science K-12, English for Speakers of Other Languages K-12
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7th Grade Life Science and BioMed/Forensics
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Certifications: Middle Grades General Science 5-9, Biology 6-12, and Elementary Education Dr. Langshaw holds a BS in Agricultural Science, an MS in Environmental Science, and a PhD in Education. Dr. Langshaw was an adjunct instructor at Northwest Florida State College. While at NWFSC, she also served as a substitute teacher for OCSD. Prior to starting her teaching career, Dr. Langshaw was an entrepreneur with a small business that specialized in native plants and organic gardening practices. While she ran her business, she led many classes and gave many educational speeches. She realized she enjoyed teaching so much that she continued her education to pursue that passion. Dr. Langshaw has been married to her best friend and lifelong partner for over 25 years. She enjoys reading, gardening, and riding motorcycles with her husband and friends. She has adult children, grandkids, and great-grandkids who call here Gma Shelly. She also has five fur babies: 2 pups, Jeffrey and Diamond; and 3 cats, Toby, Calico, and Doodlebug. |
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7th Grade Civics and STEM Research 1
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Certifications: Middle Grades Mathematics 5-9, Middle Grades General Science 5-9, Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum 5-9, Social Science 6-12, Exceptional Student Education K-12, English for Speakers of Other Language. Gifted Endorsed. Dr. Morris has earned a Master's Degree (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in mathematics and science education, a Specialist's Degree (Ed.S.) in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization Alternative and Special Education, and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Alternative and Special Education. In addition to her teaching duties, Dr. Morris serves on the Emerald Coast Odyssey of the Mind Board of Directors and the Okaloosa County Education Association Executive Board. Dr. Morris has been married for over 30 years to the most perfect husband in the world. Her hobbies include reading, travel, and volunteering with the Emerald Coast Odyssey of the Mind program. |
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CTE Electives
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Certifications: Middle Grades General Science 5-9, Biology 6-12, Business Educatio 6-12
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7th Grade English Language Arts and Speech and Debate
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Certifications: English 6-12, Social Science 6-12.
Mrs. Puffer holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in psychology and a master's in teaching. She went to school through University of Maryland Global Campus while stationed at RAF Lakenheath in England and completed her student teaching internship at Crestview High School. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with my family, reading, going to the beach, running, and weightlifting. She also enjoys travelling abroad and have visited a total of 9 countries: England, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Spain. She loves learning about different cultures and bringing these experiences into the classroom.
Mrs. Puffer says, "I am very passionate about what I teach. I make it a goal to get the kids excited for lessons each day. I always incorporate activities and discussions to give the students opportunities to apply the new skills that they have learned. My goal is to help students develop real-world skills that they can build on throughout their academic careers."
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8th Grade English Language Arts and Theatre
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Certifications: English 6-12, Social Science 6-12, Business Education 6-12, Exceptional Student Education K-12, English for Speakers of Other Languages K-12. Reading endorsed. Ms. Rogers has worked for the Okaloosa school district since 2004 in a variety of capacities including high school English teacher, middle school intensive reading teacher, and as a peer evaluator and induction facilitator at the district office. Ms. Rogers has two beautiful adult children. In her free time she enjoys reading, paddle boarding, anime, funny memes, and spending time with her cat and dog housemates. She loves going to the movie theater and traveling. |
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6th Grade Earth Space Science
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Certifications: Biology 6-12, Middle Grades General Science 5-9. Mrs. Wailehua-Hansen holds a bachelors in Biology with a concentration in microbiology. She graduated in 2015 from George Mason University In Fairfax, Virginia, where she was born and raised. Mrs. Wailehua-Hansen continued on to Pharmacy school after college. She thought she wanted to be a pharmacist. Then she realized this was not her passion! Only then did she discover her calling… it was teaching Science!! Mrs. Wailehua-Hansen specializes in Biology and Life Science, but loves all the sciences! She has taught a variety of high school and middle school science courses -- and even some math! (So she will always be able to help you with math work too!) Mrs. Wailehua-Hansen is a military spouse and moved to Fort Walton Beach in 2020 with her husband and one daughter who was born in April 2021. She is a lover of animals and has two dogs, a cat, and a leopard gecko.
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7th Grade Algebra 1 and Pre-Algebra
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Certifications: Mathematics 6-12. Mrs. Warthen has been teaching in the Okaloosa School District since 2021. Prior to joining the STEMM Academy, she taught Algebra 1 and Advanced Algebra 2 to high schoolers in Virginia. Mrs. Warthen loves traveling with her husband and going on outdoor adventures. In her free time she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding. She also enjoys sharing math puns with her students. |
