Directory

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.

Greg Miles has been with 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, his Masters Degree in Business Accounting from BYU, and he 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. 

Casey O'Malley grew up in Minnesota and moved to New York City to attend Columbia University, where she double majored in English and Russian Language. While an undergrad, she studied abroad in Moscow, Russia, and was the captain of the Columbia University Sailing Team. Casey moved to Utah after graduating and has been at Waterford ever since. She completed her master's degree in school leadership from Vanderbilt University in the summer of 2018. 

Casey loves to backcountry ski in the winter and hike and garden in the summer. 

Sari Rauscher, the Director of College Counseling at the Waterford School, earned her BA at Dartmouth College in Government, where she also competed as a two-time NCAA All-American in Alpine Skiing. She has gained college counseling expertise through the Harvard Summer Admissions Institute, annual professional development conferences, and working with hundreds of talented Waterford students. She has visited over 50 colleges and admission offices in her fifteen years of college counseling at Waterford. Sari has served as a National Delegate for the National College Admissions Association (NACAC) as well as on the Board of the Rocky Mountain Association of College Admissions Counseling. She currently serves as Chair of the Utah RMACAC College Fair. Sari began at Waterford in 1998 as part-time ski coach, while doing post-grad pre-medical coursework, and soon started teaching Senior English electives and Class X Writing Colloquium. She liked it so much she stayed, coaching, teaching PE, English electives and ancient history, and serving as community service advisor and college counselor. She became Director of College Counseling in 2004. She enjoys a good read about U.S. history and explorers, and has recently taken courses in Contemporary China and India. She enjoys hearing from Waterford alumni, and staying up to date on interesting new opportunities in higher education and careers. She enjoys outdoor adventures with students, and makes time for hiking, mountain biking, running, and skiing with her husband and two daughters, current Waterford students. She is a fan of Waterford sports teams, and especially Waterford Ballet, Music and Theater programs.

Kent grew up in Kansas City and Dallas, and attended St. Mark’s School of Texas. He has loved foreign languages and geography all his life and is always scheming to see a new place or learn a new tongue. He earned degrees in French and Linguistics at BYU and a graduate certificate in Educational Leadership from the University of New England. Kent worked at Waterford from 1992 to 2010, teaching French and Spanish and coaching basketball and soccer.. He also worked for twelve of those years at Waterford institute, where he wrote songs to teach math and science. In 2010 he and his fantastic wife, Tracie left Waterford to work seven years at an international boarding school in Switzerland. They then moved to Miami in 2017, where Kent served as Head of School for two years at a wonderful private elementary. After nearly a decade away, he returns now to his beloved Waterford in a new role and is excited to help the school continue to grow and move forward.

Kent and Tracie have four grown children, all of whom attended Waterford. Kent loves to hike, run, cycle, watch sports and play with his grandchildren. He also enjoys the chance study and understand about everything — except shopping, which gives him the shivers.

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.

Paula Getz, Lower School homeroom teacher, has been a teacher at the Waterford School since 2001 and has over 25 years of classroom teaching experience. Paula has experience teaching grades four through eight in numerous states across the country, but for the past 15 years she has been employed as a Class V teacher at Waterford. In 2011, Paula was awarded Waterford’s Educator Prize. Paula enjoys being a student as much as she enjoys being a teacher. She earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Pittsburgh and Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from Northern Arizona University. In December of 2017, Ms. Getz graduated from Arizona State University with a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Gifted Education. Paula places strong emphasis on the development of a “growth mindset” in her students and has a particular interest in the utilization of “brain-based” teaching practices. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Paula serves as a mentor to new teachers and coaches the Class V Robotics team.

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.

Julie Mower has been an employee of Waterford School since 2009, and now teaching PreK-4. 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.

Kristie has been an Early Childhood Educator in the PreK program at Waterford since 1997. Thanks to the support of generous donors and administrative support at Waterford, Kristie helped initiate the installment of the certified Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom in 2017. Along with daily opportunities for outdoor classroom exploration, Kristie’s students also enjoy weekly forest journeys around Waterford’s beautiful 41-acre campus to expand sensory awareness,to grow in caring concern for the natural world, and to promote joyful wandering through the trees with friends. Kristie hosts Summer Term Nature Explore classes on campus for children ages 3-8, and a Forest Family Nature Club at Crestwood Park. Kristie became a certified Tinkergarten Leader in 2015 and led parent-child nature education classes at Falcon Park for three seasons. Kristie is interested in the Forest School Movement worldwide, which promotes physical and social-emotional development, as well as nature connection and ecological literacy. She has enjoyed participating in several workshops by Lia Grippo and the Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. Kristie has made presentations at local conferences UAEYC and USEE, as well as NAEYC on project work and outdoor learning in early childhood. Kristie has four grown children who are Waterford Graduates.

