Sarah McCarty Petz is an Early Childhood Educator in Denver Public Schools at Inspire Elementary. Sarah has been in a variety of leadership roles at her school since their founding in 2017. Her teaching style is centered around strong student- teacher relationships, cultivating the whole child through social emotional wellness, hands on learning experiences, and using the classroom environment as an extension of student learning through Reggio Emilia inspired approaches.
Sarah has fervently participated in bringing the mission and vision of her school to life through being an active member of Inspire’s Garden Committee, Culture Committee, Equity and Racial Justice Team, and the staff liaison to the Parent Teacher Organization. She is also the ECE Team Specialist and a founding member of the school’s Instructional Leadership team. She has continuously contributed to improving school wide systems, structures and expectations through leaning into challenging conversations, co-creating whole school professional development on Reggio inspired classroom environments, and advocating for developmentally appropriate practice for students. Sarah is interested in deepening her practice in the following areas: art, mindfulness, LGBTQ+ advocacy and inclusion, social emotional wellness to reduce the risk of youth suicide, and nature and gardening with children and their families.
Sarah has been in the Early Childhood field since 2010 and has worked in both the private and public school sectors, in varying roles; Lead Preschool teacher, Lead Pre-K teacher, Kindergarten teacher, First Grade teacher, and Director of an Early Childhood Center. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Florida State University and a Masters in Education and Human Development with an emphasis in Early Childhood from CU Denver, in partnership with the Boulder Journey School. Currently, she is completing a Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Leadership through the Buell program at CU Denver.
Sarah has fervently participated in bringing the mission and vision of her school to life through being an active member of Inspire’s Garden Committee, Culture Committee, Equity and Racial Justice Team, and the staff liaison to the Parent Teacher Organization. She is also the ECE Team Specialist and a founding member of the school’s Instructional Leadership team. She has continuously contributed to improving school wide systems, structures and expectations through leaning into challenging conversations, co-creating whole school professional development on Reggio inspired classroom environments, and advocating for developmentally appropriate practice for students. Sarah is interested in deepening her practice in the following areas: art, mindfulness, LGBTQ+ advocacy and inclusion, social emotional wellness to reduce the risk of youth suicide, and nature and gardening with children and their families.
Sarah has been in the Early Childhood field since 2010 and has worked in both the private and public school sectors, in varying roles; Lead Preschool teacher, Lead Pre-K teacher, Kindergarten teacher, First Grade teacher, and Director of an Early Childhood Center. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Florida State University and a Masters in Education and Human Development with an emphasis in Early Childhood from CU Denver, in partnership with the Boulder Journey School. Currently, she is completing a Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Leadership through the Buell program at CU Denver.