Here you will find periodic updates on our progress and other notable occurrences. Feel free to contact me if what you read sparks questions or if you want to know something that is not included.

8 December 2025

We are more than two years in on this project to launch an excellent independent school in Teton Valley, and we have made significant progress. I had hoped to be further along by now, but I am reminded of what my father used to say whenever he had the chance: Things always take longer than you think - even when you remember that things always take longer than you think.

Since January of 2024 when we held a series of metering salon sessions to gauge community interest in establishing a private high school, we have accomplished the following (as well as a few other things):

• We have an outstanding school model, designed start to finish for high quality student outcomes.

• We have strong founding documents that communicate the key aspects of our program and pedagogy.

• We have a business plan, a budget, and a list of strategic areas of focus.

• We are recognized as a nonprofit organization in the state of Idaho.

• We have tax-exempt status under article 501(c)(3) of the nonprofit code.

• We have a dedicated Board of Directors.

• We have garnered key support from a wide swath of the community as well as a select group of community leaders.

• We have opened a conversation with TSD 401 to become, someday, friendly working partners with an interest in mutual advancement.

• We have identified a handful of workable launch sites and we are currently pursuing a few promising leads.

• We have spread the word among educators, and we have begun to identify key figures in our founding staff.

• And, we have a plan for rollout and launch.

By any measure, we are getting there. Momentum is building, and once we reach the tipping point, I believe things will begin to unfold very fast.

Among a few other key educational strategies, Tetons West Experiential High School will effect a meaningful combination of place, projects, outdoor experience, and academics. As a proof of concept, we will offer a 12-week pilot program of strip canoe building and a thematically related academic class to bolster useful school skills. We have not yet designed the class, but imagine something along the lines of The Literature of Inland Waterways. Or The Physics of Boatbuilding. Maybe even something a little less related, like Sleep, Dreams, and the Three Theaters of the Mind: A User’s Guide to the Human Brain.

In twelve weeks of Friday mornings, as well as as many Saturdays as we need, we will guide a select group of motivated students through the steps of building their own 16-foot fir strip canoe. We will teach woodworking skills, shop safety, wood bending techniques, fiberglassing, and finish work. Also, boat and small-craft safety. In the end, every enrolled student will have their own personally built strip canoe and paddles. We will celebrate this accomplishment with a flotilla of canoes on the Teton River in the spring. Would that you would join us.