This is my 7th year teaching and my 4th year teaching 7th grade Science at TSAS. I love getting to lead students in experiments and investigations! I was born and raised in Tulsa and I’m passionate about the importance of public schools to the well-being of society.
Some of my favorite things are books, art, gardening, camping, baking, languages, this Earth we live on, and all the living things we share it with. My family and I have a goal to visit as many national parks this year as we can. I spend a fair amount of my time playing board games, video games, and volleyball.
Email: fblesch@tsas.org
Room: 316 A
Educational Background:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Oklahoma
I am an artistical (that’s magic, whimsy, and artistic rolled into one!) scientist and am excited to join the TSAS family! I love painting, creating, and exploring Tulsa with my three kids! You might see us cruising around downtown on our bikes sometime- it’s a crew for sure! I am stuck in the 90s with a love for Dr. Martens and indie rock, and my absolute favorite thing to do in the whole world is be a goofball and laugh!
I teach because, well, kids are insanely amazing and out of this world! It is a privilege to work with kids, and I appreciate that they still hold the magic of imagination and limitless possibilities. I learn just as much from my students as they learn from me.
Email: afraley@tsas.org
Room: 305 B
Educational Background:
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Northeastern State University
- Associate of Arts in Health Sciences from Northeastern State University
Artist, gamer, technology buff, lover of animation, fantasy & science fiction, and all things heavy metal! With these powers combined, I am a huge nerd!
Animation is art in motion. It is a visual medium of endless possibility that the human imagination can conceive. If you can dream it, you can animate it. Animation is an illusion of movement; it truly is magic. As my friend often says, “magic is real!’, and it exists here at TSAS. That magic is inspiring the students to learn, create and achieve their goals! It’s really all about them, they are the future.
Teaching is absolutely one of, if not, the most soul-filling things a person can do. Passing knowledge to others is essential to the human experience and it is an honorable privilege to have the opportunity to do so at such a wonderful place as TSAS.
Email: emiller@tsas.org
Room: 219 A
Educational background:
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Animation from Full Sail University
I am a lover of science, avid reader, gardener, and swimmer. I have taught every age group in some capacity from preschool to college level courses in multiple different cities. I adore animals, and live here in Tulsa with my husband, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and 5 chickens.
I teach science because I believe that my students have the ability to positively impact the future of this country, but for that to be true they must have a foundational knowledge of how the world around them works and to be critical thinkers who can make their own decisions.
Email: mnicholson@tsas.org
Room: 215
Educational Background:
- Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Loyola University New Orleans
- Master of Science in Biology from the University of New Orleans
I love DnD, dancing, youtube rabbit holes and keeping it real.
I believe the most important thing we can do to help make the world a better place is to develop critical thinking skills of independent learners. As a teacher with my personal background, I am uniquely situated to reach out to students who never believed they could have a future in science.
Email: sokapal@tsas.org
Room: 214
Educational Background:
- Bachelor of Science in Physics from The Ohio State University
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from The Ohio State University
In the blink of an eye, the little girl with snails in her pockets and dirt in her hair went from running through the creeks behind her childhood home to walking across the Oklahoma State University stage to receive a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources with a major of Environmental Science.
However, Lauren’s adventure truly began after moving across the country to gain experience in conservation just an hour south of the iconic Glacier National Park, after accepting a position as a Big Sky Watershed Corps Member through Americorps. This position combined a deep devotion for service with a passion for the conservation of our natural resources. During her time in this position, she completed research for the USDA, NRCS, Western Montana Conservation Districts, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Flathead Lake Biological Station, The University of Montana and NASA. Research topics varied wildly but mainly focused on native wildflower biodiversity and pollinator habitat rehabilitation, aquatic invasive species PCR tracking, and the study of agricultural upgrades to determine improvement of resource usage.
What really made an impact on the direction of Lauren’s career was the development of Lake County Conservation District’s outreach program which delivered STEAM curriculum to 3,641 students and adults in 2.5 years. After Lauren moved home during the Pandemic, she began pursuing a career in STEAM education thanks to her time at LCCD. After beginning her educational career at Discovery Lab creating curriculum, training educators, and running day of programming for their partnership with Tulsa Public Schools, Lauren is excited to transition into the classroom fulltime teaching Environmental Science and Chemistry. She is passionate about sparking a love of natural resources and applied science in her students just as her high school Enivronmental Science teacher did for her.
When Lauren isn’t at work she enjoys hiking, camping, taking pictures of every flower and fungi she sees, finding cool rocks and crystals, practicing yoga and meditation, and being outdoors in general. When the weather doesn’t allow her to be outside, Lauren also loves watching competition shows with her husband, Tyler, and making bets on the winners (loser has to clean up dinner!) Their pup Daisy is never far behind, especially to “help” clean up the food.
Email: lranthe@tsas.org
Room: 218
Educational Background:
- Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science and Natural Resources with a major in Environmental Sciences from Oklahoma State University
When I’m not teaching, I like to watch documentaries on science, history, and true crime, play video games and Dungeons & Dragons, tinker with various creative projects, and spend time with my husband, our kiddo, and our two cats.
I teach because I love sharing my passion for science with my students. Seeing a kid have one of those “Eureka!” moments when they finally figure out a tough concept, or watching a kid start the year saying they don’t like science, but end the year saying it’s their favorite subject, are some of the best feelings in the world. I am grateful that I get to share even one molecule of that with them.
Email: sweibel@tsas.org
Room: 312
Educational Background:
- Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from University of Phoenix