Project Description
John Clark, Fellow
Denver School of Science and Technology Montview
Denver, CO
John Clark is the School Director of Montview Middle School, the flagship campus of the Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) charter network. He has been in education for 16 years as an English teacher and school administrator including eight of those as a School Director. A member of DSST for 12 years, he was the founding Director of the Conservatory Green campus before making the switch back to Montview. Clark believes that academic excellence, building a community of belonging, and centering that work in shared values are intertwined and are the foundation for creating the schools that our students deserve. All students no matter their circumstances will be successful if they are deeply known and affirmed for who they are, while also being pushed to be the best versions of themselves. As a result both Conservatory Green and Montview have consistently been rated among the top middle schools in Denver. Clark earned a B.A. in English and M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame. As a member of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) through Notre Dame, he was taught not only the skills to be an effective teacher but instilled with a belief in the importance of working to create schools and classrooms that honor the dignity of each and every student. Clark was also a recipient of DSST's Core Value Award for Integrity in 2012.
Jessica Galarza, Ally
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Denver School of Science and Technology Montview
Denver, CO
Jessica Galarza earned her B.A. degree in Sociology from The University of Texas at Austin. After graduation, Ms. Galarza started her educational career as a middle school History teacher at Lake Travis Middle School in Lakeway, TX in 2012. During this time, she earned her Master’s in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University in Austin, TX. In her last two years at Lake Travis, she co-created the middle school Humanities program for the district. This program brought together English and Social Studies into a combined course where students proved to enhance their academic writing skills and analytical reading. After 8 years in the classroom developing students, Ms. Galarza became a Curriculum Coordinator for Region 13, an Educational Service Center in Texas. She oversaw 78 school districts in Central Texas, and provided professional development training and curriculum audits for each of these campuses; holding high stake leaders accountable to academic results. Currently, Ms. Galarza is Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Montview Middle School, where she works with teachers in planning standards-aligned lessons accessible to all learners. She has dedicated her career to being an advocate of equitable and rigorous education for all students. Ms. Galarza’s philosophy on education is that every child, regardless of socio-economic background should be provided every opportunity to succeed.