About the
Consultant
Married and the mother
of two small children,
Denise Koebcke has
taught in the Valparaiso
Schools for fifteen
years, more than eleven
of those years as a
language arts teacher.
After
living in Europe for
several years, she
graduated with the
highest distinction and
a bachelors degree in
education from Purdue
University and returned
to her hometown to teach
language arts at Thomas
Jefferson Middle School;
her graduate work,
completed in 2006,
includes a library/media
certification and a
Masters of Science in
Educational Technology
from Indiana State
University.
At
wit's end after spending
seemingly endless
homeroom hours
counseling crying girls
and sullen boys
frustrated with the
rampant relational
aggression they faced on
a daily basis, she
recognized that the
social climate among
kids was, without a
doubt, having a negative
impact on their academic
success. The day
one of them looked at
her and literally
begged, "Please do
something, Mrs. K.
I know there must be
something you can do!"
she realized that the
student had just issued
a challenge she felt
obligated to accept.
Things were, perhaps, a
bit different than when
she and her colleagues
were children.
Maybe, just maybe, there
really WAS something
adults could do about
it.
Thus,
in 2002 she began
development of her
bystander leadership
program and partnered
with the Ophelia Project
to institute the CASS
mentor program in
the Valparaiso middle
schools. Finally,
after six years of
coordinating the VCS
CASS bystander leadership programs and working
extensively with other
experts in the field of
aggression, Denise is
now consulting in order
to help other schools
address the negative
social climate that
permeates adolescent
relationships today.
As the creator and
coordinator of Team
LEAD, the first
bystander
leadership group based program in
the field, she has not
only the expertise in
the field to share, but
the day-to-day,
practical experience in
the logistics of
instituting a systemic
anti-bullying,
leadership program as
well.
HONORS:
2008 Valparaiso Noon
Kiwanis Club Foundation:
Volunteer of the Year
Honorable Mention
2007 Prevent Child Abuse
Hero for Children Award
2006 Porter Starke
Services Foundation
Community Impact Award
2004 Chamber of Commerce
Celebrating Our Every
Day Heroes Award
Who's Who Among American
Teachers (Multiple
Years)
Three-time Disney
Teacher of the Year
Nominee
Member of the American
Educational Research
Association
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