Current Apprentices

Ande Reisman comes from outside Boston and graduated from Colgate magna cum laude in 2008 with a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies and Middle Eastern Studies. At Colgate she was on the varsity women's rowing team and worked at the climbing wall. Since graduation Ande has worked in marketing at a software company while also serving as the assistant coach to a varsity crew team in Massachusetts. Ande has always loved the outdoors and has more recently developed a passion for working with young people. She is really excited to be the history apprentice and to gain experience as a teacher in the classroom and on the trail. Ande enjoys backpacking, skiing, rowing, and traveling as well as trivia games. After the apprentice program, Ande aims to work towards her PhD in Sociology and to continue teaching in higher education.

Born and raised in the birth place of deep dish pizza, Chicago, IL, Caroline Rex-Waller graduated from Smith College, with a B.A. in the Study of Women and Gender and African-American Studies.  Caroline was first introduced to experiential education in her junior year of high school when she attended the Mountain School in Vershire, VT, where she witnessed the birth of two calves, Pedro and Madeline, and learned the subtle distinction between different grades of maple syrup.  During her summers, Caroline has been found working with the Women's Program at Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries in Chicago, growing and selling kale with kids at an urban garden in Seattle, WA, and weeding sweet potatoes on a small farm in western Massachusetts. After spending her fall working with the Feminist Press in New York City, Caroline has happily traded a Brooklyn apartment for a cozy cabin and higher levels of annual precipitation. Caroline can be found around campus dancing in the kitchen, teaching English, or finding occasions to wear costumes. She hates creamed spinach. 

Danny Wasserman hails originally from Denver, Colorado. He spent his college years at Colby College in Maine, studying philosophy, environmental studies, and Italian. Between leading freshmen orientation trips, serving as an officer in the outing club, tutoring students in Italian, and playing squash, Danny also loved spending his time cooking, skiing, cycling, and desperately attempting to get into an all-male a capella group (to no avail, sadly). Danny discovered his passion for the outdoors, and more specifically outdoor education while guiding expedition trips for Camp Nebagamon in Northern Wisconsin. Danny is excited to impart Spanish, Italian and culinary wisdom on the students of the High Mountain Institute.

Elise Hale-Case grew up in Seattle and graduated from Mount Holyoke College in the spring of 2009 where she majored in religion and minored in biology.  Elise worked as a Student Adviser and Hall President for Residential Life at Mount Holyoke. She also founded, coached and developed her schools Ultimate Frisbee program. During summers, Elise guided backpacking trips of varying lengths in the American and Canadian west and Alaska for YMCA Camp Menogyn. When not working in the gear room or teaching Practices and Principles at the High Mountain Institute, Elise enjoys playing ultimate, adventuring, telling jokes, and reading poetry.  

Hannah Phillips grew up building forts, mountain biking, and cavorting through the woods on Dumpling Hill, located just outside Montpelier, in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Motivated by the promise of outdoor labs and opportunities to explore the surrounding ecosystems in hip-waders, Hannah graduated from Skidmore College in 2009 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. While at Skidmore she served as the Environmental Studies Department Student Representative on the Academic Council, captained the women's ultimate frisbee team, worked in the Skidmore GIS Center, and spent winters racing on her Nordic skis. Hannah moved to Wyoming during her junior year in search of bigger adventures for a Semester in the Rockies with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). For her final college semester she moved south to Costa Rica to conduct research on water lilies and leaf-cutter ants with Duke University and the Organization for Tropical Studies; ecological research remains her academic passion and she is excited to share that passion in the science classroom. During the summers, Hannah leads trips for high school students with Overland Summers. In 2009 she led the High Sierra Explorer trip in California, and will return in 2010 to lead the Alaska Leadership course.

Rachel Shapiro grew up on a farm south of Albany, NY, working with cows, chickens, and goats. After high school, she completed a NOLS Semester in the Southwest and became hooked on the simplicity of living in the backcountry. Having spent the last four years studying geotechnical engineering at Tufts University, Rachel is excited to switch things up and try out teaching in the classroom and in the wilderness. Throughout college, she worked for LEGO as an education fellow bringing engineering curriculum to Boston schools. While not helping students simplify rational expressions as a math apprentice, Rachel enjoys running, swimming, baking, and planning her dream trip to southeast Asia. 

Scott Simontacchi was born and raised in Morristown, NJ and attended Vanderbilt University where he earned a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Environmental Studies.  Before being the Math apprentice, he worked as a trip leader for the Chewonki Foundation, Jefferson Lakes Day Camp, Vanderbilt University Outdoor Recreation Center, and the Student Conservation Association.  Scott loves many different outdoor activities like rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, canoeing, backpacking, rafting, caving, and sailing.  Scott's favorite things include working with students, teaching, traveling, exploring beautiful places, and getting healthy amounts of exercise - which makes the Rocky Mountain Semester a great match!  He will be working for the Student Conservation Association this summer leading month-long conservation trips for high school students to build and maintain trails in the National Parks and National Forests.