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.

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.

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.

Susan B. Johnsen, is a graduate of Utah State University where she earned a B.A. She majored in Early Childhood Education and minored in Children’s Literature. While at USU she was awarded the coveted Greeves Memorial Scholarship. Susan loves to dance and was a performer in the USU dance company while also performing in community theater in her home town. Susan began her teaching career with a move to Connecticut so her husband, Ken Johnsen, could attend Yale Law School. Her first teaching job was at Gan Hayeled Nursery School of B’Nai Jacob Synagogue in Woodbridge, CT (1983 – 1985). In the afternoons, she worked as an Extended Day teacher at St. Thomas More, a private elementary school in Hamden, CT. Her next move was to San Francisco, CA for Ken’s judicial clerkship. Susan earned a teaching appointment at The Laurel School, a private elementary school that specialized in educating children with learning disabilities (1985-1986). The following year the Johnsens moved back to Utah, and Susan began teaching for the Waterford School in the preschool program during the first two years of the Sandy City Waterford campus (1986 – 1988). Susan then switched roles and became a Waterford parent for ten years. She returned to Waterford as a Class IV teacher in 2000. Prior re-entering the classroom, Susan served as Lower School Director, she was a Class IV teacher (2000 – 2012), Lead Teacher for Classes III – IV (2009 – 2012), Lower School Community Service Coordinator (2006 – 2009), and a preschool teacher (1986 – 1988). Susan received the Waterford Educator Prize in 2011. Susan’s three children are all Waterford graduates. She is extremely appreciative of the lasting impact their Waterford education continues to have on the their lives. She enjoys hiking, snow skiing, water skiing, reading, teaching, and traveling.

Sheri Kovacs wanted to be a teacher from the time she was a young girl. With the help of a scholarship and a part-time job, she entered Brigham Young University, completing her bachelor’s degree in three years, proud to be the first college graduate in her family. She married shortly after graduation, and began her first teaching contract on her twenty-first birthday. Following two years of teaching first grade in Alpine School District, Sheri retired and moved with her husband to California, where their first son was born. Shortly afterward, they returned to Utah, and Sheri to teaching, this time in third grade in Alpine School District. Following the birth of her second son, she co-wrote the proposal for and was a part of the pilot program for job-sharing in second grade in the Alpine District. When the Kovacs family moved to Sandy, Sheri was employed in the Jordan School District, teaching first grade for one year, and then third grade for seven years. Her career at Waterford began in the school year of 1998-1999, and she has enjoyed teaching Class II since that time. She loves Class II students and their parents, the Class II curriculum, and interacting with her colleagues. She has served as a Lead Teacher and was the recipient of the Waterford Educator Prize in 2012. In the course of her career, Sheri has taught more than 800 students. If asked, she will tell you that she plans to teach until she is 94. Sheri has enjoyed attending conferences, with special interest in math, reading and phonics, and learning about the brain. In her out of school hours, she is involved in her church, volunteered in an addiction recovery program, and loves to read, bake, and play with her grandchildren. During the summer, she enjoys going to the neighborhood pool daily and going to the beach as often as the opportunity presents itself. Currently, Sheri resides in South Jordan with her husband. Their family includes their two sons, a daughter-in-law, and two beautiful grandchildren. Sheri considers her family to be her most important accomplishment.

Shannon Lechner is a Maryland native who moved to Utah to continue her love for teaching. She received her B.S. in Rehabilitation and Human Services from The
Pennsylvania State University and played for their Division 1 Women’s lacrosse team. After graduating in 2014, Shannon continued her passion for education and lacrosse overseas at The University of Exeter in Devon, England. She was awarded a full-scholarship to coach and play for the Exeter lacrosse team, while earning her Master’s Degree in Education. Her M.A. studies focused on educational learning through technology, creativity, and thinking strategies. After her time abroad, Shannon began her teaching career at The Landon School, an all-boys school in Bethesda, MD. While at Landon, Shannon served as a third and fourth-grade homeroom teacher, head coach of the fifth-grade soccer and lacrosse teams, and was a mentor for all Lower School boys in and out of the classroom. She also was a member of the Social Emotional Learning (S.E.L.) committee and has attended the Lucy Calkins Writing Institute at Columbia University and Project Zero Conference at The Washington International School. During her free time, Shannon enjoys spending time outdoors. Whether it’s hiking a mountain or relaxing at the beach, you will always find her embracing nature. Being from the east coast, she is most excited about learning how to ski! Shannon is excited about this next chapter, both at Waterford and in enjoying new experiences exploring the beauty of Utah.

