Desert Ridge Junior High School
Mesa, AZ
Kristy James Kuehn has been teaching for 13 years. Currently, she is an 8th grade social studies teacher at Desert Ridge Junior High School. Kristy's journey with social studies started when she became a James Madison Fellow. Ever since, her love for James Madison and the U.S. Constitution has grown. She has been a part of the James Madison Legacy Project and has brought the We the People curriculum to her classroom and school. She has such a positive influence on her students and this can been seen in all the activities they take part in. They compete in the AZ iCivics competition and have been winners multiple times. Kristy's ability to go above and beyond what is expected allows her students to experience new ideas and become civic minded individuals. She believes that providing fun lessons with games and creativity engages students on a whole new level. In addition to teaching social studies, Kristy teaches Girls Physical Education and coaches track and volleyball to students. She is very passionate about sports and athletics and is also an avid beach volleyball player. She is married to a Phoenix Police Officer and they have two children. Kristy loves to travel the world and go on adventures whenever possible to learn about new cultures and experience new places. This year she visited her 50th country which is an incredible achievement! One of her favorite quotes by Mahatma Gandhi is "Be the change you wish to see in the world."