2019 Stories of Impact - Teton Science Schools

Stories of Impact TETON SCIENCE SCHOOLS ALUMNI

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A beautiful sunrise. A more confident public speaker. A research question answered with relevant field data. Getting into the college of their choice. Building a response to a real community need.

We measure student impact in many ways at Teton Science Schools. Creating transformative learning experiences for our 15,000 annual students is always most important to us. Whether learning in the field, in the classroom, or becoming an exceptional educator, our graduates leave more curious about and engaged in the world around them, ready to lead in their communities.

While many of our positive student impacts happen during their experience, at TSS we also talk about the “multiplier effect”. We use the “multiplier effect” to describe the positive change our alumni make in communities close by and thousands of miles away often years after they finish. From policy to school district leadership to advocacy, please read the following stories of four individuals who represent the breadth of how our 200,000+ alumni change the world.

Chris Agnew Executive Director, Teton Science Schools

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Nate Kimball Alumni connection: Journeys School, Class of 2005 Current position: Senior Policy Advisor, Energy and Infrastructure with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Mayor’s Office of Resiliency TSS: How did your experience at TSS have a direct impact on what you’re doing now?

Nate: While I only attended Journeys School for my junior and senior years of high school, many of the lessons learned from those two years have followed me in my personal and professional life.

More than anything, the unique style of learning at Journeys fosters curiosity and demands an open mind. The focus on teamwork and service helped me understand that in order to advance and lead in the real world, a rising tide lifts all ships.

Journeys focuses on the success of the team rather than the individual, which is an invaluable tool in the workplace, as the success of a team leads to meaningful individual and collective achievement. Working in City government, I am part of a mission to make New York a fairer place to live, blending a strong environmental ethic and a focus on climate action with the recognition that we must always fight to help our most vulnerable populations. It’s a mission that aligns with the values Journeys imparted on me when I was a student there.

“More than anything, the unique style of learning at Journeys [School] fosters curiosity and demands an open mind. The focus on teamwork and service helped me understand that in order to advance and lead in the real world, a rising tide lifts all ships.

—NATE KIMBALL

FIELD EDUCATION

Mike Szydlowski Alumni connection: Teacher Learning Center and School Group Leader Current position: K-12 Science Coordinator, Columbia Public Schools TSS: How did your experience at TSS have a direct impact on what you’re doing now?

Mike: The Teton Science Schools experience has changed not only our students but also how we teach in Columbia, Missouri as a whole. Our staff has embraced Teton Science Schools’ view on place-based education and we have been training our teachers on place-based learning in our own place.

“The Teton Science Schools experience has changed not only our students but also how we teach in Columbia, Missouri as a whole.”

—MIKE SZYDLOWSKI

The biological and geological knowledge students and staff learn on our visits to TSS is important–but it is the knowledge gained around reaching students in environmental and place-based learning that is the longest lasting and most meaningful.

AMERICORPS

Peggie DePasquale Alumni connection: AmeriCorps Service Member, TSS Grad Program & Field Education Instructor Current position: Bridger-Teton Community Organizer at the Wyoming Wilderness Association TSS: How has your TSS experience and connection to place inspired the work you currently do?

Peggie: I walked away from almost four years at Teton Science Schools with more than I could have ever imagined. In January of 2014 I came to Coyote Canyon as an AmeriCorps Intern, and fell in love with the community and mission of TSS. I was beyond thrilled to stay on as an instructor after my service and remained in the Field Ed. program for two more years.

When it was time for me to chase after a master’s degree, I knew I wanted an experiential program that had a strong mix of education, ecology and leadership in it’s curriculum. It turns out I didn’t have to look far, as I quickly realized that the program best fit to my grad expectations was right under my nose. In the Fall of 2016 I enrolled as a graduate student on the Kelly Campus of TSS. Since moving to Laramie to finish my dual Master’s in Natural Science Ed. and Environment and Natural Resources, and then back to the Jackson area to start my role as the Bridger-Teton Community Organizer for the Wyoming Wilderness Association, I have had ample time to reflect on how I came to be sitting in this office, fighting for the unparalleled wildlands of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The answer is TSS. Without my warm welcome into this valley five and half years ago followed by incredible opportunities to explore, investigate and connect in this magical place, I would not be where I am today.

“...I have had ample time to reflect on how I came to be sitting in this office, fighting for the unparalleled wildlands of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

The answer is TSS.” —PEGGIE DePASQUALE

GRADUATE PROGRAM

Joshua Kuhn Alumni connection: Graduate Program, Class of 2010 Current position: Water Advocate for Conservation Colorado

“While it may not be obvious how my experience teaching kids in the Tetons translates to my current role as a policy advocate, the knowledge and skills I gained from the grad program have been instrumental in helping me advance my career.”

—JOSHUA KUHN

TSS: How did your experience at TSS have a direct impact on what you’re doing now?

Joshua: Spending a year in the graduate program was among the best experiences of my life. While it may not be obvious how my experience teaching kids in the Tetons translates to my current role as a policy advocate, the knowledge and skills I gained from the grad program have been instrumental in helping me advance my career.

For example, learning to explain complex topics like geologic history to fourth graders also taught me the communication skills that I now use to explain the details of water policy to legislators, reporters, and members of the public. Additionally, my experiences around ecology and conservation biology have allowed me to better incorporate science into advocacy efforts around natural resource management. Most importantly, when I’m exhausted or discouraged, I continue to draw on the memories of my own connection to the land—and the knowledge of its importance to future generations—as inspiration for why I’m fighting this fight in the first place.