Sam Sather Brogna earned her Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Westminster College. Prior to her graduate studies, she received her undergraduate degrees from the University of Utah and the San Francisco College of Arts and Crafts.

As a lifelong learner, Sam has served in a variety of schools and classrooms. She began her teaching career at Soaring Wings International Montessori School and has spent the last decade dedicating herself to becoming a highly-skilled teacher. Before coming to Waterford, Sam most recently taught Kindergarten at The McGillis School and was the Outdoor Education Supervisor for Rowland Hall Independent School. 

Sam’s heart is with education that fosters independence, creativity, critical thinking and most importantly, a love of learning. She feels deep gratitude for the opportunity to teach Class I at Waterford and to be a part of this phenomenal community. 

Witnessing the ah-ha moments and recognizing that children are natural scientists and artists, she is inspired daily by the joy that curiosity and discovery brings to her student’s lives. When she’s not in the classroom, Sam finds every possible chance to get outdoors and take advantage of this beautiful world! She also enjoys reading, watching films, and sharing a meal with family and friends. 

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.

Shannon Tatman grew up in a rural area in the small town of Brookville, Pennsylvania. After graduating high school she attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania for Music Education on voice, then decided to move to Utah where she finished her four year BS in Elementary Education in three years with a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. 

After graduation, Shannon got married and began her teaching career at charter schools in Colorado and Utah where she was Lead Teacher for 3 years, Head of the Sunshine Committee, and played a major role in choosing curriculum and assessments for multiple grade levels in addition to working as a mentor teacher and taking classes for an Elementary Math Endorsement. Shannon also spent time teaching after school music and art classes to students that would not have otherwise had those opportunities: she is drawn to The Waterford School because of the way arts and science are incorporated in order to teach the whole child.

Shannon enjoys spending time with her husband, Patrick, and their son, Carson by traveling, hiking, and camping. Her personal hobbies include singing, sewing, and crocheting.

Brenda completed her BFA Modern Dance, University of Utah. She is certified in American Ballet Theatre's National Training Curriculum, Pre-Primary-Level 3. She is also certified in Progressing Ballet Technique an innovative program for students to understand the depth of training muscle memory. Brenda is a certified Pilates, yoga, fitness instructor. Currently she teaches as Assistant Professor, Ballet Department, University of Utah, and for Ballet West Academy, Park City. She performed as a member of Mountain West Ballet company and was a Children’s Rehearsal Assistant  for Ballet West’s Nutcracker for 3 years. Brenda recently completed her ballet MFA at the University of Utah with research interests in dancer wellness and injury prevention.​ 

Kylie Geci will begin her teaching career at Waterford in the Fall of 2019. Kylie graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2013 with a Bachelor Degree in Music Education with an emphasis in voice. She began her teaching career at Otto-Eldred Junior-Senior High School, where she conducted the choirs for grades 5-12. Kylie also developed a number of music elective curriculums, including Guitar, Piano and Modern Band. During her tenure at Otto-Eldred, Kylie organized many choral performances, as well as assisted the band director in other concerts, fundraisers and events. Kylie returned to Indiana University of PA to receive her Masters in Music Education and graduated in 2018.

In her spare time, Kylie built a strong fan base as a local musician in an acoustic group where she played guitar and sang lead vocals. Kylie also recorded a song on a Christmas complication CD, “Christmas Wonder” in 2017. Besides music, Kylie enjoys the outdoors, staying active biking, skiing and hiking. She is excited to begin her journey at Waterford where she hopes grow professionally and personally through collaborative, educational opportunities and threw rapports developed with her students. 

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.

