In the classroom, in the community and in the wild, Teton Science Schools creates authentic educational experiences for 15,000 learners and leaders every year—the kind of experiences that bring you closer to the people and places all around you, deepen your understanding and give you clarity and courage to make change in your world.
Experience your world.
Understand your world.
Change your world for the better.
Our Approach to Education
We believe in learner-centered practices implemented by teachers who are lifelong learners in content and craft. Our approach is place-based, connecting learning with community. We define place as the ecological, cultural and economic aspects of a community.
Learning is in our nature
Our Impact
Nearly 15,000
Annual Students
$1.6 Million
in Annual Student Scholarships
96,541 Days
of Learning per Year
Meet Shawn Kelly
Teton Science Schools welcomes Shawn Kelly as Chief Executive Officer of Teton Science Schools. He will lead and oversee the institution’s mission-driven program areas: Field Education, Professional Learning, Mountain Academy and Murie Ranch. TSS operates four distinct campuses in Wyoming and Idaho including the Jackson Campus, Teton Valley Campus, along with the Murie Ranch and Kelly Campus, both located within the Grand Teton National Park. Shawn will also hold the Head of School position for Mountain Academy, TSS’s independent school for PreK to 12th grade.
Our programs are based at four campuses in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and extend beyond the Tetons to impact students and educators from across the country and around the globe.
Students at Teton Science Schools are curious about the world around them and look for ways to engage and lead in their communities. TSS is committed to equity, striving for systems that enable access for underrepresented communities. As a core value, TSS embraces inclusion by welcoming people from every socioeconomic status, physical and learning ability, race, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status and religious background.
Transformative place-based education can only be achieved through a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Our commitment to DEI makes learning more engaging, relevant, impactful and transferable. It also results in a more effective team of teachers and staff. Additionally, our efforts will make place-based education more accessible for teachers and learners.
I would not be here if it wasn't for my summer experience at Teton Science Schools. That is where I first saw myself as a scientist. TSS was the single most impactful experience in my life and is the reason why I am passionate about K-6 science education!
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan Favorite animal: River otter
Born and raised in Michigan, Sam spent her childhood dreaming of the mountains and vast deserts of the American West. As an adult, she moved to California to study at the University of San Diego. During that time, Sam began teaching wilderness skills and leading outdoor adventure trips throughout the Southwest.
Sam went on to work as a naturalist in Southeast Alaska’s temperate rainforest ecosystem, guiding river trips and leading backcountry expeditions throughout the The Last Frontier State and Canada.
The next stop on Sam’s journey was Wyoming, where Sam moved in 2018 for a dream job with Teton Science Schools. She has since become an active volunteer Firefighter & EMT with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.
Sam is passionate about experiential education, backcountry medicine, and science communication. She loves to share those passions with others, including sharing her love for the GYE!
In her free time, you can find Sam writing, trying to finish a crossword, or exploring a national park.
Jeff Mulligan
Hometown: Franklin, MA
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE): Grizzly bear
Jeff grew up exploring the forests, mountains, and coastlines of New England and graduated with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from the University of Massachusetts. He began his outdoor career track working with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Park Service. Jeff moved to Jackson in 2015 to work with the Teton Science Schools and has worked as a field instructor and wildlife guide. During the summer season, Jeff works for the National Park Service, having worked at parks in Boston and Colorado, as well as both Grand Teton and Yellowstone. In his free time, Jeff enjoys fly-fishing, hiking, skiing, and wildlife photography.
Samantha Fogel
Hometown: Southern New Hampshire Favorite animal: Bison
Samantha grew up in southern New Hampshire, skiing and hiking in the White Mountains. After graduating from Hamilton College with a degree in Philosophy, she returned to New Hampshire to work for the Appalachian Mountain Club in their backcountry hut system. Samantha then turned her enthusiasm for outdoor education into a position at a local Waldorf school in the White Mountains. She moved to Jackson in July and can be found exploring on her bike, hiking in the mountains, or getting mildly lost in the side streets of town square.
Callie Lajza
Hometown: Gainesville, FL Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Beaver
Callie graduated from William & Mary in 2018 and from the University of Central Florida in 2016. She originally moved to Jackson to work for the Bridger-Teton National forest and continued her time in the area with Teton Science Schools Field Education. Currently, Callie spends a lot of time on the water as well as pursuing hiking and climbing in the Tetons!
Helen Lewis
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Osprey
Helen grew up exploring northern Wisconsin’s forests, lakes, rivers and bogs. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned dual degrees in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies. There she had the opportunity to study marine and terrestrial tropical ecology in Ecuador, and she focused her studies on alpine plants in high Andean grasslands called páramos. Throughout her time in school and after graduating, Helen led 9 to 45-day canoeing, sea kayaking, and backpacking expeditions focused on leadership development amongst groups of young women. These trips led her from the Great Lakes Region to the tundras of the Canadian subarctic in Nunavut and Northwest Territories, where she developed a love of hardy plants and animals thriving in cold, dry places. In 2019, Helen moved to Jackson and began working for Teton Science Schools as a Field Instructor, marrying her passions for science and the natural world with her experiences leading in outdoor education. With this unique landscape and its wild inhabitants in the foreground, she has since had the opportunity to connect with hundreds of visitors in this spectacular ecosystem. When not out inspecting nooks and crannies of high alpine environments for hidden wildflowers, Helen enjoys trail running, cooking colorful meals, backcountry skiing, and learning about the ever-evolving intersections between people and the environment in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Logan Edgeman
Hometown: La Fayette, Georgia Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Great Grey Owl
Logan (he/him/his) grew up in southern Appalachia which connected him to the outdoors and natural world from an early age. While obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Leadership from Young Harris College in Northeast Georgia, Logan immersed himself in as many outdoor experiences as possible to better connect himself with outdoor places and communities. After working many seasons as a guide and field instructor, Logan began working with private and public colleges in the State of Georgia coordinating outdoor programming with an emphasis on introducing inner-city and underprivileged students to outdoor initiatives and sustainable practices while recreating outdoors. Logan‘s model for facilitating outdoor programs is to introduce, educate, inspire, and create an everlasting and expanding relationship with the natural world and diverse communities around us.
Teton Science Schools welcomes Shawn Kelly as Chief Executive Officer of Teton Science Schools. He will lead and oversee the institution’s mission-driven program areas: Field Education, Professional Learning, Mountain Academy and Murie Ranch. TSS operates four distinct campuses in Wyoming and Idaho including the Jackson Campus, Teton Valley Campus, along with the Murie Ranch and Kelly Campus, both located within the Grand Teton National Park. Shawn will also hold the Head of School position for Mountain Academy, TSS’s independent school for PreK to 12th grade.
