Welcome To Foothills School of Arts & Sciences

Foothills School's Faculty

Foothills School recruits an outstanding faculty that is committed to "doing school" differently. Our faculty are experienced, experts in student learning, and personable -- focused on creating successful learning and developmental opportunities for every student. At Foothills, our faculty are part of the learning experience and become partners in your child's learning. Meet the team....

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

Foothlls Statement on Diversity

Foothills Faculty Recruitment

Foothills School Application

Foothills School does not currently have any openings at the faculty level and does not anticipate openings for the 2010-11 academic year. The school accepts applications on an ongoing basis and interested professionals are encouraged to review the resources provided on this website for follow-up.

THE EARLY LEARNER - OR PRESCHOOL - FACULTY

Rebekah "Bekah" Barnett - Part-Time faculty member with expertise in music and theatre performance education; M.A. in process at New York University; six years at Foothills. "Foothills School of Arts and Sciences recognizes the whole student and the poignancy of authentic learning." Contact Bekah.

Joni Cornell - B.A. in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education; two years at Foothills and five additional years of professional experience. "I am thankful to be a part of the Foothills community because I am continually challenged to grow and learn along with the students. I love being part of the bigger picture and knowing that I am helping to make a difference in the world through being a teacher here at Foothills." Contact Joni.

Carrie McKee Little - B.A. in Early Childhood Studies; five years at Foothills and six additional years of professional experience. "To feel a sense of belonging, to be a part of a larger endeavor, to share meaning - these are the rights of everyone involved in the educational process, whether teachers, children, or parents."

- Carla Rinaldi; Carrie's personal statement is a reflection of her commitment to the Reggio Emilia approach guiding the EL program. Contact Carrie.

Jennifer Trudell - B.A. in Elementary Education; 14 years at Foothills."It is a delight and an honor to be a part of an environment in which students, parents and my colleagues believe learning is a lifetime journey -- no day is ever the same and each one is bubbling with possibilities." Contact Jennifer.

THE PRIMARY FACULTY - KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE

Tanya Bottarini - B.S. in Recreation; four years at Foothills and five years of additional experience. "What I most value about Foothills is the fact that children have fantastic opportunities to be a part of something bigger than just what they learn in the classroom. They are a part of the Boise community and connect their learning experiences into their daily lives." Contact Tanya.

Margaret Elkins - B.A.S. in Early Childhood Development; 13 years at Foothills and six years of additional experience. "I am a teacher at Foothills School because I believe in the partnership that exists among teachers, children and families. The faculty at Foothills is always looking and willing to grow and learn, improving the educational process for not just the students, but for themselves and the community." Contact Margaret.

Michelle Forrester - Part-time faculty member; A.A. in Early Childhood Development; 11 years at Foothills and six years of additional experience. "Foothills School inspires curiosity at every age." Contact Michelle.

MUSIC FACULTY AT FOOTHILLS SCHOOL

Music education is a core to the curriculum at Foothills School and we are proud to have experienced music educators and musical performers leading our exceptional music program. Jessica Dean (top right) has a B.A. in Music and nine years of professional experience, including teaching privately and performing; "I am excited to be a part of such a creative environment so that I can share my passion for music with my students. Foothills is a one-of-a-kind school that can offer such creative curriculum." Jennifer Walker (center) has a B.A. in Music and seven years of experience in vocal performance and teaching; "I love teaching at Foothills because every student here is their own kind of rock star." Evelyn Shehabi (bottom) wears a dual hat at the school in administration and as a gifted Strings instructor; she has a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree and an M.A. in Art History.To contact the Music Faculty, please email Jessica Dean, lead faculty member.

THE JUNIOR FACULTY - SECOND AND THIRD GRADE

Camilla Barnes-Kelly - B.S. in Biological Science and an M.A. in progress in Elementary Education; four years at Foothills and 12 years of additional experience. "I am excited that Foothills exists. The kids at Foothills make me excited about the future of the planet. The creativity that is being nurtured here will be capable of solving tomorrow's problems!" Contact Camilla.

Jessica "Jess" McGinnis - B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in progress in Curriculum and Instruction; three years at Foothills and 12 years of additional experience. "I am inspired by the people who surround me at Foothills: students, parents, and colleagues alike. They are dynamic, interesting, enjoyable individuals excited by life and learning. They help me stretch and grow into a better teacher and person day by day." Contact Jess.

Mallory Clark - M.A. in Education and M.S. in Exercise Sport Science; 14 years at Foothills and three years of additional experience. "When I first came to Foothills I was struck by how much the school reflects my own educational philosophy. It was an instant match: community, creativity, exploration and collaboration. It has been an amazing journey." Contact Mallory.