Emmy teaches Lower School dance Classes III – V and Upper School Dance and Culture. She teaches modern dance for the Waterford Dance Academy. Teaching students dance at the Waterford School is one of her greatest joys in life. Emmy’s dancing and acting career began at the Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) as a child. After graduation from high school, she was hired as faculty by CTC and taught ballet, modern dance and was a house manager and counselor. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the Modern Dance Department at the University of Utah where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, was President of Orchesis, on the Dean’s List, and received the Elizabeth Hayes Scholarship and the Dee R. Winterton Award. Emmy danced with the Ririe-WoodburyDance Company for seven years and was Associate Artistic Director for two years. During this time, The Salt Lake City Tribune nominated her as ‘Best addition to the Salt Lake City dance scene’ in 2001 and called her dance, Invocation, ‘best of the year.’ She was the department chair of dance at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota for several years where she directed the Macalester Dance Ensemble. Her choreography was adjudicated into the final gala performance at the Midwest ACDF. She also was head of the dance department at Apple Valley High School and took the dance program from 30 students to 170 students in five years. Her students were adjudicated into the gala performance at the International High School Dance Festival in Miami five years in a row. Emmy’s choreography has been set on professional dance companies, universities, and high schools throughout the US. Her educational film, ‘There is Strength in Diversity,’ funded by Camille Cosby, is used throughout the United States as a teaching tool for compassion, empathy, and equality in the schools. She spent a summer in India teaching dance and English at the Rising Star Academy for 190 children from 10 leprosy colonies in Tamil Nadu. She also travelled with a medical team caring for the leprosy-affected adults in the colonies of Southern India. Emmy volunteers at the state prison, teaching classes about addiction and recovery.

Jack Matthews joined the History Department at Waterford in 2018 and currently works as the Class VI Dean. He holds a Bachelors degree in History from Rutgers University and a Masters degree in History from the University of Manchester where he wrote his dissertation on the effect of the American Civil War on the cotton workers of Lancashire, England through the lens of contemporary newspapers.  Before arriving at Waterford he worked at the Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas. His first year at Kinkaid he served as the school's first ever Cooney Fellow in the middle school History department. After finishing his yearlong fellowship, he was asked to join the Kinkaid faculty as middle school History teacher where he taught 6th grade Ancient History, served as a 6th grade advisor, and was a member of the Admissions Committee.  During his three years at Kinkaid he also coached middle school soccer and cross country as well as the Varsity Lacrosse team. As a newcomer to Salt Lake City he is looking forward to hiking with his dogs and fiancé, skiing in the winter, and taking in all the incredible sights that Utah has to offer.

Lisa Rands graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brigham Young University where she earned a B.A. in Math Education. Lisa also holds a Professional Educator License for the State of Utah with endorsements in Mathematics (Level 4) and Physics. After completing her student teaching at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah, Lisa joined the Waterford Math Department in September of 1999. She enjoys teaching math at all levels—from Pre-Algebra to AP Calculus. In addition, she serves as Class VII Dean and has been involved with Middle School Student Government and Community Service for many years. In 2010 she received the Waterford Award for excellence in teaching. Lisa loves baking, biking, traveling, reading and gardening. She is a certified Master Gardener, and she enjoys taking classes during the summer from the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah.

Andrew Patteson teaches photography at Waterford and is the Class X Dean. He has a BA in English Literature (photography minor) from the University of Miami and an MFA in Studio Art/Photography from Ohio University. He started his career in education in 1999, teaching English at a large public high school in Florida, and then English and photography at a small upstart charter school. After four years he decided to return to school to pursue an advanced degree in photography, and in 2007 completed his MFA and moved to Utah to embark on his career at Waterford. He is active as a working artist and has had photographs selected for regional and national exhibitions. You can see galleries of his work at http://andrew-patteson.com. He spends his free time having fun with his wife and young son, and his other passions include Ultimate disc and vintage steel bicycles.

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.

