Meet the Faculty
Andrea McAlpin: Founder and Director
Andrea is one of the Dragonfly School founders in 2018, as a founding mother, Lead Teacher and previous Director. She helped build the school from the ground up with policy making, classroom design, hiring and training teachers, and developing curriculum. She returns to Dragonfly School in the summer of 2025 to take up the Director role again, to follow through with her work and dedication!
Andrea is a qualified Early Childhood Director with over 15 years of experience in education. She has held various roles within our Montezuma County community as an educational leader, taking part in the development of various programs including the Children’s Kiva, Durango Nature Studies, the Montelores Early Childhood Council, Sage House Nature School, and of course our beloved Dragonfly.
Originally from Arizona, Andrea has been in Southwest Colorado for most of her adult life. Outside of her professional life, Andrea is mother to Owen (attending Mancos Elementary) and Jonah (Dragonfly’s Kindergarten class). She lives in Cortez with her husband Kevin, her boys, dogs, chickens, and gardens.
Andrea’s career has been driven by commitment to community and family, always fueled by a deep passion to be a steward of the earth and to provide educational experiences that nurture the whole child. Andrea re-joins the Dragonfly team in this way, striving to shine alongside the children, families, teachers, and community members that it holds.
Kristina Ayars:
Administrative Assistant
Kristina has spent much of her life working with children and young adults- from babysitting and nannying when she was younger, to roles such as: teaching environmental education in Flagstaff, AZ and along the east coast, a Kindergarten Assistant at a Waldorf school in NY, assistant at a Waldorf-inspired school in Moab, UT, a case manager for youth, a wilderness therapy guide, conservation corps leader and co-manager, and auntie to many young children in our Mancos community.
She holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies and is also an Herbalist. She is grateful to be offering her administrative skills to a program she loves in a community she loves being part of, as the Dragonfly Office Assistant. You may also catch her in the school gardens and subbing in the classroom!
Rebecca Favero: Preschool Lead Teacher
Rebecca was born and raised in Minnesota. She is the youngest of 5 kids and loved growing up in a big family (mostly ;). Rebecca went to college in Minnesota and studied Biology in hopes to work in the field of Environmental Science. However, through volunteer work she came to find that her heart was much more geared towards working with people; especially in wild places. She worked in Social Work positions largely with youth and families in need. She led a youth gardening camp for young ones, as well as youth tennis camps, youth music lessons and nature programs. She also worked as a youth mentor for homeless and runaway youth. Rebecca also spent time working in Hospice, helping elders with their end of life journey.
The wild kept calling and Rebecca moved out to the Four Corners region and fell in love with the mountains and rivers and deserts here. Rebecca began her career in Wilderness Therapy; leading groups of young people in the mountains and deserts and supporting them in finding their strength and center through wilderness skills and ceremony. She also led Family Quests, supporting families on healing trips in the wilderness. Rebecca also works as a birth and death doula.
In 2022, Rebecca was a teacher in our previously available Chickadee Classroom at Dragonfly. Before the school year, as well as during the school year, she took courses like the foundational year of Waldorf Teacher Training, a 7 month long course on Expanding Quality in Infant and Toddler Care, and a 6 month course called Explorations on the philosophy and pedagogy of Waldorf Education.
Rebecca's first love is music; She loves to sing and play the piano and guitar. She loves to learn about different cultures through learning their music while traveling; in Italy, Colombia, and hopefully many more places to come. Her heart swells with joy when she gets to sing with young ones; especially when there is frolicking involved.
Rebecca is joining us for her 3rd year as the Preschool Lead and feels honored to share space and time with children and strives to honor their essence in all the little and big moments they share together.
Shelby Kutulas: Preschool Assistant Teacher
With three years of exploring Southwest Colorado under her belt, she's now calling Durango home, where she lives with her partner and dog, Grace, in a cozy cabin. Her experience as a preschool teacher's assistant and live-in nanny in various locations (including Littleton, Lakewood, Telluride, and Ouray), has prepared her well for her role at Dragonfly. Shortly before arriving at Dragonfly as the Preschool Classroom Assistant and Kindergarten Paraprofessional last year, she was a Lead Toddler Teacher at a nature based early childhood center in Pagosa Springs. Blending her love and experience for human development she feels honored to be apart of the Dragonfly community.
Andra Sakson: Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Andra is a Colorado girl through and through! She grew up in Carbondale, CO with the blessing of attending Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork from preschool through eighth grade. She attributes her immense love of nature to her childhood in Waldorf, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Organismal and Environmental Biology from Fort Lewis College as a result of her profound wonder for the natural world. Since moving to Southwest Colorado for college in 2016, Andra has discovered a special joy in working with young children through avenues such as bike coaching with Every Pedal, working at the Silverton Family Learning Center, the Silverton Public School, and most recently, running her own Waldorf-inspired home childcare program.
