Get to know your teachers and mentors
Travis Aldrich | Head of School
travis.aldrich@thepeakschool.educationM.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction | University of Vermont
B.A. American Civilization | Middlebury College
Places I have lived: Cornwall,VT | Old Forge, NY | Deerfield,
MA |Estes Park, CO | Boulder, CO | West Hills, CA | Portland,
OR | Albuquerque, NM | Kauai, HI
Professional Highlight: The Galloway Family Excellence in Teaching Award
Interests: Playing with my two children | Reading | Fly-fishing | Skiing | Rafting | Canoeing | Soccer| Lacrosse | Basketball | Camping
Melanie Benedict | Associate Head of School
melanie.benedict@thepeakschool.educationB.S. Business Administration & Finance | University of Florida
Early Childhood & Small School Director Qualification | Red Rocks Community College
Places I have lived: Gainesville, FL | Solana Beach, CA | Naples, FL | London, England | Riverside, CA | Breckenridge, CO
Professional Highlight: Manager of the Year, Vail Resorts 2008
Interests: Skiing | Mountain biking | Paddle boarding | Photography | Reading
Jessie Hoehn | Director of Admission
jessie.hoehn@thepeakschool.educationAssociation Montessori Internationale Certificate
Working towards Sustainability degree at Colorado Mountain College
Places I have lived: St. Louis, MO | Old Greenwich, CT | Tipp City, OH | Alma, CO | Breckenridge, CO
Professional Highlight: Founder of Bristlecone Montessori School
Interests: Yoga | Camping | Mountain Biking | Snowboarding | Skinning up the mountain to watch the sunrise | Hiking with my rescue pups | Live music | Hanging out with kids | Vegan Baking |
Emily Shepardson | Executive Assistant | Welcome Office Coordinator
welcomeoffice@thepeakschool.educationWorking towards a Bachelors in Communications from the University of Colorado Denver
Places I have Lived: Denver, CO | Boulder, CO | Breckenridge, CO | Silverthorne, CO
Professional Highlight: Working the Bombers Ski program as both an instructor and supervisor and getting to know local families.
Interests: Trying new things! | Photography | Skiing | Meditative walks in nature | Gratitude Practices | Biking | Synchronized Swimming
Liz Roush | Academic Dean| Senior Sustainability
liz.roush@thepeakschool.educationM.A. Curriculum & Instruction | University of Denver
Graduate Residency in Environmental Education | Teton Science Schools
B.A. Spanish & Environmental Studies | Colgate University
Places I have lived: Denver, CO | Hamilton, NY | Jackson, WY | Seville, Spain | Frisco, CO
Professional Highlight: I am also an Adjunct Professor of Sustainability at Colorado Mountain College.
Interests: Skiing | Adventuring | Cooking | Reading | Crocheting | Watching birds
Anna Cartner | Director of Marketing and Development
anna.cartner@thepeakschool.educationMasters in Education in Curriculum and Instruction | University of Phoenix
B.S. Management Information Systems | Clemson University
Places I have lived: Lincolnton, GA | Clemson, SC | Anderson, SC | Lake Wateree, SC | York, SC | Evans, GA | My Camper around the U.S. | Silverthorne, CO
Professional Highlight: Working in marketing and development to help drive mission-driven companies and organizations forward.
Interests: Sailing | Weight Lifting | Hiking | Walking my dog | Snow skiing
Steven Craig | Advanced Pre-Algebra and Ancient Civilizations
steven.craig@thepeakschool.educationB.A. in English | Colgate University
M.A. in English | University of Vermont
Places I have lived: New England | Washington, D.C., | Denver, CO | Summit County, CO
Professional Highlight: I started my teaching career at the Berkshire School, a Mass. boarding school. I also have taught at Vail Mountain School and Mullen High School in Denver. But what I am most proud of is being a founding trustee here at the Peak School.
Interests: Skiing | Mountain biking | Playing guitar | Writing (I published a novel entitled Waiting for Today).
Hartman Austin | Art | Foundations Math
hartman.austin@thepeakschool.educationB.A. in Political Science /Religious Studies|University of Tennessee
Places I have lived: Knoxville, TN | Chattanooga, TN| Breckenridge, CO
Professional Highlight: Being a Professional Skateboarder and Snowskater and receiving the "Business of the Year" award for running the Breckenridge Skate Camp
Interests: Yoga Hatha Instructor | Instructor |Skateboard insBirds | Reggae Music | Community Service | Art!
