School Instructor Profiles

Claire Samuel

Vermont first saw Claire at age eight as a visitor. During the intervening years, Claire moved from her hometown of Washington, DC, to Ohio. Here, she was first introduced to maple-sugaring, perhaps priming her for a return to New England during a high school semester at The Mountain School in Vershire, VT. Claire attended college in Williamstown, MA and received received her B.A. in English. Afterwards, she set out for the Pacific Northwest where she worked as a landscaper in Portland, OR, an AmeriCorps environmental educator in Trout Lake and Bainbridge Island, WA, and as a field science instructor at Olympic Park Institute in Almost Canada, WA. Drawn back to Vermont by her heart and early roots, Claire worked as a paraeducator in Shelburne before beginning work in 2009 with the VYCC as a School Instructor. For the 2010-11 school year, Claire is looking forward to returning as a School Instructor for another year of outdoor, work-based learning. No longer simply a fairweather Vermont visitor, she has been thoroughly enjoying working, living, canoeing, cooking, and hiking near the banks of the Winooski River. Claire looks forward to noticing the myriad changes that each day brings to the land.

Cliff DesMarais

Cliff found his way into the woods as a wee cub scout with the Boy Scouts of America. After earning the rank of Eagle Scout during his high school years, he eventually parted ways with the organization for philosophical differences. Cliff’s passion for creativity in education began 16 years ago as a participant in Destination Imagination, to which he remains an active adult volunteer to this day. Cliff fell in love with Vermont after transfering from the tiny bubble of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts to the University of Vermont at the beginning of his sophomore year of college. The Green Mountain state proved a better fit for Cliff as he quickly found his way to UVM’s College of Education and Social Services. Cliff graduated in 2007 with a B.S. in Education and a concentration in Social Studies. As a licensed social studies teacher in NH, VT, and CO, Cliff has played many roles in public schools from a young age, ranging from volunteer to Special Educator. His work in alternative education began with a volunteer "one on one" para-educator opportunity with the Hampstead Middle School at Nature’s Classroom in Freedom, NH. For the 2010-11 school year, Cliff is returning to the VYCC for his second year as a School Instructor. Cliff is excited for another year of teaching in a student centered inter-disciplinary environment.

Matt Williams

Matt grew up on a small sheep farm in Sharon, VT skiing, biking, climbing apple trees, running, and sugaring in the spring. He remembers getting called out of school a lot to help with lambing. He attended high school at Proctor Academy and split his college years between Lewis and Clark (Portland, OR) and Warren Wilson (Asheville, NC), double majoring in Political Science and Creative Writing. Matt currently spends much of his free time pedaling through the woods of Vermont on his bicycle. When not riding Matt enjoys reading good books, coffee, writing, live music, making delicious food with friends, and, of course, plotting how to get to the next weekend’s bike race. Matt is super excited for his second year as a School Instructor at the VYCC.

Maddie Ruth

Maddie Ruth arrived at the VYCC after graduating from Temple University with a degree in Geography & Urban Studies and a focus in Environmental Studies. After an inspiring semester with NOLS in New Zealand, Maddie went on to spend a field semester with Northwest Connections’ Landscape and Livelihood program and volunteered as an Environmental Educator at Little Stars School in Varanasi, India. In 2009, Maddie co-led two amazing Roving 6 crews, after which she then transitioned into a leadership advisor for an accomplished Park Fall Crew. After the summer field season, Maddie jumped into the school program as a School Instructor for the MMU crew. For the 2010-11 school year, Madde will return as a School Instructor. She is psyched about the potential for place-based education and community development to foster a healthy, growth oriented, and inclusive learning experience. Her time is filled with an energetic school crew, diving into many used books, crafting creativeness, and signing onto the Vermont way of life.