Andra is currently pursuing an M.Ed. in Waldorf Education from Antioch University, as well as an in-depth Waldorf Early Childhood certification from Sophia’s Hearth. Her professional development is enriched with the study of anthroposophy and child development, and she has a special interest in Pikler caregiving principles– centered around self-initiated movement and respect for the young child. Andra recognizes that we have so much to learn from young children, and her objective as an educator is to support each child in feeling at home in the world and blossoming into their unique self. She is dedicated to cultivating an environment where warmth, love, joy, and attunement to the rhythms of nature are the medium through which children discover the world and their capacities to engage with it. Andra is so excited to be a part of this work at the beautiful Dragonfly School!
Katie Salka: Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Katie was raised in Durango and feels lucky to have cultivated a sense of curiosity, adventure, and freedom playing in the San Juan Mountains, exploring the surrounding deserts and finding endless inspiration for wonder in her own backyard. These are all values she has enjoyed sharing with students during her teaching journey. Katie first found a love for teaching as an educator at the Powerhouse Science Center in Durango after graduating from Colorado State University with a major in Media and Communication and before moving to Seattle where she spent three years enjoying the moody ocean and teaching a range of ages in public school classrooms before finding her way back to the Southwest. After spending time teaching in a traditional school setting she is excited to be able to combine her love for nature and guiding curious students in a new and meaningful way at Dragonfly.
Amanda Clifton: Afternoon Assistant Teacher
Amanda is a dedicated mother of two and joyful cheerleader for the children of the evolving humanity. Amanda's experiences living in community has drawn her to the Dragonfly school which feels like more than just an ordinary school: it's a place where collaboration thrives with students, teachers, and parents alike. It's a place where all can grow and co-create and celebrate their unique gifts as an essential part of the perfect whole. As a life-long student of compassionate, conscious, and non-violent communication, Amanda is committed to positive guidance for children, and safe space-holding for children, adults (and the children in all of us). Amanda is an ongoing student of Herbalism and maker of herbal medicine with a concentration on Families and Birthing People, Birth Doula, a performer with credits ranging from Musical Theatre to Circus Arts, and a tree-loving plant-nerd who delights in the beauty of nature as a life priority. Amanda and husband Jonathan and two kiddos Ari and Cal (who will be attending the Dragonfly school) relocated to Mancos this August from the Appalachian mountains. Amanda feels so grateful for the way this community has welcomed her family in such a beautiful and serendipitous way. She will be acting as a floater support between the kindergarten and preschool classrooms and looks forward to getting to know all of you! Blessings abound!
Kathryn Zion: Parent and Child Teacher
Kathryn grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota where she enjoyed camping, boating, snowmobiling and outdoor sports all year as her family owned an outdoor recreation business in Rapid City. She moved to Denver after High School to go to school and fell in love with Colorado. Kathryn has two daughters; one went to Montessori kindergarten and is a Ph.D. and an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and the other attended Waldorf preschool through the 8th grade and works as a Parent-Child Home Program Site Coordinator for a non-profit organization in Washington. Kathryn helped start the Front Range Waldorf Preschool in Golden, attended Gradalis Remedial Elementary Training in Boulder, and home-schooled 1st and 2nd grade using Oak Meadows curriculum. She worked at the Denver Waldorf School as a Teaching Assistant 1st -3rd grade for a large class, then attended Rudolph Steiner College in California. She feels blessed to have a Waldorf Mentor in Denver to guide her on this wonderful new adventure at the Dragonfly Preschool. She feels at home in Mancos, where there is a community of supporting and harmonious beings with a plethora of activities to enjoy.
Kathryn has been our beloved Preschool Assistant Teacher since our beginnings 4 years ago—and every child who has passed through our school has known her warmth and infectious laugh! This year she is moving into a new role as Wise Elder, mentor, and Parent and Child class teacher.
Claire Broughton: Teacher Mentor and Substitute
Claire taught at Dragonfly for 4 years before taking some time off in 2024 to become a Mother! She is now mentor and advisor to all teachers and admin at Dragonfly!
Growing up in the woods of Northern Canada, Claire's fondest memories are of wild play in the natural world, where curiosity and imagination guided her sense of wonder and love for all beings. At the age of 12, her youngest brother was born, and so began her love of caring for young children. Her strong family ties to camp and cottage life led her to early beginnings as a girl guide and summer camp counselor.
