Kim Kiest

To inspire young men to go into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) fields, one needs dynamic, challenging teachers. To inspire young women to do so, one needs not only challenging teachers, but role models. Kim Kiest fits the bill across the board. 

A riveting storyteller, Kim makes it one of her goals to accumulate personal adventure tales to bring back to the classroom. She has literally searched high and low in her quest, SCUBA diving under the Antarctic ice and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Between those extremes, she has battled dengue fever in the tropics and whale lice in Baja California. If there is a country with endangered species, marine animals, or both, Kim has most likely been there to see them, photograph them, and, if at all possible, play with them. In fact, she has traveled to all seven continents, returning to write articles for scientific journals based on the research she has performed. Kim brings to her classroom an endless wealth of great stories, a Seussian sense of humor, and a profound level of care for her students; it is no wonder that so many York alumni return to tell her that she has inspired them to pursue a career in science.  

Kim was raised in and near Portland, Oregon, where she showed horses and did her best to live outside the box. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Scripps College in Claremont and her graduate degree at San Jose State University, earning a Masters of Science degree in Marine Science through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. In addition to specializing in environmental science, Kim has a Master Gardener certification. In her spare time, Kim collects Zuni fetish carvings, Native American jewelry, Dr. Seuss artwork, and stuffed replicas of bacteria and viruses.

At York, Kim teaches Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Science. In addition, she is the 10th Grade Class Dean, the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, and the Chair of the Discipline Committee.