Directory

Dr. Brandon Bennett, Waterford’s Associate Head of School, grew up in the Salt Lake area, before going to St. Mary’s College of California on a basketball scholarship. At St. Mary’s, Brandon first encountered the liberal arts philosophy of education, and was inspired to pursue the life of the mind through graduate school and a career in teaching and school administration. Brandon earned a BA in English at St. Mary’s, an MA in English from the University of Virginia, and finally a PhD in English from the University of Utah. Brandon started his career in independent schools in 1991 at the Meridian School, where he taught English and philosophy, coached basketball, and served as the Upper School Supervisor. He came to Waterford in 2002, where he has taught English and philosophy, coached Middle School basketball, served as a Class Dean, the Accreditation Self-Study Coordinator, Academic Dean, Assistant Head, Interim Head, and now Associate Head of School. Brandon continues to be a passionate advocate for the transformative power of liberal arts education, and is committed to teaching, administering, and continually improving the liberal arts approach to learning at the Waterford School. Brandon has two sons who have attended the Waterford School, the older graduating in 2016, and the younger slated to graduate in 2019. With his wife, a pediatrician in the area, Brandon lives in Salt Lake City, and enjoys the opportunities provided by the Wasatch mountains.

Greg Miles has been the Director of Finance of Waterford School since 2004. Prior to Waterford, he worked for Deloitte and for a pharmaceutical company. Greg received his Bachelors & Masters degrees from BYU’s Marriott School of Management and is a licensed CPA. He coaches Middle School basketball at Waterford and hopes to someday become a head coach or player in the NBA. Greg was born in Germany in the 70s, lived in South Korea in the 80s, and volunteered for a church mission in Canada in the 90s. He volunteers as a Boy Scout leader and spends his free time with his four children and his sweet wife, Nicole. Greg loves being part of the Waterford community and enjoys getting to know other Waterford parents.

 

Amanda Apple joined Waterford School in early 2018. She hails from New Jersey where she attended Blair Academy. She then moved to the mountains of Vermont to receive her BA from Middlebury College while getting her first real taste for the outdoors. After graduating, she spent over a decade living in Brooklyn, NY marketing for the fashion industry, but continued to feel the pull for the outdoors--particularly once she started a family. When they relocated to Salt Lake City in 2015, she spent 2 years building up the marketing department for a local fashion and furniture company, but with her second son decided to reset one more time. She is thrilled to now be at the same school as her oldest son and back in the liberal arts fold.

Amanda, her husband, two young boys, and a pitbull named Halley live near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. They can be found skiing when there is snow, and camping or diving into frigid alpine lakes when there is not. 

Melanie holds a doctorate in School Psychology and a Master of Science in Counseling from the University of Utah. Prior to being the Lower School Head at Waterford, Melanie held several positions at the McGillis School including Associate Head of School and School Psychologist.  Melanie and her husband Michael moved to Salt Lake City 28 years ago to pursue their educational goals. In addition to appreciating the natural beauty of the mountains as a place to feed her passion for the outdoors, she and Michael quickly realized that Utah was the perfect place to raise a family. Melanie and Michael are proud Waterford School parents of Benjamin ’17, Nathaniel, ’19 and Carolina ’21.

Javen Tanner, Dean of Arts and Theater Department Chair, received his M.F.A. from The Old Globe / University of San Diego, where he was awarded the Craig Noel Fellowship. He has performed off-Broadway and regionally. Javen is the Artistic Director of The Sting & Honey Company.

Nicole Miranda, Assistant Director of Admissions at the Waterford School, is a graduate of the University of Utah where she earned a B.A. in International Studies, a B.S. in Economics, and a Master of Public Administration.

Prior to her arrival at the Waterford School in 2012, Nicole was a Foreign Exchange Analyst for Goldman Sachs and an Admissions Counselor and Recruiter for the Office of Student Recruitment at the University of Utah. Having presented at nearly all high schools in Utah and visited all institutions for higher education in the state she continues to serve the K-16 population. As a first generation college graduate, Nicole is passionate about opportunity and empowerment through quality education for all students.

Nicole is a first-generation Chilean-American and spends a portion of her free time writing short stories about her parents' life in exile. She enjoys researching global birth experiences, reading historical novels and most of all spending time with the two little people that inspire her most, her children. Nicole lives downtown with her husband and two children. 

Lisa Sintz has held numerous volunteer positions at Waterford since 1999. She chaired Book Fair for many years, began the Waterford Parent Book Club, worked on every Auction/Gala held at Waterford, and was Parent Association Vice President. Her extensive volunteering and love for Waterford led to a position on the staff as Event Coordinator.  In 2014 Lisa transferred to the Advancement Department where she is currently Event and Operations Manager.

 

Lisa is a graduate from the University of Utah where she earned a B.S. in Communications. Prior to working at Waterford, Lisa worked for a Non-Profit in marketing and event management. She also owned a web design business and is HTML certified.

 

She and her husband Ken have two children, Sam (alum ‘14) and Emma who is currently in Upper School.  When not at work, Lisa enjoys pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. She also enjoys reading, learning anything new, going on long walks with her dog, traveling, and spending as much time as possible with her family.

Nick Grenoble graduated from Connecticut College summa cum laude with a B.A. in Economics and International Relations and earned a Certificate in College Counseling with distinction from UCLA Extension. After a year of teaching Language Arts in Bogota, Colombia, Nick moved to Jackson, WY, where he founded Teton Educational Services, a college counseling, test preparation, and tutoring company. In addition to assisting families through the match, application, and financial aid processes, Nick developed and taught exam-preparation courses for students with learning differences and English Language Learners. He also offered college guidance, workshops, and courses on behalf of the Teton County Library from 2012 - 2018. Nick has been a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling since 2015. He is a co-founding member of Shelter Jackson Hole, a housing advocacy non-profit. In his free time, Nick can usually be found following his dog into the mountains, skinning his knuckles in the garage, or attempting to touch his toes in a yoga studio.

Teri Andrach is the Lower School Curriculum Director at the Waterford School. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She began her career at Waterford in October 1995 as a Lower School Computer Lab Manager. The following school year she became a Class III teacher and continued in that position until transitioning into her current position in 2014. Teri is proud to call herself a Waterford Original. She was a Waterford student when the school opened its doors in Provo, Utah in 1981. She also has two sons who are Waterford graduates, having attended Waterford beginning in the PreK-3 Program, as well as a stepson in the Class of 2018. She has a unique perspective of having experienced Waterford as student, parent, and faculty member. While teaching Class III, Teri was Lead Teacher for Classes III-V for seven years. She also served on several curriculum committees and summer curriculum development projects. She was awarded the Waterford Educator Prize in 2007. Teri defines herself as a life-long learner, particularly fascinated by how children learn and how new research affects current teaching practices.