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!

Jessica Shaffer is originally from Ohio, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education at Baldwin Wallace College.  After graduating in 2009, she was hired as a Math Tutor at Brookfield Middle School in Brookfield, Ohio. During her 2 years there, she coached 7th and 8th Grade Volleyball and Softball, and taught a summer program for students entering Kindergarten.  In 2011, Jessica was hired as a 4th Grade Teacher at Brookfield Elementary.  During her 4 years there, she took on many leadership roles while completing her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership through Concordia University.  

In 2015, Jessica moved to Utah and continued to teach 4th Grade for 3 more years, until joining the Class I team at Waterford in 2018.  She loves living in Utah and is excited to be a part of the Waterford community.  

In her free time, Jessica enjoys playing softball, crafting, attending sporting events, and spending time with her dog, Bailey.

Jenny Sorenson received a Bachelors of Science degree, with a focus on Human Development and Family Studies, as well as a Early Childhood Education certification from the University of Utah in 2001. During her college years, she taught preschool with Granite School District and earned other real-world experience working in the fields of banking, dining service, floral design, and pet care. She also worked several years for the postal service. Upon graduation, she worked for the Jordan School District for 5 years as a classroom teacher and reading specialist in Herriman and South Jordan, Utah. Wanting to spend more time with her family, she ran an independent tutoring service, Yearning For Learning, from 2005 to 2009. Efforts to find more effective strategies to meet the needs of students with Dyslexia led Jenny to Waterford, a pioneer in Utah for the Wilson and Fundations programs for reading and spelling interventions. She began her journey with Waterford in 2009 in the tutoring program, where she tutored middle school students in English, history, and study skills. In 2010, she transitioned back into the classroom and has been teaching in Class III ever since. Jenny is proud to be teaching at The Waterford School, where the liberal arts program aligns well with her philosophies of teaching and living. She grew up in Sandy, Utah, just a few blocks away from the campus, where her parents continue to reside. Her husband and two daughters are also proud to be a part of the Waterford community. Jenny prides herself on being a life-long learner and is currently studying mindfulness and the positive effects of this practice, especially as it relates to the classroom environment. She enjoys learning through travel opportunities and drawing parallels between the ancient cultures explored in the Class III curriculum and other ancient cultures. Most recently, she visited Machu Picchu on a faculty trip to Peru in 2015 and Chichen Itza, in the Yucatan peninsula, in 2016. She also enjoys making jewelry, singing with her “family band,” and the beauty of nature in all of its forms. She looks forward to the adventures ahead.

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.

Emmy Thomson has been teaching at the Waterford School for 15 years. Emmy teaches Lower School dance classes III – V and Middle and Upper School fundamentals, technique, and independent study. She teaches modern dance for the Waterford Dance Academy and is involved in choreographing the annual spring shows. 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-Woodbury Dance 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.

 

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.

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.

Kirsten Jorgenson is the Class VI Dean and a homeroom, Humanities, and English teacher at the Waterford School. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama, an MA in British and American Literature from the University of Utah, and a BA in English and Creative Writing from Lake Forest College. She is the author of one full-length collection of experimental poetry, Sediment & Veil (Horse Less Press, 2014). Her poetry and prose has been widely published in both indie and established venues.

