Leadership

I am a twenty five year veteran teacher from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I live by the motto Lead by Example. I consider my best qualities to be thoughtfulness and patience. I am also a thriving, determined, and enthusiastic individual, extremely competitive yet pleasantly calm. I encourage fighting for what you believe in and that is why I choose to fight for Monroe’s continue success.

I received an associate of Applied Science degree from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, a BA from Oklahoma State University, and a master's degree from Northeastern State University. 

Through my passion for teaching, I have embraced learning multiple teaching methods so that I can address the needs of all students.  I have been named Teacher of the Year at Gilcrease Middle School and Technology Teacher of the Year through my professional organizations in the past years but no title is more rewarding than when my former student label me as the teacher that made the biggest impression on them.

As a former student of Monroe and cultural activist for my school and community, I am committed to helping parents, students, and teachers embrace and appreciate Monroe Demonstration Academy.  It is my goal to meet students where they are and help them to grow and become productive citizen of society.

A teacher that I admire most is Mrs. Ava Fisher. She was my geometry teacher, she made me feel like I was the smartest student in her class.  She is the example I look to when I’m teaching students. If I can help every child to see the power within them, then they too will believe that there nothing they can’t do and go out here is this great big world we have and become a productive citizen.

A six-year forecast of my life includes me having completed my career as Monroe’s assistant principal who had an impact on my school and community by building the most prestigious middle school in Tulsa.  

After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in History at Bowie State University in 2014, I taught Social Studies at Bowie High School (BHS) in Prince George’s County, Maryland for five incredible years. 

During my time at Bowie, I sponsored several clubs, including the Debate & Mock Trial Teams, American Sign Language (ASL) Club, Step Team, and Poetry Club.  I also served on the BHS School Instructional Council as a Professional Development Lead Teacher (PDLT) where I assisted with the development, promotion, and implementation of the countywide Rigorous Literacy Plan. I also aided in developing social studies curriculum and instruction materials for Prince George’s County Public Schools as one of the main writers of the current social studies electives curricula and a member of the social studies textbook selection committee. 

In 2018, I earned my master's in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Legal Studies and taught courses for Bowie High School’s Law Academy, part of Prince George’s County’s expanding Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program. I am proud to be a recipient of PGCPS Social Studies Leadership in Civic Engagement Award.  

This is my third year with Tulsa Public Schools, and I am beyond excited to be part of the Monroe Team. I am devoted to encouraging and developing excellence in students and educators. 

I was born in Kansas City, Kansas where I graduated high school from Sumner Academy of Arts and Science in 1987. In 1991, I earned a bachelor's in education from Emporia State University. After graduating I taught fourth and fifth grade students at Kansas Public Schools from 1992 to 1996 before moving to Tulsa to work for Tulsa Public Schools. In Tulsa, I earned a masters in curriculum and instruction from Oklahoma State University in 2002.  While working in Tulsa Public Schools, I taught as a fifth grade teacher at Marion Anderson Elementary in 1996 and then taught at Sam Houston Elementary and Cooper Elementary until becoming an assistant principal in 2009. I became principal at Unity Learning Academy in 2011 before accepting the Culture and Climate Coordinator at Monroe Demonstration Academy in 2019. My vision for the Culture and Climate Coordinator position is to develop and promote a positive and safe environment for all scholars, teachers and the surrounding Monroe community in order to improve the academic and social performance of our scholars which will  prepare them to be college and career ready.

Ms. Riggs, originally from Dover, Arkansas, moved to Tulsa in 2019 to continue her career in STEM. After graduating from Arkansas Tech University in 2015 with a BA in Recreation and Park Administration she worked for Arkansas State Parks and then moved into a position with the Girl Scouts- Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas running a STEAM center. She spent her last year teaching Gateway to Technology at Monroe. For the 2020/2021 year she will be serving as a Dean of Climate and Culture with Monroe. During her free time Ms. Riggs loves to travel to the different National Parks around the U.S. She is excited for this upcoming year and looks forward to starting her new position at Monroe.