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Assistant Head of School for Student Development and Community Engagement
Student Development
SPA's K-12 student development programs are designed to give students skills that promote wellness and balance. These programs teach strategies for persevering through developmental challenges that accompany learning and growing, and support academic excellence by tending to the environments and mindsets that allow students to engage with and work through challenges in healthy and productive ways.
Student Development At a Glance
- Center for Learning and Teaching
- Counseling Services
- Health and Wellness
- Intercultural Life and Diversity
- Athletics
Center for Learning and Teaching
The Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT) serves all students and teachers in all divisions, and is the school's center of expertise for academic support, learning differences, and faculty professional development around learning and brain development.
Within a context calling for academic excellence, SPA holds to graduation standards consistent with its history and mission. At the same time, the school seeks ways to help students meet those standards as they prepare for colleges appropriate to their ability, motivation, and academic performance. SPA provides support services for students with documented learning disabilities based on a student’s individual circumstances and in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, and the school adjusts methods of instruction whenever appropriate to support students in achieving the goals and expectations of our academic program. For students with learning disabilities, as with all students at SPA, the school seeks to foster and support individual success. At the same time, the school recognizes that success is an individual matter and therefore sometimes beyond its control and influence. In all three divisions, the school employs a learning specialist who oversees and guides the academic supports for students with documented learning differences. In developmentally sequenced ways, each division prepares students for increasing independence in understanding and managing the necessary tools for personal academic growth and success. By the Upper School, successful students demonstrate a deep understanding of their strengths, challenges, and necessary support systems, and a commitment to employing these systems as warranted.
Karen Rassmussen,
CLT Director
Academic support is offered through the Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT). Karen Rassmussen, the Director of the CLT, oversees the arc of student support, programing, academic tutoring, and policy development across the three divisions. Karen and her team work to provide support and professional development for faculty around best practices in teaching, and how to apply current research to better improve practices in the classroom. Karen joined SPA as the Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching in 2018, and prior to SPA she worked as the Learning Specialist at St. Thomas Academy for 13 years. Karen holds a bachelor’s from the University of Minnesota, and a master’s from the University of St. Thomas. She also holds certifications in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Orton-Gillingham teaching. For more information about academic tutoring, learning differences, or the work of the Center for Learning and Teaching, contact Karen Rassmussen.
The Center for Learning and Teaching staff also includes:
Laura Duke
Laura Duke, Lower School Literacy Support Specialist, holds a bachelor's from Pacific Lutheran University, a master's from St. Catherine University, and certifications in Reading Recovery and the Wilson Reading System. In her role as Literacy Support Specialist, her experience as both a classroom teacher and as an interventionist informs her connections with students and colleagues in the Lower School in meeting the literacy needs of our diverse student body.
Tristan Gavin
Tristan Gavin, Lower School Learning Specialist, comes to SPA from the Bertschi School in Seattle where he worked as a learning specialist. He loves learning students' strengths, challenges, and motivations for succeeding in school, and working with teachers to give students the support that they need to succeed. At SPA, Tristan is responsible for tracking student growth, making plans for their support, and providing resources to teachers and families. Tristan holds a bachelor's from Whitman College and a master's from Relay Graduate School of Education.
Jay Rainville
Jay Rainville, Middle School Learning Specialist, supports students in their academic endeavors and helps them navigate the intellectual changes that are characteristic of the Middle School years. Jay provides direct academic support to Middle School students both individually and in small groups, and teaches the Grade 6 Compass class, which is required of all students and focuses on developing strong academic habits. Jay holds a bachelor's and master's in Instruction from Saint Mary's University, he is also a licensed reading specialist.
Emily King
Emily King serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Center of Learning and Teaching. Emily came to SPA from Hastings High School where she taught various subjects in Grades 10-12, and worked on academic data tracking and interventions as a lead behavioral and academic intervention specialist for Grades 5-6 students. In the Center for Learning and Teaching, she works with middle school students during quiet study hours, and upper school students in areas of organization and time management. She also assists with communication between teachers and families and SAT/ACT testing accommodations.
