Peak to Peak Quarterly Newsletter
Who We Are
Peak to Peak is here to be a platform for our collective voices - to connect one another across classes, cohorts and years, to highlight our individual passions and the unique ways we contribute to our field and to our world. This is a platform to connect each other through the things that drive us, to keep us in touch with both our humanity as well as our passion for helping the world. Visit the SASP Portfolio page for additional archives.
Letter from the Editors
Dear readers,
This letter comes just after passing a year of remote learning - a year that has brought unimaginable changes in so many ways. The pandemic and the much needed age of racial reckoning are only a few of the immense events to take place over the past year. This first edition also comes after the wave of mass shootings that have caused our nation unspeakable grief. This newsletter was created with the aim of bringing our program one step closer together - past, present, and future students, faculty, and other members of our DU community. Peak to Peak is an avenue to showcase the accomplishments of the people who make our program the wonderful place it is each quarter. In this first edition, we highlighted work from the people who expressed interest in being featured, and we welcome any and all nominations of others to be featured in future editions. We hope that you leave feeling more connected to your colleagues and your program, and that you feel inspired to join in future editions. Happy Spring!
- Peak to Peak Editors Rosie Levenson, Amanda Hartman, Elly Maras, Marlana Quaill, Bailey Liberty & Editor-in-Chief Ashley Hudson
Advocacy & Statements
Winter Spotlight: Student
Meet Jill Talley, 2x SASP President!
Behind the Books:
Q& A with Kim Bowers
We sat down to interview Kim Bowers, a first year Ph.D. student who wrote her own book!
Join the Climate Survey Team!
We are currently soliciting team members for our climate survey team. We will be meeting 1-3 times in Spring Quarter for distribution and analysis planning. In the summer, we will meet 3-5 times for data analysis and the creation of a program-wide summary. Then, in the Fall of the next year, we will meet faculty and SASP to present findings. We are specifically looking for a 1st year and 2nd year EdS and PhD students! Please encourage people who are interested! FILL THIS FORM out if you are interested and Cierra, Audrey, or Victoria will connect with you!
Lifestyle:
100 Days of Movement
Learn about the 100 Days of Movement challenge!
NASP Convention 2021 Presentations
Learn about the presentations at the NASP convention that DU students and faculty were involved in!
Notes from the Field
By Amanda Hartman
“One of the greatest lessons I have learned this year as an intern is the importance of growing comfortable during uncomfortable conversations. We learn this during our graduate training, and it truly is something to sit with and practice every day. As school psychologists, it is our utmost responsibility to advocate for our students. Our students with disabilities, students of color, LGBTQIA+ identifying learners, newcomer students, multi-lingual learners, and every other learner in our buildings are relying on someone to be comfortable speaking up and telling others “no.” Sometimes, the culture of a school building makes it difficult to push back. Though it is difficult, this is an opportunity to practice our advocacy skills rather than defaulting to the culture’s status quo.”
Self-Care: Budget Friendly Recipes
Being a graduate student doesn’t mean you have to eat like one!
Beat those Winter Blues: Meditation Apps
Spring is almost here, but meditation apps are always welcome!
Art by Ali Manion
“My main inspiration for artwork has been travel, and much of my work is focused on landscapes, wildlife, or other scenery I've experienced while abroad. In 2007, I moved to Kenya for a year to work at an elephant rehabilitation center, taking some independent study credits and learning a ton (random fact: I almost pursued training in veterinary medicine). The rehab center was just down the street from Nairobi's famous Giraffe Manor, where I snapped the photo that would later become the inspiration for this piece.”
Oil on canvas, 3x4 feet
Black-Owned Businesses in Denver
Check out 400+ local Black-owned businesses to support!
Zoom Professionalism
Meet the Editors
Amanda Hartman, Ashley Hudson, Rosie Levenson, Bailey Liberty, Elly Maras, Marlana Quaill
Amanda: Hello! My name is Amanda, and I am a school psychologist intern in Denver Public Schools and in my third (and final) year of the CFSP program. I am also in the Early Childhood Special Education Concentration, which has helped me to explore my passion of working with my favorite population of students. . . Preschoolers! Before moving to Colorado for graduate school, I was a preschool teacher and I fell in love with education while pursing my undergraduate degree in psychology. I am so grateful to have found my passion at the conjunction of psychology and education. Outside of my career, my passions lie in my small floral business, creating art, spending time with family and friends, and loving on my two puppies. I like cooking, yoga, coffee shops, and dabbling in different art forms. Nice to meet you all, and welcome to PEAK TO PEAK!
Ashley: I’m a 3rd year CFSP doctoral student coming up on my fourth year living in Colorado. Helping kids and learning about the mind have always been passions of mine, and I am so grateful to be here pursing what I love. Outside of School Psychology, my favorite ways to spend time are reading, creating, and exploring. So many people I have met through our program are fascinating and wonderful humans because of and beyond the work they do within our profession, and I wanted to help create a platform to unify our program and showcase a wider spectrum of who we are as people. Welcome to Peak to Peak!
Rosie: Hi! I’m Rosie and I’m a first year Ed.S. Student in the SP Program. I’m originally from Connecticut and moved to Denver this past fall. I joined Peak to Peak because I love writing, graphic design and layout, and being a part of a team. I’m looking forward to developing a platform to share important as well as interesting information with other SP students about the field, the work of our peers, and other great resources. Outside of classes, I love cooking anything and everything, hiking all of CO’s mountains, reading for fun, and occasionally doing arts and crafts projects.
Bailey: Hello! I’m Bailey Liberty and I’m a second year Ed.S. Student in the SP Program. I’m originally from Kansas City and moved to Denver five years ago to teach elementary school within DPS. I joined Peak to Peak because I want to broaden my writing skills and get to know more SP students across cohorts. I’m looking forward to learning and growing through this opportunity to work with the Peak to Peak team. Outside of classes, I love vegan cooking, yoga, live music (pre-COVID), and spending time outside snowboarding, snowmobiling, hiking, camping, and riding my bike around town.
Elly: Greetings! My name is Elly Maras, and I am a 2nd year PhD student in the CFSP program. Originally from Northeast Ohio, I moved to Denver in 2019 to pursue my doctorate and immerse myself in The Great Outdoors. I have a background in integrative wellness, writing, and mindfulness and strive to embody all three passions in my work as a researcher for the Center for Rural School Health and Education (CRSHE) at DU and as a doctoral therapist trainee working with families who have experienced complex trauma. In the other spheres of my life, I box, cook, practice hot yoga, hike, collect records, and boulder! I am excited to work on Peak to Peak with these dynamic women and showcase all of the creative genius lurking about in our program!
Marlana: Hello! I’m a 1st year Ed.S. student and new Colorado resident. I am passionate about supporting and empowering children, mental health advocacy, social justice, and sustainability. Outside of School Psychology my life revolves around music, experimenting in the kitchen, and taking care of my plants! In my free time, I also enjoy practicing yoga, watching movies, and anything dance or art related.
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