Mrs. Sharpy

E-mail: slsharpy@mpsaz.org    

Phone: 480-472-2768  

Homeroom! Save Box Tops! Bring Them To Class! Let's Win!

Kennedy Space Center, Summer 2008

Biography

I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. My family moved often since my father was a chemical engineer working for companies developing saponification methods (making soap). I had the opportunity to live in North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky,Tennessee, and Arizona. Our family camped and traveled every summer on vacation. One of the most thrilling vacations was the year the first man, Neil Armstrong, walked on the moon and we were in Houston, Texas. I actually got to see where the astronauts were in quarantine upon their return to Earth and see the first moon rocks on display. I had a terrific family that included a mother, father and, one younger brother.

It was in Kentucky that I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Outdoor Recreation and Biology from Murray State University. I was a member of the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society and was honored as the Outstanding Recreation and Park Administration Major from the university. The Tennessee Valley Authority/Land Between the Lakes and Department of Interior hired me as a Recreation Specialist to implement recreational and environmental education programs for a wide age range of children.

I was inspired to enter the world of education after I became a parent classroom volunteer and working three years as an instructional aide. The joy of helping children learn motivated me to become a classroom teacher. As a result, I achieved my Arizona Teaching Certification through Rio Salado Teacher Prep Post Baccalaureate Program. I taught at MacArthur Elementary School for four years. I’m now fortunate to be a teacher at one of the finest junior high schools in Mesa! All three of my children attended MacArthur Elementary, Stapley Junior High, and Mountain View High School. My husband has worked for Mesa School District over 28 years as an electronics technician.

The British astronomer, Anthony Hewish, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in1974 and is credited for detecting pulsars once said,

“I believe scientists have a duty to share the excitement and pleasure of their work with the general public, and I enjoy the challenge of presenting difficult ideas in an understandable way.”  I hope, as your science teacher, I will also be able to assist young minds in understanding this awesome and amazing subject of science.