For a decade, I lived and worked at a boarding school in New Hampshire. The school was set on an idyllic New England campus with acres of open space, ponds and pathways to explore and the beautiful White Mountains close by. My family was well integrated in the strong school community and our own families were close by. In other words, it would take a lot to convince us to leave.
As it turns out, Utah and Waterford School have a lot to offer. Now, I am going on almost a decade teaching at Waterford and I’m so grateful for the opportunities my family and I have been afforded by deciding to take a chance and make the move.
Working at Waterford has aligned well with my interests as an educator and has provided me with some unique and inspiring opportunities. At Waterford School, teaching is the top priority. As teachers, our schedule, workload, professional development funding, and faculty growth process all demonstrate the importance of teaching. Waterford is committed to teaching excellence, and as such, works to hire, train and support educators who excel at their craft and are experts in their field. As a result, I have felt trusted to take risks, try new things, fail and adapt in the pursuit of my own growth as an educator. I feel the autonomy to develop a meaningful curriculum with my science colleagues while also having the opportunity to collaborate with my peers in other disciplines to fulfill our liberal arts mission.
Specifically, I have found incredible motivation and inspiration from working with a team of peer coaches as part of the Instructional Coaching Program developed in recent years. The purpose of the program is twofold, to build a culture of continual faculty growth and to provide a framework that teachers can use to refine their craft. As part of my role at Waterford, I work with teachers as a peer coach to guide them through a process of identifying a student-centered goal in their teaching practice that is grounded in the liberal arts, defining strategies to reach that goal, implementing and then measuring success. It is an iterative, creative, and pedagogical process. I love having a piece of my day where I am constantly learning, alongside a fellow educator, the art of teaching.
Another component of my role at Waterford School has been a very unique and exciting opportunity that I could not have predicted, but that has arisen through the hard work of colleagues before me to create incredible hands-on learning opportunities for our students. Thanks to Mark Bromley’s vision, passion and mentorship, I now curate the school’s natural history collection of over 1,000 specimens in a mini museum known as the Nature Lab. Here, my passions for science, teaching, curriculum design and hands-on learning collide in what I tell people is a dream job. At the same time, I am developing new skills in exhibit curation, collection care and maintenance, and teaching at the elementary level. The best part is that my role is dynamic and I am learning every day!
Leaving the tight-knit community of a boarding school, I wondered what it would be like trying to establish ourselves at a day school in an entirely new state. My spouse, Justin, is also a science teacher at Waterford and we have two school-aged daughters. Waterford has become a home for all of us. Justin has had opportunities for his own teaching and learning in physics, robotics and environmental science and sustainability. He has also had incredible opportunities to explore our big backyard on skis, wheels and foot with Waterford’s Outdoor Program.
A major driver in our decision to relocate our family to Utah was the education our daughters would receive being students at Waterford. We do not take lightly the impact this learning community has and will have on their lives. In particular, engaging them in a high level of discourse, providing them with powerful opportunities in the arts and sciences, and developing their academic stamina.
Finally, Utah as a home, has offered us a wonderful quality of life. The Cottonwood canyons, the Uintas, five National Parks, the Great Salt Lake, the Basin and Range, the Colorado Plateau, the Rocky Mountains, the Greatest Snow on Earth, all in one place. Utah is a joy for outdoor recreationists and nature enthusiasts. The chance to escape to the outdoors is right in our backyard, as is the occasional dinner out in the city and an international airport. We have had no trouble finding community and feeling at home both at Waterford and in Utah.
Celebrate 5 years since graduation with your classmates. Reconnect, reminisce, and enjoy an evening of conversation, shared memories, and celebration with fellow members of the Class of 2021. Hearty appetizers and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.
Register for the Class of 2021 Reunion
Celebrate 10 years since graduation with your classmates. Reconnect, reminisce, and enjoy an evening of conversation, shared memories, and celebration with fellow members of the Class of 2016. Hearty appetizers and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.
Register for the Class of 2016 Reunion
Celebrate 15 years since graduation with your classmates. Reconnect, reminisce, and enjoy an evening of conversation, shared memories, and celebration with fellow members of the Class of 2011. Hearty appetizers and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.
