Hi! I teach AVID 7/8 at West Middle School. I'm also the school AVID coordinator.

I have worked for USD #497 for 16 years. « Before that, I was a curriculum director for an alternative high school, ran a charter school for at-risk students, and taught in Kansas City, Missouri and in Valley Falls, Kansas. I am from Kansas City, KS but I’ve lived in Lawrence for 25 years. « I have a husband and two sons. « My oldest son works for a local hospital in IT. « My youngest son attends Kansas State University and studies mechanical engineering. I earned my Master’s Degree in Curriculum/Instruction from University of Kansas and earned my Bachelors from Baker University in Baldwin City, KS. I also have significant graduate study in technology integration and online learning. I love dark chocolate and dark coffee, but not together. I love to read. I love to learn about all things tech. I love to teach and to learn! I love being a Boy Scout leader, which means I enjoy hiking and camping. My favorite movies are The Princess Bride, Pearl Harbor, and anything sci-fi . My favorite books are Wuthering Heights, Turtles All the Way Down, the Outlander series, and anything sci-fi. I sense a pattern here… 

If you need to contact me, email is preferred at kgates@usd497.org.