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 2011-12 academic year. The school accepts applications on an ongoing basis and qualified applicants for teaching grades K-5 are encouraged to apply for possible openings in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Follow all appli-cation instructions provided on this site.

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; eight 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; four 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; seven 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; 16 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; six 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.

Michelle Forrester - A.A. in Early Childhood Development; 13 years at Foothills and six years of additional experience. "Foothills School inspires curiosity at every age." Contact Michelle.

THE JUNIOR FACULTY - SECOND AND THIRD GRADE

Camilla Barnes-Kelly - B.S. in Biological Science and an M.A. in progress in Elementary Education and a reading endorsement in process; six 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.

THE INTERMEDIATE FACULTY - FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE

Judith "Jude" McDougall - B.A. in Journalism; four 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; 14 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.

ARTS AND LANGUAGE FACULTY MEMBERS

The arts 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, with a Masters in Teaching Art in process; five 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 throughout the school - from Pre-K through 9th grade by Emily Williams. She has a B.A. in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership; certification for 6-12 English Language Arts in process (May 2011 completion date); four years at Foothills and ten years of additional experience. "Being a part of the Foothills community as a parent of three 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 - SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH GRADE

Kevin Kramer - B.S. in Zoology and M.A. in Education in progress; 13 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 - B.A. in English, Master of Arts in Teaching and M.A. in Eastern Classics from Saint John's College in Santa Fe, NM; six 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 Vizgirdas. Ray holds an M.A. in Conservation Ecology and Education; this is his third 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.

Justin Brune - B.A. in Elementary Education; five 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.

ADDITIONAL FACULTY SPECIALISTS

Music instruction for the upper grades is delivered by Daniel Neumeyer. B.A. in Music and B.B.A. in Management Information Systems; first year at Foothills. "I am so excited to be able to share my passion for music with the Foothills School. Music is the universal language. It can fill any life with creativity, challenges, and joy." Contact Daniel.

Lower school music is being taught this year by Emily Coonse, a vocal performance student who has owned her own music businesses and played the violin and piano at performance level for 14 years. The Idaho State Racquetball Champion in 2011, she brings a well-rounded perspective to music appreciation for young students. Contact Emily.

Foothills School is proud to expand its faculty expertise in additional curricular areas with individuals who bring the very highest instructional and practical experience. This year, this includes faculty members in Math and PE/Wellness.

Kristin Childs teaches Geometry and Algebra to advanced students at Foothills. She has a B.S. in Mathematics and Biology, with an emphasis in secondary education; this is her first year at Foothills, with 14 years of additional experience teaching high school. "I am excited to be a part of the Foothills community, which is dynamic and engaging in its approach to education. There is freedom at Foothills to facilitate learning in a way that is best for the student. I am looking forward to passing on my passion for learning, and especially for learning mathematics." Contact Kristin.

Shauna Buettner is in her first year as the PE/Wellness Instructor for the school. She has a B.A. in Physical Education, K-12 certification. When not at school, she and her husband run a fitness studio in Nampa and both compete in body building competitions. "I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with Foothills students, and know that they will gain lifetime skills that can be applied at home and in the future." Contact Shauna.