Special Services

Speech Language Pathologist
Kayley_Hoag@dpsk12.net

My name is Kayley Hoag and I am the new speech language pathologist here at Carson. I am so excited to be a member of the Carson Cougar team! I am originally from Houston, Texas. I then moved to Austin and received my bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Austin with a minor in American Sign Language Studies. After graduating, I worked as a teaching assistant in an inclusive preschool. It was there that I discovered that I wanted to learn more about all aspects of communication. I soon moved to Colorado and graduated with my master’s in Speech Language Pathology from CU Boulder. There I gained clinical experience working with (and learning from) incredible individuals in areas including AAC (augmentative and alternative communication), speech, language, and multimodal communication! I decided to stay in the mountains (and avoid the humidity from back home). In my freetime, I like to explore all that Colorado has to offer, read, and connect with my friends and family.

Kalyn McGinnis

STL/SS
Kalyn_McGinnis@dpsk12.net

I was born and raised in Colorado; I received my Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Colorado State University and my Master’s of Education & Human Development in Teaching in Diverse Contexts from the University of Colorado – Denver. I am currently enrolled in the Education & Leadership Policy Studies program through the University of Denver to attain my licensure to become a principal in the future!

I love teaching children how to love learning and to pursue their passions. I am honored to have been teaching at Carson for 5 years, two of which I have also had the opportunity to lead and coach teachers in planning and instruction. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies, baking, and playing video games with my wife, Marissa. We have one dog, Ivy, and one cat, Reesey!

Andrea Metzger

PT
Andrea_Metzger@dpsk12.net

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska until I made my way to Colorado to attend Colorado State University. Although I had a brief stint back in the Pacific Northwest, I came back to Colorado to attend the Physical Therapy Doctorate program at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. I have been a Pediatric Physical Therapist for over 14 years. Much of my career was spent in Early Intervention until I transitioned to Denver Public Schools two years ago. I enjoy working with children and watching their independence, confidence and excitement grow when acquiring new skills.

My efforts to keep a healthy work/life balance include running and spending time with my husband, our two daughters (7 yrs and 9 yrs) and our dog Otis. We like to spend as much time outdoors as possible; camping, biking, skiing, listening to live music and spending time with friends and neighbors.

Kori Moinat

OT
Kori_Moinat@dpsk12.net

Renee Paxton

Psychologist
Renee_Paxton@dpsk12.net

I have been in Denver Public Schools for 23 years and I have been part of the Carson staff for 7 years. I feel such gratitude to be part of such an awesome staff and community! I am not only a DPS employee, but I am also the proud parent of three DPS grads! Spending time with my family and friends is one of my greatest joys and that is why I strive to achieve a healthy work/life balance. My personal philosophy of practice directly aligns with DPS’ vision of supporting the whole child, and I am a committed advocate to equity and inclusion for all children at Carson.

I received my Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and School Psychology Specialization/Certification from the University of Colorado at Denver. I am licensed to practice by the Colorado Department of Education and I also hold national certification in school psychology.

David Sheldon

STL/SS
David_Sheldon@dpsk12.net

I grew up in Denver and love everything about this wonderful state. I have earned two Master’s degrees: one in Educational Psychology with an emphasis on Early Childhood Literacy from CU Denver and a second, in Communication with an emphasis on PR and Marketing from DU. I most recently completed my principal’s license from CSU in 2020. This will be my tenth year of education. I previously taught at Creativity Challenge Community (C3) and Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (RMSEL). I was new to Carson last year and feel so lucky to be part of this amazing community.

When I am not working, I love skiing, biking, hiking, camping and spending time with my wife Emily, son Max (2 and half), and my labradoodle Mazik.

Joelle Hernandez

ECE, K, 1st, 2nd
Joelle_Espina@dpsk12.net

I grew up in Arkansas and received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas, in Fayetteville. I then graduated with my Master of Science in Education of the Deaf from Texas Woman’s University and moved from Texas to our beautiful state of Colorado. I’ve been teaching at Carson for four years now and have enjoyed the incredible experience of teaching across K-5 grades.

In my downtime, I love playing with my three dogs: Atticus, Gracie and Shipley. I also enjoy reading, paddleboarding, hiking, going to concerts and spending time with my fiancé, Jesus.