Meet the Teachers
Harry Weekes
Head of School
12th TEAM
Human Ecology
Chris McAvoy
Assistant Head of School & Admissions
6/7 TEAM
Human Ecology
Lead
12th TEAM
Human Ecology
Kristal Georgiades
Office Manager & Front Desk Wrangler
Matt Leidecker
Head of Facilities
Jenna Resko
HEAD OF FINANCE
Liza Weekes
Kitchen Program Manager
Liza has called the Wood River Valley home for over 50 years. Her family moved here on a snowy New Year’s Eve and created a home that valued getting dirty, causing a respectable amount of trouble and sharing experiences with as many four-leggeds and curious souls as possible. After almost 20 years working in kitchens up and down Highway 75 she had an inspirational conversation with her son Parker, age 5 at the time, that led to her second career in Montessori education. After 25 years of finding a parking place at Pioneer Montessori School in Ketchum, Liza is embarking on her next great adventure. She finds herself overwhelmed with the potential of adolescents and believes the kitchen will be a place to uncover hidden talents, taste the unexpectedly delicious and share the process, the exploration and the collaboration with our greater community. Get ready for sampling!
The Math Department
Ethan Daves
All Bands
Math Teacher
I was born in Atlanta and moved here when I was two. I went to Sage from 7th through 12th grade, graduating in 2018. After Sage, I attended Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. I graduated from Hamilton in December 2023 with a degree in Mathematics.
Growing up, I’ve always been active and loved the outdoors. Skiing has been a huge part of my life, from being on the ski team as a kid to skiing the slopes during my free time. I’m looking forward to being here for a whole winter.
Sage combines the outdoors with an interdisciplinary approach to education that has always seemed to address and reflect the word around us accurately. I’m eager to be back at Sage and help guide students on their journey here.
Maggie Blatz
10/11 Team
Head Math Teacher
Maggie, a Colorado native, grew up with a love for outdoor adventures and for all things science and math. After studying physics, French, and math at the University of Colorado, she moved to Jackson, Wyoming, and worked for two years as an optical engineer. Eager to be a student again, she attended Stanford University and earned a master’s in environmental earth system science. After graduating, she found her way to the Wood River Valley and The Sage School to share her love for math with students. When she’s not teaching math, Maggie can be found skiing, biking or climbing with her husband Nick.
Kaleb Greenwood
6/7 TEAM
Human Ecology & Mathematics
Originally from Colorado, Kaleb’s wandering foot and passion for chasing rivers brought him to central Idaho where he spent the 4 seasons guiding on the Main and Middle Fork of the Salmon River. His passion for water and sense of adventure has led him to many places. After earning a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado he ventured to Laos with Engineers Without Borders to build a gravity fed water distribution system. He is always excited to share his knowledge of the natural world with students, and has flourished in an array of non-traditional outdoor classrooms. His curiosity is endless and contagious. Developing genuine unique relationships with each student is at the core of his teaching philosophy. When not in the classroom he can be found mountain biking, snowboarding, or floating the river.
Wyatt Brown
8/9 TEAM
Math Teacher
Wyatt Brown is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Raised by a large family valuing outdoor education, it makes perfect sense that Wyatt was potty trained while rafting down rivers. His love for the environment led to a major in Environmental Science at Western Washington University, and he has been chasing a life filled with adventure ever since. Wyatt’s experience stems from teaching science on sailboats throughout the Pacific Ocean, working for schools overseas in Malaysia, and coordinating education programs across California. His latest adventure was directing an outdoor wilderness youth therapeutics program in the deserts of Utah. Wyatt continues to expand his wealth of knowledge of the natural world and its effect on children. When not in the classroom getting excited about science, you can find Wyatt and his partner, Katherine, scrambling up “trail runs”, pursuing missions on skis, or exploring new mountains and rivers.
The Otters
Otter teachers are mentors and coaches who help students balance their need for support with their need for independent exploration. The foundation of teaching the Otters is forming open, candid, and playful relationships. 6/7 teachers enjoy this stage of adolescence and the process of showing students the joys, struggles, and responsibilities that come with entering the world of adolescence.
