Shalisse is an FMHS teacher and currently teaches English, TAG, and Robotics. Next school year will be Social Studies, TAG, and Robotics.

Shalisse grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah! She attended Southern Utah University where she earned a BS in History with a minor in English and Secondary Education. She graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills with a Master’s of Arts in Humanities.

“In the summer, I go camping and hiking in the Rockies. Sometimes I just chill with my dogs and my husband. They’re pretty cool. I’m also an active cultural historian, so I research, write and publish articles as well as speak at various conferences throughout the country. I also do genealogical research for myself and others.”

Shalisse has been the robotics sponsor for almost ten years now at Fort Madison! 

“It’s really about the students. They are the driving force behind it. I love that they get real-world experience. One of the best things about it is the idea of "coopertition.” Teams not only learn to work together, but they also help other teams out. The team you go against in one match may be your ally in the next match. It's better if everyone is successful.”

A fun fact about Shalisse: “My husband and I met doing a reenactment wagon train that travels from Omaha, NE to Salt Lake City, Utah. We traveled by wagon and on foot. So, yeah, I’ve won the Oregon Trail game in real life.”

What is Shalisse’s favorite thing about her job?

“The students."

"I love teaching about history. I’ve wanted to do that since I was three years old. There is something so compelling about studying the human experience and connecting that with our own. Right now, I get to teach Humanities, so that’s rocking! If you hear students talking about proper Medieval siege techniques, it’s all good. 

I also love teaching Shakespeare. Right now we are doing Romeo and Juliet in English 9. People think Shakespeare in this old dead dude that’s really hard to understand. I think they just haven’t had the experience with someone who was willing to come along side them and help them get passed the language barrier. Once we do that, we can all see ourselves in his characters. It is so cool to see students take on something like Shakespeare that is hard and conquer it.”