Tollgate Elementary School of Expeditionary Learning

Shanna Martin
Principal

Shanna Martin has been a public educator for 23 years and this will be her 12th year as an elementary school principal. She is excited to join Aurora Public Schools this year as the principal of Tollgate Elementary. Prior to being a principal, she was an assistant principal, instructional coach, and classroom teacher in 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th grade. All of her experiences in education have been focused on the elementary level.

She is originally from Washington state and received her undergraduate in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Development from Western Washington University. She met her husband, Josh, at Western and they are both Western Washington Alumni. In 2003, Shanna and her husband moved to Colorado where she taught and attended the University of Colorado, Denver to earn a masters in Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies. They have called Colorado home for the last 20 years.

Shanna has two high school children and a little Havanese puppy named Ollie. Her family loves to travel around the country and world. They love beach and lake vacations the most. They also enjoy a family game or movie night. She also loves the Colorado outdoors and takes advantage of our trails to take long walks!

Shanna loves working as a principal and is excited to join Aurora Public Schools this year. She looks forward to connecting with the Tollgate Elementary community and her goals will focus on ensuring all students feel safe and supported as well as challenged with learning they attend Tollgate Elementary.

Email: [email protected]

Sarah McCaskill
Assistant Principal

Sarah McCaskill has been in public education for 14 years and this will be her 3rd year as an elementary school Assistant Principal. Prior to being an Assistant Principal she served in various roles both in school buildings and at the district level. She was an Improvement and Leadership Specialist, a School Innovation and Implementation Partner, and a K-12 ELD classroom teacher.

She grew up in Englewood, Colorado and then moved to Nebraska where she received a bachelor's degree in International Business and Spanish from Doane University. Sarah continued at Doane University to obtain her master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She moved back to Colorado in 2016 and attended Regis University to earn another master's degree in Educational Leadership.

Sarah has two children, both boys, one in middle school and one in elementary school. They love to spend their time being active and playing sports. They also enjoy staying home for a family movie night or game night with a big bowl of popcorn.

She is excited to serve as Tollgate's Assistant Principal and work collaboratively with staff, families, and the community to create lifelong learners.

Email: [email protected]

Dwayne Davis (Mr. Davis)
Coordinator of Climate & Culture

Dwayne A. Davis is a dedicated school counselor and educational leader with a strong commitment to student engagement, equity, and community partnership. He earned his undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was also a member of the university’s 1990 National Championship football team. After a successful 19-year career as a network engineer with AT&T, Dwayne transitioned into education, first serving as a Student Engagement Coordinator at Boulder High School in the Boulder Valley School District. He later pursued and earned a Master’s degree in Counseling from Adams State University, leading him into his current role in school counseling, where he focuses on supporting students’ academic, social-emotional, and postsecondary success. Dwayne is married to his wife, Tinisha, and is a proud father to two sons, Demari and Dvonte. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, golfing, and cooking, and he values opportunities to mentor and coach youth in his community.

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Email: [email protected]

Katie Lewis
Dean of Students

Katie Lewis has been in public education for ten years. She has always known she wanted to be in education because she was surrounded by strong educators in her family growing up. She began her start in education by earning her Music Education degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. With her music degree, she taught as a band director for ten years. For five of those ten years, she taught in Houston, Texas where she directed a band of 250 students. Once Katie moved to Colorado, she spent five years in Aurora Public Schools as a band director while earning her master's degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado.

During her free time, Katie likes to perform in a local jazz band, travel to different countries, and take her dog hiking. She is a big advocate for students finding a sense of belonging in their school community and eager to begin working with the staff, students, and families of Tollgate Elementary. Katie is excited to be a part of the Tollgate Crew!

Email: [email protected]