LEADERSHIP

Hello Stedman community! My name is Robbin Trotter and I am honored and blessed to serve as Stedman’s Principal. I am a mother of two, grandmother of two, woman of faith and native of Denver, Colorado (more specifically the Far Northeast community). My journey as an educator began over 15 years ago and I have taught all grades K-5 in both Orlando Florida and Denver Colorado. I’ve held various leadership roles such as instructional coach (literacy and math), Senior Team Lead/Interventionist, Assistant Principal, Learn to Lead Principal Resident, Interim Principal and most recently Principal. I am an advocate for educational equity and I am most passionate about closing opportunity gaps for students of color and creating points of access to ensure the success of ALL students. Through my educational experiences I have been able to support students and families from many different cultures and backgrounds and it is these experiences which have molded me into the leader I am today. Along the way, I’ve also learned many valuable lessons around intercultural diversity, equity and inclusion in our classrooms and the significance of children being able to show up as their authentic selves and not lose sight of who they are in order to fit into an educational system or box. I believe in the power and beauty of creating unique experiences for all students and I look forward to our journey together as advocates for educational excellence in our Stedman community. 

My name is Luis Felipe Parente-Rios, but please call me Mr. Rios. I was born in the little town of La Virginia in Risaralda, Colombia. I immigrated to the United States when I was five years old, first to New Jersey and then to North Carolina. In North Carolina, I attended public schools in Gastonia and later attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. I began my journey as an educator first as a student teacher in a dual language immersion first grade classroom and then as an English as a Second Language teacher at a traditional English-only elementary school. There, I worked for five years, advocating for Latino students’ and families’ right to a great education and an inclusive school community. In my last year in North Carolina, I helped to launch my school and county’s first ever dual language immersion program as the kindergarten Spanish immersion teacher.

It was during this year that I also met the man that would become my husband, Chris. In order to be together, I moved here to Denver in 2019 and have been with Denver Public Schools ever since, first as a sixth grade language arts teacher at Hill Campus and then as a first grade teacher at Steck Elementary. In 2022, I began my journey into school leadership through the University of Denver’s Ritchie program that helped me earn my principal license. I completed graduate classes earlier this year to earn my masters degree in Education Policy and Leadership, while also serving as Steck’s Multilingual Education teacher and Team Lead. What I have come to value most in life at this point is family, optimism, spirituality, and equity.  I come to the Stedman community with great excitement to be back in a dual language immersion school and ready to lead the school alongside principal Trotter towards an excellent and amazing school year!

My name is Thomas “TJ” Jackson and I am a proud Denver native and DPS alumni (More specifically the far northeast community). I am a proud father, I am a huge sneakerhead, a sports fan and most importantly, I am a man of faith. I lead from my values of equity, advocacy and relationship building and for over 20 years I’ve worked with Denver youth in many different capacities. From coaching sports to mentoring and counseling to child advocacy for at-risk youth I’ve learned many valuable lessons and I’ve had many invaluable experiences which have shaped my passion for educational equity in underserved communities. I bring with me a diverse range of experiences which have given me the opportunity to positively impact lives and make a difference in the Park Hill community. Over the past 12 years I’ve worked in a traditional middle school setting and I am excited to transition and continue my journey by serving in the Stedman community as the Dean of Culture.