April 18, 2023
Mountain Academy has been an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School that has offered the Diploma Program since 2010. Over the past 13 years, all of our 11th and 12th grade students have taken part in the program, and in more recent years students have had the option to pursue the full IB diploma, or they have chosen another pathway, one called Community Engagement, which offers opportunities to take part in student internships, study abroad, or an extended outdoor expedition. Or, students can take part in the Outdoor Leadership pathway, which emphasizes leadership, stewardship, and traveling in the wild. Regardless of the path they choose, students take IB courses and are challenged by the IB curriculum, and it is considered the ‘Gold Standard’ for college admissions according to admissions officers who visit Mountain Academy every fall. Students are prepared to read, write, present, complete projects, conduct labs, and get involved in student life. IB students are more often admitted to selective colleges, they matriculate after admission, and they are more likely to complete college and pursue advanced studies compared to their non-IB peers. The global average of students who attempt and earn the full diploma usually falls around 83-84% annually. Since we introduced the three pathways at Mountain Academy five years ago, only one student among all who attempted the full diploma did not earn it. Therefore, our five year success rate is around 97%, well above average. As of late March, the class of 2023 is wrapping up course work and preparing for final exams, which run May 2-18. Depending on their courses, students will have a dozen or more final exams. The class of 2023 is working hard. While they are a little nervous about their finals, they are confident and feel ready. We will receive results on July 6, the annual IB grade release date.
When taking the IB program, there is the option to follow the internship pathway instead of going for the full diploma. Most of the class of ‘23 has chosen to follow this pathway. Our class has had to go through the process of searching for an internship that relates to our personal interests and coordinating with a business that is willing to work with a high school intern, communicating with the individuals there, and managing our time during the school week to actually go to the internship. This process proved to be challenging but has taught all of us how to persevere despite the struggles. Among the people that have chosen this pathway, there is a lot of diversity in our internships, ranging from working with environmental consulting companies to volunteering with companies that customize skis. I have been interning at Headwaters Construction Company, where I work alongside the accounting department and owners. When I first started this internship, I had little experience in an office environment and was intimidated by how professional and formal everything was. However the more I take part in this internship, the more I have learned how to navigate this type of environment while staying motivated and keeping a positive attitude (which can be hard at times). What I appreciate most from this internship is the real-world experience I have gained. While I learned skills applicable to the construction world, I also learned larger life skills that I did not know before I started. Compared to when I started the internship I now feel more prepared and comfortable to start working at a professional level after high school. -Cameryn Cross, class of ‘23
To complete our International Baccalaureate Extended Essay process, we give an oral presentation about our chosen topic, which is open for members of the community to view. This presentation exhibits the culmination of a year-long research project, where we get to share our findings with the community of Mountain Academy. This project allows students to bring our interests into an academic setting, and the presentation specifically allows us to share our individual interests on a more in-depth level with the community. Through these presentations, younger students get a view of the culmination of interests and academics in the International Baccalaureate program. Extended Essay presentations allow members of the community to get an understanding of the work we do as students of the IB program, including the rigor of the program and the effort put into our work. We are able to present our chosen topics and speak about a subject that we are interested in. Additionally, these projects, the essay, and presentation, culminate years of developing research, writing, and presenting skills.
-Campbell Gervais, Oliver Jost, and Grace Regan – class of ‘23
My name is Ronan Hagedorn, I am a fifteen year old sophomore who currently attends Mountain Academy. I love skiing, lifting, and traveling. I am writing today in order to convey a few points about myself.
I would like to start off by talking about how important it is to participate in a sport or activity outside of school. For me, the sport that I chose to participate in this year was skiing, it was my first year doing it. It helped me get outside of my conformed community and begin improving on something that is important to me. For me as well, skiing helped me take more risks and in turn pushed me out of my comfort zone with the goal of improvement in mind. For instance, hitting steep drops, throwing big jumps and tricks. I was also pushed to improve by my friends who are much better at skiing than I am. When I didn’t do as many sports a few years ago I felt that my level of athleticism dropped and my level of happiness dropped as well. Getting back into sports, specifically ones that I liked, helped me enjoy all seasons of the year more.
Second of all I want to talk about my abrupt switch of schools in the middle of freshman year. I went from going to the public high school in Jackson back to Mountain Academy. The main reason for me was the unhealthy lifestyle choices that affected so many people at the public high school. That being said, I also felt that there was a gap in education between the high school and Mountain Academy. They both offer students the opportunity to pursue their own interests but Mountain Academy felt like it allowed me to have a lot more freedom with what I did in high school. I felt like the education at Mountain Academy was more centered around the individual student rather than the class as a whole. I liked this education form because it offered more opportunities to the students to learn. Both inside and outside of class.
