PORTLAND, Ore. -- Nicole Brown didn't know Kim Ellsworth that well her first year teaching at South Meadows Middle School in Hillsboro, Ore. She knew she was the teacher below her and that she had to tell her students often not to slam chairs in order to respect the classroom below, but otherwise they hadn't interacted much before. She was just another teacher in a classroom.
Then the following year, Nicole attended her first ever AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Conference, and she just happened to be roommates with Kim for the event. Nicole was nervous, but she felt comfortable enough with Kim after spending time talking with her to share those fears.