Staff Profiles

Todd Legge

School Principal

303-902-0772 cell

Mr. Legge is a veteran educator in his 21st year in education, having served in a variety of roles throughout the metro Denver area. He served as an Assistant Principal, Dean, ELD Specialist/Coach and taught all levels of Spanish and English Language Development from AP Spanish Literature to Spanish 1 and everything in between. Having spent time as an educator in both comprehensive middle and high schools and most recently in an alternative high school, he has a great deal of experience that will benefit our community. This will be Mr. Legge's third year as the principal and it is a challenge that he is extremely excited to be a part of. Outside of SOAR Academy, he is the co-founder and coach of one of the top wrestling schools in the U.S. that serves over 250 wrestlers throughout Colorado. At home, Mr. Legge is a proud father of five kids, two boys (the oldest and the youngest) and three girls (the sweet middle of it all), and is married to his high school sweetheart, going on 25 years. Mr. Legge lives a life dedicated to serving others and has spent his career and prior preparing for an opportunity like the one at SOAR Academy. He is very grateful for this time in his life.

Karla Galindo

Principal Secretary

[email protected]

720-985-3559 cell

My name is Karla Galindo, I am the principal secretary at Soar Academy. I grew up in North Denver and have worked as a paraprofessional in DPS. In my free time I like spending time with my daughter and family. I am excited to be on board and helping everyone around.

Karen Galindo

Student Engagement Coordinator

[email protected]

720-514-2644 cell

My name is Karen Galindo and I am the Student Engagement Coordinator at SOAR Academy. I work side by side with our families to make sure our students feel supported in every step of their education and help students reach their highest potential. In my free time, I love spending time with family and my 3 dogs, traveling and exploring new places.

Madeline Gebhard

Social Worker

[email protected]

1(323) 333-9511 cell

My name is Madeline Gebhard, and I am the school Social Worker at S.O.A.R. Academy. I have worked with youth for 15 years in a variety of settings and found Alternative High Schools to be my favorite. I grew up in Minnesota and have lived in Los Angeles, San Diego and Denver.

I received my bachelors in Social Work from Winona State University and Masters from University of Denver. I love working with humans and am grateful to be working with the best at S.O.A.R.

Katie O'Connor

ELA Teacher/SPED/ELD Support

[email protected]

1(630)-334-5688 cell

Hi all! My name is Katie O'Connor and I am proud to be the English teacher at SOAR Academy. This is my tenth year in education, of which all of my experience has been in alternative education settings. I have a B.A. in Special Education and an M.A. in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity. My work as a special education teacher got me excited about literacy, and now I love teaching English at SOAR! I am passionate about serving students that need an alternate pathway to graduation and are determined to succeed. It is my belief that there are many different paths to achieve a goal but is up to the individual to construct their own roadmap. The staff at SOAR Academy is here to support our students along that journey and to help them see their own potential!

Jen Wheeler

ELA Teacher/Literacy Support

[email protected]

(720) 210-3033 cell

Where do I begin? I'm honored to be joining the SOAR Team. I've been in education for 12 years -- two as an elementary school librarian, two teaching overseas in Mongolia, and eight teaching high school in North Denver. I have a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in English Education, but here I am teaching Social Studies! I am passionate about literacy, sitting with hard questions, and encouraging student voice. I grew up in southern California, attended high school in Colorado, then moved to Washington for college. I love all things SUN: hanging out on the beach, hiking, wake-surfing, hanging out on a patio, whatever! I got married this summer -- we had a very small ceremony in our backyard -- not what we'd expected, but exactly what we needed.

Mike Corey

Social Studies/GED Teacher

[email protected]

720-833-6831 Office

Born in NY, lived in Brooklyn and Spain.

Attended Georgetown University (BS) and UC -Denver (MA).

Fulbright Scholar to China 2002;

James Madison Fellow 2006.

21 + years teaching.

Avid skier, hence my moving to CO in1995.

Kevin Vicente

Social Studies Teacher

[email protected]

720-833-6637 Office

Greetings, my name is Kevin Vicente and I am a new Social Studies teacher at SOAR! This is my 20th year working with youth and I truly appreciate being a support for students in this pivotal time of their lives. I have worked with youth in a wide variety of settings from the soccer field, to residential treatment centers, and in the classroom. My hope is for all whom I get the pleasure of interacting with is to widen their view of the world and of themselves. Outside of school, my wife and I are raising our two kids(6 and 9) to be active and caring people whom leave the world a better place. Go Colorado Rapids!

Steve Livingston

Math Teacher

[email protected]

720-833-6794 Office

I am a passionate, caring, fun and calm teacher. I love to exercise, read, play cards and board games, and watch movies.

Kirstin Jung

Science Teacher

[email protected]

720-833-6809 Office

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Biological Education. This is my fourth year teaching, and I am very thankful to have the privilege. I have two small children and a lot of plants. I love being in nature and when I am not there, I am usually watching anime with my children. If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns please reach out or stop by my room.