Chris McAvoy
6/7 TEAM
Human Ecology Lead
12th TEAM
Human Ecology, Assistant Head of School
Chris has been teaching for over 20 years in independent and charter schools. He worked to develop a brand-new charter school, a Montessori middle school, and an Expeditionary Learning curriculum and is most proud of his work co-founding The Sage School. Chris worked with Harry for 5 years before starting The Sage School. Long hours of conversations inspired the two to go further into developing an educational system for adolescents. Chris’s formal education took place at the University of Vermont, where he earned his undergraduate degree in psychology (with minors in sociology and political science), and at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned his master’s degree in education. His informal education took place throughout the years he spent leading kids in the backcountry or just rambling about in the woods as a kid. He owes a great deal of debt to a former teacher, Mrs. Zeller, who inspired him to think creatively and critically as a young tyke. He loves being outdoors with his family when he isn’t cheering his two kids on in hockey or soccer or…
Kaleb Greenwood
6/7 TEAM
Human Ecology & Mathematics (multiple bands)
Originally from Colorado, Kaleb’s wandering foot and passion for chasing rivers brought him to central Idaho where he spent the 4 seasons guiding on the Main and Middle Fork of the Salmon River. His passion for water and sense of adventure has led him to many places. After earning a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado he ventured to Laos with Engineers Without Borders to build a gravity fed water distribution system. He is always excited to share his knowledge of the natural world with students, and has flourished in an array of non-traditional outdoor classrooms. His curiosity is endless and contagious. Developing genuine unique relationships with each student is at the core of his teaching philosophy. When not in the classroom he can be found mountain biking, snowboarding, or floating the river.
Sarah Mansfield
6/7 TEAM
Human Ecology & Writing
Sarah was born and raised along the coastlines of Massachusetts where she developed a deep appreciation for the natural world. Some of her earliest memories involve tagging along on her mother’s ecological adventures, including wading in the Cape Cod marshes, tracking spotted turtles, and staying up at night to see the annual salamander crawl. Sarah was eager to see the world outside of New England and attended the University of Mississippi where she studied Marketing and English. Her studies in the humanities sparked a desire for her to learn more about the world and its people and systems, which led to her involvement in mindfulness centers, cultural movements, and intentional living communities. After visiting the Intermountain West in 2018, Sarah knew that one day she would call this place home. She made the leap in 2020 and has been living and working in the Wood River Valley ever since. She’s excited to bring her love of writing and reading to students and the incredible Sage community!
Koko Furlong
6/7 TEAM
Human Ecology
Koko was born and raised in Sun Valley, Idaho, and feels lucky to have grown up surrounded by mountains and unlimited access to the great outdoors. As a recent graduate of The University of Redlands in California, where Koko received her BA in Studio Art, she is thrilled to return to the valley and be back in her element. As a Sage School alumnus, Koko is excited to dive into teaching alongside people who were crucial in developing her love for learning. She attended the Sage School from 6th through 12th grade, where she embraced nature’s teachings through school camping and river trips, Human Ecology classes held outside on sunny days, and backpacking through the mountains of Idaho. Koko loves the creative freedom Sage offers and the empowerment that comes with the ability to turn ideas into reality. Her travels have led her to various places around the world, more recently Antigua, Guatemala where she caught the teaching bug from spending her time as a teacher’s assistant at a K-6th grade school. Koko looks forward to re-rooting herself into the Sun Valley and the Sage School community and returning to the slopes where she enjoys skiing, hiking, and biking.
Alma Romero
6/7 TEAM
Spanish & Kitchen Assistant
My name is Alma Delia Salinas Romero. I was born in Cheney Michoacán, Mexico, and immigrated to Idaho with my family when I was 17. I am married and now have two adult daughters. I have two beautiful twin granddaughters. I worked at the Pioneer Montessori school for 23 years where l worked in the primary classroom. I assisted the teacher with lessons for the children and reviewed material with students to help them learn the concepts. Outside of work, l love to go on walks, cook, and travel.
The Wolves
Teachers of “The Wolves” seek to emulate the best that we see in our group of students—to be energetic, to be playfully productive, to be curious about the world around us, and above all to work together as a team. The 8/9 teaching team, below, has a combined 22 years of experience teaching here at Sage and teaching the full suite of courses—Human Ecology, Spanish, Writing, and Math—as well as playing hard at Wellness, contributing to Community Action, and teaching Creativity Workshop classes.
Julie Zimmerman
8/9 TEAM
Human Ecology & Writing
A former documentary photographer and journalist, Julie began her career in independent school education when son number one entered a two-day preschool. With both sons, Cyrus and Starke, now happily ensconced at her alma mater, the University of Richmond, Julie is transitioning from Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay region to central Idaho. She first fell in love with experiential education during her early years as a preschool teacher- where learning is joyful, creative, expressive, and a full engagement of the mind and body. Taking her love for collaboration, communication, and critical thinking to middle school, she’s taught writing, geography, and global relations for the past four years and has led service-learning trips to New Orleans, Savannah, and Stanley as well as yearly ecology trips to the Florida Bay estuary. Julie believes wholeheartedly that when learning is connected to life, students are capable of incredible creativity and achievement, and is delighted to join a school community with a philosophy so intentionally embedded in transformational experiences for its students. No stranger to central Idaho, Julie took six road trips over ten years to explore the west’s various ranges before purchasing an acre in Stanley, where she built a one-room cabin with backdoor access to the Sawtooth Wilderness in 2002. Her only regret in coming west is that she’s not sure where she’ll be able to practice her finely honed skills as a historic tall ship sailor.
