Kristin Bacheldor
Kindergarten

Kristin grew up enjoying the lakes and super chilly winters of Minnesota. After attending Crown College and getting married, she moved out to Colorado with her husband, Chris. She now has four amazing boys--being a boy mom is just the best! Together they love enjoying the outdoors and spending Friday nights watching movies together and laughing together.

Kristin has a love for the youngest learners. She has taught preschool through second graders. There are many reasons why she loves Tollgate: she enjoys the students and families here so much! She also thinks Tollgate has the best staff—they work hard, have fun, and always take the time to help each other out. Last, Kristin really enjoys teaching the curriculum: Expeditionary Learning is so fun and meaningful for the kids!! Kristin is honored to be apart of such an amazing school. 

Email: kabacheldor@aurorak12.org

Mary Ellen Korby
Kindergarten

Mary Ellen grew up in Louisville, Colorado.  She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota with a degree in Elementary Education.  She has been teaching Kindergarten at Tollgate for 9 years, and previously taught preschool at Countryside Montessori in Boulder.  Mary Ellen loves Tollgate's community as well as how the staff is able to learn and explore alongside the students.  Outside of school, Mary Ellen loves cooking, walking her dog, and spending time with her family and friends.

Email: mekorby@aurorak12.org

Lauren Grella
Kindergarten 

Lauren grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut and spent the majority of her time at the beach and reading books. She moved out to Denver, Colorado this summer and now gets to spend more time with her sister and brother who live out here! Lauren is very family oriented and is happiest when surrounded by the ones she loves. She loves to watch movies, play games and be outside as much as possible. This is Lauren’s seventh year working in a public school and second year teaching Kindergarten! She loves to bring the world into the classroom by creating fun games, inviting beloved movie/tv/book characters into her lessons, and partaking in “Fun Fact Fridays” to give students an opportunity to investigate a topic of their choosing. Lauren is so excited to start exploring her new home and getting to spend more time with students and staff at Tollgate Elementary. 

Email: lgrella@aurorak12.org

Clarissa Pohlman
1st Grade

Clarissa grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. She studied exercise science and originally wanted to pursue occupational therapy, but after spending four years working as a special education paraprofessional in an elementary school she realized the incredible joy that teaching is. Moving west was always a goal and after receiving her master's from Regis University, she landed at Tollgate where she felt deeply connected to the staff and students. With an occupational therapy lens, Clarissa strives to create a learning environment that supports students' emotional, physical, social, and sensory needs. Outside of school, Clarissa enjoys spending time outdoors camping and hiking, reading, creating art, and hanging out with friends. 

Email: cgpohlman@aurorak12.org 

Eunice Yoo
1st Grade

Eunice is a proud Colorado native with a Korean heritage. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Psychology along with her teaching licensure. Recently, she got her master's degree from the University of Colorado Denver in Human Development and Family Sciences. This will be her eighth year teaching. Eunice is very honored to be at Tollgate and believes in the expeditionary learning she gets to guide students through. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and loves trying new foods in our local area. 

Email: ehyoo@aurorak12.org