5/6 COMMUNITY

It wasn't until she was voted "Most Likely to Become a Teacher" in her senior high school yearbook that Becky Cornelius actually considered teaching as a career, and soon thereafter, she knew it was what she was meant to do. After graduating from BYU with a husband, a baby, and a degree in Art Education (K-12) with a minor in Math Education, she started teaching 4th grade at a private school. Since then, she has had three more kids and has taught on and off (sometimes being a stay-at-home mom) at various private schools and community education programs—covering almost every subject and age group. She loves older elementary kids and is delighted to be part of the 5/6 community.

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Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Becky developed a fondness for smaller communities while living in Provo, Logan, and then Brigham before settling in Perry. If she could, she would live in a forest in the mountains, as nature is always a calming retreat, especially when camping, hiking, and exploring. Hands-on experiences and adventures are her favorites, as her main hobby is learning—moving from one fun skill to another, including every art medium, home remodeling, woodworking, cooking, canning, quilting, crocheting, running, nutrition, and more.

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Her greatest joy is witnessing the light-bulb moments of learning and excitement in a child's life when their efforts finally "click." She is thrilled to bring her enthusiasm and passion for immersive, experiential learning to Promontory, where it is considered an integral part of the educational philosophy. One of her favorite quotes is by the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

Julia Scott graduated from Utah State University in December 2019. While she is a fairly new school teacher, she is not new when it comes to teaching.

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Julia has played the piano since she was a child and began teaching neighborhood children in her early teens. From there, she went on to major in Piano Pedagogy at USU. When that didn’t work out as she expected, she switched to Veterinary Science, then back to Piano Pedagogy. She finally decided to wait to further her education until she “knew what she wanted to do.” After working for a year and a half, she served a church mission in Campinas, Brazil. Upon her return, she decided that she wanted to be a dietitian. She signed up for 12 credit hours at USU but ended up getting married to Jason Scott instead.

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A few years later, they welcomed a beautiful daughter into their family. Three years after Victoria was born, Jed joined them. Julia loves her two children dearly and considers teaching them to be her greatest work.

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When Jed was preschool age, it became necessary for Julia to return to work to supplement their family income. She chose to work as a teacher’s aide for Bear River Head Start. After two years as an aide, she decided that she wanted to become an elementary school teacher. Four and a half years later, she graduated. Then COVID hit. Julia started her first school year teaching during the pandemic and credits her co-teachers for getting her through that challenging year. However, Julia refused to quit, believing that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

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Nowadays, Julia is much more confident in her abilities as a teacher. She enjoys Promontory School’s hands-on approach and loves planning lessons that are not only educational but also engaging. She cares deeply for her 5th and 6th grade students and believes that each child is smart in their own way. One of her favorite quotes is, “Just do you,” by Dule Hill.

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As she moves forward and strives to become a better teacher one step at a time, Julia is delighted to be teaching at Promontory School, where children are taught life lessons, values are learned, the staff is kind and supportive, and “it feels like home.”

Tamalyn Hirleman, aka Ms. Tami, is blessed to be the mother of seven amazing children and has six grandchildren, with two more on the way. She was born in Trenton, New Jersey, but lived most of her childhood between Maine and Texas. She graduated from Groesbeck High School, where she varsity lettered in soccer and cross country. Tami also loved music, playing the trumpet from 6th grade all the way through college, and participated in many choirs throughout her school years and even as an adult.

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Tami attended Tyler Junior College and earned a degree as a respiratory therapist, a profession she practiced for 20 years, during which time she also became an EMT. Tami moved to Brigham City in 2002, where she stayed until four years ago, when she and her children moved to North Ogden.

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Tami wanted to become a teacher since 6th grade and decided three years ago to make that dream a reality. She graduated from Western Governors University by completing her bachelor’s degree in two years and seven months. It was a tough road, but she remembered the words of her junior high teacher, who always told her, “You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.” That determination to succeed is something Tami has worked to instill in her children.

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The examples of teachers throughout her life who showed kindness and emotional support during tough times have given her the desire to be the teacher who can make a difference in her students’ lives by being someone they can trust and rely on. She wants to help students acquire the tools to succeed in life and face any challenge with the attitude of “I can do hard things!” Tami believes students learn best through hands-on experiences, getting down in the dirt, and being adventurous. If she can teach a child a fun way to learn that encourages them to engage and participate, she feels she is living her dream. She believes that learning is lifelong and that we learn when we venture out to try new things or when we read books that allow us to explore new concepts and discover new ways to improve.

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Tami loves to do anything outdoors, such as camping, hiking, swimming, skiing, and especially jet skiing. She also enjoys cooking, reading, crafting, and creating. Her favorite author is C.S. Lewis, and she loves reading to her children and students to help them discover the adventure in books. She is excited to be part of Promontory and loves our school. She thinks the adventure and learning we engage in is AMAZING and feels blessed to have been part of that for the last five years as a teacher’s aide, a 1/2 Crew Teacher, and now as a 5/6 Crew Teacher. She looks forward to our new adventure this year.

Celeste Whipple was born and raised in a small city across the peninsula from Seattle called Port Orchard. Her father’s career with the government brought her to the Mountain West during her high school years. Transitioning from a beautiful rainforest to the incredible mountain range of the Wasatch Front was quite a change, but one that has grown on her.

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Celeste’s hobbies include softball, bowling, hiking, biking, reading, music, and spending time with her loving family. Her husband is a teacher in Ogden, and their children range from kindergarten to 9th grade. They all LOVE soccer and music.

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Celeste is thrilled to have joined the Promontory crew. She appreciates Expeditionary Learning because it encourages students to hold themselves and their peers to high expectations for quality work, commitment to learning, and character.

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One of Celeste's favorite quotes is, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." — Maya Angelou