Educational Team
Maggie Saunders
Instructional Coach
Maggie Saunders grew up in Austin, TX and spent much of her time studying and rehearsing dance in the studios of Ballet Austin. This led her to move to Norman, Oklahoma where she pursued a degree in Ballet Performance, as well as a degree in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Saunders was able to help build the pre-k program for the Norman Public School district as it began over 23 years ago, selecting materials and building curriculum and interventions. In addition to teaching pre-k and kindergarten over the past 23 years, Mrs. Saunders has also spent many afternoons and evenings teaching a variety of dance techniques to students ranging from 3 years to adult. In her down time she enjoys gardening, swimming, traveling, scuba diving, and reading.
Maggie Saunders has a daughter who is in her last semester of college in Oklahoma studying Family Life Education. Mrs. Saunders and her husband moved to Pagosa Springs with their sweet blue heeler, Marble. They enjoy hiking, exploring new sights and being outside any chance that they can get.
Lena Geren
Kindergarden Lead Advisor
Hi there, I’m Lena Geren. I was born and raised primarily in northwest Arkansas. I grew up visiting Pagosa Springs and lived here for a short span of time as a kid. I’ve always felt a connection to southern Colorado and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here once again, and to teach at Pagosa Peak Open School this year. My path to becoming an educator was not typical, but a journey I will always cherish. With a background in behavioral therapy, I moved to Pagosa 3 years ago and obtained my substitute teaching license. I quickly realized the joy and passion teaching brought me, and I went back to school and worked to receive my teaching license.
Although there are so many aspects about being a teacher that I love, my favorite is cultivating a love for learning within the students and creating a safe, fun and nurturing environment. I firmly believe that every child belongs, and has the ability to achieve success. When I am not in the classroom I spend my time hiking and exploring with my dog, painting, sewing, and weight lifting. I am excited to see what this school years brings!
Laura Frey
1st Grade Lead Advisor
Laura Frey (“Frey” pronounced as “fry”) is originally from Southern Illinois but has lived in various places in Colorado for 14 years. Before joining Pagosa Peak Open School, she spent two years teaching 3rd grade at Pagosa Springs Elementary where she developed a deep appreciation for helping young learners grow both academically and emotionally.
With a strong foundation in social and emotional learning, Laura is especially excited to bring project-based learning into her classroom—encouraging students to explore, question, and connect with the world around them. She originally earned her bachelors degree in Geology from Fort Lewis College and later followed her calling to education earning her elementary teaching license.
Outside the classroom, Laura is no stranger to adventure. She thru-hiked the entire Colorado Trail in 2015 and has hiked 38 14ers. These experiences continue to inspire her love for resilience, nature, and exploration—values she strives to pass on to her students every day.
Cyndi Carr
2nd Grade Lead Advisor
Cyndi Carr graduated from Angelo State University, San Angelo, Texas in 1999 with a degree in Special
Education and a Minor in Spanish. She brings 25 years of experience as a Special Education teacher, with a background spanning high school (15 years), middle school (1 year), and elementary (9 years). Cyndi was honored with the Barbara Jordan Elementary and Krispy Kreme Teacher of the Year
award (2014 Texas).
Cyndi practices hands-on, individualized learning to help every child thrive. She is certified in both Colorado and Texas, and is excited to bring her experience to this project-based learning environment.
Cyndi has lived in Pagosa Springs for seven years and feels it is just as pretty as the day she moved here.
Paola Hasbun
3rd Grade Lead Advisor
Paola Hasbun is a 17 year brain tumor survivor. During cancer treatment, she continued school at a classroom in MD Anderson Cancer Center. Being the oldest pediatric patient, she took pleasure in encouraging, mentoring, and tutoring the other patients. This is where and when Paola knew that being a teacher was her life’s calling. She absolutely fell in love with motivating children emotionally and academically. She appreciates every day of life, staying positive throughout all kinds of situations.
