I am so excited to welcome my new team of 5th graders to Overland Trail Elementary. This year is guaranteed to be another memorable year. I take pride in teaching my students to be responsible learners who can excel at any level.

Hello! My name is Raquel Thomas and the 2017-2018 school year will be my 17th year as an educator amd 11th year here at OTE. I obtained my undergraduate and  masters degrees in Education from Avila University. My first 5 years of teaching began as a 6th grade Reading and Communication Arts teacher at Pleasant Ridge Middle School. Then, I moved into elementary school here at Overland Trail. OTE is a wonderful community filled with passionate parents and a committed staff who strongly believe in the efforts and abilities of ALL children. I am truly proud to be a COUGAR.

Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a teacher. I enjoy working with children and watching them grow into avid learners and explorers. As a child, I loved to learn and looked forward to going to school every day because I had teachers who made learning fun, yet challenging!  As an educator, I strive to make my classroom an exciting place to be through hands on experiences, continuous movement, real-life applications and laughter.