Nicole is a seasoned and passionate science teacher with over a decade of experience inspiring students along the Wasatch Front. While her roots are in Buffalo, New York, where she grew up exploring the forests and wetlands of the Great Lakes region, she has planted herself in Utah. That early connection to the natural world sparked a lifelong love of science and a deep belief that learning is best understood through wonder and creativity. With a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University at Buffalo, complemented by both Lower and Upper Elementary Montessori certifications from Westminster College, she encourages students to think critically, explore freely, and discover their place in both social and ecological communities.
Her own scientific journey has been nothing short of incredible, taking her from studying threatened parrots in the Bahamas to monitoring mountain goats in the Pacific Northwest. She channels this sense of adventure into every lesson, proving that mistakes are just part of the learning process and that every question can lead to an "aha!" moment. Nicole holds a Utah secondary science teaching license and believes science is best learned through hands-on, project-based exploration.
When she's not leading outdoor investigations, you can find Nicole hiking, skiing, camping, or chasing the next adventure with her husband, their two-year-old "explorer," and two fun-loving doodle dogs.
Email: nnapolski@mwmacademy.org
Serving K-9 students as a tuition-free, public charter school based on the globally-established Montessori philosophy of education.