Science Team

Mr. Ghist was born in Ohio, moved to Texas, and then California before finally moving to Colorado in the early 1990's.   He received his BS and MS in Geology from Ohio State University and further teaching courses from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley.   His early career was spent in the field of geology/paleontology in the oil and gas industry and then has spent the last 13 years in education and teaching.   In his spare time, he is active in a number of geology/paleontology organizations in the Denver area.

Debbi Marks has been teaching math and science at Platte Canyon High School for over 27 years.   She was born and raised in New Jersey.   She graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in mathematics and biology and received her Masters degree from the University of Colorado at Denver in mathematics education specializing in curriculum and instruction.

Mrs. Marks has 4 children from 18 to 24 years of age.   She enjoys playing golf, creating quilts, doing various types of needlework and spending time with family and friends.   In the past several years she has enjoyed traveling to China and Thailand to visit her oldest two children who were teaching in these countries.   Mrs. Marks is also the treasurer of the Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

April Risenhoover was born in Chicago and relocated to Colorado in 1995.   She is married to a stupendous, magnificent, handsome, industrious man (Lloyd), and has two great kids, Alyssa and Braden.

After high school, Mrs. Risenhoover joined the Air Force.   She has worked in Active Duty, the National Guard, and the Reserves.   During most of her military career she trained crew members how to survive in combat environments.   She is now retired from the Reserves.   Her military career has taken her to many places, including Panama, Germany, and England.

She received her BA in Environmental Studies from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago in 1991, and her BA and teaching certificate in Earth Science from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley in 2002.   She began teaching after retiring from the military in the spring of 2007.