About Ms. von Bargen
My personalized guanine cap!
I am a veteran IB Biology educator, curriculum designer, and professional development leader dedicated to teaching biology through an interactive, joyous, and collaborative approach. I was born at South Lake Tahoe in California, however I moved around a lot with my mom and dad when I was a kid. We lived in England and Saudi Arabia, as well as multiple places in the United States. When I was in sixth grade my family moved to the Seattle area, where I have been ever since, and where I currently share a home with my wonderful husband and three beloved cats. I still travel quite a bit, and would say that I have an adventurous spirit; a recent big adventure of mine was backpacking the John Muir Trail, trekking 250 miles through the incredible Sierra Nevada.
While in college at the University of Washington, I worked at the local zoo, was a veterinary technician, and participated in multiple field ecology research projects. Upon graduation from college, I was a National Park Service ranger, working at Yosemite National Park in guest interpretive services and wildlife management. I had thought of going to vet school, and was well on my way, before deciding to become a teacher. It was the best decision I have ever made.
My interest in biological field work continued after I became a teacher. In 2004, I won a competitive grant through the National Geographic Society to travel to Brazil with Earthwatch to assist with wildlife conservation research in the Pantanal. While there, I wrote a reflection on teaching that has served as a "touchstone" in my teaching career. The trip also spurred a deep desire to get students out into the field doing real science. I have led multiple expeditions where students work alongside wildlife and conservation biologists, actively contributing to authentic field data collection. Together, we have traveled to the Bahamas, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Trinidad, and Belize. Closer to home, I developed a summer ecology research course to give students these same hands-on, authentic research experiences in Olympic National Park. In recognition of this impactful fieldwork and partnership, I was honored to be named the 2025 Olympic NatureBridge Educator of the Year.
I am passionate about educational content creation and supporting the global teaching community. I started biologyforlife.com in 2002 and have been building, adapting, and expanding it ever since. I truly love creating and sharing, and it brings me an immense amount of joy knowing that other educators and students benefit from what I share. While I have designed and led teacher professional development workshops across many different facets of education for many years, I expanded this work in 2025 by joining the IB Educator Network to officially lead IB Biology workshops for peers.
I am very proud of my many accomplishments as a teacher. Evaluations and feedback about my teaching from students, parents, colleagues, and school principals all enthusiastically commend my proficiency as an educator. I have earned and maintained National Board Certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Adolescent / Young Adult Science Education (emphasis in biology). I have also written and been awarded multiple grants from the Issaquah Schools Foundation for cutting-edge biotechnology and ecology data colletion equipment.
Throughout my career, I have been incredibly privileged to receive several high-level national and regional recognitions for my work in education. In 2010, a wonderful student selected me for recognition in Washington DC as a recipient of the Presidential Scholar Teacher Recognition Award. I was selected as a winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, for which I was recognized by President Obama in 2015. In 2017-2018, I served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, spending one year in Washington, DC focusing on federal-level science education programs and policy. Additionally, on three occasions, I have been recognized as the Skyline High School PTSA Teacher of the Year.
For more information, please view my professional resume and my teaching philosophy.
While in college at the University of Washington, I worked at the local zoo, was a veterinary technician, and participated in multiple field ecology research projects. Upon graduation from college, I was a National Park Service ranger, working at Yosemite National Park in guest interpretive services and wildlife management. I had thought of going to vet school, and was well on my way, before deciding to become a teacher. It was the best decision I have ever made.
My interest in biological field work continued after I became a teacher. In 2004, I won a competitive grant through the National Geographic Society to travel to Brazil with Earthwatch to assist with wildlife conservation research in the Pantanal. While there, I wrote a reflection on teaching that has served as a "touchstone" in my teaching career. The trip also spurred a deep desire to get students out into the field doing real science. I have led multiple expeditions where students work alongside wildlife and conservation biologists, actively contributing to authentic field data collection. Together, we have traveled to the Bahamas, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Trinidad, and Belize. Closer to home, I developed a summer ecology research course to give students these same hands-on, authentic research experiences in Olympic National Park. In recognition of this impactful fieldwork and partnership, I was honored to be named the 2025 Olympic NatureBridge Educator of the Year.
I am passionate about educational content creation and supporting the global teaching community. I started biologyforlife.com in 2002 and have been building, adapting, and expanding it ever since. I truly love creating and sharing, and it brings me an immense amount of joy knowing that other educators and students benefit from what I share. While I have designed and led teacher professional development workshops across many different facets of education for many years, I expanded this work in 2025 by joining the IB Educator Network to officially lead IB Biology workshops for peers.
I am very proud of my many accomplishments as a teacher. Evaluations and feedback about my teaching from students, parents, colleagues, and school principals all enthusiastically commend my proficiency as an educator. I have earned and maintained National Board Certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Adolescent / Young Adult Science Education (emphasis in biology). I have also written and been awarded multiple grants from the Issaquah Schools Foundation for cutting-edge biotechnology and ecology data colletion equipment.
Throughout my career, I have been incredibly privileged to receive several high-level national and regional recognitions for my work in education. In 2010, a wonderful student selected me for recognition in Washington DC as a recipient of the Presidential Scholar Teacher Recognition Award. I was selected as a winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, for which I was recognized by President Obama in 2015. In 2017-2018, I served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, spending one year in Washington, DC focusing on federal-level science education programs and policy. Additionally, on three occasions, I have been recognized as the Skyline High School PTSA Teacher of the Year.
For more information, please view my professional resume and my teaching philosophy.