Before joining Waterford in 2015, she taught in the Writing and Composition Program at Appalachian State University. During her time at Appalachian State, she served as Co-Director of the University’s Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, which not only hosted diverse, influential writers from across the country, but also mentored students as they learned how to run and host reading series of their own. Though currently on hiatus, she also co-founded, co-edited, and co-curated Ark Press, a boutique independent poetry press and reading series with her husband.

When she isn’t teaching, Kirsten enjoys cooking, reading, and hiking with her husband, son, and dog.

Casey O'Malley is a cum laude graduate of Columbia University in the City of New York. She completed two bachelors degrees (English and Russian Language & Culture) in her time there and studied abroad in Moscow, Russia. She graduated with distinction for her senior thesis, "To The Heights Ahead: Mountaineering as Political Expression in the Soviet Union." Casey came to Waterford School as a rowing coach in 2010; she has been teaching in the English department since 2013 and will be the chair of the English department beginning Fall 2016. She was the first director of the School's Writing Center. In 2015, Casey jointly led a revitalization effort for the School's sixth-grade curriculum with Dr. Luana Uluave, combining separate English and History classes into a single blended Humanities course. In her free time, Casey can usually be found in the mountains: she is an avid climber, skier, and trail runner.

Charles Rosett teaches Middle and Upper School English and Economics at Waterford, and serves as Director of Professional Development. His roles at the school over the past 25 years have included Class Dean, English Department Chair, and interim chair of the Music, Art, and Foreign Language departments; from 2000-2010 he served as the Academic Dean. In 1999 he was selected by his colleagues as a recipient of the Waterford Educator Prize. He holds a B.A. in English from Yale University and an M.B.A. in finance and statistics from The University of Chicago. His academic focus includes Shakespeare, British poetry, and political economy. He is a regular participant at think-tank conferences and round tables on liberty, economics, and the role of markets in a free society. Charles' four children are all graduates of Waterford, and he feels fortunate to have raised them in the school community, where has wife Heather has also taught intermittently over the years. He enjoys hiking and skiing with his family in the Wasatch, and is an avid road cyclist who is a nine-time finisher of the Logan-to-Jackson Race, America's longest single-day bike race. When not teaching at Waterford or playing in the mountains, he can be found reading in a comfortable chair in his living room, just a few blocks from campus.

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.

Jack Matthews joined the History Department at Waterford in 2018.  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.

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.  

James Harris teaches Middle and Upper School Science, is the Science Department Chair, and leads Waterford’s Robotics Program. James earned a Bachelors of Science degree at Cornell University where he studied Natural Resources. While attending university he competed as part of the Lightweight Rowing team. A faculty member at Waterford since 1990, James has filled many roles over the years. James has taught both in the Math and Science Departments and has held numerous leadership roles including Upper School Dean, MS/US Dean of Students, and founder of the Outdoor Program. James has a keen interest in facility and campus design and has been involved in planning as Waterford’s campus has grown and developed. Specific projects of interest include design and construction of the indoor climbing wall in the East Gym, design and development of the campus Arboretum, development of the Campus Master Plan, and the design of a future science facility. James has been Science Department Chair since 2010. In this role he has facilitated technology integration initiatives, founded and designed the Robotics program, and has worked to optimize learning in current facilities while planning for future expansion. Having grown up in Massachusetts, James misses the ocean but greatly enjoys the landscape of Utah and, in particular, the proximity of the Wasatch Mountains, where he spends time with friends and family hiking, biking, skiing, and rock climbing. And, whether in his backyard or in the wild, James always keeps eye and ear alert for interesting birds. James particularly enjoys the opportunities that come from a multi-generation career at Waterford. He finds it gratifying and fun to teach alongside students-turned-colleagues and to teach, with increasing frequency, the offspring of alumni who have included their own children in the Waterford community.

Rebekka Joslin, joins Waterford's Science Department as a Middle and Upper School science teacher. She graduated in 2006 from Dartmouth College with a Masters of Science in soil science. Her research brought her to the far southern reaches of the planet where she studied biotic and abiotic factors influencing nutrient cycling in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica.

