Teacher Bios
Meet Your 8th Grade Team
Mrs. Houston - Language Arts
Hello! I am Mrs. Houston and I’m excited to be your 7th and 8th grade ELA and Leadership teacher.
I was born and raised near Portland, Oregon and graduated from the University of Oregon, which is where I met my Husband, Kris. We have been married for 13 years and have three kids (you’ll see them around campus) and three dogs (ranging from 7lbs to 120lbs). We moved to Arizona seven years ago to escape the colder weather and have fallen in love with the desert. Outside of school I enjoy discovering new restaurants, reading, swimming, watching TV and traveling.
My goal is to create a safe, inclusive classroom environment that is founded on positive interaction and communication so please reach out to me for any questions or concerns.
I look forward to getting to know all of you throughout the year!
Mr. Bowman - Social Studies
I graduated from the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. I have a highly qualified endorsement in middle grade Social Sciences as well as a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education.
I love bringing history to life! I strive to make the content relevant to your lives in hopes you will make a personal connection to what you have learned. Be ready to have fun as we will be doing a lot of hands-on activities and projects this year. Please be advised, however, that this class will be very challenging, and I hold all of my students to high expectations.
On a more personal note, I have been married to my lovely wife for 11 years. We have a 9-year-old son, Maxx, as well as a miniature schnauzer named Charger and a cat named Walrus. I moved back to Phoenix in June of 2008 after living in San Diego coaching football. Prior to that, I played NCAA football at the University of Wyoming where I majored in Communications. Along with football, surfing, golf, and skateboarding, I play in a “reggae/rock” band and a fun cover band and love spending time with family and friends.
Along with teaching 8th Grade Social Studies here at Sunset Ridge, I am also the Student Council Advisor, Athletic Director, and 8th Grade Campus Leadership Representative.