Classrooms

I’m excited to be here. I went back to school to get my teaching license and master’s degree in 2011 after having two young sons and working in the corporate world for seven years out of college. I've taught fourth grade for a year, first grade for three years and kindergarten for the past seven years. I love seeing the growth of the young students and nourishing their excitement for learning, so I'm very excited to join the first-grade team at Blue Heron!

~Ms. Boykin

Hello Blue Heron Families!

I am excited for the year ahead. We will be learning so many new things, we will make new friends and learn wonderful things about one another along the way.

A fun trivia fact about me...I have taught every grade level from kindergarten through sixth grade. I won't tell you how long I have been teaching because it's a lot of years! 🙂

I love buying children's books, collecting rocks and enjoying adventures no matter how big or small. Time with my family has become even more important to me as my children head off on their own paths to college and beyond. 

I look forward to our adventure this year.

 It's going to be amazing!

~Ms. Gossett

I am so excited to be your teacher this year! My name is Mrs. McCreedy. This is my third year teaching second grade. I have taught first, third and fourth grade as well. I have been teaching for 21 years and have been at Blue Heron for 17 years. I grew up in Maryland and attended college and graduate school in California.

My husband and I moved into Grant Ranch in 1997. I have two daughters who both attended Blue Heron, Summit Ridge and Dakota Ridge. My older daughter, Katie, is a physical therapist at Swedish Hospital and my younger daughter, Maddie, works for a marketing firm in Santa Monica, CA. 

My husband and I enjoy traveling, cheering on the Broncos, taking walks around the neighborhood with our dog, paddle boarding on the lake and hiking and skiing in the mountains. In the summertime, I work at the Grant Ranch Village Center.

We are going to have a fabulous 2023-24 school year. In second grade, you will have the opportunity to work with all three second-grade teachers for different subjects. Students will be rotating classes this year for math, literacy instruction and labs to explore, engineer, create, imagine and research to support and extend learning. Each teacher will teach one of those subjects to each of the three classes. In addition to one of these classes, I will be your teacher for reading groups. I am looking forward to having you in my classroom this year. 

~Mrs. McCreedy

Welcome, I hope you are having a fantastic summer, and spending time relaxing and enjoying the warm weather! I want to be the first to welcome you to third grade and to my class. This will be an exciting year of learning, getting reacquainted with old friends and making new friends. I can’t wait to get to know you!

My teaching experience

This is my eleventh year teaching at Blue Heron Elementary, and I love our vibrant and diverse community. I taught first grade my first five years at Blue Heron, and I will begin my sixth year in third grade this fall. Third grade is a special year with amazing learning and personal, social and academic growth!

About me

I am married and I have two wonderful children, Megan (24) and Jackson (21). Oh, how time flies! My son is studying Economics and Global Sustainability at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and my daughter is earning a graduate degree in Speech Pathology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I love food, music, flower gardening and spending time in the mountains. I enjoy hiking and camping in the summer and snow skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.

~Mrs. Bartlett

Hello Blue Heron Families!

My name is Laura Blakey, and I am excited to be part of the third-grade team this year! My goal as a teacher is to encourage students to find their sense of curiosity while developing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. I want to connect with and support the whole child by meeting each student where they are in their academic journey and helping them become the best versions of themselves. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of the Pacific and a master's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Colorado.

I grew up in Southern California where I was a competitive swimmer. I swam collegiately at UOP and then moved to San Francisco where I met my husband and had my first two children. A desire for a better quality of life led my family to Colorado in 2014, and we haven’t looked back. We welcomed twins in 2016 and our family of six (plus two dogs and a bearded dragon) is complete! 

These days you will most often find me on the sidelines of a soccer, lacrosse, track or water polo practice, game or tournament. As a family, we love to cheer on the 49ers in the fall and ski during the winter.

I believe that for students to learn and grow academically, socially and emotionally, the classroom must be a safe space where every student feels they belong and are valued. I am looking forward to meeting and building a relationship with each student! 

~Mrs. Blakey

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year and to fourth grade! I am thrilled to be starting a new school year with you, Blue Heron families. 

