Meet Our Specialists

Lindsey Ensign

lmensign@dcsdk12.org

My name is Lindsay Ensign, and I have been teaching at Sand Creek for two years as the Gifted Facilitator and 9 years overall in DCSD. I have 18 years of experience as a classroom teacher, math specialist, and gifted facilitator; nine years being in Texas. For college, I attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. After graduating with a bachelor’s in Elementary Education, I moved to Texas where I taught for 9 years and met my husband. I am elated to be back in Colorado with all my family. I have been married for 10 years to my husband Brandon and have two boys, Henry & Nolan. In my free time, I like to be outside exploring with my boys or shopping & watching movies with my mom. My calling from a young age was teaching others, so coming to work each day to work with my students is such a joy. I hope to complete my masters this coming year and love to always learn new things!

Kelly Rayburn

Joanie Smith

jesmith@dcsdk12.org

This will be my 23rd year teaching at Sand Creek. I started in kindergarten and then found my (almost) forever home in first grade. This past school year, I had the privilege to become a literacy specialist and be a part of teaching young readers. I am passionate that all our students get a solid foundation in literacy. In this new role, I also get to mentor some of our amazing new teachers! I have a very special place in my heart for our school as all four of my kiddos attended Sand Creek, and now my four-year-old granddaughter. Sand Creek is truly a part of my family, and I love the beautiful community of students, staff, and parents that represent this school.

Kathy Frain

katharine.frain@dcsdk12.org

Hello! My name is Kathy Frain, and I am excited to be the new literacy interventionist at SCE! I have been teaching and working with children for many years. I have a MEd. in early education, and I have been in Douglas County since 1995. I've taught preschool through third grade, and I love working with children at all ages and stages. I am a widow with three amazing children. My oldest son, Max, is living and working in Bozeman, Montana.  I also have twins, Sam and Anna. Anna is a senior at Baylor University in Texas and Sam is a senior at Kansas State University. I live at home with our fabulous Golden Retriever, Frisco, and our sweet kitty, Beatrix. We love living in Colorado. We usually spend our summer hiking, fishing, camping, swimming and visiting family in Minnesota or Kansas.  I’m looking forward to meeting all of my new students!

Becky Rubenzer

rrubenzer@dcsdk12.org

I was born and raised on the East Coast, where I graduated from Coastal Carolina University, in South Carolina in 2002. I have been in education for over 20 years and am currently SCE's Math Interventionist. I love working with small groups of students to help them with their math skills! We are a huge football family—Go Broncos! My husband and I and our younger son also love to cheer on our oldest son who plays football for Heritage High School—Go Eagles!

Sally Clode

sclode@dcsdk12.org

Hi! I am Sally Clode, and I have been teaching for 15 years here in Colorado. This will be my first year at Sand Creek Elementary, and I am one of the Mild/Moderate Needs Special Education Teachers. I was born and raised in Southern California. I graduated from California State University of Fullerton. After graduation, I moved to Arizona and received my Master's Degree in Special Education from Arizona State University. I also have my Culturally and Linguistically Diverse endorsement.

Over the Summer, I went camping in the Grand Teton National Park. I got some amazing pictures of wildlife. You can check out my pictures at sallysphotosite.com. It was so much fun spending time with my friends and family. I also have a Labrador. She is my best bud. I am excited to be a part of the SCE Team!

Lori Gallagher

lgallagher2@dcsdk12.org

My name is Lori Gallagher, and I’m currently in my 5th year of teaching, my 3rd at Sand Creek, specializing in Mild/Moderate Needs. Originally from Oklahoma, I've made Highlands Ranch my home for 23 years.

With a B.A in Psychology from the University of New Mexico and a Master’s in Special Education from Colorado Christian University, I'm passionate about helping my students grow. Outside of teaching, I enjoy reading, cooking, hiking and traveling with my husband, Bill, and our two dogs. I'm also a proud mom of three wonderful children: Georgia (26), Audrey (24), and Liam (21). Building strong relationships with my students and their families brings me immense joy, and I'm grateful for the supportive community at Sand Creek.