Harmony Button, the Academic Dean at The Waterford School, earned a B.A. from Middlebury College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Utah. Before coming to Waterford, she taught in the English Department at Phillips Exeter Summer School for six years and earned several awards and nominations for excellence in teaching at the University of Utah. Harmony joined the Waterford faculty in 2008, and along with developing new curriculum at many grade levels, she has served as the English Department Chair and launched a school-wide Writing Across the Curriculum initiative, including founding a highly popular Writing Center at Waterford. She is now very happy to work with her dedicated team of Waterford faculty and administrators as the Academic Dean. As well as being an educator dedicated to continual professional growth, Harmony is an active writer and poet. Her work has been included in Best American Notable Essays of 2015, she been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Web awards, and she was awarded the Larry Levis Prize from the Academy of American Poets. She continues to give regular readings upon invitation from the Salt Lake City Arts and the Salt Lake Poetry Society, and she has traveled to give guest readings for Bayou magazine at AWP and Whitworth College in Spokane Washington. Harmony has presented at the &NOW conference as part of the Lake Forest Literary Festival, and she was a featured artist at TEDx Sandy in 2014. You can find her work in numerous literary journals such as Adirondack Review, Colorado Review, Chicago Quarterly and Rock & Sling. Harmony lives in Salt Lake with her partner, Jason, and their dog, both of whom insist on frequent trips to the mountains and time spent digging in the garden.

Matthew Davis joined Waterford School in 2015. He is chair of the English Department and teaches in the Upper and Middle Schools.  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.

Dr. Davis 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.

Dr. Davis 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.

Nathalie Ricci was born in France where she earned a D.E.U.G. in Spanish Language and Literature at the Université Paris-X. She later moved to the United States and lived in several western states. She earned a B.A. with a double major in French and Spanish Literature from the University of Montana and a Master's degree in Spanish Literature and Culture from the University of Oregon. After graduating in 1992, she taught both Spanish and French at the University of Oregon and was a second-year supervisor, leading teaching graduate students in the Foreign Language Department. In 2005, Nathalie started working at the Waterford School as a Spanish teacher. Shortly after joining Waterford, she served as Dean for Class XI and Class XII. Later, she served as the Foreign Language Department Chair. She continues to teach Spanish as well as French and yoga. She has worked as both an Upper School and Middle School advisor as well as a tutor of French and Spanish during the summer terms. In addition to teaching Spanish, Nathalie has spent the last two years developing curriculum in the History Department, where she offers a course titled “Mexico through Film: Mexican American Relations in the Twentieth Century.” In her free time, Nathalie enjoys yoga, camping, traveling, cooking, and watching foreign and indie movies. She is the Executive Director of Inbody Outreach, a local non-profit organization that offers free yoga to at-risk populations in the community. She lives in Salt Lake City with her 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.

Anne Innis joined the Waterford history faculty in 2019. Prior to her appointment at Waterford, Anne was an instructor for three years in the college of education at the University of Utah. She also has more than a decade of experience as a secondary educator in both history and spanish classrooms. Anne holds a PhD in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Utah. Her dissertation is a qualitative study of secondary history faculty who author and use anti-colonial curriculum in their classrooms. Anne’s main area of historical interest is global colonialism and decolonial theory. Anne also holds an M.Ed. from Utah State and a B.A. in Spanish from Lycoming College.

Outside the classroom Anne enjoys early morning walks with her dog, lively conversation with her partner and three children, and reading nearly every book she can get her hands on.

Jack Matthews joined the History Department at Waterford in 2018 and currently works as the Class VI Dean. He holds a Bachelors degree in History from Rutgers University and a Masters degree in History from the University of Manchester where he wrote his dissertation on the effect of the American Civil War on the cotton workers of Lancashire, England through the lens of contemporary newspapers.  Before arriving at Waterford he worked at the Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas. His first year at Kinkaid he served as the school's first ever Cooney Fellow in the middle school History department. After finishing his yearlong fellowship, he was asked to join the Kinkaid faculty as middle school History teacher where he taught 6th grade Ancient History, served as a 6th grade advisor, and was a member of the Admissions Committee.  During his three years at Kinkaid he also coached middle school soccer and cross country as well as the Varsity Lacrosse team. As a newcomer to Salt Lake City he is looking forward to hiking with his dogs and fiancé, skiing in the winter, and taking in all the incredible sights that Utah has to offer.

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.

A native of the Chicago area, Benjamin Goldstein decided to pursue a career in education when he found that he enjoyed helping his friends with their math homework in high school. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry at Princeton University and has been teaching ever since. Benjamin has worked at both public and independent schools in Washington, Massachusetts, and now Utah. He earned a master's degree in education at the University of Washington. During his career, Benjamin has taught courses ranging from Algebra to Multivariable Calculus as well as a little bit of computer programming.