Adam McCullough

Adam McCullough grew up in Montpelier, Vermont. He developed a strong connection to the state while he attended Montpelier High School. In 2004, Adam worked with the VYCC for the first time as a Corps Member. From that experience, he became devoted to the dream of leading a VYCC crew and having a positive impact on others. He studied in the school of Forestry at University of Montana for three years. During his 2008 summer break, he returned to the VYCC for another summer crew. This crew convinced him to come home where his heart was truly rooted. In May 2009 he graduated with a B.A. in Conservation Ecology from Sterling College. After graduating, he led another VYCC crew, which camped in Kettle Pond and Lake Elmore State parks throughout the summer. His love of the outdoors and his devotion to Vermont brought him to work with VYCC for the 2009-10 school year as a School Instructor at Lamoille Union High School. He'll continue in this role for the 2010-11 school year. Adam lives a simple life with chickens, home baked bread, raw milk in a glass bottle, and an ongoing quest towards zero-waste. Huge props to Adam!

Amanda Garland

Amanda Garland is finishing her Masters at the University of Vermont in Natural Resources and the Environment and has moved from Burlington to the Mad River Valley, where she is excited to lose cell phone service and ski from her back door. In 2009, Amanda was a School Instructor at Harwood High Schools; for the 2010-11 school year, she will return as School Instructor at U-32 High School. Before working as a School Instructor, she was a park ranger in NH, worked for the forest service, led a crew in The Bob Marshall Wilderness, and was a VYCC Crew Leader for the Burlington Community Crew. When not leading crews, you can find Amanda in her garden, kayaking, torturing a fiddle, tearing up ski trails, or reading a novel in a hammock by a babbling brook. She hopes to take the experience gained through the VYCC to start an alternative, skill based, work educational school of her own.

Don Maryanski

Don first worked for the VYCC as a Wilderness Crew Leader in the 2009 Field Season. He brought to the crew experience from his previous job at Big Bend National Park in Texas. He has a solid foundation of technical skills built from his time as a Trail Worker, Crew Leader, and Physical Science Technician at Yosemite National Park in California. Don brings a passion for botany and ecological study. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from the State University of New York Environmental Science and Forestry and an Associate’s Degree in Environmental Studies from Finger Lakes Community College. For Don, instructing a School Crew during the 2009-10 school year seemed like a natural next step. Due to his passion for outdoor education, he'll return as a School Instructor for the 2010-11 school year.

Anne Morrison

A native Vermonter, Anne is returning to her roots after five years in Colorado and Utah. Anne’s first experiences with the VYCC were in high school for three consecutive summers on both Wilderness and Roving Crews. Following these life-changing experiences, Anne attended college at the University of Vermont and graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences. Looking for new and different adventures after college, Anne took an Instructor position with Outward Bound in Moab, Utah. For the past five summer seasons, she has been exploring slot canyons, aspen-scattered mountain ranges, and the mighty Colorado and Green Rivers of Utah. Winters have been time spent in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado pursuing her passions for powder skiing and snow. Anne is excited to draw on her variety of past experiences with experiential education and group development for the coming school year. She hopes to share the learning experience with her students as the school year progresses.

Kat Coons

Kathleen has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Saint Michael's College in Vermont. Before arriving at VYCC headquarters, she worked as a Science Teacher with the Mount Mansfield Winter Academy and an Outdoor Educator with YMCA Camps Chingachgook and Widjiwagan. Kathleen has also worked for the Smithsonian National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center as both an Environmental Education Intern and an Ecology Field Crew Intern. She has crew leading experience from the Steamboat Springs Community Youth Corps in Colorado, the Northwest Youth Corps in Oregon, and most recently from the VYCC. In 2006 Kathleen led the VYCC's Montpelier Community Crew and a Wilderness Crew before joining the VYCC Program Staff as a Field Assistant in the winter of 2007. Kathleen was also a Corps Member with the VYCC in 2001. For the 2009-10 school year, she co-managed the School Program. She is excited to be taking this experience to her new position as Partnership Coordinator between the VYCC and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, where she will be leading the school crew and working to connect high school teachers with service learning projects. When not working hard at VYCC, you might be able to find her tromping around the Vermont woods oin mud boots or on cross country skis with her trusty pup, Max!

(802) 457 - 3368 Ext. 55
kat.coons@vycc.org

Old Profiles

2009 School Instructor Profiles