Sandia Prep's "Inside Scoop" Newsletter - Summer 2020

HELLO, MY NAME IS...
MEET MORE OF PREP’S TALENTED TEACHERS
Ms. Nakigan
Ms. Nakigan teaches middle and upper school art and has been at
Sandia Prep since 2014. Ms. Nakigan’s main goal as a teacher is to
be supportive and inclusive, while providing a fun and challenging
classroom environment. During her free time, Ms. Nakigan loves the
outdoors and enjoys hiking, camping, and sketching outside. She also
loves writing and spends much of her free time reading good novels.
She says, “Prep is a wonderful school full of amazing opportunities,
inspiring teachers, and new friends. Your sixth grade year will be an
incredible experience, and I am looking forward to watching all the
many ways you will learn and grow. Teaching is very rewarding for me
because I get to share my passions with young people and learn from
the unbelievably talented community at Prep. I am very happy that you
are joining our community, and I can’t wait to learn more about you.”
“I get to make music with great students for a job!” That, says Mr. Van
Dam, Prep’s Jazz Band Director and Computer teacher, is what makes him
passionate about being an educator. After teaching at the University of
New Mexico, along with private lessons and marching band instruction,
he found that he enjoyed teaching much more than he expected. “I was
presented with the opportunity to teach at Prep in 2016 and have never
looked back.”
Mr. Van Dam
The Chicago suburb native (Bolingbrook, Ill.) earned his bachelor of
music degree in performance (trumpet), with a minor in jazz studies from
Indiana University and his master of music degree in performance from
the University of New Mexico.
Mr. Van Dam currently performs in multiple bands in Albuquerque and
around New Mexico. When he’s not teaching or performing, you can find
him outdoors motorcycling or with his faithful Siberian Husky, Kaiya.