Rita YoKell

Wedding


Hello My Name Is...

Mrs. Rita YoKell

 

I was born in Baltimore, Maryland but I grew up in Hawaii and loved every minute of it. It was a wonderful learning experience. I was able to be a part of many different cultures in the biggest melting pot of the United States. I carry the knowledge and belief that it is indeed a great country that we live in. If you visit my classroom, you will see that I've brought a little of the "Aloha" spirit to share with my students.

This will be my 29th year of teaching. I taught 2 years in Hawaii, 1 year in Maryland and this is my 26th year in Colorado with Douglas County School District. I have been at Mesa since it opened in 2008 so this will be my 16th year. Through my teaching career, I have taught many subjects including history, science, language arts, health and wellness and computer technology. I have always had a passion for history whether it is about American history, the history of computers or the history of our world. I especially like to hear stories from my students about how they and their families history fits into our world. One of my favorite quotes is "Every life that has been lived until today is a part of the woven braid of life. It takes every person's story to create history. Your life will help determine the course of history." 

I live in Golden with my husband and our dog, Sam. We live in our mountain home with 11.5 acres of forest. My daughter lives in Texas, and my son lives in Kansas City. My two stepdaughters live in Denver. 

I enjoy reading, cooking, rafting, hiking and skiing with my husband as well as spending quality time with my family. I also like to play MahJongg with several of my girlfriends. I love to travel and learn about new places. Most of my travels have been across the United States visiting historical locations. My other travels have lead me to Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. I have also been to Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands, Cozumel, Mexico and the American Virgin Islands. I hope to share those experiences and many others with you.

Reading is a passion of mine and so in my free time I read on my Kindle. During the pandemic, I read 90 books from March of 2020 through August 2020.
Each summer I set a new goal. Here are my tallies so far:
Summer 2021- 100
Summer 2022- 110
Summer 2023- 112