Claire studied biology and ecology at Queen's University and spent her summers working with children. After graduating, she began an internship with the Environmental Youth Alliance in Vancouver, where she soon became coordinator of the Growing Kids and Youth Garden programs, bringing nature awareness and urban agriculture to at-risk youth of all ages in the metro area. During this time, she also began studying at the Wilderness Awareness School in the ways of Coyote Mentoring.
She and her husband returned to Colorado, and in 2015 she found Waldorf early childhood education through the LifeWays program. She soon began working with her mentor, Mindy Upton, a master teacher, storyteller and doll maker at Blue Sky Kindergarten. Her experience with Mindy allowed her to step into the classroom as assistant and then lead teacher at Boulder Waldorf Kindergarten for three years. Claire continues to study early childhood, anthroposophy and the creative arts.
Claire's teaching is informed by the natural rhythms of the Earth, and she is devoted to beauty, simplicity and connection. She is a student of the old ways, striving to remember and integrate the majesty of human beings into so-called modern life. You may find her singing, knitting, tending the land, and wandering.
She and Will moved away from hustle-and-bustle of big city life, back to the quiet and slower pace of the Mancos Valley in 2020, and Claire began teaching as the preschool teacher at Dragonfly School. She enjoyed the opportunity to deepen her relationship with that group of children, going on as their Kindergarten teacher, then Grade One teacher at Dragonfly.
Kristin Stiff: Substitute
A remarkable Artist, Kristin has taught art to all ages. She brings a love of creativity and the arts to her role at Dragonfly School as Assistant Preschool Teacher. Kristin joined Dragonfly in 2023 as a beloved assistant for two wonderful years, and returns for the school year 2025-26 as a substitute.
Meg Hill:
Substitute
Meg went to a Waldorf Preschool in her early childhood and still remembers the magic. Meg was the beloved Afternoon nap teacher in 2023-24, helping children to rest with a steady, even presence. In her time not spent at Dragonfly, Meg care-takes and works for the Fenceline/Outlier Cellar orchards in the Mancos Valley. In 2025-26, Meg returns as a capable substitute teacher in all classrooms.
Karl Johnson:
School Mentor
We are lucky to have Karl at Dragonfly working with our teachers, parents, and children both remotely and in person when he comes to visit (Karl lives on the Front Range).
Karl David Johnson, M.A., has been an educator for over 40 years and has taught in the Waldorf movement since 1986. He is currently serving the Mountain Song Community School as Pedagogical Director. During the pandemic, Karl was in the classroom and served the Boulder Valley Waldorf School as a Middle School class teacher. He has previously served in a pedagogical support role for the Santa Fe Waldorf School, the Siskiyou School in Ashland, Oregon and the Kona Pacific Public Waldorf School on the Big Island of Hawaii. Prior to that support work, Karl taught as class teacher in Durango, Colorado and he had two classes at the Santa Fe Waldorf School. Karl has also taught blocks in various schools as a guest teacher. At the high school level, Karl has taught music – both Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble - and directed the Wilderness Experience program for the Santa Fe Waldorf High School. Additionally, Karl is a certified Educational Support Specialist and has supported children with learning issues, conducting assessments and developing and implementing support plans.
An experienced mentor and consultant, Karl has mentored hundreds of teachers at dozens of schools and has trained teachers and conducted workshops in China, Nepal, New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.. He has taught on the summer faculty for the West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy in British Columbia, in the Xian Waldorf Teacher Training Program in Xian, China, and as a Foundations Studies course facilitator for Sophia Institute, and as a Practicum Supervisor for Antioch University Waldorf Teacher Training Program. He is currently a teacher trainer on the faculty of Gradalis Institute and supports teachers all over the West with field mentoring. Karl Johnson is the author of the forthcoming book: Honing Our Craft: Pedagogy and Leadership in the Waldorf Classroom.
Emily Palmer: Founder
Emily was born and raised in Mancos. She brings her love, knowledge, and commitment to the Mancos Valley community to her work at Dragonfly. She is one of our founders that helped dream and craft Dragonfly into existence. (9 parents worked together to found Dragonfly!) She has stayed involved with the school since its beginnings in 2018, and is now the official Director. Emily wears many hats at school—namely Mother, Director, Board member, Founder. Seeing Dragonfly School through to maturity and success continues to be a full time job and a passion.
Her background? Emily has a college degree in Southwest Studies and Botany from Colorado College. Emily spent most of her adult summers leading teenagers on wilderness expeditions through the local expedition company Deer Hill Expeditions. These summers taught her the value of nature in children’s lives, and the power of education.
In her 30s, motherhood has become Emily’s passion and life’s work, mothering Hazel (8) and Olivia (6). Emily loves to be in the mountains, raft down rivers, garden, go on fancy dates with her husband John, and show her girls the wonders of Mother Nature.