Staff Directory

My name is Lori Baker and I have taught at Bickel for 14 years.  I have one son and one daughter, they are both grown up and raising their own families. I have 3 adorable grandchildren and my favorite thing in the whole world is being a grandma.  I love to read, set puzzles, play video games and watch my BSU Broncos win football games.  My ultimate dream and bucket list would be to travel around the United States and visit every Major League baseball stadium.

My name is Denise Beem and I have been a paraeducator for 15 years, 10 of which have been at Bickel.  I went to college at CSI.  I have two boys and a dog.  I like to go camping and ride fourwheelers.  My favorite part about being at Bickel is the staff.  I als enjoy helping the children and seeing them learn more each new day.

My name is Carey Farnsworth and I teach Physical Education. This is my 3^rd year at Bickel and 4^th year of teaching overall. My favorite thing to teach within the PE world is Basketball and Soccer. Some of my favorite things to do outside of school are: Coach Soccer, play sports, and spend time with my 2 dogs. I absolutely love working at Bickel Elementary School. The students, faculty, and staff are some of the best that I have had the pleasure of working with.

My name is Breanna Hugill and I have been teaching 4^th grade at Bickel for 4 years. Previously, I attended Boise state University. I have 2 children: Declan, who is 5, and Crew, who is almost a year old. My favorite thing to do is to spend time with my family, but I also like reading and art. My favorite things to teach my students are Science (any topic) and Idaho History. I love seeing how these topics really draw in students and make them excited to learn!

My name is Rachel Idso and I teach fifth grade.  I began my teaching career in 1999 and have taught both fifth and sixth grade.  My favorite subject to teach is language because I am a lover of words.  Words bring life to life.  In 1994, I graduated from Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education.

I do not have any children of my own, but I do count the students in my room as “mine.” Some of my hobbies include cycling (road), hiking, kayaking (leisurely), and basically anything else that takes place outside in the hot sunshine.  If an activity will make me sweat, I am definitely going to want to be involved.

I enjoy teaching at Bickel because it has a “homey” kind of feel to it.  The teachers want to be here and so do the students; it is an excellent fit.

My name is Melissa Keegan and I am excited to be the new School Counselor at Bickel Elementary. I have been in the counseling field for the past eight years, however this is my first year as a School Counselor. I received my bachelor’s degree from The University of Montana and my master’s degree from Boise State University. I grew up in Twin Falls and enjoy all the amazing outdoor activities we have here.  I can’t wait to see what this year has to offer and am thrilled to be a Bobcat.

My name is Shannon Kelly and I am Bickel Elementary’s Title 1 Reading Specialist.  I have been teaching for 17 years.  I have been at Bickel since 2001 and I love our small tight-knit school family!   I completed my Bachelors of Science in  Elementary Education from the University of Idaho in 1999 and received my Master’s Degree in Literacy Education from Lesley University, Cambridge in 2006.  Reading is my absolute favorite subject to teach!  I struggled with reading as a child, so it’s extremely rewarding watching my students succeed!  When I’m not teaching, I love spending time with my family and being outdoors.

My name is Jennifer McNeil. I teach 1^st grade here at Bickel Elementary School. My favorite part of teaching at Bickel is that we have a fantastic staff and a great bunch of students. I couldn’t ask for a better place to teach. This is my 4^th year teaching 1^st grade. I previously taught preschool for 7 years. I really enjoy teaching reading because once you learn to read so many doors are opened. I finished my Master’s Degree at Grand Canyon University. I have 3 fantastic adopted children. We also have 4 miniature poodles and 3 little bunnies. Spare time…well…I don’t have much spare time. My kids and I are very involved with 4-H so that takes up a lot of our time. When I can, I love to scrap book and cross stitch.

My name is Rogene Meyer and I’ve taught  ELL (English Language Learners) at Bickel for 7 years and  been in education for 37 years.  I have taught in Idaho, Alaska and Australia.  I loves working with English Language Learners, they bring a rich background and a willingness to learn.  I received my Bachelor’s degree from Idaho State University and Master’s degree from Boise State University.

I have two grown children.  In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, reading, and traveling. I love working with the staff and students at Bickel.

My name is Kate Milligan and I have worked at Bickel Elementary for 8 years. I’ve held numerous positions that include Playground/Office Aid, an ELL Para for three years, a Special Education Para for two years and currently as Student Mentor. I plan to graduate from CSI in the Spring with both Liberal Arts and Criminal Justice degrees. We have two children and many animals in our family including 4 dogs, a cat, 3 tortoises, birds and lizards. We enjoy family Christmas vacations to Yellowstone National Park.