Susan Banks, Kindergarten teacher and Pre-K and Kindergarten lead teacher, is a graduate of Utah State University where she earned a BS in Early Childhood Education with a minor in music. While doing graduate study at Utah State University in Family Human Development, Susan was a head teacher in the Adele & Dale Young Child Development Lab for three years. Her responsibilities included supervising and working closely with student teachers and practicum students who were majoring in early childhood education, as well as teaching 4-5 year old children and working with their parents. Susan also taught undergraduate early childhood development courses for USU at their Logan campus and at the Salt Lake's Regional campus. Susan began teaching PreK 3's and PreK 4's at The Waterford School in 1994. In 2010 she joined the Kindergarten team. Susan was recognized with the Waterford Educator Prize in 2015. Susan enjoys cooking, photography, and spending time with family, particularly on the family ranch in Idaho.

Michelle Curtis has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Utah with emphases in Psychology and English. Her undergraduate study also included language study in Latin. Michelle is a licensed Social Service Worker (SSW) with significant experience in mental health therapy, social work practice, social welfare policy, and human growth development. Her social service has included crisis and hospital intervention at the Rape Crisis Center in Salt Lake City, and counseling, advocacy, and long-term support for rape victims and their families. In her capacity as a Social Worker, Michelle has helped assess foster care visits, foster hearings, investigations, custody evaluations, home studies, and handicapped visits. On behalf of individuals and families, she has also attended hearings on case reviews and evaluations and has completed home studies for interstate compact custody evaluations. Michelle’s initial experience as a teacher bridged her work in education with her experience in social work.

She began her teaching career as a teacher of Intervention Drug Courses at Jordan School District (for which she also wrote the curriculum). Michelle taught parents and students in courses required as a result of students’ drug use, possession of drug paraphernalia, and/or distribution of drugs. Topics covered included drug education for parents, penalties and the law, self-respect, self-control, personal responsibility, and the physiological effects of drugs on individual perspective and choice.

Since 1996, Michelle has been a teacher at the Waterford School where she initially taught Latin in 4th- 6th grades and American History for 7th grade. Michelle also taught English as Independent Study courses to Middle and Upper School students in need of Special Topics and/or remedial support in that subject. In Waterford’s early years, Michelle served as a long-term substitute counselor in the Counseling Department. She has also been recommended as a math tutor to Middle and Upper School students who have needed support and remediation. For the last 12 years, Michelle has been a Class V Lower School teacher. In that capacity, she has developed advanced curriculum in Writing, English, and Mathematics, as well as curriculum in character education and study skills. Michelle has collaborated on the development of Waterford’s fifth-grade-level grammar units and has worked yearly on the development of standards that enable the smooth transition of Lower School students into Middle School, especially in math. Michelle loves to read fiction and history, and her hobbies include running, hiking, playing the cello, and participating in soccer and kick-ball leagues. She is known for her championship trophies in kick-ball, her Ninja videos, and her fantastic desserts and rolls.

Juli Dalton, PreK-3 teacher, has completed four years of undergraduate study with a focus in early childhood development at the University of Utah. Prior to her arrival at Waterford, Mrs. Dalton enjoyed tutoring math and teaching various children’s classes for Granite School District’s Continuing Education program while starting her family. Mrs. Dalton also taught and designed curriculum for 3 years at WhisperCreek Preschool. In 2005, Juli began assisting in the Kindergarten reading program at Waterford, then added math and reading tutoring to her responsibilities a few years later. In addition to tutoring during summer term, Mrs. Dalton teaches two camps for students at Waterford: ABC camp and Books and Cooks camp. In 2012, Mrs. Dalton was asked to create and teach the enrichment afternoon class for the full-day Pre-K students and continues to do this. Mrs. Dalton involves herself with family, enjoying hiking, skiing and other community activities. Her personal hobbies include gardening and cooking. Mrs. Dalton has and currently serves in church administrative and teaching responsibilities.

Katherine Hoke, Class III teacher, moved to Salt Lake City in 2016 with her husband, Ben, who is Waterford’s Director of Advancement. Katherine graduated from St. Lawrence University (Canton, NY) with a B.S. in Psychology, earning a Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities, attending James Cook University (Townsville, Australia) for a semester abroad, working in the IT (Information Technology) office, and earning membership in the English and Greek honoraries: Irving Bacheller Society and Gamma Sigma Alpha, respectively. Following a year-long internship at The Fessenden School in West Newton, MA, Katherine earned an M.Ed. at Lesley University in Moderate Disabilities preK-8, with a concentration in language-based learning disabilities. Through this program, she also earned her Massachusetts State Licensure. Following this formal training, Katherine also received Responsive Classroom training and taught at Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, MA for three years as a 4th Grade Humanities and Co-Homeroom Teacher. During this time, she was trained as a Critical Friends Group (CFG) facilitator and participated in the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) program. Over three consecutive summers in MA, she also worked as a camp counselor and then Upper Camp Division Coordinator at Summer Fenn Day Camp (Concord, MA).

Following the call of a lifelong traveling dream and wanting to explore more of the places where her mother was raised in Europe, Katherine moved to London, England in 2007, where she worked as the Grade 5 Learning Specialist at The American School in London for 2 years. There, she also served on the Educational Excellence Committee.  Following her return to the U.S. in 2009, Katherine taught 5th Grade at Ethical Culture School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, serving on the Diversity Committee. Most recently, she taught at The Greenwich Country Day School in Greenwich, CT as a 4th Grade Teacher and Co-Coordinator of Middle School Diversity (Gr. 4-6). Over the course of her time at GCDS, she was trained in Singapore Math, SEED facilitation, Google Apps, and Reader’s Workshop (through Columbia University’s Teacher’s College). Her additional workshop experiences included the NAIS People of Color Conference (POCC) for People of Color and their allies, Harvard’s Think Tank on Global Education, and Harvard’s Universal Design for Learning, among others. She also served for 1-yr. stints on the GCDS Education Committee of the Board of Trustees and the Building Committee for the Middle School.  