For more information about the work of the Center for Teaching and Learning, contact Karen Rassmussen by email or at 651-696-1408.
Counseling Services
The four-person counseling staff supports individuals and small groups of students when social, emotional, or behavioral challenges may arise. Counselors can offer assistance in problem-solving and conflict resolution, guidance on developing and maintaining healthy relationships, and self-esteem. Counselors collaborate with students, teachers, and families to create supportive learning and social environments for students.
Our counseling staff does not replace the role of individual therapists, although counselors do offer brief, time-limited therapies in school adjustment, self-regulation, stress-management, social skills development, and self-care. Counselors can support the ongoing work of individual therapists by providing context and support at school that enhances the ongoing work of the primary individual therapist with a student outside of school.
The counseling staff includes:
Ally Youderian
Ally Youderian, Lower School Counselor: Ally Youderian, is a resource for Lower School students, families, and faculty. She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire and her master's degree in School Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ally joined the SPA community in 2020 after serving as a school counselor in New Richmond, Wisconsin for seven years. “Mrs. Y” provides short-term individual or small group counseling for any student at the Lower School. School counseling referrals may come from teachers, families, or as a student self-referral. Common topics include self-regulation, managing strong emotions, friendship/social skills, coping with change/transitions (e.g. family changes, moving, or other major transitions), and grief support. Mrs. Y also works with all students through monthly wellness lessons and other school-wide programming. Wellness lesson topics are determined by the CASEL Framework, ASCA (American School Counselor Association) Student Standards, and student needs assessment data, and are designed to complement the skills students learn through the TOOLBOX curriculum.
Jennifer Prestegaard
Jennifer Prestegaard, Middle & Upper School Counselor: Jennifer Prestegaard, joins SPA after a very successful career in the Stillwater Area Schools District where she served as both a Middle and Upper School Counselor, as well as an AVID coordinator. During her time with the Stillwater District she served on multiple committees addressing various social-emotional needs of students, and served as the advisor for the International Exchange Club and Students Promoting Asian Awareness diversity club. Jennifer earned her master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota.
Heidi Lohman
Heidi Lohman, Upper School Counselor (Grades 9 & 11):
Heidi Lohman joins SPA as an Upper School Counselor. She will predominantly work with students in the classes of 2024 and 2026 and serve as the primary resource for these families as they move through our Upper School. She will additionally co-teach the grade 10 wellness classes. Heidi earned her master’s in Education and School Counseling from Lewis & Clark College and has her Initial Level II School Counseling License. Additionally, she earned her bachelor's in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She has been a school counselor for the past 12 years, working in both middle and high school settings, and has also served as an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Lewis & Clark College in the School Counseling department. She comes to SPA most recently from the Early College High School in Portland, Oregon where she was the School Counselor for the past six years.
Emily Barbee
Emily Barbee, Upper School Counselor (Grades 10 & 12): Emily Barbee will serve as the Upper School counselor for the classes of 2023 and 2025, and is available to all students and parents as a resource, guide, and sounding board. Emily joined SPA in 2018, having previously served for five years as a Middle School Counselor at the Harker School in San Jose, California. Prior to her time at Harker, Emily served as a treatment coordinator/adolescent therapist, a mental health clinician, and a school-based therapist. Emily earned her bachelor's from Carleton College, and her master's studies were completed at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. Additionally, Emily has completed her licensure in MFT (Marriage and Family Therapy) and PPSC.
Health and Wellness
SPA students benefit from an intentional culture and integrated curriculum promoting healthy bodies, healthy minds, and healthy relationships. At all grade levels, beginning in kindergarten, health and wellness lessons are embedded in the homeroom, through advisory, in science, in physical education, and through wellness and Compass classes. We believe in educating the whole child, which encompasses an emphasis on developing healthy habits of mind, developing a foundation of critical thinking skills with regard to health, decision making, respectful interactions, and alignment of one’s values with choices.
