Denise Lessow, Ed.D., joined Pinnacle as its Executive Director in July 2004. She has a doctorate in Education from Indiana University-Bloomington, and brings 25 years of experience as a professional educator and consultant. Dr. Lessow's education background includes science and math instruction, curriculum design, gifted & talented, multiple intelligences, assessment, and teacher development. She has created exhibits for science and history museums nationwide, and served as Research Director with CILS Consulting for over 10 years. Dr. Lessow is a past Board Chair of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. 

Discovering 25 years ago that her oldest son had dyslexia prompted Connie Giles to seek out a program that would meet his needs. At that time, a dePaul Saturday Tutorial Program and Summer School were the only programs in existence in Bloomington to teach children who learn with dyslexia. Upon enrolling her son in the program, she became an active tutor, which led to supervisory positions in both programs for the next six years. During this time she was also teaching in a special education program in the local high school. Mrs. Giles was instrumental in beginning the Bloomington dePaul School (now Pinnacle), where she became a teacher in its second year of operation. Mrs. Giles is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching linguistics.
Melanie Jones holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee and a Master's in language education with a reading specialization at IU. Mrs. Jones has taught language, math, social studies, and health. This year, Mrs. Jones leads Pinnacle's Kindergarten program. She is a member of the International Reading Association, and has also taught in Tennessee and Missouri. 
Allison Hess joined the Pinnacle School faculty in the summer of 2006.  She teaches elementary language, math, science, and environmental education.  Miss Hess is completing her Master's of Education at IU. She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan and is certified in elementary and special education. She is also a certified Project Wild instructor, and coordinates Pinnacle's project with Sycamore Land Trust. Miss Hess is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.  
Courtney McCullough earned an Indiana University Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a concentration in language arts. She focused on linguistics and sign language. Among her other experiences teaching children, she served with the AmeriCorps America Reads program. At Pinnacle, she teaches elementary language arts and student leadership skills.

Lauren Russell holds a Bachelors of Science from Indiana University that included emphases on literature, Spanish language and science. She has taught for the Center Grove School Corporation, and is certified in Project Wild. At IU, Miss Russell was the Community Services Director for the Golden Key honor society. She joined the Pinnacle staff in 2007 to teach intermediate and middle school students. 
Kelly Sage has joined Pinnacle to teach middle school and high school language and drama. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Radford University, and taught in Virginia since 2004. She has extensive experience in the instructional uses of technology, including collaborative environments. Mrs. Sage sponsored a creative writing/literary magazine and was her school's Advance Placement coordinator. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English and the Virginia Society for Technology in Education.
Devin Blankenship completed a Bachelor of Science in secondary education through the Community of Teachers program at IU. He holds concentrations in speech communication, theater, multicultural education, and social studies, with a focus in geography. Mr. Blankenship has taught in Martinsville, Indiana and County Donegal, Ireland. He teaches middle and secondary classes and serves as Pinnacle's Program Development Director.

Judith Watt has Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of New Mexico and a Masters Degree from Lewis University. She has 10 years of instructional experience, and this summer is teaching students at the Yerkes Astrophysics Academy for Young Scientists. Ms. Watt has earned several grants, including an award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Science Teachers Association. Ms. Watt teaches Pinnacle's middle and high school math and science classes.
Stephanie Ray managed a commercial art department for over 10 years and has taught art for 4 years at all grade levels. She has a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Indiana University and is a certified art educator. Ms. Ray is a member of the National Art Education Association and the Art Education Association of Indiana. She teaches sculpture, fine arts and graphic arts, and coordinates the student gallery. 
Alisa Sanabria was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M. She is a classically trained pianist with a background in choral music. She taught in Austin before joining Pinnacle. Mrs. Sanabria is a member of the Association of Texas Professional Educators.
Ross Blackburn has a degree from Northeastern University and is a certified K-12 educator. He worked as a graphic artist for over 10 years and has taught for the past several years. Mr. Blackburn led the 2007 student/community collaborative art project that created our Pinnacle Pachyderm sculpture.
  Amelia Newcomer-Leas earned a Bachelor of Arts at Earlham College in Anthropology with a minor in Spanish and Hispanic Studies. She has professional experience as a language educator and tutor. Ms. Newcomer-Leas is internationally certified as an ESL instructor and taught at the University of Guadalajara. At Pinnacle, she teaches Spanish language and culture, and works with the after-school program.
Amber Friesen holds certifications in elementary and special education.  Mrs. Friesen holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in history and is completing a Master's of Education at IU. Her professional experience includes several years of teaching in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. She has been at Pinnacle since 2005. In 2007-2008, she is tutoring in our after-school program while completing coursework for her Master's degree.

Community Partners

  • Sycamore Land Trust

  • Information In Place

  • Herald-Times

  • John Waldron Arts Center

  • WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology

  • Kelley School of Business Civic Leadership Development

 
 
  Pinnacle School
  2427 East 2nd Street
  P.O. Box 2375
  Bloomington, IN 47402
  812-
339-8141
 
info@pinnacleschool.org
  www.pinnacleschool.org