Register for the Class of 2011 Reunion
Celebrate 20 years since graduation with your classmates. Reconnect, reminisce, and enjoy an evening of conversation, shared memories, and celebration with fellow members of the Class of 2006. Hearty appetizers and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.
Register for the Class of 2006 Reunion
Celebrate 25 years since graduation with your classmates. Reconnect, reminisce, and enjoy an evening of conversation, shared memories, and celebration with fellow members of the Class of 2001. Hearty appetizers and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.
Register for the Class of 2001 Reunion
Come together with Waterford alumni from across the entire 1990s for an evening of reconnecting and reminiscing! This combined reunion is a chance to celebrate the friendships, memories, and moments that made your Waterford years so special. Enjoy hearty appetizers and a variety of drinks, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, while catching up with old friends and sharing laughs about your school days.
Register for the 90’s Reunion
Saturday, May 16 | 7:30 – 11:30 AM | Murray Science Center
We’re bringing back birding! Who remembers the Class IX Bird Project? Don’t miss your chance to join this fun, family-friendly event with Mark Bromley, James Harris, Mike Johnson ‘88, and Bekka Joslin. We will meet at Waterford and take a bus together. Don’t forget to bring your binoculars (we will have extras on hand if you don’t have your own).
Register Here!
Friday, May 15 | 6:30 – 7:30 PM | East Field
We’re excited to see Waterford Alumni at our annual Alumni Soccer Game! This Waterford tradition gives former players the chance to return to the field, reconnect with old teammates, and showcase their skills in a friendly atmosphere. Whether you played with us just a few years ago or several decades ago, we look forward to seeing you back on the field. Make sure to bring friends and family to cheer you on!
Friday, May 15 | 5:00 – 7:00 PM | Main Quad | No Registration Required
Join us for a fun BBQ bash at Waterford with current families and Waterford staff and faculty. It’s a great way to connect with your Waterford classmates and enjoy delicious food before the Alumni Soccer Game!
No registration is needed for the Spring BBQ. Please join us!
Friday, May 15 | 4:00 – 5:00 PM | Haught Visual Arts Gallery at Waterford | No Registration Required
Waterford has always been a place where creativity thrives. Join us for the first-ever Alumni Art Show in the Haught Visual Arts Gallery and reconnect with the creative spirit that shaped your time here. This exhibition features work by 16 Waterford Alumni artists, reflecting a range of disciplines, perspectives, and practices.
Brief Remarks at 4:00 pm will be offered by Gallery Manager and Curator Charlie Tadlock, followed by remarks from some of the Alumni Artists.
Click here for a campus map
Friday, May 15 | 2:15 – 3:30 PM | Miller Student Commons | Registration Highly Recommended
Ever wish you could go back and sit in your favorite class one more time? This Alumni Weekend, you can. We’re bringing you back “Back to Class” where you’ll have the chance to slip into a real, live Upper School classroom and experience Waterford exactly as it exists today. Same teachers, same energy, same magic. Come relive the feeling.
Friday, May 15 | 12:45– 1:00 PM | Miller Student Commons | No Registration Required
Don’t leave lunch just yet. Immediately following the Kick-Off, Head of School Andrew Menke will take a few minutes to share what’s been happening at Waterford; the changes, the milestones, and the exciting things on the horizon. It’s a chance to hear straight from the source about the school you helped shape and where it’s headed next. No sign-up needed, just pull up a seat.
Friday, May 15 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Miller Student Commons | No Registration Required
Kick off Alumni Weekend the right way — with good food and even better company. Join us in the new Miller Student Commons for Waterford’s all-inclusive dining experience, and spend the lunch hour reconnecting with the faculty who made your time here unforgettable. Pull up a chair, catch up with old favorites, and let the weekend begin. No registration is required for this event.
Friday, May 15 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM | Miller Student Commons | No Registration Required
For many of you, Assistant Head of School, Todd Winters, was the first person who ever showed you and your parents around our 41 acre campus. Now he’s back to do it again! Todd will lead you through Waterford’s beautiful newest additions and recent transformations, giving you a firsthand look at what your years here helped build. Whether it’s your first tour with Todd or your second, you won’t want to miss this one.