Each year, a few of our Waterford faculty and staff members are presented with the Educator Prize Award to acknowledge their outstanding teaching and impact on our community. In addition to the honor given for their exemplary service, each award carries a stipend to further the educator’s formal education, research, writing, travel, or scholarly activities. The stipends are awarded by the Head of School based on the written recommendations of faculty peers and colleagues and selected based on their experience at Waterford, passion for learning, and influence on students and colleagues. Congratulations to Sari Rauscher (Director of College Counseling), Matt Robertson (LS Music Teacher), and Erika Munson (MS/US Librarian, English Teacher, and Class XII Dean). 

Below are transcriptions of the remarks made by Waterford Head of School, Andrew Menke to announce the 2024 Educator Prize Winners

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Sari Rauscher, Director of College Counseling

We are pleased to award the first 2024 educator prize to Sari Rauscher. Sari joined Waterford in 1998. You may be surprised to know that for many years, none of the college counselors, including Sari, were full-time. Sari patiently and very appropriately educated, cajoled, advocated and ultimately persuaded us to fully resource this vitally important program for Waterford Students.  

Sari has literally built college counseling at Waterford from the ground up. From almost an entirely senior-focused effort to a scaffolded, developmental, mission-aligned curricular approach that now begins in class IX.   

Sari has tirelessly and so very positively represented Waterford to 100s of colleges — both traveling to campuses and hosting reps here on our campus. Her work has aided in building an outstanding reputation with those colleges across the country. She has cultivated deep and broad networks that she leverages in order to best support our students and provide them with phenomenal opportunities in colleges large and small, west and east, urban and rural. 

She is insatiably curious, tracking trends in her field and staying abreast of ongoing developments in the college counseling industry. She holds herself to high standards of excellence in her work and always acts with aligned integrity.

She navigates the often high-stakes, fraught process of college counseling with honor, grace, and positivity. She manages through the sometimes transactional nature of college counseling by nurturing trusting relationships with students and their parents, helping them to understand the learning that accompanies the process of college exploration and application with a focus on process and fit, instead of solely on outcome.

Sari practices an impressive growth mindset always fine-tuning and improving Waterford’s college counseling process and her own skill-set. She generously shares her experience and wisdom with others and intentionally learns from others.  

Sari is a deeply thoughtful and caring colleague, calm and composed in the face of pressure and so resilient in the face of challenges and setbacks. She is a wonderful role model for our students as they often stress and strain through the process, and all the while, Sari is there supporting, encouraging, loving her work, and loving her students, despite them driving her crazy by missing deadlines.

She counsels her students in a manner that meets them where they are in the process, building their confidence, and empowering them to grow to the best of their ability. She consistently goes above and beyond the expectations of her role to help her students reach their highest potential. 

It is hard to find someone more committed to the mission of Waterford and someone who shows up for the school and her students in such a consistently positive and kind manner. Sari embodies Waterford’s core values. She cares deeply about her students and colleagues, always taking the time to support anyone and everyone.

Sari is invested and community-minded and participates in and shows up to everything! She loves Waterford deeply and has become an integral part of the fabric of the school — far beyond her primary duty as Director of College Counseling.

She is thoughtful, considerate, and a huge support system to those around her. She cares deeply and fully and shows up for her students, friends, fellow faculty, and family. The hours she spends, the attention to detail, and the genuine desire to support her students and the Waterford community as a whole are impressive. Sari Rauscher is about others and she makes us all better! 

Sari is adventurous, kind, and blessed with a wonderful sense of humor and easy laugh. She is a connector and takes a keen interest in other people’s lives. When you are with her, you are all that matters. She is a great friend, adventure partner, and patient, welcoming ski buddy to many.

Sari, we are grateful for your exceptional work helping students find the next place for growth.

Please join me in congratulating Sari Rausher. 

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Matt Robertson, Lower School Music Teacher

Our second Educator Prize is awarded to Matt Robertson. A skilled orator and musician, Matt demonstrates a palpable passion for teaching. You can see it in his interactions with his students — his love for teaching children shines through in everything he does. Students look forward to Matt’s music class which is not just a subject to be studied, but a joyful and engaging experience to celebrate!

Matt’s interest in professional development is impressive. Last year, Matt took a course in vocal anatomy to better understand the developing voice so that he could teach his students to sing with their most natural and unencumbered sound. This year he is refining his pedagogy of music theory by taking a course through the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in London. Matt sings with the Utah Chamber Artists and also directs the conservatory choir at the Gifted School of Music in Salt Lake City. As a class III-V music teacher, Lead Teacher, summer camp instructor, professional musician, and Waterford Vocal Academy Director, Matt’s work ethic is nothing short of inspiring. Parents, faculty, and students alike look forward to music concerts simply because Matt puts his heart and soul into them. To Matt, concerts are beautifully arranged celebrations of music and community that reflect the very essence of those he teaches. The students see themselves and their peers in their music. And through music, Matt builds bridges between people, between ideas, and between cultures.