Since coming to Utah in 2018, Benjamin has been enjoying the natural beauty this part of the country has to offer. While not outdoorsy by Utah standards, he and his wife enjoy getting in a good day hike or exploring a national park. Benjamin is also cultivating a board-gaming hobby.

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.

Lisa Rands graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brigham Young University where she earned a B.A. in Math Education. Lisa also holds a Professional Educator License for the State of Utah with endorsements in Mathematics (Level 4) and Physics. After completing her student teaching at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah, Lisa joined the Waterford Math Department in September of 1999. She enjoys teaching math at all levels—from Pre-Algebra to AP Calculus. In addition, she serves as Class VII Dean and has been involved with Middle School Student Government and Community Service for many years. In 2010 she received the Waterford Award for excellence in teaching. Lisa loves baking, biking, traveling, reading and gardening. She is a certified Master Gardener, and she enjoys taking classes during the summer from the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah.

Tyler Waterhouse, a MS/US Math Teacher, US XC coach, and US Outdoor Instructor, began working at Waterford in the fall of 2013. Originally hailing from New Hampshire and having attended St. Paul’s School and Princeton University, Tyler is delighted to work in a community that so values the liberal arts philosophy that framed his own schooling. Tyler’s path to Waterford is unique in that he graduated Princeton in 2003 with a BA in Economics with minors in Finance and German. His senior thesis, a requirement of every Princeton graduate, was entitled: “Super Commercials: An Analysis of Super Bowl Advertisements in an Investor Relations Framework.” Tyler’s first job out of college was working for an option trading group on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for Goldman Sachs. After Goldman, Tyler worked five years as an equities, commodities, and currency trader at Wexford Capital, a multi-strategy hedge fund in Greenwich, CT. In 2009, with Tyler’s wife, Lu Lu, in her last year of medical school and a move to Utah pending for her pediatrics residency the following year, Tyler chose to leave finance and seek greater fulfillment from his employment through a career in education. Tyler has served as an apprentice teacher at the New Canaan Country School, student teacher at Rowland Hall while enrolled in the Masters of Arts in Teaching program at Westminster College, and lead MS math and science teacher at McGillis prior to finding Waterford. Since arriving at Waterford in 2013, Tyler has enjoyed the variety of teaching both MS and US students and teaching his way through the full Waterford Mathematics Curriculum. In the summer of 2015, Tyler completed a fellowship at the Klingenstein Summer Institute. Tyler has two sons, Bode and Nash, that keep him well occupied when he is away from school, but still finds time to enjoy the variety of Utah’s landscapes through skiing, biking, and trail running.

Clarisse Colao originally hails from outside Chicago, IL. Her education and travels have led her to live in almost every part of the country, including Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, New Jersey, Wyoming, and now Utah. She has also traveled abroad extensively, touring Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Ireland with various choral groups since 2006. She got into singing at an early age, taking voice and piano lessons throughout her childhood. She was also an active athlete, running track and playing tennis and basketball. She received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in Vocal Performance, after which she studied for a summer at the Centro Studi Italiani in Urbania, Italy, and then completed a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. While at Westminster she had the amazing opportunities to sing at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center, and the United Nations. After grad school she began part time with Apple to supplement her musical career, and she is currently a Genius at the City Creek Apple store in downtown Salt Lake City. Presently her musical career consists of traveling around the country to sing with various choral ensembles, and finding opportunities to collaborate with local musicians. Her current project is a recital centered around a new song cycle based on the words of some of the recent and most influential First Ladies, with music written by Utah composers. She lives in Salt Lake City with her extremely supportive fiancé (who is currently finishing his PhD) and their two beautiful dogs.