Wyatt Brown
8/9 TEAM
Human Ecology
Wyatt Brown is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Raised by a large family valuing outdoor education, it makes perfect sense that Wyatt was potty trained while rafting down rivers. His love for the environment led to a major in Environmental Science at Western Washington University, and he has been chasing a life filled with adventure ever since. Wyatt’s experience stems from teaching science on sailboats throughout the Pacific Ocean, working for schools overseas in Malaysia, and coordinating education programs across California. His latest adventure was directing an outdoor wilderness youth therapeutics program in the deserts of Utah. Wyatt continues to expand his wealth of knowledge of the natural world and its effect on children. When not in the classroom getting excited about science, you can find Wyatt and his partner, Katherine, scrambling up “trail runs”, pursuing missions on skis, or exploring new mountains and rivers.
Koko Furlong
8/9 TEAM
Human Ecology
Koko was born and raised in Sun Valley, Idaho, and feels lucky to have grown up surrounded by mountains and unlimited access to the great outdoors. As a recent graduate of The University of Redlands in California, where Koko received her BA in Studio Art, she is thrilled to return to the valley and be back in her element. As a Sage School alumnus, Koko is excited to dive into teaching alongside people who were crucial in developing her love for learning. She attended the Sage School from 6th through 12th grade, where she embraced nature’s teachings through school camping and river trips, Human Ecology classes held outside on sunny days, and backpacking through the mountains of Idaho. Koko loves the creative freedom Sage offers and the empowerment that comes with the ability to turn ideas into reality. Her travels have led her to various places around the world, more recently Antigua, Guatemala where she caught the teaching bug from spending her time as a teacher’s assistant at a K-6th grade school. Koko looks forward to re-rooting herself into the Sun Valley and the Sage School community and returning to the slopes where she enjoys skiing, hiking, and biking.
Nathan Kolar
8/9 TEAM
Spanish
Nathan joined the Sage faculty in 2011 and is best known around campus as “Nazario,” a nickname he acquired from his host brother while living in Seville, Spain during the 2003-04 school year. His time in Spain was a crucial chapter in his Spanish language training, which also included big chunks of time traveling in Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Prior to coming to the Sage School, Nathan earned a B.A. in English from Williams College, taught History at Hopkins School in New Haven, CT, and earned an M.A. in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Nathan lives in old Hailey with his wife, Tenaya, and their two children, son Dash and daughter Sadie. When not at school, Nathan pursues his other interests: reading, gardening, cooking, making music, and being in the beautiful outdoors for swimming, hiking, biking, and camping.
The Ravens
Raven teachers serve as mentors and coaches who help students balance their need for support and their need for independence. The foundation of teaching ravens is forming open, candid, and playful relationships. Raven teachers enjoy this stage of adolescence and the process of showing students the joys and responsibilities that come with entering the adult world.
Amy Morrison
10/11 TEAM
Human Ecology & Spanish
Native to the Southwest, Amy grew up exploring the mountains, deserts, and rivers of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. After earning a B.A. in Humanities at Fort Lewis College, she spent three years living and working in a small fishing village on the coast of Ecuador. Amy and her husband Brian then spent the next ten years living in Panama where they had their two sons, worked on a coastal conservation project, and were fortunate to have had extraordinary ocean and tropical experiences. Upon returning to the U.S., Amy has combined her love of language and culture with her desire to positively impact the lives of young people through teaching. She is passionate about authentic language acquisition and student-centered classrooms. She believes that strong student-teacher relationships are at the heart of a positive educational experience. Amy enjoys travel, cooking, hiking, dance, theater, wildflowers, and swimming holes. Her greatest joy is her family and her two boys who serve as a constant reminder to stay present and to live every day in gratitude.
Maggie Blatz
10/11 Team
Head Math Teacher
Maggie, a Colorado native, grew up with a love for outdoor adventures and for all things science and math. After studying physics, French, and math at the University of Colorado, she moved to Jackson, Wyoming, and worked for two years as an optical engineer. Eager to be a student again, she attended Stanford University and earned a master’s in environmental earth system science. After graduating, she found her way to the Wood River Valley and The Sage School to share her love for math with students. When she’s not teaching math, Maggie can be found skiing, biking or climbing with her husband Nick.
