About Ms. Keels
Hello Allegro students and families. I am looking forward to a great year as we pioneer Allegro Charter School's foreign language program!
I grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, and developed a love for language learning early on. After studying Spanish for five years in high school, I moved to Texas to attend Texas Christian University. While enrolled at TCU, I studied abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. It was there that I really fell in love with travel. Upon my return to the States, I earned my Bachelor's degree from TCU with a double major in Journalism and Spanish & Latin American Studies.
After graduation from college, I promptly moved to Antofagasta, Chile, to teach in a public middle school through the United Nations' Inglés Abre Puertas program. While there, I realized another of my passions: teaching. A year after returning to the United States, I had earned my Master's of Arts in Linguistically Diverse Education from the University of Colorado and had started teaching Spanish at George Washington High School in Denver.
In 2011 I moved to Charleston and began teaching Spanish and ESOL at St. John's High School. In my five years there, I built a foreign language program that ultimately offered Levels 1 through AP Spanish Language and Culture. I also taught multiple levels of ESOL and served as Advanced Placement Program Coordinator and Humanities Department Head.
In my free time, I love spending time with my husband, Brian, my 8-month-old daughter, Blythe, and my dog, Carl. I am an avid runner, tennis player, and reader.
I grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, and developed a love for language learning early on. After studying Spanish for five years in high school, I moved to Texas to attend Texas Christian University. While enrolled at TCU, I studied abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. It was there that I really fell in love with travel. Upon my return to the States, I earned my Bachelor's degree from TCU with a double major in Journalism and Spanish & Latin American Studies.
After graduation from college, I promptly moved to Antofagasta, Chile, to teach in a public middle school through the United Nations' Inglés Abre Puertas program. While there, I realized another of my passions: teaching. A year after returning to the United States, I had earned my Master's of Arts in Linguistically Diverse Education from the University of Colorado and had started teaching Spanish at George Washington High School in Denver.
In 2011 I moved to Charleston and began teaching Spanish and ESOL at St. John's High School. In my five years there, I built a foreign language program that ultimately offered Levels 1 through AP Spanish Language and Culture. I also taught multiple levels of ESOL and served as Advanced Placement Program Coordinator and Humanities Department Head.
In my free time, I love spending time with my husband, Brian, my 8-month-old daughter, Blythe, and my dog, Carl. I am an avid runner, tennis player, and reader.