Behind every student success story, there are dedicated people helping it happen. Our licensed employees bring expertise, compassion, and care to that work every day, supporting students, educators, and schools across our region.
At Clackamas ESD, our licensed team includes about 180 staff members in at least 20 different types of roles. They teach students, lead professional learning for staff, support social skills development, and provide speech, physical, and occupational therapy. Their work reaches students, educators, families, and communities across Clackamas County.
Their work reflects our mission to lead, serve, and innovate for learning. We are grateful for every licensed employee and the meaningful difference they make each day. This Licensed Employee Appreciation Week, meet a few of our licensed staff members and learn how they serve our community.
When Angie Arends tells people what she does for work, she keeps it simple: she supports STEM in K–12 education. That may sound straightforward, but her work reaches teachers, administrators, and students across multiple districts.
Now in her 10th year at Clackamas Education Service District, Angie has become one of the organization’s longtime staff members. Her role has shifted over the years based on district needs, new initiatives, and growing programs, but one thing has stayed the same: her focus on helping schools create meaningful learning experiences for students.
A Foundation in Middle School Teaching
Before coming to Clackamas ESD, Angie taught middle school for about 15 years in California, focusing on math, science, and STEM education. While middle school was not originally part of the plan, she quickly discovered she loved working with that age group. She appreciated their energy, curiosity, and sense of humor.
Eighth grade became her favorite. Students were a little more independent, a little more mature, and still excited to dive into hands-on science.
Bringing Hands-On Learning to Today’s Classrooms
That love of hands-on learning still shows up in Angie’s work today. She spends part of her week in meetings and on her computer, but she is also regularly out in schools, visiting classrooms and working directly with educators.
One of the projects she is especially excited about right now is a science and literacy pilot she is leading with Clackamas ESD’s Literacy Specialist Charlotte Gant in partnership with the Molalla River and Gladstone school districts. The goal is to help elementary teachers develop practical, replicable strategies that bring writing and science to life in the classroom, giving students more varied and meaningful ways to make sense of the world while building their sense of agency.
For Angie, this work matters because students need shared experiences they can talk about, explore, and understand before they can write about them well. As she puts it, “Students need to have something that’s worthwhile to write about and have a purpose.”
Through science, students make sense of the world by asking questions, sharing ideas, building understanding, and turning their thinking into writing. It’s thoughtful, meaningful work that helps students go deeper while helping teachers make the most of limited time in the school day.
Building a STEAM Lending Library
Another project Angie is especially proud of is the STEAM Lending Library, which has been years in the making. What started as an idea grew through partnerships, grant funding, teacher input, and a lot of persistence.
Today, the library gives educators access to tools and materials they may not otherwise have, from Bee-Bots and Indi cars to microscopes, cardboard construction tools, and book sets connected to science and writing instruction. The library supports K–12 classrooms, summer programs, and after-school learning, making hands-on STEM experiences more accessible across the region.
Turning Ideas Into Lasting Impact
Angie describes both the lending library and the current science-literacy work as long-term efforts that took time to build. That says a lot about her approach. She sees possibilities, stays with the work, and helps turn good ideas into practical resources for schools.
At the heart of her work is a clear commitment to students and teachers. Whether she is building partnerships, supporting classroom instruction, or expanding access to STEM tools, she is helping create the kind of learning that sticks, with curiosity, purpose, and real-world connection.
Life Outside of Work
Outside of work, Angie enjoys going to the gym, walking her dog Sheila, spending time with her kids, hiking, and trying to keep up with her garden. And if she ever gets to choose the music for a big celebration, Coldplay might just make the playlist.