-Ronan Hagedorn’25
Hometown: Springfield, IL
Favorite Animal: Great Gray Owl
Alex was born and raised in Springfield, IL and grew up reading field guides whenever he wasn’t out looking for turtles and frogs. He can still vividly remember
the first Great Blue Heron he saw and it was this modern day dinosaur that sparked his interest in birds. He moved to Olympia, Washington to study ecology at The Evergreen State College where his love of natural history continued to grow. While studying abroad in Chile Alex discovered a passion for sharing his love of natural history as well as getting into birding as a hobby. Straight out of undergrad Alex attended Western Washington University to obtain a Masters in Environmental Education, which included a yearlong residency teaching and writing curriculum at the North Cascades Institute. In the ten years since finishing grad school he has worked naturalist and outdoor education jobs in Oregon, California, Maine, and back to Washington. For two years he managed education and outreach programs for the New Mexico Wildlife Center. There he delivered live raptor programs, cared for non-releasable birds, mammals, and reptiles as well as assisting in the rehabilitation of injured wildlife.
Alex came to Jackson Hole in 2022 to join Wildlife Expeditions as a Guide and loves sharing the magnificent wildlife and scenery of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with visitors. When he’s not guiding, Alex can be found birding, cross-country skiing, or hiking with his adopted husky, Mia.
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: The Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
Whitney (she/her/hers) has a passion for helping people connect with the outdoor world through a scientific lens and for promoting stewardship to protect the places we all love. She has both a Master’s degree in Ecology and a teaching certificate, which she has used as a wildlife guide, the curriculum designer and instructor of the University of Wyoming’s Guide Certification program. Whitney has an extensive teaching background both in and out of the classroom. As the Director of Wildlife Expeditions, Whitney provides our guides with mentorship, continuing education experiences and professional development to ensure that we offer the best guides in the industry. In her free time, you can find Whitney somewhere on the river, hiking with her husband and toddler, or examining scat with more interest than many would find normal.
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Moose
Born and raised in the Texas hill country, David grew up hearing stories from his parents of the majesty of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. While earning his degree in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University, David assisted in the care of captive elk, lynx, and white-tailed deer, some of the animals found in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. After realizing that he couldn’t safely own a pet moose, he decided to move to Jackson so he could see them daily. Since arriving, he has thoroughly enjoyed sharing his passion for the parks by creating memorable experiences for his guests while also inspiring love for our beautiful planet and its creatures. The fact that Jackson Hole has 3 more seasons than Texas is an added bonus. When not guiding, David enjoys hiking with his dog, skiing and snowboarding, reading, and gazing up at the Teton range.
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.
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.
Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Bison
Dylan grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Summer road trips introduced him to the National Parks and the mountains of the American West. After graduating college with a degree in Environmental Education, he has gotten an opportunity to live and work in some of the most amazing places in the world, including Mt St Helens National Monument, Redwoods National and State Parks, Death Valley, North Cascades, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone National Parks. Outside of work, Dylan enjoys photography, travel, biking, hiking, and watching movies.
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.
AnnaLisa first began to develop a love and enthusiasm for the practice of Natural History from a childhood spent immersed in the Northwoods of Vermont. With studies completed in Ecology and Environmental Humanities at Sterling College, AnnaLisa has since served with nonprofit environmental education organizations in diverse ecosystems across the country, worked as a college field instructor, and most recently as an NPS Wilderness Education Ranger. Passionate about experiential learning and the confluence of art, culture, and ecology, AnnaLisa enjoys getting to know the things that are sometimes overlooked and sharing them with others. In addition to flipping through field guides, she can be found playing music, riding her bike, and embarking on extended backcountry expeditions.
Hometown: Jupiter, Florida
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Great Grey Owl
Keith grew up in Jupiter, Florida where he spent most of his time exploring the ecosystems in and around the Everglades. At a young age, Keith was exposed to many national parks and public lands around the southwest and Rocky Mountain regions. Keith went on to earn a degree in environmental studies with minors in geology and interdisciplinary studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. After graduating, Keith worked as a Geoscientist-in-the-Parks intern at Bryce Canyon National Park. This led to a seasonal position as an interpretative park ranger with the National Park Service. Keith has worked several seasons at Bryce Canyon and two seasons at Grand Teton National Park. When he’s not guiding, Keith can be found photographing wildlife, backpacking, bird watching, fly fishing, or playing guitar.
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.
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.