Having visited Park City with her family since an early age, Katherine was thrilled to join the Waterford community and to have the chance to hike, bike, and ski the slopes of her childhood with Ben. Together, they enjoy staying physically active, reading, FaceTiming with family on the East Coast, traveling, attending speakers’ series and concerts, and exploring new restaurants.  

Erin Knight, PreK-4 teacher, is a graduate of the University of Utah where she earned a B.A. in Political Science. She studied French and Art History at the American College in Paris. She has also done post-graduate work in early childhood education at Stanford University Bing Nursery School. She began her teaching career as a substitute teacher at The Waterford School in 1990. This launched her teaching career. She has taught Class III, PreK-3, and PreK-4 at Waterford. She has been teaching preschool since 2002. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Erin has run the Lower and Middle School Ski and Ride program, as well as coached the Waterford Mighty Mite Ski Team. An avid skier, she spent her high school years ski racing with the Rowmark Ski Academy. Erin lives in Sandy with her husband and three children. She loves to cook, travel to Turks and Caicos, and collect children's books. Two of her children are Waterford graduates and are attending college, the third will graduate from Waterford in 2018.

Cami LaForge, Class II Teacher and Lead Teacher for Class I-II, is a graduate of North Central University in Minneapolis, MN where she earned a B.S. in Elementary Education (1st-8th grade) with a Kindergarten Endorsement. Before arriving at Waterford School in 1997, Cami taught full day kindergarten for two years at St. Sebastian School in Akron, OH and while taking graduate classes at Notre Dame of Cleveland and Malone College. From 1997 to 2000, Cami served as Class V teacher at Waterford School. She took a short leave from the classroom to care for her young children from 2000-2005. During that time, she privately tutored at the secondary level and maintained her Utah teacher’s license with graduate coursework at the University of Utah. 11 years ago, she returned as Class II teacher. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Cami has been Lead Teacher at Waterford School for 6 years. A devoted mother, she spends most of her time with her family. When she is not reading, cooking, or watching baseball, she works on puzzles, dines with friends, or plays with her dogs. As a parent who adopted out of foster care, she has a special place in her heart for those in need of a family. Cami lives with her husband, three teenagers, and two beloved dogs.

Jen grew up in Holladay, but has lived outside of Utah for the last twenty-five years. Jen and her husband planned to return to Utah after he graduated from law school in Boston, but a career in government took them all over the world. Jen’s passion for teaching began as a volunteer English teacher in Guatemala. Since then, she has taught in a variety of settings, including homeschool co-ops in New York and Virginia, a language institute in Korea, a neighborhood preschool in Japan, a Catholic girls’ school in Hong Kong, and most recently a private international school in Hong Kong. Jen also taught with Head Start for a few months in between moves.

She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and completed a teaching certification program (with an emphasis on early childhood education) through the University of West Florida. She is currently working toward a Master’s Degree in Mindfulness Studies with Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.

During her time living in Asia, Jen became fascinated with Eastern contemplative studies. She has participated in numerous meditation retreats in China, Hong Kong, India, and the U.S., and has reaped the benefits of bringing such practices into daily life. Jen loves short hikes and long road trips, but her favorite way to pass a day is out on a lake watching her five sons wakeboard. (Every now and then she may even get out there herself!) She is happy to be back home in Utah, and she is extremely excited to be teaching at Waterford. Jen considers it a dream job to spend her days with our youngest learners!

Brittany Smith, Class IV Teacher, graduated with her B.S. in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University and M.Ed. from Utah State University. She taught grades 1, 2, 4, and 6 in Utah’s public school system then moved to California and taught grade 5 for 7 years in San Jose. She has been teaching Class IV at Waterford since the fall of 2010. Brittany really enjoyed teaching from the “Step Up to Writing” program in San Jose and was able to share this writing structure with Waterford. She attended a “Step Up to Writing” conference in Texas. Upon returning, she trained administrators and Kindergarten through 5th grade teachers in this program. She currently organizes Waterford’s Early Morning Service Program which provides an opportunity for students in Classes IV and V to serve in many areas around the school each morning. Brittany loves to learn, serve, and travel. Some highlights for her were traveling to Honduras, El Salvador, Peru, and China to do humanitarian work. She enjoys American history and has traveled to many significant U.S. sites. Brittany plays the piano and relishes reading historical fiction books. She has loved learning more about the Middle Ages since teaching Class IV and was able to visit Ireland recently, learning more about castles and life on a manor.

Colleen Thompson is currently a Class III teacher and the Lower Schools Outdoor Coordinator. She received her B.A. in Human Development from Colby College in Waterville, ME. Subsequently, she completed a year-long Master's program at Lesley University where she focused her efforts on elementary education. Colleen began her teaching career at Wildwood School in Los Angeles, CA, as a fourth grade teacher. While at Wildwood, she also served as a Division Coordinator and spent two years on the Multicultural Leadership Team. She has training as a Critical Friends Group coach and in VISIONS multicultural work. Colleen also attended Lucy Calkins Reading and Writing Project. After seven years in the busy city, Colleen and her husband relocated to Salt Lake City where she promptly began teaching at Waterford. In addition to her enthusiasm for education, Colleen is thrilled to be living at the base of the Wasatch Mountains and can typically be found on a trail hiking, jogging, or biking with her dog. She is also an avid reader who is always eager to share book titles.

Sherry Egan, the Reading Specialist for the Waterford Lower School, is a graduate of Brigham Young University, where she received her B.A. degree in Elementary Education and a Masters degree in Reading Specialty. Sherry began teaching in 1981 as a Class I teacher at the Waterford School Provo Campus and continued teaching until she moved overseas in 1986, to Australia and New Zealand. Upon returning to Utah, she once again began teaching at the Waterford School, this time at the Sandy Campus as a Class III teacher, where she remained for nine years. Sherry then began working with the Waterford Institute of Research in educational (reading) software development. In 2001, in addition to her research, Sherry began the Waterford School Reading Intervention Program, which is currently in it’s fifteenth year. The association with the institute provided a strong research foundation for the reading tutoring program, which after a few years became her sole responsibility. Before joining the Waterford School, Sherry taught in the Jordan School District, teaching grades I-III at Crescent Elementary, Granite School, and opening Willow Canyon School. Sherry has privately tutored students in reading over the past 20 years, particularly Dyslexic students. She regards the University of Utah Reading Center staff and its director, Dr. Kathleen Brown, as her mentors. She has received her training in Next Steps, Higher Steps, Wilson Training, and more, through their program. She attends national conferences in the area of reading, particularly the International Dyslexic Conference and Wilson Conferences. In addition to her school responsibilities, Sherry spends a lot of time on the East coast (Boston and Philadelphia) where her children and grandchildren live. Sherry has six children that have graduated from Waterford School and are now productively involved in their professions and college careers. She enjoys reading, cooking, sewing, and hiking.

