Tamalyn Hirleman, AKA Ms. Tami, is blessed to be the mother of seven amazing children and has six grandchildren with two more on the way. She was born in Trenton, New Jersey but lived most of her childhood between Maine and Texas. She graduated from Groesbeck High School where she varsity lettered in soccer and cross country.  Tami also loved music so she played trumpet from 6th grade all the way through college and was in many choirs throughout school and even as an adult.

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Tami attended Tyler Junior College and earned a degree as a respiratory therapist which she practiced for 20 years, during which time she also became an EMT.  Tami moved to Brigham City in 2002 where she stayed until four years ago when she and her children moved to North Ogden.

Tami wanted to become a teacher since 6th grade and decided three years ago to make that dream a reality.  She graduated from Western Governor’s University by completing her bachelor’s degree in 2 years and 7 months. It was a tough road, but she remembered the words of her junior high teacher that always told her, “You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.” That determination to succeed is something Tami has worked to instill in her children.

The examples from teachers throughout her life who showed kindness and emotional support for her classes during tough times have given her the desire to be the teacher that can make a difference in her students’ lives by being someone that they can trust and rely on. She wants to help students have the tools to succeed in life and face any challenge with an attitude of “I can do hard things!” Tami believes students learn more from hands on, getting down in the dirt and being adventurous. If she can teach a child a fun way to learn that makes them want to engage and participate then she feels that she is living her dreams.  She feels that learning is life long and that we learn when we venture out to try new things or when we read books that allow us to explore new concepts and show us new ways to improve.

Tami loves to do anything outdoors such as camping, hiking, swimming, skiing and especially jet skiing. She loves to cook, read, craft and create. Her favorite author is C.S. Lewis and she enjoys reading to her children and students to help them learn of the adventure in books. She is so excited to be part of Promontory and loves our school. She thinks the adventure and learning we do is AMAZING and has been so blessed to be part of that the last five years as a teacher’s aide, a 1/2 Crew Teacher, and now as a 5/6 Crew Teacher. She looks forward to our new adventure this year.

Celeste Whipple was born and raised in a little city across the peninsula from Seattle, called Port Orchard. Her father’s career with the government brought her to the mountain west during her time in high school. Going from a beautiful rain forest to the incredible mountain range of the Wasatch Front was a bit of a change, but one that has grown on her.

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Celeste’s hobbies include softball, bowling, hiking, biking, reading, music, and spending time with her loving family. Her husband is a teacher in Ogden, and her children range from 9th grade to kindergarten. They all LOVE soccer and music.

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Celeste is thrilled to have been brought on to the Promontory crew. She likes Expeditionary Learning because it is a way for students to hold themselves and their peers to high expectations for quality work, commitment to learning, and character. 

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One of Celeste's favorite quotes is "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."  - Maya Angelou

It wasn't until she was voted "Most likely to become a teacher" in her senior high school yearbook that Becky Cornelius actually considered teaching for a career, and soon thereafter, knew it was what she was supposed to do. After graduating from BYU with a husband, baby, and degree in Art Education K-12 with a minor in Math Education, she started teaching 4th grade at a private school. Since then, she has had three more kids and taught on and off (sometimes being a stay-at-home mom) at various private schools and community ed programs--almost every subject and age group. She loves older elementary kids and is delighted to be in the 5/6 community. 

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Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Becky discovered a fondness for smaller communities as she lived in Provo, Logan, and then Brigham before settling in Perry. She would live in a forest in the mountains if she could, as nature is always a calming retreat, especially camping, hiking, and exploring. Hands-on experiences and adventures are the best as her main hobby is learning--moving from one fun skill to another, including every art medium, home remodeling, wood working, cooking, canning, quilting, crocheting, running, nutrition, and more.

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Her greatest joy is seeing the light-bulb moments of learning and excitement in a child's life when their efforts finally "click." She is thrilled to bring her enthusiasm and passion for immersive experiential learning to Promontory where it is considered an integral part of the educational philosophy. One of her favorite quotes is by the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

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