My name is Val Darting. I grew up in Nebraska and love the Huskers, but I moved to Colorado as soon as I could (for undergraduate college) and have loved being a Coloradoan ever since. I have a passion for teaching and have had the privilege of working with primary, intermediate and middle school students since 2003. 

Blue Heron has been my home since 2004, and this will be my fifth year teaching fourth grade. When I am not teaching, you will find me cooking, coding with my third-grade son, building Lego sets, riding my Peloton, running or exploring with my husband and son near our home here in Littleton, CO. 

I have an undergrad degree from Colorado Christian University in Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Ed Technology from Lesley University. I am also Jeffco endorsed in English as a Second Language (ESL) and the Colorado Department of Education Science of Reading literacy program, and I have been trained in Orton-Gillingham and Restorative Practices. 

It is my goal to help every student achieve their potential and work with you to build student confidence and a love for learning. This is going to be a great year! I am so happy you will be part of our fourth-grade family! 

Your fourth-grade teacher, 

Ms. Valory Darting, M.Ed.

Hi Fourth Grade Families,

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year and to fourth grade! I am thrilled to be starting a new school year with you, Blue Heron families.

My name is Katie Nardi. I was born in Galesburg, Illinois and remained in Illinois through first grade. I have lived in Colorado since second grade. I attended Jeffco schools from second to twelfth grade. I was a student at Peiffer, Stony Creek and Westridge Elementary. I also went to Deer Creek Middle School and Chatfield Senior High School.

I have been teaching in Jeffco since 2000. I opened Blue Heron as a fourth-grade teacher 21 years ago! Since then, I have gone between teaching third and fourth grade. Prior to opening Blue Heron, I taught sixth grade at Westridge Elementary.

I earned my Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and my master’s degree in Ed Technology from Lesley University. I am endorsed in English as a Second Language (ESL) and the Colorado Department of Education Science of Reading literacy program. I have been trained in Orton-Gillingham and Restorative Practices. I am also certified in FEMA’s IS-100.C for school safety.

I just celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary this summer with my husband, Adam! I have two daughters, Abby and Natalie. Abby is heading off to college in Arizona this fall to study physical therapy. Natalie is a sophomore in Douglas County and a South Metro Fire Explorer. I have a golden retriever dog named Paisley, and a golden retriever puppy named Sadie.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband, two daughters and two golden retriever dogs every chance I get. As a family, we enjoy traveling, going on walks, attending church, sitting around our firepit and eating meals together on our deck.
 

This is going to be a great school year! I look forward to building strong and lasting relationships with all of my students and their families this year.
 

Much love,

Katie Nardi

Welcome! I am so excited to be starting a new school year with you. 

My name is Gina Knox. I grew up in Lakewood and graduated from Jeffco schools. Blue Heron has been my home since 2013, though you haven’t always found me in the building. In 2019, I was fortunate to be able to participate in a teacher exchange in Australia. In 2020-21, I taught a fifth-grade remote class. Last year, I got to stay home with my sweet baby, Declan. I am so excited to be returning to my classroom where I have the best job in the world. When I am not teaching, you will find me cooking, reading, traveling or playing at the park with my family. 

I am a lifelong learner. I hold a bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado. I am also endorsed in English as a Second Language (ESL), in the Colorado Department of Education Science of Reading literacy program, and I have been trained in Orton-Gillingham. 

It is my goal to help every student find a passion for learning and to celebrate their unique gifts. I am so happy you will be part of our fourth-grade family! This is going to be a great year!

Warmly, 

Mrs. Gina Knox, M.Ed.

Band & Orchestra Website

Mr. Aaron Graversen grew up in Topeka, Kansas and became interested in music at a very early age. He studied music at Kansas State University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in music education with an emphasis in Jazz and Latin music.

Mr. Graversen then went on to teach fifth grade through 12th grade band in Osage City, KS for five years before moving to Kansas City, where he taught fifth grade through 12th grade band for another six years. During that time, he has also been an avid performer, composer, and songwriter; performing in a variety of bands of different genres.

He enjoys spending time with his wife, Leanne, his dog, Sandy, as well as his friends and family. He loves playing/writing music, playing video games, and hiking Colorado’s beautiful trails. Mr. Graversen is extremely excited to share his experiences and talents with the fifth graders of JeffCo.