Amy Bittle | Middle School Humanities
amy.bittle@thepeakschool.educationB.A. in Political Science | Colorado State University
M.A. in Education | Western Colorado University
Teacher Licensure in Secondary Social Studies | Western Colorado University
Places I have lived: Lakewood, CO | Fort Collins, CO | Salzburg, Austria | Salida, CO | Silverthorne, CO
Professional Highlight: Leading climbing, backpacking and rafting trips at a non-profit focused on empowering young women in the outdoors.
Interests: Rafting | Skiing | Camping | Mountain Biking | Yoga | Reading | Running | Cooking |Music
Edward Lerner | Upper School Math and Physics
edward.lerner@thepeakschool.educationBS Physics and Mathematics |Pennsylvania State University
Places I have lived: Orlando , FL | San Antonio, TX | Allentown, PA | Idyllwild, CA | Santa Cruz, CA |Reno, NV |Frisco, CO
Professional Highlight: Photographing the total solar eclipse in 2017, NSF funded computation modeling curriculum, developing innovation labs/maker spaces, using pulleys to beat dozens of children in tug of war.
Interests: Cooking | Photography| Tabletop gaming | Winter sports | Outdoor adventures | Science fiction
Monica Mills | Spanish
monica.mills@thepeakschool.educationM.A. Hispanic Linguistics | Indiana University — Bloomington
B.A. Spanish & Philosophy | Grove City College
Places I have lived: Cleveland, OH | Pittsburgh, PA | Bloomington, IN | Málaga, Spain | Stuttgart, Germany | Summit County, CO
Professional Highlight: Presented at two international conferences (Linguistics Association of the South West & Pragmatics and Language Learning)
Interests: BRAINS AND HOW THEY WORK! | Backpacking | Reading | Star Trek | Being on the Mountain | Hiking | Learning new things and languages
Leah Wachowski | Middle School STEM, Upper School History
leah.wachowski@thepeakschool.educationM.Ed. Teacher Leadership | Western Colorado University
B.A. Environmental Studies | University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A. Gender and Women's Studies | University of Wisconsin-Madison
Places I have lived: Green Bay, WI | Madison, WI | Running Springs, CA | Brevard, NC | Breckenridge, CO
Professional Highlight: Being published for my research on media and its effects on adolescent health
Interests: Running | Reading | Yoga | Live Music | Skiing | Traveling | Popcorn | Playing Outside
Aydan Cleary | Upper School Humanities
aydan.cleary@thepeakschool.educationBachelors in Secondary Education Social Studies Concentration
Places I have lived: Monument CO | Bellingham WA | Fort Collins CO | Denver CO | Frisco CO
Professional Highlight: Graduating with a teaching license fulfilling a lifelong goal of becoming a teacher.
Interests: Fishing, hiking, biking, hunting, and wrangling
Erica Larson | Middle School STEM
erica.larson@thepeakschool.educationB.S. - Environmental Science
M.A. - Curriculum and Instruction in Science
Colorado Professional Teacher License
Places I have lived: I am a Colorado native! I have traveled extensively, but have lived in Colorado most of my life. It is my home and I love it here!
Professional Highlight: I have been an educator for twenty years. I have been an elementary classroom teacher, an adjunct college instructor, and a curriculum developer for a STEM education company. I am excited to be at The Peak School because I am passionate about STEM, outdoor education, and I love working with the kids and families of Summit County!
Interests: I love spending time outdoors with my husband and two kids. We enjoy hiking, skiing, kayaking, picnicking, and riding bikes. We are also passionate about travel and experiencing new places, people, and culture.
Bingbing Huang | Chinese
erica.larson@thepeakschool.educationM.Ed. Education | Southern Utah University
B.A. Sports Education | Wuhan Sports University
Places I have lived: Henderson, NV | Cedar City, UT | St. George, UT| Denver, CO | Tibet, China | Wuhan, China | Gerlev, Denmark
Professional Highlights:
Utah State Board of Education Chinese Dual Language Immersion Endorsement
Utah State Board of Education Gifted and Talented Endorsement
Nevada State Board of Education Secondary Chinese World Language License
Volunteer Travel Certificate by the Organization Voluntour
Interests: Reading | Yoga | Snorkeling | Hiking | Camping | Swimming| Kayaking| Cooking | Cat lover
The Peak School also works closely with…
Lindsay Lesch | Academic Ascents, LLC
Orton-Gillingham Certified Tutor for DyslexiaYou can reach Lindsay via her website or via email at academicascents@gmail.com .