Andrew McKean
10/11 TEAM
Human Ecology
Originally hailing from the Windy City, Andrew moved to the gem state at the age of 10 and never looked back. From then on, the mountains of Idaho provided a perfect playground for him to grow. In 2009 Andrew joined the Sage School, in its first year of existence, for his sophomore year of high school. After graduating in 2012 he spent a year traveling in South America before starting a 5-year journey through Quest University in Squamish British Columbia. At Quest, Andrew studied acoustic psychology and design and graduated with a bachelor’s in Arts and Science. Additionally, Andrew has spent the last ten summers guiding folks down the wild and scenic rivers situated in Idaho’s vast wilderness. When not on skis or a raft you can find Andrew climbing any rock bigger than 5 feet or endlessly noodling on a guitar. Andrew is excited to return to the Sage School and Wood River Valley after his ten-year hiatus.
Greg Wilson
10/11 TEAM
Writing
Greg has lived in the Wood River Valley for the past 35 years. He taught English for 16 years in the Blaine County School District, serving as head of the English department of Wood River Middle School for 13 of those years. During that time, Greg taught classes such as Honors English, English 8, Creative Writing, Dual Immersion English, and Foundations English (for struggling students). Greg has a bachelor’s degree in English, with an emphasis on writing, from the University of Washington. He also earned a master’s degree in English Education at Boise State University. In addition, Greg is a published writer and continues to work on his own writing, a process that he enjoys sharing with his students.
Prior to teaching, Greg worked as a professional mountain guide. He accumulated more than 100 summits of Mt. Rainier and participated in more than 100 high altitude mountaineering expeditions worldwide, including climbs in Alaska, Antarctica, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Irian Jaya, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Tanzania, Tibet, and Nepal. In 1989, he climbed Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world at 28,162 feet without oxygen. He participated in seven Everest expeditions and climbed the mountain from both the north and the south, including successfully leading a guided ascent of the peak. He also climbed and successfully guided “The Seven Summits,” the highest peak on each continent.
Greg recently took a very short break from teaching, but he is now well-rested and eager to return to the classroom to share his passion for writing and teaching with students of The Sage School.
The Owls
Teachers of the seniors need to be comfortable with the big picture. They need to help the students make sense of the global realities, but also of the college process, and the many choices our students will face this year. They need to help the students be ready to fly while making sure the flight is truly their own.
Chris McAvoy
12th TEAM
Human Ecology, Assistant Head of School
Chris has been teaching for over 20 years in independent and charter schools. He worked to develop a brand-new charter school, a Montessori middle school, and an Expeditionary Learning curriculum and is most proud of his work co-founding The Sage School. Chris worked with Harry for 5 years before starting The Sage School. Long hours of conversations inspired the two to go further into developing an educational system for adolescents. Chris’s formal education took place at the University of Vermont, where he earned his undergraduate degree in psychology (with minors in sociology and political science), and at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned his master’s degree in education. His informal education took place throughout the years he spent leading kids in the backcountry or just rambling about in the woods as a kid. He owes a great deal of debt to a former teacher, Mrs. Zeller, who inspired him to think creatively and critically as a young tyke. He loves being outdoors with his family when he isn’t cheering his two kids on in hockey or soccer or…
Nathan Kolar
12th TEAM
Spanish
Nathan joined the Sage faculty in 2011 and is best known around campus as “Nazario,” a nickname he acquired from his host brother while living in Seville, Spain during the 2003-04 school year. His time in Spain was a crucial chapter in his Spanish language training, which also included big chunks of time traveling in Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Prior to coming to the Sage School, Nathan earned a B.A. in English from Williams College, taught History at Hopkins School in New Haven, CT, and earned an M.A. in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Nathan lives in old Hailey with his wife, Tenaya, and their two children, son Dash and daughter Sadie. When not at school, Nathan pursues his other interests: reading, gardening, cooking, making music, and being in the beautiful outdoors for swimming, hiking, biking, and camping.
Harry Weekes
12th TEAM
Human Ecology, Head of School
Raised on the East Coast until the ripe age of three, Harry moved to Idaho in 1972. He studied Environmental Science, Biology, and Studio Art at Middlebury College, and earned his graduate degree in Life Science from the University of Maryland in College Park. After 25 years of teaching and researching topics ranging from how the built environment enhances learning to brain development, he continues his work as an aspiring adolescent anthropologist. Harry founded The Sage School in an effort to fully explore the ideas, methods, and philosophies embodied by the school, and because he believes that including adolescents is essential in creating real and positive change. He is curious about and interested in many things: writing, sketching, Biology, Ecology, watercolor, and agriculture. Harry has a wonderful wife, three children, two dogs, and a smattering of chickens and houseplants.