Haley Montanez

hmontanez@dcsdk12.org

My name is Haley Montanez, and I’m thrilled to be joining the Sand Creek staff!! I’m coming from Jeffco schools, and I’m a new mom to a beautiful baby boy. Being at Sand Creek is extra special to me because I was a Sand Creek Eagle too! I look forward to servicing the needs of our Sand Creek students!

Melissa Campbell

mcampbell@dcsdk12.org

My name is Melissa Campbell. I am the SSN (significant support needs) teacher at Sand Creek. This is my 11th year of teaching. Before teaching Special Education, I also taught kindergarten, preschool, health, and third grade. I am married and have 3 boys. I have loved each part of my journey, and I love teaching. My strength is teaching students to their individual needs, and I love seeing students make growth. I received my bachelor's degree in elementary education and master's degree in special education from Colorado Christian University. I am currently seeking a second master's in Autism through the University of Northern Colorado. In my spare time, my family enjoys camping, paddle boarding with our dogs Kylo and Rey, hiking, and watching a performance. Every once in a while, I enjoy getting away from the boys and going shopping!

Nate Barrows

nbarrows@dcsdk12.org

My name is Nathan Barrows, and I am a first-year teacher at Sand Creek Elementary. Before working at Sand Creek, I was a Sergeant in the United States Army Reserves, and I also worked as a Detentions Certified Deputy (DCD) at the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO). I am currently studying in graduate school at Metro State University to get my Master's Degree in Special Education. I love building relationships with my students and their families, and I truly enjoy witnessing my students become confident in themselves at school. Teaching has always been a passion I have wanted to pursue, and I am happy to be at Sand Creek.

Lindsey McDowell

lmcdowell1@dcsdk12.org

Hi! My name is Lindsey McDowell. This will be my first year at Sand Creek, and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ve worked as a Speech Language Pathologist for 14 years in private home health. I have experience working with individuals with high special needs and working with communication devices. I have been part of the Sand Creek community for the last 4 years as my oldest son will be in 4th grade and my youngest will start Kindergarten in the fall of 2025. I am looking forward to helping the children at Sand Creek grow and achieve communication goals in these early formative years that can translate to adulthood in many positive ways!

Jordan Koop

Michelle Rudolf

mrudolf@dcsdk12.org

Hello! I am from Littleton, Colorado, and moved back in 2018 after living in Pennsylvania for 8 years. I live with my cat, Ava & love to hang out with my parents and identical twin sister, who all live in the area. I enjoy building puzzles with my family, reading historical fiction, exploring the outdoors, and traveling. I have been to 5 of the 7 continents - North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Antarctica.

I got my Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Creighton University in Omaha, NE in 2010. I have worked with kids and youth from 3-21 since 2015 in both Pennsylvania and Colorado and started with DCSD in 2019. I enjoy helping students build their love of learning through many fun therapeutic activities and love that I get to collaborate with parents and teachers to facilitate skill development. I find it rewarding to help students develop personal confidence, build independence, and become successful students.

Jessie Ziegler

jbliss@dcsdk12.org

This is my first year at Sand Creek as the School Psychologist, and I could not be more excited! My goal is to offer students a safe place where they can gain skills to reach their full potential academically and emotionally. I grew up in Chesterfield, Michigan and completed my master’s at Niagara University in New York. I have lived in Denver for a year with my fiance, my dog (Lupe), and cat (Nyle). I enjoy taking my dog for hikes, paddle boarding, skiing, and rollerblading. Colorado is a beautiful place, and I can't wait to keep exploring! #goeagles

Shelby Rickman

smathews@dcsdk12.org

This is my first year at Sand Creek Elementary as the social worker. I am having fun getting to know all of our students and families here at SCE. I have a passion for helping students in all aspects of their learning. I grew up in a small town in Idaho and just moved to Colorado in June. I graduated with my Master's Degree in Social Work from Boise State University, and I have worked for the past 6 years as a school counselor in Idaho. This summer, I spent a lot of time exploring the area. Colorado is beautiful! I am thrilled to be a part of the amazing team at Sand Creek Elementary!