THE INTERMEDIATE FACULTY - FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE

Judith "Jude" McDougall - B.A. in Journalism; two years at Foothills and 16 years of additional experience in Montessori, including international work founding schools. "I am so pleased to have the opportunity to work with such a dynamic and diverse group of people. I am really enjoying the educational process here, and feel very lucky to be part of such an amazing approach to learning." Contact Jude.

Robert "Robbie" Prokop - B.S. in Ecology and M.S. in progress; 12 years at Foothills and three years of additional experience. "At Foothills, I find myself learning alongside the students - such is the environment here. The families, students and faculty are committed to developing thoughtful human beings, capable of interacting with, and positively contributing to, the community at large. Nowhere in my experience have I found an organization thus enabled." Contact Robbie.

ART AND LANGUAGE FACULTY MEMBERS

Art and foreign language instruction is a part of the curriculum for all students at Foothills School. When most schools only offer these opportunities as specialty electives or after school programs, Foothills continues to believe that these are core curricular areas that enhance every student's ability to learn in all curricular areas.

Tara Kennedy - B.F.A. in Art; three years at Foothills and four years of additional professional experience. "I love working at Foothills because it’s truly a cooperative learning environment. Students, teachers, and parents work together to build curriculum and solve problems, and have the freedom to develop their creativity." Contact Tara.

Spanish is taught to the lower grades by Keny Pereda-Torp, a native of Chile; and upper level Spanish is instructed by Emily Williams.

Keny Pereda-Torp - B.A. in Education; four years at Foothills and ten years of additional experience. "I have been part of Foothills for over 4 years. It has been a wonderful experience as a mom, teacher, and above all as a person to be part of this school community. I really enjoy sharing my own language and culture with our students and families every day." Contact Keny.

Emily Williams - B.A. in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership; two years at Foothills and ten years of additional experience. "Being a part of the Foothills community as a parent of 3 students and full-time faculty is the best of both worlds! Foothills provides the doorway for my growth while allowing my family to encounter a “lifetime of discovery.” Contact Emily.

SENIOR FACULTY MEMBERS

Photo coming soon

Justin Brune - B.A. in Elementary Education; three years at Foothills and ten years of additonal experence. "I am so happy to be a part of this educated, friendly, student-based community. I realized when I started here that I had found the ideal school experience." Contact Justin.

Kevin Kramer - B.S. in Zoology and M.A. in Education in progress; 11 years at Foothills School. "The teachers at Foothills School create such dynamic and engaging curricula, and the students are given the opportunity to learn in so many different ways, from spring trips to foreign countries to designing and testing their own experiments. I am truly amazed and inspired by the dedication and intellect of both the faculty and students." Contact Kevin.

Dan Fisher - Master of Arts in Teaching and M.A. in Eastern Literature; four years at Foothills and 11 years of additional experience. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few,” said Shunryu Suzuki. We are all beginners here at Foothills. As beginners, we know there are always opportunities to make new discoveries. We place no limits on learning!" Contact Dan.

NINES FACULTY

The unique Nines Program at Foothills School is an experientially-based curriculum that exceeds the demands of the State of Idaho's high school requirements. The Nines Program is taught in a collaborative way with the Senior, Music, Art and Spanish faculty members.

The lead Nines faculty member is Ray Vizgirdis. Ray holds an M.A. in Conservation Ecology and Education; this is his first year at Foothills, but he has more than 20 years of professional experience as a biologist and educator, and is an adjunct faculty member at NNU and BSU in anthropology and biology. "Why Foothills? After 20 plus years as a conservation biologist working with a variety of endangered species and ecosystems in the western United States, I thought it was time to do more and help in educating the future stewards of this planet. Foothills is blessed with many gifted and talented individuals and I want to help these young people to ensure our world will be taken care of by responsible and informed individuals. In the end, healthy ecosystems contribute more to healthy economies." Contact Ray.

MATHEMATICS SPECIALISTS

Mathematics instructors play a key role in the school's alignment of math instruction, allowing every student to be placed at the level of work that is most appropriate to his or her skills. Math classes are aligned and taught as the first session of each day. For mathematics questions, contact Justin Brune.

Renea Knapp - M.A. in Education; instructor of algebra. "For the past ten years, I’ve enjoyed teaching math in both private and public school settings. Joining the Foothills Community this year has been an exciting opportunity for me!"

Victoria "Vicki" Rudd - M.A. in Education; instructor of pre-algebra. "After working with students that struggled for 20 years, it is exciting to be in an environment where students are eager to learn and parents care and communicate!"

Anthony "Tony" Keys, M.D. - Retired physician; instructor of geometry. "Teaching geometry and astronomy in the environment at Foothills is particularly rewarding because I am allowed to individualize instruction to allow each student to maximize their potential. Likewise, the intellectual discourse, the pursuit of knowledge, and the unfettered desire to inspire curiosity appears ubiquitous at Foothills."