This is Sommer Denison’s first year teaching at Echo Horizon and she could not be more excited! She attended Swarthmore College where she worked closely with the DHH community, taking several ASL classes and leading the R.I.S.E project (Reading Involves Shared Experiences). The aim of R.I.S.E is to promote language acquisition and early literacy skills for DHH children by providing students, parents, or anyone interested in deaf education with tools such as eBooks and Youtube videos.  Upon graduation, she went on to receive her master’s degree in Education from Loyola Marymount University, and her bilingual teaching credential. Prior to this year,  Ms. Denison taught kindergarten for three years at a bilingual elementary and middle school in San Jose, CA. She has experience working in kindergarten, third, fourth, and sixth grade classrooms. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, and is thrilled to finally move back. Outside of the classroom, she loves biking, surfing, hiking, running, and spending time with her family and friends. Fun facts about Ms. Denison: she has a twin sister and her favorite ice cream shop is Salt and Straw.