Kyle Haderlie, the Lower School Computer Lab Teacher at Waterford School, is a graduate of Utah State University where he earned his B.S. in Psychology in 2014. He is currently pursing his M.Ed at the University of Utah in Instructional Design and Educational Technology. He is entering his third year at Waterford, two of which have been teaching Lower School Computers. Prior to Waterford, Kyle held a variety of titles while attending Utah State University. He has a love for athletics and worked as the Co-Director of Athletic Marketing for USU. He helped produce scripts and marketing materials for all athletic events hosted at USU. Kyle was also a Director of Student Involvement at USU where he helped students program a variety of student events. Kyle was part of a collaborative research team during his undergraduate thesis, which was recently published in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology Journal. His thesis uncovered the Influence on Parental Involvement in Youth Sport. Alongside Kyle’s teaching responsibilities, he has also been involved with Waterford athletics, coaching the 6th grade boy’s basketball team. Outside of Waterford, Kyle enjoys the outdoors and playing any sport. Kyle grew up outside of Utah in nearby Star Valley, Wyoming but now enjoys beautiful Sandy, Utah with his wife, Cami, and two-year-old son, Bronson.

Heather Miller is a graduate from Brigham Young University where she earned a B.S. in Physical Education Teaching/Coaching (K-12) with a minor in History Teaching. Before coming to Waterford, she taught Elementary PE in the Granite School District for 7 years at Hunter Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary. While teaching, she received endorsements in Health and ESL. Her love of teaching increased with that experience and she takes great joy in helping students discover a love for exercise and finding as many activities to keep them active as possible. In 2016, she was awarded Elementary Physical Educator of the Year through the Utah Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. She believes in being an advocate for her profession and enjoys being physically active and playing sports. In her free time, she hikes, paddle boards, snowboards, plays a variety of sports, and constantly looks for new adventures to embark on.  One of her favorite adventures was going to 5 National Parks in 8 days. Although she’ll always be a Colorado country girl, she’s learning to love all that the Utah Mountains have to offer!

Lesa Udall worked as a teacher in secondary education for 13 years in Utah public schools before arriving at Waterford in 2002. She has taught art to nearly every grade level at Waterford from Lower to Upper School. Lesa has taught a wide variety of classes including Upper School figure drawing, color theory, art foundations, printmaking, and Lower School general art classes. Lesa has also taught adult level art classes within the community, as well as evening oil painting classes for Waterford parents. Currently, Lesa is the art specialist in Lower School for Kindergarten, Class I, and Class II. Lesa’s love of art started early in her life as she was inspired by her father, who was a well-known artist and university professor. Lesa is an accomplished oil painter who is always looking for ways to integrate her love of teaching with her passion for painting. She regularly shows her artwork in exhibitions and competitions. In addition to honors in state competitions, Lesa was particularly pleased to win an Award of Merit in the International Art Exhibit sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lesa is a native of Utah and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Art and Design. She has done post graduate work at the University of Utah.

 

Julie Mower has been an employee of Waterford School since 2009, and the Director of Extended Day since 2010. Prior to Mrs. Mower’s employment at Waterford, she worked for Canyons School District. She was also a member of the PTA board for Canyons where she assisted the principal in various responsibilities. Mrs. Mower loves children and has had the opportunity to spend most of her career working with the youth. She is proud to have been a stay-at-home mom for 27 years. She has been the leader of youth groups in her community for many years and fulfilled an internship at Bellview Elementary. She was also a member of the National Honor Society. Mrs. Mower lives in Sandy with her husband Brett and their five children and seven grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, doing crafts and movie night.

Matthew Douglas is a History Teacher at Waterford. He graduated from Austin College where he earned a BA in History and Classical Civilization in 2008. He then finished his MA at the University of Texas at Arlington with a focus on eighteenth century criminal history in 2010. He is finishing his Ph.D. at Marquette University, while currently revising his dissertation on religious toleration in eighteenth century France. Before coming to Waterford, Matthew taught for three years at Marquette University in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Before pursuing his Ph.D., he taught at the University of Texas at Arlington, as well as tutored at both Irving and Irving Nimitz High Schools in Irving Texas. Matthew looks forward to teaching both the ancient and modern history courses offered at Waterford. Matthew is a published scholar, and continues to remain active in the wider historical community. He recently presented his work at conferences in Chicago and Milwaukee, and has future conferences in Nebraska, Iowa, and Toronto for the upcoming Fall and Spring. In addition to being a historian, Matthew enjoys reading historical fiction, playing pick-up games of basketball, and rooting on the Dallas Cowboys!

Shira Fagan is a Dance and English teacher, the Lower School Dance Academy Director and coordinator of Middle and Upper School standardized testing. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Grinnell College and an Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She teaches Lower School creative dance, Middle School English and Upper School dance, as well as overseeing and teaching Lower School students in the Dance Academy after school. Her past responsibilities at Waterford have included tutoring, care of the garden, planning formal dances, helping during Middle School lunch and attendance monitoring. Before moving to Sandy, she lived in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2007 she performed in the Florentine Opera Company’s production of the Merry Widow and with Danceworks Performance Company II. Her master’s thesis piece, collaborating with a fine-art quilter, was presented at Danceworks in their annual show Art to Art. Since arriving in Salt Lake, Shira has participated in two seasons of the collaborative dance company, co.da, based out of SugarSpace and has done two years of the Ririe Woodbury Dance Teacher workshops. Shira enjoys reading, watching terrible movies, roller skating, pretending to organize, baking and funny cat videos. She has two daughters here at Waterford and her husband teaches in the history department. It makes the morning commute very efficient.

