Nicole Whitt
Nicole Whitt had always wanted to be a school counselor, but life took her down a different path. She earned her BA in Education with a concentration in Math (1-12) in 2007 from Niagara University in New York. She then earned a Masters of Education in School Counseling from the University of Arizona in 2009. Nicole ardently believes that once she stops learning, she can no longer effectively teach. As such she has continued to enroll and earn credit in courses at NAU including Leadership Development and Comparative Education.
Nicole’s first taste of education was as a counselor at Empire High School in Vail. She helped open a new middle school in Vail as the 7th grade Regular and Advanced Math teacher. Two years later she was recruited to return to Empire. She has taught Algebra I, Adaptive Algebra I, Algebra I Reteach, Geometry, Algebra II Honors, and Student Council. Nicole has also earned numerous recognitions for her innovative work in the classroom including Arizona’s Technology in Education Association’s Rookie of the Year in 2010 and their Teacher of the Year in 2015. Nicole is well known for her innovative practices as a teacher having never taught from a traditional textbook.
Nicole’s job never ends at the last bell of the school day. She has coached cross-country, led a student council that does far more than traditional student councils including extensive fundraising efforts and community events, headed the EHS Freshman Team, conducted remediation courses during Fall and Spring Breaks, and coordinates the student run news broadcasts. Also, in alignment with who Nicole is, she’s always looking for the next innovative extra curricular that will help a student become more active in his or her school community. Nicole also serves on the Arizona Technology in Education Association’s Communications Committee, is a member of the AZ Student Council Association, organizes charity fundraising events like food drives, turkey father drives, etc., is a National Student Council Association member, and not only runs in but organizes charity runs including the Everyone Runs Veteran’s Day Race.
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