Editor’s note: We have continued the tradition of including Q&A profiles of new teachers in the Ridgway and Ouray school districts in the newspaper this year, to help introduce these new leaders to the community.
Josh Fix courtesy photo
Name: Josh Fix
Position: Ouray Middle School mathematics teacher
Years in education: 25 years
Relocating to Ouray County from/most recent job: I moved to Ouray County to teach at Ouray Middle School from Durango where I had worked at Mountain Middle School, Miller Middle and Durango High School teaching math and science.
What you’re most excited about doing in your new job: Bringing a thinking culture to the mathematics classroom where all students are supported to find success in mathematics.
Why you’re excited to be part of the community here in Ouray County: Being part of a small community that allows me to know the students and their families on a more personal level.
Taylor Costello courtesy photo
Name: Taylor Costello
Position: Ouray Secondary School Special Education teacher
Years in education: Six years
Relocating to Ouray County from/most recent job: I’m relocating from Denver!
What you’re most excited about doing in your new job: Work with students to achieve their post-secondary goals and support them through that process.
Why you’re excited to be part of the community here in Ouray County: I’m excited to be a part of a small community that values each other, education and the outdoors. Additionally, I’m very excited to be closer to nature and my hobbies.
Name: Gavin Lindsey
Position: Ridgway Secondary School science teacher
Years in education: I’m a first-year teacher, and graduated from college in May where I did work at the Harvard Ed Portal and was a peer advising fellow throughout my time.
Relocating to Ouray County from/most recent job: I was born and raised in Olathe where I graduated in 2021 before heading to Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts where I spent the past four years obtaining my degrees.
What you’re most excited about doing in your new job: I am most excited to spark the curiosity and love of critical inquiry in my students. We are fortunate to live in an incredible local environment that we can utilize as a true living laboratory where students can connect science concepts to their everyday lives and world around them.
Why you’re excited to be part of the community here in Ouray County: In the 1980s, my grandmother moved to Ouray with my father and his siblings to start fresh. She spent years teaching English at Ridgway, and my father graduated from there in 2001 — making this area a significant part of our family’s history.
Having grown up in Olathe, I’ve always had that connection to Ouray and Ridgway as well, hiking the waterfalls, camping at Dutch Charlie and eating everywhere in between, I am thrilled to be moving into and working in the county.
Finally, with a strong personal interest in environmental law, sustainable agriculture, water scarcity and energy production, I’m eager to return to the Western Slope. The region offers unique opportunities to address these pressing issues, and I’m excited to contribute to the future of this place.
Kirstie Cantwell courtesy photo
Name: Kirstie Cantwell
Position: Ridgway Secondary School learning specialist
Years in education: 12
Relocating to Ouray County from/most recent job: Moving from Vail. I taught Spanish at Vail Mountain School and ran the Model United Nations Program for 8th-12th graders.
What you’re most excited about doing in your new job: I’m most excited to work with students in small groups and one on one as well as to support teachers!
Why you’re excited to be part of the community here in Ouray County: My husband and I are excited to integrate into a place that has been so special to my family. We look forward to settling down and building a home here in Ridgway and enjoying more rural mountain life.