Matt practices quiet and humble leadership, always leading by example. Whether he’s participating in a task force, engaging in conversation, or teaching in the classroom, he consistently models Waterford’s values. With an ear tuned for perfect pitch, Matt keenly listens for commonalities, echos them, and helps us all move forward with a shared voice. 

Matt deeply invests in relationships. He builds strong connections with his students, their families, and his colleagues. He’s approachable, empathetic, and has a unique ability to connect with others on a deep level. And Matt constantly strives to improve. He’s always willing to collaborate, to try new approaches, and to take on challenges. Matt takes in feedback and turns a growth area into a strength. 

Matt’s dedication to inclusivity shines as he thoughtfully selects a diverse range of songs for performances, as well as the monthly morning bell, integrating belonging into our daily rituals. His commitment to representing diverse voices through music is just one example of how Matt ensures that others feel seen and valued. He stands for those without a voice, and advocates for those who need support. His unwavering belief in what is right inspires his colleagues.

Matt’s kindness extends far beyond his role as a teacher. He is, as some have affectionately called him, the “Mr. Rogers of the Lower School.” He is someone who always checks in on others, who makes sure people feel heard, seen, and cared for. 

One of the things that makes Matt such a remarkable colleague is how easy he is to talk with. Matt knows exactly when to be empathetic, when to lighten the mood with humor, when to be serious, and when to be irreverent! He brings honesty and authenticity to every conversation — whether he’s talking with students, colleagues, or friends. There is no pretension with Matt. He values truth, and that truth is expressed with candid eloquence and grace. Students can sense that they’re getting the real deal with Matt — someone who cares about them, about music, about learning and about making a better world. Trust means everything to Matt, and he builds it every day with those around him. 

Matt, you are truly a gift to this school. Your presence here has transformed our community in ways that go beyond the classroom. Like Mr. Rogers, you make us better neighbors, and we are so fortunate to have you here at Waterford.

Congratulations once again, Matt. You inspire us every day, and we are grateful to know you.

Thank you.

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Erika Munson, MS/US Librarian, English Teacher, and Class XII Dean 

The final 2024 Educator Prize is awarded to Erika Munson. Erika came to Waterford in 2011, and like so many Waterford stars, she has made herself invaluable — above all, through her extraordinary intelligence, competence, and serene demeanor, but also through her habit of always saying yes when asked to take on a new challenge. 

She currently wears the hats of an English teacher, the Middle and Upper School Librarian, the Class XII Dean, and the Internship Coordinator. But Erika is also an inveterate milliner, making new hats for herself all the time. Erika is also most notably, recently, known as the driving force behind the expanding partnership between Waterford School and Braver Angels, a national organization that seeks to teach the skills of listening and reaching out across political divides to break down the polarization that is inhibiting our development as individual citizens and as a nation. Starting small, Erika persuaded the School to host a Blue/Red workshop in her library home base on a weekend. Just a single workshop — which turned into another and another, then a workshop for parents, then a workshop with Waterford students, and students from another school, then the nurturing of student interest and opportunities for student leadership, then a request for Waterford to formalize its partnership with Braver Angels, thereby allowing two students and two faculty to attend the Braver Angels national conference. And now, we are looking at ways to integrate the principles of reaching across divides into our everyday efforts to nurture a stronger culture and climate across the Waterford campus. 

Erika sows seeds and things grow. She does it in her classroom, where she treats students with the respect they crave, even before they fully deserve it, and gently guides them into deeper engagement with the wisdom waiting for them in works of literature. She does it in her work as a Dean, where she quietly and patiently shepherds them through the inevitable ups and downs of student life, always realizing that the best teaching technique as a dean is to model the composure and resilience we are hoping for from our students. She does it in the library, where she sustains a love of reading in our distracting digital age, building close relationships with students who turn to her for the next great novel series, or perhaps a book of spiritual insight. She does it also with her colleagues in the faculty, who have come to value Erika as an inspiring example of authenticity in an age of compromise, someone capable of remaining institutionally aware and aligned, while also remaining fully herself and fully independent. And, finally, Erika sows seeds in the wider community through a lifelong commitment to civic engagement, curiosity-driven learning, and appreciation for the distinctive satisfactions of service. It is not uncommon to turn on the radio or TV and find yourself listening to Erika Munson from Sandy, Utah explaining to a news reporter the principles of Braver Angels, or Mormons Building Bridges, or some other community outreach effort that she has initiated or offered to help over her full life of meaning and purpose. 

Among her most defining and appealing traits is Erika’s profound generosity of mind, heart, and spirit. One has only to ask — and often even asking is unnecessary — and Erika will give of herself to meet the need. She is grace and wisdom personified, patient and kind, willing to give freely for the betterment of others. 

We are truly fortunate to work alongside her, benefiting from her extraordinary example every day. 

Please join me in extending our congratulations to Erika Munson!