Staff Life in Chile

It is easy to focus on the experience of our students here at Alzar School, the learning that takes place each day is significant and transformative in so many ways. However, in this blog, we take a minute to highlight the lives of the Alzar School faculty, the folks that hold this entire place together.

The Alzar School staff is made up of ten administrators, eight teachers, four teaching fellows, and five support staff. These twenty-seven minds keep the Alzar School not only running but thriving, and these individuals are as diverse as the places we visit and the rivers we run. Within the Alzar School staff there are river enthusiasts, farmers, permaculturists, biologists, peacemakers, parents, knitters, endurance athletes, artists, musicians, chefs, historians, animal lovers, geologists, Valley County natives, river rangers and so much more.

Not all staff travel to Chile, admissions staff are busy spreading the word about Alzar School to potential students around the country, and others are working hard to keep things operational in Idaho. While teaching faculty live in separate houses in the States, we share houses while here in Chile. Collaboration flourishes, whether it be coming together to build a comprehensive expedition lesson or making sourdough cinnamon rolls. Living together enables us to connect with the coworkers that we don’t always spend time with on campus. Like our students, this gives staff an opportunity to build upon the already tight-knit Alzar School community and learn from each other.

While in Chile, staff hold all the academic and residential duties they do while in Idaho. In their free time, rather than recreating in the mountain wilderness of Idaho, they often take the opportunity to go off and discover Chile themselves. Exploring a foreign culture and country, staff take on the adventure, pushing their communication skills and as they practice continual learning and development right alongside our students. During their free time, you can expect staff to be throughout the southern regions of Chile; exploring Pucón by kayak, visiting old friends in Valdivia, “researching” hot springs, and spending quality time together.