Mary Powers has degrees from Harvard University, the Columbia University School of Social Work, and Bank Street College of Education. She worked for twelve years as a clinical therapist for teens and their families in a variety of educational and residential treatment settings. Mary has taught English at The Waterford School for eighteen years, serving as department chair from 2003 to 2012, and has taught courses in Class VIII through Class XII, including AP English Literature. The College Board selected Mary to work as a mentor, providing coaching and guidance to other AP English teachers around the country. Mary has worked as faculty advisor to the Community Service program, the literary magazine, and the Respect club; she has served on numerous faculty committees, including the Drug and Alcohol program committee, the Professional Review committee, the schedule committee, and the faculty and curriculum committees tasked with developing the Healthy Relationships curriculum. Currently, many of Mary's duties outside the classroom are centered around helping colleagues improve their teaching; she serves as a Faculty Fellow, providing individual coaching to colleagues, and as a facilitator for both Critical Friends Groups and the Conversations About Teaching meetings. Mary received the Waterford Educator Prize in 2008. Mary's fiction and creative nonfiction has appeared in Salt Flats Annual, Night Train, Lit Pot, and elsewhere. She was a recipient of a Utah Humanities Council Book Award for personal essay. She has served on the working boards of Writers at Work, sponsors of an annual writing conference in the Salt Lake area, and Inbody Outreach, an organization that provides free yoga to underserved and at-risk populations. Mary has three adult sons who do lots of interesting things and don't call home nearly as often as she'd like. She and her husband Phil live in Summit Park, amid the mountains and moose, where they enjoy hiking, mountain biking, practicing yoga, working on crossword puzzles, creating improbable vegan recipes, and chasing two incorrigible Labradors around the great outdoors.

Hillary Williams received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science with a concentration in Athletic Training from the University of Utah in 2008. She returned to school in 2009 to work on her Master’s degree in Sports Pedagogy while working as a full-time Athletic Trainer for the University of Utah’s Club Sports as well as the ballet and modern dance departments. She received her Master’s of Science degree in 2011 with the completion of her Master’s Thesis project on ‘Motivation to participate in high school physical education classes. Hillary Williams started her career at the Waterford School in 2011. She joined the Physical Education and Athletics Department as a full-time faculty member in 2012, teaching both Middle and Upper School students. She started coaching the Middle School girls basketball team in the Winter of 2012 and became the Class XI Dean in 2015. During her time at Waterford, Hillary has worked as a full-time Athletic Trainer, providing coverage to Waterford athletic teams and athletes. Hillary enjoys being active and sharing her passion for fitness with others. She enjoys the outdoors, going on hikes, camping and fishing. She participates in recreational sports in her spare time such as softball and basketball.

Suzanne Conine shares the experience of awe, inspiration, and intrigue produced by beautiful handmade objects with her students. These are the objects that enrich daily life and elevate mundane experience by connecting a maker and its user. The process of making things well comes with a series of problems that, when resolved, give the maker the confidence to accept the next challenge. Students in Suzanne’s classroom learn that it is not the solution, but the problem, that is the best teacher as they wind their way through processes required by their inventions. Suzanne’s teaching career started with guest lecture demonstrations at elementary schools in Southern Utah. She would be dying wool with local plants, making small weavings or clay projects with brave teachers in their classrooms; she found that she enjoyed sharing her passions with others. After completing her degree in art education at Southern Utah University she began teaching at Dixie High School in St.George. Suzanne earned her masters in Art Education at BYU. In 1998 she joined the Waterford School Art Department. She received an Art Educators Fellowship residency at Skidmore College in New York in the summer of 2008. Her art earned a public art commission from Utah Heritage and Arts in 2011 and she received the Waterford Educator Prize in 2013. Being a Waterford School art educator has been the highlight of Suzanne’s career along with seeing her students recognized with local and national awards every year.

Shira Fagan is a Dance and English teacher, the Lower School Dance Academy Director and coordinator of Middle and Upper School standardized testing. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Grinnell College and an Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She teaches Lower School creative dance, Middle School English and Upper School dance, as well as overseeing and teaching Lower School students in the Dance Academy after school. Her past responsibilities at Waterford have included tutoring, care of the garden, planning formal dances, helping during Middle School lunch and attendance monitoring. Before moving to Sandy, she lived in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2007 she performed in the Florentine Opera Company’s production of the Merry Widow and with Danceworks Performance Company II. Her master’s thesis piece, collaborating with a fine-art quilter, was presented at Danceworks in their annual show Art to Art. Since arriving in Salt Lake, Shira has participated in two seasons of the collaborative dance company, co.da, based out of SugarSpace and has done two years of the Ririe Woodbury Dance Teacher workshops. Shira enjoys reading, watching terrible movies, roller skating, pretending to organize, baking and funny cat videos. She has two daughters here at Waterford and her husband teaches in the history department. It makes the morning commute very efficient.

Calvin Bennett graduated from Yale University in 2011, where he earned degrees in Evolutionary Anthropology and English Literature. Unable to unite the two majors into a single thesis, Calvin wrote two theses, publishing the former through PLOS with the hopes of jumpstarting his career as a primate geneticist. Since Calvin's brilliant tennis career had already vanished due to a wrist fracture during practice one fateful afternoon, he felt grateful that, upon graduation, he only had to struggle with two gravitational dents in space-time--English and Anthropology--rather than the usual three. Calvin often refers to theoretical physics in his poetic musings because he feels that the physics of language and emotion follow similar principles. Do bodies in motion have any control or choice in their life trajectories? Why does the “I” in every body reimagine itself to be in control of its motion? For Calvin, the practice of reading major works of literature brings everyone involved into the “friction-zone” of these very questions. The practice of imaginative reading also develops the rudders, tires, flaps and feet that can turn the poem of our lives wherever we’d like. The issue then becomes how to use these tools artfully so that others may follow in their wake. The fruits of Calvin's myriad academic passions are questions or observations like these. After spending his postgraduate years teaching graceful falling (aka skiing) at Alta and Anthropology at Utah Valley University, he returned to graduate school at the University of Utah to his first love--English Literature. Calvin continues to study English at Waterford, with the help of enthusiastic colleagues, students, and words. He feels indebted to the many inspiring teachers who have guided his orbit and does his best to continue their legacy at Waterford.

Matthew Davis joined The Waterford School in 2015, and he teaches English in the Upper and Middle Schools and is the director of the Writing Center. He received his PhD in American Literature from the University of Oklahoma. He specializes in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century African American literature, with a broader focus on the politics of race in American literature.

Matthew taught English and Composition in graduate school, and he lived and taught English in South Korea for two years after earning his undergraduate degree from Austin College. He also spent part of his childhood living abroad. At various times he lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Stavanger, Norway; and Cairo, Egypt. He graduated high school from the International School of Kuala Lumpur.