Craig Morris, Athletic Director and P.E. teacher, is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he earned a BA and MA in History and Education and played lacrosse. Craig began teaching at Waterford in 1995 and has served as both the Athletic Director and P.E. Department Chair. Under his leadership, the athletic and P.E. programs at Waterford have grown and flourished. Waterford’s athletic teams have won 37 State Championships over the course of his tenure. Prior to coming to Waterford, Craig was Assistant Director of Student Affairs and Residence Life at the Juilliard School in New York City where he met his wife Kathy. After moving to Utah, Craig spent two years working for Video Journal of Education, a professional development company located here in Sandy, Utah. Craig has been Coach of the Year for Region 14/17 Girl’s Basketball in 2015-2016, 2012-2013, 2004-2005, and 2003-2004. He was also Coach of the Year for Utah High School Men’s Lacrosse League Division I in 2000 and Coach of the Year in the RMLC Division 1 Men’s College Lacrosse in 2012 with the University of Utah. Craig was awarded the Waterford’s Educator prize in 2010. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Craig is an Upper School advisor and participated in the Drug and Alcohol committee and was their keynote speaker. Craig was also Head Coach of the University of Utah Men’s Lacrosse from 2008-2012. Craig currently serves as the Region 14 Chair for the Utah High School Activities Association. He also serves on the UHSAA Executive Committee, Bylaws and Constitution Committee, the Awards Committee, the Music Committee and the Realignment Committee. Craig is also the Chair of the Executive Counsel for the Utah High School Lacrosse League and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Utah Lacrosse Association. Craig is happily married to Kathy Morris and has two children. He enjoys skiing, golfing, cooking, traveling and supporting his New York Teams - The Giants/Yankees/Rangers.

Chris Watkins, the Outdoor Program Director, is a graduate of the University of Utah where he earned a B.S. in the News Editorial sequence of Mass Communications, with a focus on photojournalism and additional studies in literature. Mr. Watkins is currently a MS and US Outdoor Class Instructor, Yearbook Advisor, Upper School Yoga Instructor, Ultimate Frisbee Coach, and the Community Service Advisor. Mr. Watkins has filled numerous roles during his 12 years at The Waterford School. Beginning with Class VIII English and as a middle school basketball coach, Mr. Watkins has been the MS Community Service and Student Government Advisor, Class Dean at both the Middle School and Upper School level, and a consistent trip leader as part of the Summer Term Program. Mr. Watkins has been a leader on trips to Mt. Whitney, the Grand Tetons, Norway, Tanzania and the Waterford Humanitarian trip to Kolkata, India. A native of Carmel, Calif., Mr. Watkins was the Staff Photographer and Photo Editor for a local outdoor publication, Utah Outdoors, then worked for the Salt Lake Tribune during the 2002 Winter Olympics, before working at the Deseret Morning News. A dedicated recreationalist, Mr. Watkins spends as much time as possible outside, with a particular passion for mountain biking, rock climbing, and backcountry snowboarding. Mr. Watkins has competed in Ultimate Frisbee National Championships and the 2002 World Championships. He is also began the Ultimate Frisbee team at the University of Utah in 2005 and coached the team until 2009. Mr. Watkins lives in the Millcreek area with his wife and daughter, Torrey, who is in Class II at Waterford.

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. 

Dr. MaryAnn Pope is a science teacher at Waterford, specializing in chemistry and molecular biology. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and doctorate degree from the University of Utah in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry. Her graduate research involved elucidating the mechanism of the DNA repair enzyme MutY and murine MYH. She has published several peer review scientific papers in respected journals such as: Biochemistry, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Chemistry and Biology, and DNA Repair. During her time at the University of Utah, MaryAnn received several prestigious awards. As an undergraduate student she was awarded both the Leon Watters and the Walter D. and Grace G. Bonner Memorial Awards for her outstanding achievement in academics from the University of Utah Chemistry department. As a graduate student she received an NIH Fellowship Grant and was given the William W. Epstein Outstanding Educator Award by the University of Utah department of Chemistry for her work as a teaching assistant. Prior to joining the Waterford faculty in 2014, MaryAnn taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College. The courses that she taught include: introduction to chemistry, general chemistry lab I and II, and elementary bioorganic chemistry. Outside of teaching, MaryAnn enjoys tennis, hiking, running, reading, roller coasters, and watching action movies. She lives in Sandy with her husband and two daughters.

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.

Ilana Fogelson is a writer, translator, and educator originally from Salt Lake City. She studied Creative Writing and Chinese in undergrad at Macalester College and received her MFA in Fiction from Brown University. She has taught English abroad in China as well as leading Creative Writing courses for a wide variety of students. She utilizes her writing to better understand the ways in which the world changes from day to day. Her work has previously been seen in such publications as The Broome Street Review, No Tokens Magazine, and Monster House Press. She also works as a writer for film and television. When she isn't writing or teaching others to write, Ilana can be found climbing big rocks or hiking big mountains.