Meet the Team
Lindsay Armstrong With 21 years of experience in education, Lindsay has dedicated her career to supporting multilingual students and educators. She began as a family liaison with the Migrant Education Program, laying a strong foundation for her work in bilingual education. For eight years, she served as an elementary bilingual educator, fostering a love of learning and language in her students.
For the past 11 years, Lindsay, has been an integral part of the Multilingual Education Department at Denver Public Schools. She has excelled as a bilingual instructional coordinator and currently serves as the K-12 bilingual programs manager. In this role, she leads a remarkable team of coordinators who provide professional development, resources, and coaching to Dual Language and World Language teachers. Her passion for multilingual education and commitment to joyful service inspires those she works with every day. Education:
M.A. in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity from the University of Colorado Boulder, 2012
B.A in Musical Theater with a minor in Spanish from the University of Northern Colorado, 2002
Number of years in education: 21
Heather LaMont
Heather’s bilingual journey started in high school when she chose to take Spanish as an elective course. That decision started her on a path that led to 12 years as a dual language educator in Guatemala City, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Denver. These experiences fostered a deep commitment and advocacy to dual language programming for all students.In 2015, Heather transitioned from the classroom to become the Dual Language Program Manager in the Multilingual Education department in Denver Public Schools. In this role, she supports teachers and school leaders as they design, plan, and implement high quality dual language programs. At the district level, she works to ensure expansion of programming is strategic and available to interested students and families in the district.Education:M.A. in Elementary Education from the University of St. Thomas, 2003B.A. in Child Psychology and Spanish from the University of Minnesota, 2000Number of years in education: 23
Paulina Rodríguez Cañizares
Paulina Rodriguez Cañizares is a bilingual educator from Argentina that is passionate about supporting multilingual students in their path to biliteracy. Her journey started as a teacher of English as a Second Language in her home country and then she transitioned to support bilingual programs in a couple of school districts in Colorado. After getting her Masters of Arts in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity at the University of Colorado in Boulder, she started her current role as a Bilingual Instructional Coordinator with the Multilingual Education Department at DPS. In this role, she supports elementary schools in strengthening their bilingual programs through strategic assessment, curriculum and instructional practices that better support multilingual learners.
Education:M.A. in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity from the University of Colorado Boulder, 2017B.A. in English as a Second Language from Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina, 2003Number of years in education: 17
Valeria Praga-Rodríguez
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised by multicultural parents, Valeria moved to the United States in 2004. She became a bilingual educator, teaching diverse students in Texas and Colorado for nine years before transitioning to become an Instructional Coordinator in Denver Public Schools’ Multilingual Education department. Currently, she serves as the Director of Program Design and Development, supporting students, teachers, and leaders in implementing high-quality instruction for bilingual and multilingual learners district-wide. Valeria excels at creating and delivering professional development for adults, drawing from her Master’s degree in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity from the University of Colorado Boulder. Alongside her husband, she co-parents her two bilingual daughters and hopes to share her professional and personal experiences with educators across the country.
Valeria is a co-owner and founder of biliteraSI Educational Services.
Education:M.A. in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity from the University of Colorado Boulder, 2019B.A. in Human Resources Management from Universidad del Salvador, Argentina, 2003Number of years in education: 19