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Alumni in Action: Lindsey Paricio-Moreau and Eric Paricio
Lindsey Paricio-Moreau and her younger brother, Eric Paricio, were born and raised in Cherry Creek Schools. Their parents, Mark and Cheryl Paricio, were both science teachers at Smoky Hill High School.
“They both were career educators,” Paricio-Moreau said. “They both did their entire careers in CCSD… They were in the district for 30 years.”
The siblings attended Trails West Elementary, Laredo Middle School, and not surprisingly, Smoky Hill High School. Throughout their school years, they were both very involved in school and extracurricular activities.
“I did a lot of theater in middle and high school,” Paricio-Moreau recalled. “I did tennis and cross-country, even though I was a pretty terrible cross-country runner. I also did things like National Honor Society (NHS) and volunteer groups.”
Eric Paricio was similarly involved. He played tennis and participated in theater, NHS, and ACE, Smoky Hill’s architecture, construction, and engineering club.
“I really got to experience a wide variety of things, which was perfect for my personality,” he said. “I like to have a lot of different experiences. That was a fantastic opportunity to try all those things out and see where my interests were and where I wanted to go in the future.”
As the Paricio kids got closer to college, their dad encouraged them to apply for a scholarship that he had earned as a high school senior: the prestigious Boettcher Scholarship, which is based on academic achievement, service, leadership, and character. The Boettcher Foundation offers 50 full-ride, four-year scholarships to exceptional high school seniors each year. The scholarships must be used at a Colorado college or university.
Paricio-Moreau earned a Boettcher Scholarship in 2014. She had planned to go to college in New Mexico, but ended up at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
“Boettcher definitely kept me in-state, which is the goal of the Boettcher Foundation; to keep the minds and the human capital of Colorado in Colorado,” she said.
CSU turned out to be the perfect place for her. During her time there, she studied abroad in New Zealand, Nicaragua, and Uganda, thanks in part to the carryover credits she had earned in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes at Smoky Hill. In addition, she was able to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, as well as two graduate degrees – an M.S. in chemistry and a M.Ed. in secondary science and math education. The cost of all three degrees was covered by the Boettcher Foundation and CSU.
In 2016, Eric Paricio became the third person in his family to earn a Boettcher Scholarship, a remarkable accomplishment. He then joined his sister as a CSU Ram.
“I just loved being at CSU,” he said. “It was the right fit for me. It’s a great institution to support a variety of students. I wanted to pursue both music and science and I found a degree path that let me do both.”
Eric Paricio initially planned to study music education and engineering for education, but ended up majoring in music and minoring in physics and math. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and a master’s degree in secondary science education in 2021.
After college, each of the siblings decided to pursue a career in education.
“Maybe it’s because my parents were in education, but I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” Paricio-Moreau said. “In fourth or fifth grade, I decided I wanted to be a teacher. The subject changed, but I’ve always wanted to be in education. I’ve always enjoyed learning.”
When her husband got a job in the Denver area, Paricio-Moreau decided to apply for a teaching position in CCSD.
“It was a great place to grow up, so I thought I might as well come back,” she recalled. She now teaches science at Cherry Creek High School.
After he graduated from CSU, Eric Paricio also applied for a teaching position in CCSD.
“I knew I wanted to teach,” he said. “I just didn’t know where, but CCSD provides so many good opportunities as far as advancement early on, extracurriculars to get involved in… I knew that the administrators and department coordinators were high quality and that was definitely a draw.”
Paricio is now finishing his second year as a science teacher at Cherokee Trail High School, where he teaches chemistry and Advanced Placement physics. He also works as a tech director with the CTHS Theater Department.
“I love working with those kids,” he said. “The students are so invested and they work so hard. It’s great to see what they put forth and the final products they present to the community.”
While it was challenging starting a career as an educator during the COVID-19 pandemic, Paricio said it was worth the effort.
“In the classroom, it’s been great to just make those connections and build those relationships with students,” he said. Relationships are one of the Cherry Creek School District's Core Values.
The Paricio siblings are grateful to their parents for instilling in them a love of learning and the desire to share that love by teaching in Cherry Creek Schools.
“They definitely exposed me to the field and what it meant to be in this district,” Eric Paricio said. “I’m definitely grateful for their experience and what I’ve learned from them.”
Now, these alumni are giving back to their community, and making a positive difference to the next generation of students.
“We have a chance to make more of an impact in education,” Paricio-Moreau said.
If you know of a CCSD alumni we should profile, submit a story idea here.
Posted 5/24/23.