Deputy Director/Instructor: Mrs. Kaylee Nathe
Kaylee “Hollywood” Nathe has been teaching at STARBASE Fort Harrison since 2015. She grew up in Havre, MT, and attended Montana State University- Northern, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education Degree. Before she became a teacher at STARBASE, she taught a 2nd and 3rd grade combo class in Saco, MT. Hollywood’s love for science and STARBASE can be observed everyday while she is engaging and exciting her students in hands-on STEM education.
When Kaylee is not at STARBASE, she can be found enjoying time with her husband (Logan), daughter (Alivia), and son (Riley). Together they enjoy traveling and camping. She is also a big fan of spending time with friends and any board game!
Lead Instructor: Mr. Devon Lawson
Devon Lawson has been teaching science with students of all ages since 2004. Devon was a science teacher for 4 years with Montana Science Center in Bozeman while attending college, moved to Helena, conducted field research as a Fisheries Technician for 3 years with Fish Wildlife and Parks, enjoyed 5 years with ExplorationWorks as the Director of Education, and finally landed as a teacher with STARBASE Fort Harrison since 2016.
When not teaching science, Devon spends time with his wife (Becky) and two daughters (Miranda and Alice). Fishing is the family pastime, but they also enjoy Sunday drives, building with Legos, and Nerf gun fights.
STARBASE Advanced Coordinator: Ms. Kinsey Vavruska
Kinsey "Newton" Vavruska has been teaching students of all ages formally since 2013, with a focus on math, science, and robotics. However, it has been her passion since a young age to assist her peers and others with any subject they were struggling with. She was born and raised in East Helena, Montana, and holds a Bachelor degree in Mathematics and Physics from Montana State University in Bozeman. Since high school, Kinsey has been educating students in STEM at science summer camps, workshops, events, and after school classes at ExplorationWorks and has been having a blast since. She finally landed her first year of certified teaching as an educator at STARBASE Fort Harrison and has been loving every minute of it.
When not teaching at STARBASE Fort Harrison, Kinsey spends time encouraging students to go into STEM with everything from mentoring with STARBASE 2.0 and after school robotics classes at ExplorationWorks to coaching four FIRST Lego League Fusion robotics teams and an ExNoctis ROADS on Mars team. She additionally enjoys spending time with her family and cat, reading, building with Legos, and the occasional laser tag battle.