Matthew is an avid follower of the NBA and MLB and a supporter of all Houston sports teams, especially the Rockets and Astros. He also enjoys playing basketball and baseball, camping, listening to live music, and cooking. He lives with his wife, Ashley, and their Plott Hound mix, Gordie, in Salt Lake City.

Erika Munson is a graduate of Harvard University where she received a B.A. in Fine Arts. She began her teaching career in the Park City School District where she was a reading intervention specialist at a Title 1 elementary school. She joined the English Department at Waterford in 2011 and in addition to her teaching is currently the Middle and Upper School Librarian and Class XII Dean. In 2016 she was awarded an Oxbridge Teacher Fellowship for summer study focusing on The Library and the Academy at Oxford University. In 2012 Erika co-founded Mormons Building Bridges, an LGBTQ advocacy group for members of the LDS church. She spends her summers and weekends working on bringing diverse communities together for conversations about faith, values, and identity. Erika is the mother of five and grandmother of two. She and her husband Shipley live in Sandy where they read, write, garden, and walk their rescued greyhound together.

Mary Powers has degrees from Harvard University, the Columbia University School of Social Work, and Bank Street College of Education. She worked for twelve years as a clinical therapist for teens and their families in a variety of educational and residential treatment settings. Mary has taught English at The Waterford School for eighteen years, serving as department chair from 2003 to 2012, and has taught courses in Class VIII through Class XII, including AP English Literature. The College Board selected Mary to work as a mentor, providing coaching and guidance to other AP English teachers around the country. Mary has worked as faculty advisor to the Community Service program, the literary magazine, and the Respect club; she has served on numerous faculty committees, including the Drug and Alcohol program committee, the Professional Review committee, the schedule committee, and the faculty and curriculum committees tasked with developing the Healthy Relationships curriculum. Currently, many of Mary's duties outside the classroom are centered around helping colleagues improve their teaching; she serves as a Faculty Fellow, providing individual coaching to colleagues, and as a facilitator for both Critical Friends Groups and the Conversations About Teaching meetings. Mary received the Waterford Educator Prize in 2008. Mary's fiction and creative nonfiction has appeared in Salt Flats Annual, Night Train, Lit Pot, and elsewhere. She was a recipient of a Utah Humanities Council Book Award for personal essay. She has served on the working boards of Writers at Work, sponsors of an annual writing conference in the Salt Lake area, and Inbody Outreach, an organization that provides free yoga to underserved and at-risk populations. Mary has three adult sons who do lots of interesting things and don't call home nearly as often as she'd like. She and her husband Phil live in Summit Park, amid the mountains and moose, where they enjoy hiking, mountain biking, practicing yoga, working on crossword puzzles, creating improbable vegan recipes, and chasing two incorrigible Labradors around the great outdoors.

Tara Lynn Tanner, a teacher of English and theater, graduated from Middlebury College with a Master's Degree in English Literature. Tara is a founding member of The Sting and Honey Theater Company, a professional theater company in Salt Lake City. She has been at Waterford for ten years, teaching English, history, debate, and theater classes as well as directing and designing for the Waterford Theater Department. She also runs a summer Shakespeare program for Middle School. Before Waterford, Tara taught high school in New York City and San Diego. She has two children, River and Rain, who both attended Waterford.

Barbara Biscupovich was born in Viña del Mar, Chile and at age twenty-one she moved to the United States where she lived in New York for 12 years.  She has three children, Christopher, Kimberly and Melissa, and she is married to Nicki Biscupovich, also a Waterford Spanish teacher. 

She moved to Utah in 1996 and, after graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in Translation and Interpretation in 2000, went to work for the Alpine School District as an ESL instructor. She has a Masters degree in Pedagogy from the University of Leon in Spain and she has been a member of the Waterford community for the past thirteen years. 

Presently, Barbara teaches Spanish in the Upper School. She is one of the leaders and organizers of the Waterford School's summer Spain trips and a leader of the service projects to Guatemala and Perú. 

Barbara is very involved with the Chilean community in Utah County. She has been the assistant to the Honorary Council of Chile and secretary of the Chilean Association of Utah.  Presently she is a member of the BYU Management Society, Hispanic Chapter where she serves as the Director of Scholarships and awards.  

She enjoys reading, traveling with students and family and the outdoors.

Heidi Poole, a Latin teacher at the Waterford School, is a graduate of the University of Florida where she earned an M.A. in Latin. Prior to her studies at the University of Florida, Heidi completed a B.A. in Secondary Education with a focus on History, Latin, and English as a Second Language at the Karel de Grote Hogeschool in Antwerp, Belgium. Before arriving at the Waterford School in 2011, Heidi taught Latin, Spanish, and French for seven years at the Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City, Utah. From 2003 to 2004, Heidi taught Latin, History, English as a Second Language, and Dutch Language Arts at the Sint-Ludgardis School in Merksem, Belgium. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Heidi coordinates the Waterford Ski and Ride program and leads the Waterford New Faculty Mentoring program. She has chaperoned several overseas student trips and leads the Waterford Summer Term Italy trip. An avid traveler and learner, Heidi enjoys spending time in Europe, playing classical guitar, studying languages, and attending spoken Latin events.

Dr. Timothy G. Stout, Foreign Language Department Chair and Chinese Teacher at Waterford School, earned his M.A. in Japanese Pedagogy from Columbia University (2002) and his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Utah State University (2013). He jointed Waterford as a Japanese teacher in 2006, and has served in various student support roles, including MS Homeroom Teacher, US Advisor, and Class X and XI Dean. Timothy started the new Chinese program at Waterford, and currently teaches Chinese 1, 2, 3, and AP Chinese.

Timothy lived in Japan for 20 years, and he has visited China numerous times. He has served on the AP Japanese Development Committee, working with specialists from the College Board and Educational Testing Services, creating test items to be used in the annual AP Japanese examinations. As a member of the APDC Timothy has presented at numerous regional and national conferences, including the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention and the Advanced Placement Annual Conference in locations such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Denver, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Timothy also serves as an AP test reader each year in Salt Lake City.

Timothy has published several language study books, including the best-selling “Japanese Hiragana and Katakana for Beginners,” and the forthcoming “Japanese Kanji for Beginners.” These books highlight Timothy’s love for drawing, and feature original picture mnemonics designed to help readers better learn and recall kanji characters. Timothy uses these same methods in his classes at Waterford to help students learn hundreds of new Chinese characters each year.