Paola is EC-6 Core Subject certified, Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test certified, Bilingual Supplemental Education Exam, Science of Reading Test certified, as well as Professional Pedagogy Responsibilities Exam certified. She has been in education since 2015 teaching in all elementary school grade levels. She recently moved here from Houston, Texas. Paola has focused her career in servicing title 1 schools. She is very excited to work at Pagosa Peak Open School.
Laura Hamilton
4th Grade Lead Advisor
Laura Hamilton joined Pagosa Peak Open School in 2021 as assistant advisor but quickly moved into a Lead role. Laura believes that she is ready to learn and that is why she became a teacher. She has obtained her teaching license after substituting for Pagosa Peak Open School and the local school district. She served on the PPOS founding board over 5 years ago, and she is thrilled to witness the school’s growth.
Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree in Earth Science, and she is currently looking into obtaining her Masters degree in Education. She spends her free time with her husband, daughters, pugs, and cat. Laura adores her family, and she feels very lucky to have them. They are a paddle boarding, ukulele playing, and snowshoeing group.
Kelle Bruno
5th Grade Lead Advisor
Kelle Bruno started out at PPOS in 2017 as the 1st-2nd grade teacher. Before that she was the Spanish teacher at Pagosa Springs Elementary School. Kelle has an Elementary Teaching License from Fort Lewis College with an endorsement to teach Linguistically Diverse Education. Prior to her work in education, Kelle was a board member and garden educator for the Garden Project of SW Colorado in Durango and ran her own market garden, Southern Roots Farm, in Bayfield. She was also the Research Farm Manger at the Seeds of Change Research Farm in northern New Mexico.
Kelle has a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Development and Agroecology from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. She and her husband currently run an 1/8 acre organic vegetable garden where the students are able to have first hand experiences in food production and marketing. Kelle brings a wealth of school garden, Spanish, and natural science experience to her students. She enjoys skiing, cooking, and exploring the beautiful natural landscape of Pagosa Springs with her husband and their daughter.
Rue Graham
Project Advisor and Coordinator
Rue currently serves as our Project Based Learning Advisor & Coordinator and has been teaching at PPOS since 2021. She comes to us with extensive PBL experience; she previously taught at a PBL school in Castle Rock, CO — and did her student teaching at Jeffco Open School, the school that served as the original model for Pagosa Peak Open School’s founding board, back in 2016.
Joey Wychesit
Middle School Math Advisor
Joey graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Applied Science, in Mechanical Engineering in 2013. He moved to Pagosa shortly after where he met his wife and began volunteering at a local youth group. This and other volunteering led him to realize his calling to teach. Joey has a mind for Mathematics and has made positive academic impacts on students at PPOS since he started teaching in 2021.
Joey resides in Pagosa with his wife and two daughters. He loves to forge and make things through various means. You can often find him grilling burgers with a root beer in hand!
Alison Beach
Middle School ELA Advisor
Alison Beach and her husband Jesse have lived in Pagosa Springs since 2018 with their three children who enjoy the scenic beauty as well as exploring, hot spring adventures, and family board games. Mrs. Beach has worked in education as a grant writer, middle school teacher, and drama teacher prior to joining the PPOS staff for the Middle School ELA position. She received her a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University Wisconsin with a Major in English Education and a Minor in Elementary Education in December 2024. Mrs. Beach believes that all forms of communication are deeply intertwined.
She loves literature passionately and comes from a family of writers (her mother and sister are both published authors.) Her favorite hobbies are playing guitar, singing, writing music and poetry, reading, painting, knitting, hiking, and snowshoeing.
Katy Corbett
Exceptional Student Services
Katy Corbett grew up in Pagosa Springs. After living and teaching in places all over the world, she is happy to be back home. She has a BA in Interdisciplinary Social Studies from Regis College, and a Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Oregon. She began her career as a social studies teacher, but quickly moved into special education: her true love. She taught Navajo students for six years, before moving to Hawaii to teach. She has taught regular education, special education, and gifted education and has served students K-12.
