My contact info:
Email: holmess@luhsd (dot) net
Phone: 925-634-0037 x6314
2020-2021 CLASS SCHEDULE:
A Days
Per. 1 Entomology
Per. 2 Entomology
Per. 3 Entomology
Per. 4 Prep Period
B Days
Per. 5 The Living Earth
Per. 6 The Living Earth
Per. 7 Prep Period
Per. 8 Entomology
About Me: I have a B.S. degree in Wildlife from Humboldt State University (1995). I have traveled to New Zealand, Kenya, Iceland, Argentina, Canada, and have visited about 25 states in the U.S. I have been teaching since 2001, and I love teaching science. I credit my high school Zoology teacher for being such an inspiration in fostering a lifelong interest in biological sciences, which has guided me into an exciting and rewarding career and profession.
Research Topics/Articles:
Potential aging techniques of Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana).
Presence and variation of the parasphenoid in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana).
Cementum layer analysis among various teeth of the New Zealand brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula).
Metabolic Bone Disease: A Review, Case Studies, and Recommendations for Prevention and Rehabilitation. (IWRC Conference Proceedings, 1995)
Hobbies: I enjoy all sorts of music, kite buggying, hiking, cleaning animal skulls, and working on antique cars. Further, since 2011, I've been building a kinetic sculpture for the Kinetic Grand Championship, and we actually raced in May 2015 and 2018. The vehicle needs to be pedal powered, and in must be able to traverse land, sand dunes, and propel on water. The race is 42 miles and starts in Arcata, CA and finishes in Ferndale CA.
Previous Jobs: Animal Care Technician (Lindsay Wildlife Museum), Parts Clerk for a trucking company, warehouse worker at a bulb farm (counting tulips & lilies in a freezer for hours), hotel Front Desk Clerk, insect identification for the U.S. Forest Service. Most of those were high school and college jobs, of course! I also owned a small chocolate company for 4 years, which sold gourmet Belgian chocolates poured into molds of North American mammal tracks, fossils, a banana slug, and even a cast Bald Eagle tail feather...that chocolate bar weighed almost a pound.
Fun Facts: My pets are dermestid beetles, which help me clean skulls; I have an irrational fear of being in open water -under water- because I can't see the "edge", even though I love aquatic life. I love traveling the Owens Valley and Highway 395, on the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. My favorite color is cobalt blue.
Kenya, October 2015. Wow, what an amazing part of the world to experience. We spent two weeks in southern Kenya, and aside from bringing a huge lot of science equipment (crowd-sourced too!) to a developing school, we visited some amazing places.
General tips about education: Remember that the meaning of life is so much more than just earning points, and it's not all about competition against everyone else. Yes, grades matter, however don't get too bogged down with simply memorizing definitions. The students who have been most successful in my classes are there to enjoy learning and they participate, and aren't scrambling to memorize 43 terms, 27 sentences, and three images for the next test. Going into a lesson relaxed and open minded is much more enjoyable and the good grades should come easily.
Also, with the chronic marketing to push cell phones in every aspects of our lives, please understand that "texting while learning" can lead to (grade) crashes just as easily as texting while driving. I highly recommend BEING PRESENT in class, and just put the phone away. You can worry about getting to level 27 of Bubble Ducky, re-Tweeting 39 things, tracking Justin Bieber's whereabouts, posting to Instagram and #IswearIamnotdistracted later on, not during a lesson. Trust me on this one.
Fun Facts: My pets are dermestid beetles, which help me clean skulls; I have an irrational fear of being in open water -under water- because I can't see the "edge", even though I love aquatic life. I love traveling the Owens Valley and Highway 395, on the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. My favorite color is cobalt blue.
Kenya, October 2015. Wow, what an amazing part of the world to experience. We spent two weeks in southern Kenya, and aside from bringing a huge lot of science equipment (crowd-sourced too!) to a developing school, we visited some amazing places.
General tips about education: Remember that the meaning of life is so much more than just earning points, and it's not all about competition against everyone else. Yes, grades matter, however don't get too bogged down with simply memorizing definitions. The students who have been most successful in my classes are there to enjoy learning and they participate, and aren't scrambling to memorize 43 terms, 27 sentences, and three images for the next test. Going into a lesson relaxed and open minded is much more enjoyable and the good grades should come easily.Also, with the chronic marketing to push cell phones in every aspects of our lives, please understand that "texting while learning" can lead to (grade) crashes just as easily as texting while driving. I highly recommend BEING PRESENT in class, and just put the phone away. You can worry about getting to level 27 of Bubble Ducky, re-Tweeting 39 things, tracking Justin Bieber's whereabouts, posting to Instagram and #IswearIamnotdistracted later on, not during a lesson. Trust me on this one.