Get To Know Your Teachers and Mentors

Travis Aldrich
Head of School

travis.aldrich@thepeakschool.education

M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction
University of Vermont
B.A. American Civilization
Middlebury College

Professional Highlight: The Galloway Family Excellence in Teaching Award

Melanie Benedict
Associate Head of School

melanie.benedict@thepeakschool.education

B.S. Business Administration & Finance University of Florida
Early Childhood & Small School Director Qualification
Red Rocks Community College

Professional Highlight: Manager of the Year, Vail Resorts 2008

Interests: Skiing | Mountain biking | Paddle boarding | Photography | Reading

Jessie Hoehn
Director of Admissions

jessie.hoehn@thepeakschool.education

Association Montessori Internationale Certificate

Working towards Sustainability degree at Colorado Mountain College

Places I have lived: St. Louis, MO | Old Greenwich, CT | Tipp City, OH | Alma, CO | Breckenridge, CO

Professional Highlight: Founder of Bristlecone Montessori School

Emily Shepardson
Executive Assistant
Welcome Office Coordinator

welcomeoffice@thepeakschool.education

Working towards a Bachelors in Communications from the University of Colorado Denver

Places I have Lived: Denver, CO | Boulder, CO | Breckenridge, CO | Silverthorne, CO

Professional Highlight: Working the Bombers Ski program as both an instructor and supervisor and getting to know local families.

Liz Roush
Academic Dean
Senior Sustainability

liz.roush@thepeakschool.education

M.A. Curriculum & Instruction
University of Denver
Graduate Residency in Environmental Education Teton Science Schools
B.A. Spanish & Environmental Studies
Colgate University

Places I have lived: Denver, CO | Hamilton, NY | Jackson, WY | Seville, Spain | Frisco, CO

Professional Highlight: I am also an Adjunct Professor of Sustainability at Colorado Mountain College.

Anna Cartner
Director of Marketing and Development

anna.cartner@thepeakschool.education

Master’s in Education in Curriculum and Instruction | University of Phoenix
B.S. Management Information Systems | Clemson University

Professional Highlight: Working in marketing and development to help drive mission-driven companies and organizations forward.

Interests: Sailing | Weight Lifting | Hiking | Walking my dog | Snow skiing

Steven Craig
Advanced Pre-Algebra
Ancient Civilizations

steven.craig@thepeakschool.education

B.A. in English
Colgate University
M.A. in English
University of Vermont

Places I have lived: New England | Washington, D.C. | Denver, CO | Summit County, CO

Professional Highlight: I started my teaching career at the Berkshire School, a Mass. boarding school. I also have taught at Vail Mountain School and Mullen High School in Denver. But what I am most proud of is being a founding trustee here at The Peak School.

Interests: Skiing | Mountain biking | Playing guitar | Writing (I published a novel entitled Waiting for Today).

Amy Bittle
Middle School Humanities

amy.bittle@thepeakschool.education

B.A. in Political Science
Colorado State University
M.A. in Education
Western Colorado University
Teacher Licensure in Secondary Social Studies
Western Colorado University

Places I have lived: Lakewood, CO | Fort Collins, CO | Salzburg, Austria | Salida, CO | Silverthorne, CO

Professional Highlight: Leading climbing, backpacking and rafting trips at a non-profit focused on empowering young women in the outdoors.

Leah Wachowski
Upper School Science and Outdoor Education Coordinator

leah.wachowski@thepeakschool.education

M.Ed. Teacher Leadership
Western Colorado University
B.A. Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A. Gender and Women's Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Places I have lived: Green Bay, WI | Madison, WI | Running Springs, CA | Brevard, NC | Breckenridge, CO

Professional Highlight: Being published for my research on media and its effects on adolescent health

Aydan Cleary
Upper School Humanities

aydan.cleary@thepeakschool.education

Bachelor’s in Secondary Education: Social Studies Concentration

Places I have lived: Monument CO | Bellingham WA | Fort Collins CO | Denver CO | Frisco CO

Professional Highlight: Graduating with a teaching license, fulfilling a lifelong goal of becoming a teacher.

Interests: Fishing, hiking, biking, hunting, and wrangling

Erica Larson
Middle School STEM

erica.larson@thepeakschool.education

B.S. - Environmental Science
M.A. - Curriculum and Instruction in Science
Colorado Professional Teacher License

Places I have lived: I am a Colorado native! I have traveled extensively, but have lived in Colorado most of my life. It is my home and I love it here!

Professional Highlight: I have been an educator for twenty years. I have been an elementary classroom teacher, an adjunct college instructor, and a curriculum developer for a STEM education company. I am excited to be at The Peak School because I am passionate about STEM, outdoor education, and I love working with the kids and families of Summit County!

Interests: I love spending time outdoors with my husband and two kids. We enjoy hiking, skiing, kayaking, picnicking, and riding bikes. We are also passionate about travel and experiencing new places, people, and culture.

Ben Zhang
Chinese

ben.zhang@thepeakschool.education

M.A. Nonprofit Management
University of Chicago; B.A. English and International Business
Foreign Studies University (China)

Places I have lived: Beijing, Tianjin, Lausanne, Chicago

Professional Highlight: Produced three Chinese-language feature movies and one multi-award-winning short film.

Interests: Trying and learning new things, podcasts, stand-up comedy, audiobooks, and cooking Chinese cuisine.

Luisa Porras
Spanish

luisa.porras@thepeakschool.education

Graduated in Law from the University of Gran Colombia, Bogota. Taller de Escrituras (Writing Workshops) National Library of Argentina, Buenos Aires

Places I have lived: Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Buffalo, New York; Frisco and Leadville, Colorado

Professional Highlight: Lead Lecturer/Presenter on Language Justice at Colorado Health Foundation Symposium (Keystone Conference Center). Specialist in Language Justice. Well-published legal review contributor regarding Colombian Constitutional Law, Bogota

Interests: Culinary experiences, international travel, cultural immersion, hiking, snowboarding, swimming, family

Claire MacMurray
Middle School Math

claire.macmurray@thepeakschool.education

Master’s in Life Science, Université Paris Cité; Bachelor of Arts and Science, Quest University Canada

Places I have lived: Silverthorne, CO; Squamish, BC; Amsterdam, NL; NYC, NY; Cambridge, MA; Toronto, ON; Paris, France; Barcelona, Costa Rica, and Silverthorne, CO

Professional Highlight: Founder of a philosophic discussion group for doctoral students in science (at the University of Toronto), English tutor in France, contributing author of a couple of evolutionary theory published articles.

Interests: Outdoor fun-time adventures in Summit County (i.e. galavanting), friends and family, poetry/literature/film, great conversations around meals, coffee, tea (+cooking and baking); building and maintaining relationships (that make life feel really meaningful), saunas/swimming/walks, star-gazing, very passionate about breakfast, bit of a Francophile

Dubin Nam
Upper School Math

dubin.nam@thepeakschool.education

B.A. in Mathematics, Reed College
Studied Illustration for a year at Art Center College of Design

Professional Highlight: I wrote, recorded, and produced my own song with my band.

Interests: Denim jeans, Music production, Bass guitar, Bands, Songwriting

The Peak School also works closely with…

Lindsay Lesch | Academic Ascents, LLC

Orton-Gillingham Certified Tutor for Dyslexia

You can reach Lindsay via her website or via email at academicascents@gmail.com .

Board of Trustees

From left to right: Charlie Williams, Erin Michalski, Tracy Larson, Bart McGuire, Mike Cartner, Annemarie Neal, Travis Aldrich

Not pictured: Dan Wolf, Mary Anne Johnston, Sarah Thorsteinson