Katy moved to Kenya in 2010, and was the Director of Special Needs at an international boarding school for 3.5 years. After that stint, she returned to Pagosa to allow her daughter the opportunity to attend Pagosa Springs High School and be near her grandparents. She opened a neuro-feedback therapy business and served children and adults who needed help with ADD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. While running her own business, she also worked as an international education consultant. She helped small schools in Jordan and Azerbaijan to improve their special education departments, and also consulted with expat families at conferences in Turkey, Greece, and Hungary. Ms. Corbett then moved to teach, once again, on the beautiful island of Kauai. She taught there for two years before returning to Pagosa Springs.
,even Rain March
Creative Advisor
Rain March has been teaching at PPOS since 2019. She was born in a small town in Tennessee but raised in a even smaller town in England, where she received her general education but specialized in music studying piano, violin, guitar and voice. Rain traveled selling handmade art for several years before deciding to settle in beautiful Colorado.
In Denver, she worked as a preschool music teacher traveling around the city performing to the smallest kids around. She has worked in several libraries as well as serving as the Children’s book coordinator at 2 buck books, a Denver bookstore. She has since been owner/ performer at Squiggle and Wiggle, a project that combined the love of music with a love of books to provide musical storytime.
Sarah Troxtell
Restorative Practices Coordinator
Sarah Troxtell relocated to Pagosa Springs in 2022, drawn by the opportunity to embrace a more intentional and community-focused lifestyle. She earned her degree from Texas Tech University and brings over a decade of experience in the business world, having worked at Fidelity Investments, Capital One, and most recently, WEX.
Throughout her corporate career, Sarah focused on building trust and connection between employees, fostering inclusive and collaborative work environments. In recent years, her work has centered on leading cultural transformations through human-centered problem-solving and design thinking.
Sarah is passionate about bringing these innovative approaches to foster a restorative learning environment for the staff, students, and larger community.
Brian Tunin
Physical Education Advisor
Brian Tunin comes to us from the coastline of New Jersey. He grew up swimming, surfing & playing as many sports as he could. Brian played soccer at Seton Hall University where he studied Biology. Brian received his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of New Mexico, where his love for the mountains began. Weightlifting and competing in powerlifting & bodybuilding competitions, Brian became a certified personal trainer. After marrying and moving to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida he successfully ran his own personal training company for 28 years.
Raising two boys in south Florida, Brian became involved in the cub scouts and boy scouts. For 16 years he taught personal fitness, health & nutrition to scouts from ages 8-18. Brian and his wife have moved to Pagosa Springs to continue their love of the outdoors. Teaching Health and Nutrition comes naturally to Brian who really hopes to make an impact on the children of PPOS.
Michaela Mecklenburg
Reading Interventionist
Michaela Mecklenburg has been a teacher for the last 10 years and is currently the Reading Interventionist. When hired at PPOS she took on the role of High Impact Tutor in math and Interventionist for multiple grades. She previously served as the middle school humanities and 6th grade math teacher.
She has an undergrad in Anthropology and a MA in curriculum development. She love cultures and people and has lived 10 years abroad.
Carlos Martinez
Assistant Advisor
Carlos Martinez has been teaching at PPOS since 2019. He was born in Durango, Colorado and raised on a ranch by his grandparents in Chromo, Colorado. He attended school in Pagosa Springs from elementary through high school graduating in 2000. Carlos is the proud father of two amazing boys Draven and Emiliano Martinez and he recently married his amazing wife Emily.
Carlos enjoys golfing, fishing, working with wood and going on hikes. He played on the inaugural golf team in 1997 and has been the assistant high school golf coach for two years. Carlos has worked with kids for seven years and at PPOS now for two years. He deeply enjoys working with kids and watching them learn and grow. Carlos looks forward to continuing working at Pagosa Peak Open School and with the amazing staff we have here.
Nyx Rohrer
After School Program Manager
I’m Nyx Rohrer. I was born in Durango Colorado and moved to Pagosa Springs when I was 2. I spent a lot of time in my teen years volunteering for a youth summer program that prepared me to manage and teach groups of children. This program fostered my love for working with children. My focus is to bring a safe, welcoming energy into my after school program so that children can feel comfortable and be themselves while spending time with their friends. I enjoy spending time in nature, reading, and spending time with those I love.