5th Grade Team
Get to Know Our Staff

Mr. VanDeHey has taught 33 of his 34 years teaching at Deer Creek Elementary School. He taught one year in Greeley, Colorado. He is married and has two grown children. He loves being with the kids and one of the important tools he has learned to use over the years in his classroom is humor. He has high standards and expectations for his students to ensure their academic success.

Mr. VanDeHey encourages parents to come to the classroom and get involved. Consistent communication between parents and teacher helps to develop strong connections in his classroom for a good parent/teacher/student relationship. He also believes that attitude is everything.

Words of Wisdom - "Smart is as Smart does."

Mrs. Sparer is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a BA in Journalism from the University of Georgia and completed education courses at Western State College in Gunnison.

Mrs. Sparer believes that learning is a life-long journey. She encourages her students to get excited about their own learning journey, especially in reading and social studies, as they prepare to become tomorrowbs leaders.

Mrs. Sparer is married and has one son. She is a member of the Mountain Ringers Handbell Ensemble and likes to quilt.

Mr. Titchenell was born in Grand Rapids, Mi and relocated to Colorado about 8 years ago. He received his BA in criminal justice from Western Michigan University and received his MA in elementary education from the University of Phoenix. Mr. Titchenell resides in Pine with his wife Galen and their two dogs, Toby and Tyler. In his spare time, Mr. Titchenell enjoys hiking with his dogs as well as snowboarding.

Mrs. Weinberg was born and raised in upstate New York in a town much smaller than Bailey.   After earning her degree in Elementary Education/Speech and Theatre at SUNY Oswego, she moved first to Southern California and then to Southern Illinois .  At SIU Carbondale, she studied Rehabilitation Counseling.  Finally in 1977, she relocated to Colorado to live in her beloved mountains where she worked as an Outdoor Program Director for Camp Fire Inc. Outdoor education and fun learning became driving forces of her teaching philosophy during those years.