Denise Smyk has enjoyed many years learning with children. Her teaching journey began in Traverse City where she directed Head Start programs out of Cadillac and Alden. She traveled down the Lakeshore to Grand Haven and finally landed in West Ottawa (Holland). Denise has taught all elementary grade levels. For 18 years, Denise developed and taught a gifted and talented program called SAIL (Students Accelerating in Learning). This program is now offered in every elementary school in West Ottawa. This is where Project Based Learning reignited a spark for learning. Denise is thankful for the Michigan Design Prize Challenge giving students a space for creativity, authentic experiences, and design thinking opportunities.
Currently, Denise is a program developer for the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District for a program called futurePREPd. This outreach program services 11 school district areas to bring Design Thinking to both teachers and students. Teachers and students are partnered with community business organizations to solve real world problems using the Creative Design Thinking Sequence.
Denise graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Elementary Education and Child Development. Her Master’s Degree is in Early Childhood Education from Western.
Denise and her husband reside in Holland, Michigan where they hike, bike, swim, run, and spend time with their family. Two of their four children live in the Holland area. When they are not in Holland, they are in Seattle climbing mountains with their other 2 children.