Mr. Bodensteiner--7th and 8th Grade Social Studies
My name is Todd Bodensteiner and this is my fifth year with Swope Middle School. I have taught the social sciences for seven years, three in Las Vegas before moving north to Reno. I studied as the University of Nevada and Sierra Nevada College and carry a Master's Degree in education and history. My true passion is US and World History with an emphasis on the relationship between sociology and history. I am also a Thomas Jefferson scholar and currently conducting research in the hopes of producing a top selling work on Jefferson. I currently coach basketball at Swope Middle School, and in the past, coached men's varsity basketball at Wooster and Damonte Ranch High Schools as an assistant. I played varsity basketball at Reno High School and played one season at the Junior College level. I am married to Amy Carling Bodensteiner who is a school psychologist here in Washoe County. We plan on raising our family in Reno and will be with the district for at least twenty years.
Mrs. Cabangon--Algebra I, Integrated II, Algebra II
I am so excited to begin my second year teaching at Swope Middle School. I began my teaching career as a long term substitute at Galena High school where I taught Algebra 1 and Geometry. I graduated from the University of Nevada Reno with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics education in 2015 and completed my GT endorsement in July 2016. One of my passions is helping students to discover the connections of math to the real world around them. I enjoy watching the "ah ha" and critical thinking moments of my students. I believe that Mastery is a continual growth process and is not something easily attained or achieved in one day, one month or one math class. Students need the life skills of positive growth mindset, perseverance, grit and empathy to truly become a master mathematician. I am very blessed to have been given the opportunity to raise three small children while accomplishing goals I only imagined were possible. My husband, Mark, and family have been a strong positive force for me, giving me the courage to keep working hard through challenging, yet rewarding, circumstances.
Mrs. Hoy-8th Grade ELA
I started my professional life with a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno. After several years spent in the business world, I discovered my true passion and mission in life was to be the teacher I wanted my children to have and earned my teaching credentials through the Sierra Nevada College Masters of Education program in 2001. I earned my GT endorsement in 2009 and joined the Magnet program during its inaugural year (2011) after having taught English at Vaughn MS for ten years. As a third generation educator, I’m continually working toward my goal of being ‘the toughest middle school teacher ever’ by joining the Northern Nevada Writing Project, winning a few teaching awards, serving on various educational advisory councils and running a marathon all in the spirit of engaging students in the joys of the written and spoken word. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing, taking photos of my animals, traveling to exotic places, and working out.
Mrs. Leslie-7th Grade ELA
I take great delight working in the GT Program at Swope Middle School teaching 7th grade English. Preceding the last 4 years here at Swope, I have taught 5th and 6th grade in the Reno/Sparks area, the majority of the time working with the above grade level learners. My passion is to help students realize amazing writers come from being avid readers. I have also spent many summers teaching and coordinating creative writing camps for the Northern Nevada Writing Project. The past two decades of my teaching career have been such a rewarding journey. I am blessed with a devoted husband and a darling daughter who is a graduate of the Swope GT magnet program.
Mr. Pascual-6th Grade Math and Integrated I
Hey there, I’m Mr. Pascual. I usually go by Mr. P! I am a Reno native, born and raised here. I ended up getting my Bachelors at the University of Nevada, Reno in Math Education with a few minors here and there, including music. From there, I decided to travel the world and teach at international schools in South Korea. So I packed up and left the states to go live abroad for 4 years. There, I taught Math and English to elementary, middle, and high school level students. I also was a private tutor on the side. While living abroad, I got to make new friends from around the world, learn a new language, and travel to 20+ different countries. In 2014, I decided to come back to Reno to finish my Masters in Diversity and Equity Education., emphasizing in math. I also started my teaching career at Cold Springs Middle School as a math interventionist, and I taught ELL Math at Hug High School. This year, I am pleased to start working here at the GT program at Swope Middle School. I am really looking forward to what this year has in store for me!
I have been teaching for nine years. Before teaching, I worked as a field biologist and in a plant pathology laboratory. I spent my first five years teaching at North Valleys High School, where I taught Biology, and a little math. I also coached the swim team for the five years I was there. This year is my fifth year as a middle school teacher here at Swope Middle School. I teach Physical Science and Biology as well as coach the Science Olympiad. Last year every single student in Science Olympiad placed in their event! I spend my free time running and biking with my husband and our baby son, Calvin. I am looking forward to a great year with your students next year!