THE VALLEY SCHOOLOF SOUTHERN OREGON
Serving Grades 6-8th
p. (541) 842-3914
Meet Our Team
Amy grew up in the Rogue Valley and received her Bachelor's degree in Science Education from Oregon State University. She relocated to Oklahoma where she enjoyed volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding program during her free time. After having children, her family moved back to Southern Oregon and she received her Master's degree in Special Education from Southern Oregon University, with added endorsements as a Reading Specialist and TAG specialist. Learning about the Montessori method drove her desire to create a Montessori school for adolescence, which became The Valley School. She finds herself lucky to teach at this special school and is passionate about fostering a love of learning in children. On days off and summer, she enjoys playing family games, live musical events, playing and watching soccer and traveling with her family.
Craig has been working in education for ten years. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Oregon and has worked extensively in professional and educational theatre around the country and abroad. He has taught subjects ranging from art and writing to cooking and gardening. Here at TVS, Craig organizes our extensive exploratory and practical life programs as well as our performing arts program
Dan Akita, STEM Teacher/Director of PBL
Dan has been an educator in the Rogue Valley for 9 years and this is his 16th year in education. Before moving here he lived in Portland and New York City. Where he enjoyed the food but not the traffic. He has worked as an assistant, teacher, instructional coach and administrator. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Linfield, his Masters of Arts in Teaching from George Fox and his Administrative license from Southern Oregon University.
Dan was drawn to the Valley School due to the Montessori and Project Based Learning model. He is a firm believer in pushing students to achieve their best selves. He believes that making education hands on and student centered is the first step towards helping student's learn. The second step is to work with families to help students succeed. This year he will be teaching STEM and Mathematics.
When not in the classroom Dan is actively involved with his family. This includes his amazing wife, son and daughter. His hobbies include hiking, tennis, 3d printing, robots, video games, playing music, and cooking.
Gabriel Hildreth - Co-Teacher STEM
Gabriel was born in Grants Pass Oregon, but grew up most of his life in San Diego. There he studies in the arts (painting,photography, illustration, and graphic design). Over the past ten years has focused on using his creative skills towards wood working. He has an amazing wife and two beautiful daughters. Gabriel has been at TVS since December 2018.
Jared Doshier, Occupations and Practical Life Teacher/Director of IT
Jared grew up in Southern California and has lived in the Rogue Valley since 1999. He is married to an amazing woman and has two incredible children. Some unique things about him: he is unusually good at playing hacky-sack, he has eaten a goldfish, and he can talk backwards. He has been working with children in the classroom for the last 15 years, and has been a full-time teacher for 10 years. This is Jared's fourth year at TVS, and the one thing that stands out to him is how independent the students become. Students leave with the ability to master content in a college-ready manner.
Jeanetta has over 14 years of business administrative experience in the Rogue Valley and is a proud graduate of the University of Oregon (B.A. Mathematics & Economics). When looking for the right school for her two kids, Jeanetta quickly realized there is a lack of options in our educational system. This drove Jeanetta to become a founding board member of The Valley School. As a board member, Jeanetta dedicated many hours to setting policies and reviewing budgets. She is now looking forward to working closely to support TVS staff as they foster an innovative learning environment for our students. She is grateful to be a part of a team that is truly making a difference in the lives of our students and the community we serve.
Natalia Conrad, Co-Teacher Science
Natalia was born on the West coast and grew up on the East coast. She now lives here in the Rogue Valley. She is passionate about protecting wildlife and the environment. Natalia hopes to encourage students to have empathy for all creatures and appreciate the beauty of natural world around them. She had the opportunity to travel with her family during her childhood, which gave her a broad outlook on culture and an open mind to the diversity of the human experience. She loves backpacking, cooking, gardening and art.
“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.” - Carl Sagan
Sarah DuPont- ELA Teacher
Sarah grew up in Minnesota where she attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth and graduated with her Bachelors in Education. Over the last 13 years, she has taught in Washington DC, Chicago, Texas, and South Korea, where she met her amazing husband. Sarah has her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and just finished her principal certification in El Paso, Texas. Sarah and her husband Rob relocated to Oregon so they can be closer to family and to enjoy the water, trees, and wine country. While her blended family of 6 kids and a new Goldendoodle puppy keeps her busy, she still finds time to do what she loves; read, bake, paint and travel.
Sarah is excited to be part of The Valley School Community so that she can guide her students as they set goals, explore their passions, and navigate their social world. Oh! Sarah also loves to create and share a great charcuterie board and is a sucker for a pink Starburst!
Shannon Reiser - Science Teacher
Hello TVS community and families, I’m thrilled to be joining the team this fall as a lead teacher. I’ve been an outdoor educator since 2014 working for residential science camps and expedition programs with youth. I’ve been lucky to camp, hike, climb, canoe, and kayak with kids for the last several years and to help them blossom into capable leaders through adventure and challenge. I went back to school for my masters in teaching in 2020 with the hope to cultivate more long lasting relationships with students and families in a classroom teaching setting. With that said, I’m dedicated to offering experiential lessons and to getting to know students as individuals in order to best serve their needs. In addition to being an enthusiastic outdoorswoman I’m also fanatical about sewing and textiles at the moment and look forward to cultivating a vegetable and natural dye garden and to sewing up quilts and clothes in the winter months. I look forward to meeting you all!
Stacey Faught, Co-teacher and Exploratory Teacher
Stacey grew up moving all over the east coast and midwest. After earning a B.S. in Science in upstate New York, she worked in wildlife rehabilitation in Florida. She moved out to Oregon over 20 years ago to be with her true love, and when working with the environmental education Table Rocks crew at the Bureau of Land Management and assisting in a Preschool at SOU, realized being a teacher is ultimately what she wanted to do. Stacey received her MAT from SOU and taught in early childhood and elementary school until she had a child. That child ended up at TVS, a welcoming and inspiring place for parents to volunteer. I feel so thankful to be back in education, learning alongside an incredible team. When I am not at TVS, I love birding, gardening, being crafty, dancing in the kitchen, talking about deep, emotional things, and reading just about any genre of book.
Tracy grew up in beautiful Southern Oregon, she has worked with schools for the past 20 years. She has a certificate in medical office transcription and administration. Her strengths are organizational skills and creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. She is looking forward to being part of such a wonderful staff at TVS.
Hi, I'm Tyson Brodhead and I'm looking forward to being your co-teacher! I worked alongside the staff of Hoover Elementary in Medford from 2016-2021 in many different roles including student support, reading intervention, positive behavior intervention support, restorative justice, communication/technology support, a student teacher for 5th and 2nd grades, and most recently as an elementary teacher for 4th grade.
I have a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Southern Oregon University and am a licensed Oregon teacher. Furthermore, I hold a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. As a Medford native, I attended the Medford School District from kindergarten to 8th grade. I am very fond of the Rogue Valley and all it has to offer.
Outside of the wonderful world of education, I enjoy spending my time hiking, kayaking, camping, swimming, spending time with family and friends, and photography. I have been known to seek out new coffee shops in an ongoing journey to find the world’s best cold brew coffee. My next goal in life is to begin traveling more often.
Thank you for allowing me to help you learn and grow! I am excited for this year.