Hello my name is Katrina Nielsen. I teach Kindergarten here at Bickel. I have been teaching at Bickel for 3 years now as of this year. My favorite subject to teach would be reading. I love to watch my little Kindergarten students begin to see letters as words, and words as sentences, and then start to take off with reading books. I went to college at Boise State University. I do not have any children of my own but I have a 5 year old god-daughter, her little sister I considered my niece, and my biological niece as well. In my spare time I love to read books and play board games. My most favorite part of being a teacher at Bickel is just getting to be with my work family. I love this school and I love everyone I work with. I also love seeing all the students each day of school.

I’m Pam Rahe, the K-5 Special Education Teacher. This is my 18^th year of teaching special education at Bickel (my entire teaching career).  I only teach reading, math, and written language, but I would have to say Reading Mastery Level 2 is probably my very favorite thing to teach.  It has so many great stories that I never get tired of hearing.  I graduated from the University of South Dakota (my home state) and obtained my special education endorsement from Lewis-Clark State College where I met my husband, Steve.  He is a 4^th grade teacher at Morningside Elementary.  We have a son, Seth, in 7^th grade at O’Leary and a daughter, Stephanie, in 5^th grade at Morningside.  We also have a 15 year old dachshund named Doc.  I don’t have much spare time with running my kids to activities, but when I do, I love to read books and watch Hallmark Christmas movies.  My favorite part of being a teacher here at Bickel is definitely my students.  I’m proud to be part of the Bickel staff.

My name is Briana Rieth and I have been teaching for three years.  My first two years were spent with 2nd graders and this year is my first year in 5th!  I so love my community at Bickel.

When I’m not at school, I spend as much time with my family as possible.  Other than that, I like to do any and all things relaxing:  reading, swimming, kayaking, and camping to name a few.

Hi, I am Amanda Spencer and I teach 4^th grade here at Bickel Elementary. I earned my teaching degree from CSI and ISU. This is my fifth year teaching 4^th grade, before that I taught 3^rd grade for two years and Kindergarten for one year.

My absolute favorite subject to teach is reading because I love reading myself in my spare time. I hope that by the time my students leave my class they have grown to love reading as much as I do.

I have been married to my best friend Adam, for nine years. We have beautiful and very independent 14 month old little girl, Avery as well as some fur babies, Bella, Tucker,(dogs) Jasmine,(cat) and Juniper (ferret). My favorite thing to do when I am not at school is spend quality time with my family. I also enjoy reading and doing puzzles.

My favorite part about teaching at Bickel is the people. We have an amazing staff that works together to make sure every student gets what they need to succeed. Not only do we work well together professionally, but we support each other personally as well. I am proud to call all of my coworkers friends.

I am Tina Tarchione and I teach second grade at Bickel.  I have been teaching for about 11 years and in addition to teaching second grade, I have taught kindergarten, 5^th, 4^th, and been a Title 1 teacher.  I have been at Bickel for 5 years.  What I most love about this school is all of our Bickel families.  This school is just amazing!

I earned a business degree from Loyola Marymount University and obtained my teaching certificate after realizing that being a teacher was the path I was supposed to take.

I have been married for 25 years to Mr. Travis Tarchione and we have 4 kids (3 daughters and 1 son).

My name is Mrs. Terry and I teach music to grades K-5 on Fridays at Bickel. I also teach music at Lincoln and Oregon Trail. This is my third year teaching and I love making music with all of my classes. My favorite part is singing and playing my ukulele. The best part about teaching at Bickel is the caring students and staff I get to see each week. When I am not at school, I love to do things outdoors with my family. We spend a lot of time rock climbing, hiking and exploring the beautiful area around Twin Falls. I have two daughters, age 7 and 11, who love to sing, dance, and play video games. We have lived in Twin Falls for about 6 years and are happy to have found so many great things to enjoy here.

My name is Ann Vera and I teach 5th Block – Writing.  This is my 12th year teaching and my first year at Bickel.

Greetings from Ms. Wright in the library. Some favorite activities of mine are hiking the public lands in Idaho looking at rocks, watching Project Runway, and reading books with a book club. I travel often to Seattle, WA and Portland, OR to visit my grown daughters. I graduated from Idaho State University, am married to a great guy, and love my dog despite his antics. What I like best about Bickel is witnessing children grow socially, intellectually, and physically in preparation for life’s journey.