In the Lower School, this includes a sequenced curriculum on sexuality development; lessons on topics such as human anatomy, families, puberty, gender, human reproduction, friendships, stress, and consent are presented across the curriculum, in age-appropriate ways. Students engage in conversations that support positive identity development and a healthy regard for themselves and others, utilizing the Lower School Toolbox and carefully designed lessons that mirror developmental needs and milestones across the grade levels. In this manner, students learn that the range of trusted adults in their community value the experiences and differences that each student brings with them to school; their teachers model and teach the tools to help students explore, and be confident in, their developing selves, physically and mentally.
Middle School Compass courses engage students in an interdisciplinary approach to health and wellness. The Grade 6 and 7 Compass courses are team-taught by the Learning Specialist, the MS Counselor, and the Director of Intercultural Life. Students explore social skills, academic strategies, human relationships, healthy communication, identity development, and personal values. In Grade 8, Wellness seminars explore health-related topics such as substance use and abuse, stress management, nutrition, and sexuality. Through the advisory program in the Middle School, students develop a shared understanding of community values. Through advisory activities and lessons, students engage in cultural conversations, building an appreciation for diversity and a foundation to take action for equity, supporting each student in developing a positive regard for their multiple identities and a community that values diversity of experiences and opinions. Physical Health and Wellness 8, addresses the construction and implementation of goal setting as it relates to overall well-being. Content may include teamwork, mindfulness, healthy decision-making, and learning lifelong fitness activities.
In the Upper School, Physical Health and Wellness is a required Grade 9 class in which students explore various topics that promote self-reflection, facilitate self-regulation, and encourage participation in lifetime activities. Physical Health and Wellness emphasizes social and emotional learning through character education and mindfulness practices. In conjunction, lifetime activities may include a variety of individual and team sports highlighting community and lifelong practices. Content may include nutrition, mindfulness, healthy decision-making, and CPR certification.
Grade 10 Wellness classes introduce the concepts and skills that assist teenagers in being mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically healthy. Students explore their understanding of identity, community, and personal responsibility. The foundational belief of the course is that success and wellness are best achieved when student's values, identity, and behavior align. This is a process-oriented class exploring concepts through experiential activities, personal reflection, and group discussion. Content and skill areas include: handling stress, communication skills/conflict resolution, mental health issues, chemical health, understanding and establishing boundaries, eating disorders and body image, relationships (familial, romantic, friendship), sexuality, spirituality, and personal integrity.
Intercultural Life and Diversity
At SPA, we seek to achieve ongoing excellence in academics by also tending to the environments and mindsets that allow students to engage with and work through differences in healthy and productive ways. Our work around diversity and intercultural life is designed to support students in the development of skills that promote collaboration across, and understanding of, diverse perspectives, opinions, values, experiences, and identities. The Director of Intercultural life, Dr. Naomi Taylor, plays a key role in helping to shape a community where inclusivity, pluralism, and a high regard for the value of diversity and equity are paramount to our school program and learning community. Dr. Taylor works across all constituencies and may provide consultative services to the student support team, classroom teachers, and parents and guardians. In all divisions, Dr. Taylor serves as a resource for teachers and families on matters of positive racial identity development, gender and sexuality inclusivity, cultural and religious diversity, and socioeconomic diversity.
Athletics
St. Paul Academy and Summit School believes that the pursuit of competitive excellence and success in athletics is central to our mission as a school, and an integral part of a complete educational experience. Athletic competition is a powerful educational experience that promotes the development of leadership, self-confidence, sportsmanship, and commitment to a team, and it is in alignment with our mission of shaping the minds and the hearts of the people who will change the world. Our student-athletes are coached to work hard towards collective goals, to strengthen their individual skills and to persevere when confronted by challenges.
Team sports at SPA are introduced as class activities in the physical education program starting in Grade 3, and interscholastic competition begins in Grade 5. The Middle School athletics program is very strong, with more than 97% of students in Grades 6-8 participating in at least one SPA team sport. In the Upper School, 79% of students participate in at least one SPA sport. Our varsity teams are consistently ranked in the top 10 in the state and our athletes are regularly recognized through selection to regional and national team events. Annually, the school fields 90 teams in 17 sports, with teams participating in over 1600 contests in 42 weeks.