2009-2010 Faculty
All Canyon Academy teachers are background checked per Utah State Office of Education requirements.
Faculty for the 2009-2010 School Year
Dr. Jennie Barber - Art and SpanishMs. Marcia Gibbs, MA - Language Arts
Mr. Richard Kramer, MS - Creative Productive Thinking, Math, and PE
Dr. Maryann O'Brien - Accel. KG, Science, Social Studies, Reading
Mrs. Anita Wight, BA - Foreign Language (Spanish and French)
Ms. Kris Norman - Preschool, Humanities (Art, Music, Cooking)
Mr. Joe Perry, Black Belt - Karate and Yoga instructor
** Specialized music instructors added depending on student need.
Dr. Maryann O’Brien, CSFTA Director and Master Teacher
Dr. O’Brien has combined her professional training in science, dance, and teaching to maximize student learning in her classrooms for decades. She has earned a number teaching and service awards and with a combined doctorate in education and National Board Certification, she ranks in the top 1% of Utah teachers and teachers Nationwide.
Dr. O'Brien uses research results from brain SPECT and PET imaging and best practices from national and international schools to drive instructional practice and to design uniquely customized curriculum and instruction for children. Dr. O'Brien's differentiated, student-centered classrooms help empower children with knowledge about their brain and learning potential, which has had a profound and lasting effect on the thousands of students she's inspired.
Dr. O’Brien develops the Customized Education Plans for each student, trains teachers, team teaches the core academic subjects, and works with students one-on-one during individual study.
Dr. O'Brien is committed to quality in the classroom, the teaching profession and in training new teachers. She's been active in the Consortium for Educational Change and the Pathway for Excellence programs, a panel speaker at Superintendent and state quality conferences, and a classroom model for visiting educators interested in observing the results from student-centered, quality teaching.
In the classroom she has implemented mentoring programs with students and local scientists, created peer tutoring programs to assist at-risk students, and was recognized as a top science educator for creating problem based learning projects that brought students and the community together.
As a Master Teacher with National Board Certification in Teaching Early Adolescence/Science (NBCT), Dr. O'Brien has served as a mentor teacher for university students in teaching programs and honor students at high school, as well as a collaborator with teachers and administrators throughout Illinois, Iowa and Utah.
After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in biology from Knox College in Galesburg, IL, in the 1980s, Dr. O'Brien moved to Iowa City, Iowa to pursue a graduate degree in another passion - dance. She attended graduate classes at the University or Iowa while simultaneously enjoying a scientific research career within the Veteran's Administration and medical centers in Illinois and Iowa. She received a number of service awards for patient care as a Board Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist and community awards for integrating dance into hospitals, senior centers, schools, and daycare centers.
During the 1990s, she owned and operated a dance studio that focused on teacher certification and training and consistency in the ballet curriculum; developed an after school tutoring program for children at risk; choreographed productions for schools and communities; and created school clubs that promoted dancing for enjoyment and a healthy body image.
However in 1995, the lack of a strong female presence in leadership roles in science and the diminishing U.S. lead in the science field worldwide, motivated Dr. O'Brien to change her career path to focus solely on teaching middle school students in an effort to train the next generation of science leaders. She accepted a teaching position in a Chicago suburban middle school. Her professional scientific connections, along with her commitment to the infusion of the arts, have enriched the public school classrooms for almost a decade. Dr. O’Brien brings music, art, and dance into every classroom to reach students on many levels: art and chemistry, music and math, and physics and dance.
After completing a Doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction and Systemic Change (EdD) in 2003, Dr. O'Brien focused on action based research in her classrooms, refining best teaching practices. As a change agent, she has worked with parents, students, administrators and community leaders to embrace a quality approach to educating students. She has now combined research, experience, and best practice to create the Canyon Academy.