Bekka started her teaching career in New Hampshire, where she taught, coached and served as the New Hampton School's sustainability coordinator for 10 years. Her passion for teaching beyond the curriculum and engaging students in self-reflection is what keeps her inspired and enthusiastic. At Waterford, Bekka will teach a variety of science courses at the Middle School level as well as Upper School electives. 

Bekka is joined at Waterford by her husband, Justin (science and math teacher), and her two daughters. In her free time, Bekka loves to explore the outdoors with her family, camping, skiing, biking, hiking, swimming and just plain sitting and observing. 

Dr. Daniel Osipovitch, chemistry teacher at Waterford, received his Ph.D. in Experimental and Molecular Medicine from Dartmouth College (NH) in February of 2015. His thesis research used protein engineering/bioengineering to develop new ways of treating drug-resistant Staph. infections with engineered enzymes. Daniel also has a B.S. in chemistry and a B.S. in forensic science from the University of New Haven (CT). Daniel spent much of his life (from tenth grade on) as a tutor, either working independently, for a school, or for a tutoring company. It was through this work that he developed his passion for teaching and recognized that he needed to be in the classroom inspiring our future scientists and engineers; he hopes to show students that chemistry, although challenging, is a beautiful and exciting view into how the world around us works. Daniel believes that science is one of the best ways to connect to the world around us. Other passions of his include playing competitive Scrabble, cooking (which includes canning jam, baking bread, and making cheese), hiking, and traveling. Daniel brings these passions into the classroom--his Scrabble club at Waterford helps to build critical thinking skills. At Waterford, Daniel regularly teaches sixth-grade chemistry, honors chemistry, and AP chemistry. In 2016, he worked alongside Dr. Pope to create a pharmacology senior elective, a topic that is relevant to everyday life, and that helped to unite all areas of science that the students have learned at Waterford. He has also developed a forensic science summer class for class VI titled “Solving Mysteries with Chemistry.” This engaging class has allowed students to explore how chemistry can be used beyond the classroom, providing an opportunity for students to get hands-on experience in many lab activities including fingerprinting, casting footprints and tire tracks, identifying art forgery, and analyzing potentially poisoned samples. It is Daniel’s goal to develop in his students a curiosity about the world, and he hopes his students leave with a true understanding of Rosalind Franklin’s poignant statement, “science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.”

Rich Gaebler is a retired financial professional and New York emigre who lived and worked in the canyons of Manhattan for most of his adult life. He grew up only a short hitchhike away from the great white sand beaches of Long Island, and has many fond memories of his teenage summers at the beach, as well as his frequent frustrations golfing the Bethpage Black course with his friends. He has a BA in Economics from Cornell University, an MBA, and is also a CPA, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and a Financial Risk Manager (FRM.) Rich has tutored mathematics at the Waterford School since 2013, and he has enjoyed every minute!

Rich loves spending time with his wonderful family. He met his wife Deborah, a registered nurse who once ran a St. George Marathon in under 3 hours, in the New York Public Library. His younger son Tristan is a voracious reader, a tough debater, and on his way to becoming a great writer. His older son Trevor, a recent BYU grad in Statistics and Math, lives across the street with his amazing wife Brandy (and their two dogs.) Rich always looks forward to cooking sumptuous dinners every Sunday for his family, but he has not yet figured out how to get everyone sitting at the table while the food is still hot.

An ardent Cubs fan and former college baseball pitcher, Rich still relishes playing on a beautifully green baseball field, grooving batting practice fastballs to his son Trevor and watching him hit majestically-arced home runs, both father and son reveling in a spectacular afternoon together amid the backdrop of the sun-drenched Wasatch Mountains! Rich also enjoys a great read, winning a hotly contested family board game, watching his son’s baseball games, playing with his kettlebells, indulging in the occasional long family hike, and sometimes listening to the 60’s music he grew up with.

Rich is enlivened and inspired by the students at Waterford and he feels indeed privileged to teach math and work closely with so many wonderful, potential-laden young people.