Timothy and his wife, LaNae Stout, have five children and two grandchildren. In his spare time Timothy enjoys reading, traveling, and hiking with his family.

Dylan Esson, the Chair of the History Department, earned his B.A. in History from the University of Utah and his Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley. His dissertation entitled “Selling the Alpine Frontier: The Development of Winter Resorts, Sports, and Tourism in Europe and America, 1865-1941” analyzed the reasons why Europeans and Americans transformed their winter mountains from dismissed rural landscapes into sunny refuges for elite leisure and recreation before World War II.  Prior to his appointment as chair, Dylan served as Class X Dean.

Before arriving at Waterford in 2010, Dylan taught seminar courses at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award in 2004.  At Waterford, Dylan teaches United States and European History as well as Human Geography.

In his free time, Dylan enjoys trail running, biking, skiing (cross country and downhill), and swimming.

Jason LaBau joined the history department at The Waterford School in 2015. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and a BA from Pomona College. Before arriving at Waterford he taught at three campuses of the California State University system in the Los Angeles area. Dr. LaBau enjoys exploring a wide variety of historical subjects with his students. At Pomona he wrote a thesis on W.E.B. Du Bois and black autobiography, then shifted focus to modern conservative politics for his dissertation at USC. In graduate school he taught about the Holocaust and later offered courses in American Studies and California History. Now, at Waterford, he teaches Ancient History and Human Geography, with an elective on Political Science in Fall 2016. Outside of the classroom, Dr. LaBau is a voracious follower of politics, religion, and race in America. He loves playing board games and is always in the middle of a good book. He lives in Sandy with his wife, a professional pastry chef and recipe developer, and his son, who loves attending Waterford with his dad.

Julie Ransom teaches the AP European History classes and sixth grade Humanities at The Waterford School. She also serves as a class six homeroom advisor. Prior to her arrival in 2014, she was on the faculty at Brigham Young University for 20 years, specializing in teaching the History of Civilization courses for the Humanities and Honors departments. She received her BA from BYU where she studied Humanities and Political Science. She received her MA from Penn State University where she studied Humanities and wrote her graduate thesis on art and literature of the Harlem Renaissance. Ms Ransom enjoys writing and has published articles about art, parenting and religion. She also enjoys collecting and sharing good literature and thought-provoking podcasts.

Dr. Aaron J. Stockham, a History Faculty Member as well as the Director of Professional Review and the NWAIS Self-Study Coordinator, is a graduate of Grinnell College, where he earned a B.A. in History and Economics, and Marquette University, where he received a M.A. and Ph.D. in American History. His research concentration is on the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He served as the Chair of the History Department from 2011 to 2016 and has taught AP US History, Standard European History, Human Geography, US Government, Medieval European History, Medieval Islam, and Medieval Japanese History. Before arriving at The Waterford School in 2008, Aaron taught introductory American history courses at Marquette University. He was a recipient of the 2008 Smith Family Fellowship and was President of the History Graduate Students Organization and the secretary of the Alumni Memorial Union Advisory Committee. He also currently serves on the Grinnell College Class of 2001 Committee and the Waterford School Alumni Council. Aaron continues to publish articles on the history of the FBI, most recently with an article in The Historian in 2014. Besides his research, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two young daughters, going to movies, supporting the local dance scene, and exploring Utah's highways and byways.

Tim Dolbin, Math Teacher at the Waterford School, is a graduate from Brigham Young University where he earned a B.A. degree in Mathematics Education and an M.A. degree in Mathematics. He also completed minors in Physical Education and Coaching. He was Chair of the Mathematics Department at Waterford from 1996-2005 and earned the Educator Prize in 2006. In addition to teaching a full load of mathematics classes, Tim currently serves on the school wide Emergency Preparedness Committee, runs the racquetball program as head coach, serves as assistant coach to the Upper School boys soccer team, and is the Upper School girls soccer team head coach. He has lead the racquetball and soccer teams to a combined 18 state championships. Before arriving at Waterford in 1994, Tim taught and coached at Murray High School (Murray, Utah) for three years. He has remained a Utah level 4 licensed and certified math teacher since that time. Tim is married with 5 children (4 Waterford graduates and 1 current student). He moonlights as a Brigham Young University evening mathematics instructor and has been a racquetball pro at three different athletic clubs for more than 25 years. He spends his summers roofing homes and doing other construction projects. He enjoys running half-marathons, spending time in the mountains, and racing dirt bikes across the desert.

Alan Layton first arrived at The Waterford School as a fifth grader in 1986, graduating seven years later in 1994. Alan completed degrees in psychology at Brigham Young University and in mathematics at the University of Utah, followed by a Masters in Mathematical Education from the University of Utah. He taught mathematics at the Stillwater Academy for two years and at Butler Middle School for nine years. He made his return to Waterford in 2015, where he teaches Middle School and Upper School mathematics. Alan and his wife Janette have two young sons, Samuel and Everett. They can often be found at the zoo or Thanksgiving Point, when they aren’t hanging out in the sandbox dueling with Nerf swords.

Shawn Orton is a graduate of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, double majoring in Math and Physics while also obtaining a teaching certificate. Her first teaching job was at an all-boys, Catholic, military high school (St. John's College High School) in Washington DC. She retired from teaching for 20 years to raise four delightful children, keeping her foot in math education through substitute teaching. Being a sub at Waterford led to a full-time teaching position in 2006. Since then, she has also served for many years as a Class Dean and is currently the School Scheduler. Though she enjoys teaching all types of math, she has come to find great satisfaction in teaching statistics. She was selected to be an AP grader for the College Board last year and plans to continue AP grading for many summers to come. Outside of school, Shawn enjoys quilting - a craft where creativity and mathematics intersect on a regular basis.

Trey Sayes received his B.S. in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. After fulfilling his military service he attended Utah State University where he earned a secondary teaching certificate with two endorsements (level 4 mathematics and physics), and later a M.Ed. from the University of Utah.

His first teaching assignment was in Granite School District at John F. Kennedy Junior High School. He then moved on to Cyprus High School where he taught every math course in the curriculum while serving as the department chairman for 10 years. While at Cyprus, he was a club advisor/mentor for several clubs and coached the boy’s and girl’s tennis teams for nineteen years. Skyline High School, sorely in need of an AP Calculus BC teacher, enticed Trey to transfer to Skyline, where he taught for seven years.

