Upon entering Room 6 one is immediately aware that the teacher in this room is a collector!  One bookcase has become a display case for astronaut and Apollo memorabilia, toy robots, and even vintage computer parts.  Boxes and bags of recyclables are stashed in cabinets for future projects.  Student artwork and photos are lovingly displayed.  The teacher occupying this room is Chris Nobbe who teaches second grade students about future lunar colonization, robots, science fiction, careers, and problem solving.

Ms. Nobbe teaches two award winning morning theme studies, Return to the Moon
and "The Robots are Coming."  She teaches Kaleidoscope classes focusing on math, science, technology, and engineering careers, as well as other math and science oriented classes.  The career classes are one result of being an American Association of University Women Eleanor Roosevelt Teacher Fellow, focusing on the unique needs of girls and boys in the classroom.  Ms. Nobbe has attended NASA workshops and robot conferences contributing to her knowledge of the fields.

Ms. Nobbe has been teaching for 24 years, with 20 years in gifted education.  She has an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction and is a certified teacher of the gifted.  Mrs. Nobbe is in her 12th year of teaching at the Center and enjoys being involved in many aspects of Center life.  She is an active member of the National Association for Gifted Children. Ms. Nobbe loves learning and has many interests beyond the Moon and robotics, including gender equity issues, archeology, the rain forest, humpback whales, improving the environment, and history of the 1940's

When Ms. Nobbe is not at school she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, gardening, antiquing, trying new restaurants, and traveling.  She is an active member of her community, Maplewood, by serving on the public library board.  Ms. Nobbe lives in an early 1900's home  her eighth grade son, Kyle, her seventh grade daughter, Bethany, and two dogs, Sugar and Jesse.  Ms. Nobbe is the youngest of four children and remains close to her family even though they are stretched from Columbia, Missouri to Evanston, Wyoming.

Ms. Nobbe lives her favorite quotes, "Bloom where you are planted" and "Nothing great can be achieved without enthusiasm."