Trey also served on the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics (UCTM) for several years and in that capacity presented at many state and regional NCTM mathematics conferences. Throughout his career as a teacher, Trey has been recognized by several different institutions. In 1992, he was designated the Granite School District’s Teacher of the Year and he was a two-time recipient (1999 & 2007) of the Outstanding Utah High School Teacher in Mathematics and Sciences from the University of Utah’s School of Mines and Earth Sciences. Trey received the Inspirational High School Teacher award from the Mathematics Department at the University of Utah, the George Shell Award in 2007 from the UCTM, and the Presidential Scholar Program’s Teacher Recognition Award from the United Sates Department of Education. He once received an “attaboy” from The Waterford School where he has taught for 9 years.

He lives in Sandy and enjoys photography, playing squash, racquetball, tennis, biking, and hiking.

Scott Harris began teaching music at the Waterford School in the fall of 2000. He has also taught, as an adjunct, at Weber State College, Los Angeles Pierce College (as a Chamber Music instructor), and at Judge Memorial High School. He completed a degree in Clarinet Performance at the University of Utah. He also studied privately with some of the country’s finest musicians: Mitchell Lurie, Dominic Fera, Martin Zwick, and Gary Bovier. Scott Harris has worked throughout the United State as a professional musician. He has performed with numerous ensembles including the Utah Symphony, Ballet West, the Utah Wind Symphony, Burbank Symphony, the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra, and Opera Ala Carte. He is the founder of The Prevailing Winds woodwind quintet. Scott has performed numerous recording, theatrical, and live performances with many popular and jazz artists including Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, The Moody Blues, Phil Woods, Kurt Bestor, Gladys Knight, and Seth McFarland. While living in Los Angeles Scott worked on numerous film scores including Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, and Schindler's List. He also worked on TV scores for the Academy Awards and The Simpsons. Scott continues to perform in Salt Lake City and elsewhere as well as teaching Woodwinds and directing the Jazz Bands at Waterford School. Scott is a member of the American Federation of Musicians and a past member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS - The Grammy's). Among Scott’s hobbies are golf, travel, and raising dogs.

Betsy Weidner, an English teacher and head girls’ lacrosse coach at the Waterford School, is a graduate of the Boston College Lynch School of Education where she earned an M.Ed. in Secondary Education with a focus on English instruction.  Prior to her studies at Boston College, Betsy graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.  At Bates, Betsy majored in History and Criticism of Art and Visual Culture and earned departmental honors for her senior thesis titled, “Not Dead Yet: Rethinking the Visual Representations of Music in the Age of iPods and YouTube.”  Betsy was also a member of the Bates College women’s lacrosse team and played defense for the Bobcats during her time there. After graduating in 2010, Betsy worked at an advertising firm in Boston before returning to Bates to serve as an assistant coach for the women’s lacrosse team for the 2011 season.  

Before arriving at the Waterford School in 2017, Betsy taught English at Needham High School in Needham, Massachusetts for three years.  At Needham, Betsy was a member of the Needham Steps Up mentoring program and was the coach of the Needham freshman and junior varsity girls’ lacrosse teams.  

Betsy is a proud New Englander and enjoys cheering for the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Bruins.  She also loves hiking, skiing, singing and studying popular culture trends during her free time. Betsy lives with her beloved Bernese Mountain Dog, Rosemont, in Park City.  

Barr Dolan, Physics Instructor at the Waterford School, holds a B.A.in Chemistry and M.S. in Engineering from Cornell University, a B.A. in Engineering and Applied Physics from Harvard University, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. From 1982 to present, Barr has worked in venture capital in silicon valley as a partner at Charter Venture Capital and currently as a partner at Charter Life Sciences, investing in early stage technology and healthcare start­ups. Successful investments that Barr has helped start and fund include Linear Technology Corporation (LLTC, NYSE), Elli Mae, Inc. (ELLI, NYSE), and EP Technologies, Inc. (cardiac electrophysiology, acquired by Boston Scientific). Barr currently sits on the boards of KFX Medical, Inc. (private, orthopedic devices) and Elli Mae, Inc. (cloud software). Barr also is a mentor to the Waterford robotics team and coaches his daughter’s AYSO soccer team.

Justin Joslin, a MS/US Science and Math Teacher and Robotics Team Mentor, began working at Waterford School in the fall of 2017. Justin's path to Waterford has been an adventurous one. A native of New Hampshire, Justin attended university in central New York at Syracuse where he studied environmental engineering. On the recommendation of his advisor, he matriculated to the University of Colorado for his graduate work and his first stint in the west. Justin earned an MS in Environmental Engineering with a focus on natural hydrologic systems. His research took him all the way to Antarctica, twice, where he met his wife Bekka, who also teaches science at Waterford. Justin moved back east while Bekka finished her graduate work at Dartmouth. They worked for a time as scientists in Vermont, but quickly transitioned into the independent school world because of their passion for learning and teaching. After moving back to New Hampshire, Justin and Bekka worked for 10 years at the New Hampton School, a private boarding high school. Justin taught science and math, but quickly developed a unique program focused on engineering and design. He coached rock climbing and alpine skiing, was the Director of Experiential Learning for 4 years, was the Technology Integration Coordinator for a year, and worked in the school life realm as an advisor, house parent, and administrator. Outside of school, Justin enjoys spending time with his daughters, Kaleigh and Jenna, exploring the natural resources of Utah (mostly through skiing, climbing, and trail running), traveling, and tinkering.

Richard Malatesta holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Tampa and a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from the University of Connecticut. He served for seven years as a Chief Scientist and Professor of Oceanography for the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and for there years as the Academic Dean for the School for Field Studies in Salem, Massachusetts. He joined the Waterford faculty in 2001. 

Amy Dolbin, Registrar at the Waterford School, is a graduate of Brigham Young University where she received a BS in Recreation Therapy.

Prior to her employment at Waterford in 2006, Amy worked at IHC in the Rehabilitation unit as a recreation therapist. After taking some time off to raise her five children, Amy began her employment as the Middle and Upper School scheduler when her youngest child began Nursery 3’s. Her role expanded to include School Registrar in 2011.

Amy’s children include four Waterford graduates, who all began attending Waterford’s Preschool program and her family has been very involved in the Waterford community for many years.  In her spare time she enjoys spending time in the outdoors with her family hiking, biking, boating or hanging out at their Midway getaway. She also enjoys gardening and home projects.