Hillary Thompson
English Language Arts, Seventh-grade Homeroom
English Language Arts, Seventh-grade Homeroom
Phone: + 1 (505) 820-3188
Email: [email protected]
310 West Zia Rd., Santa Fe, NM 87505
Member of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools
Co-Director, Administration & Admissions; Class Meeting
Rosie holds a bachelor’s degree in education. She nearly 20 years of experience in nonprofit program management and administration, and in experiential and outdoor education facilitation. She also spent years integrating emotional intelligence into school curricula and facilitating leadership trainings. Rosie prioritizes travel whenever possible.
Rosie loves witnessing adolescents on the threshold of young adulthood as they discover how much agency they have over their lives, their identities, and their contributions to their world.
Co-Director, Programs; History; Eighth-grade Homeroom; Class Meeting
Darya holds a double bachelor’s degree in philosophy and the history of mathematics from St. John’s College. Darya has taught at the Girls’ School since 2008. She is also a self-defense instructor at Resolve. Darya loves getting to read a nonfiction history book.
Darya teaches middle school because in sixth grade, her favorite teacher opened her mind with concepts like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, civil disobedience, and the value of diversity. At eleven years old, Darya said to herself, “If I ever teach this age group, I am going to treat them with respect, knowing they are ready for big ideas.”
Mathematics, PRESERVE, Sixth-grade Homeroom
Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree in watershed science from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in soil science from Penn State University. Melissa is also a graduate of the Santa Fe Girls’ School! In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and sharing math puns.
Melissa loves that the Girls’ School creates a safe space where girls are freed from worrying about how they are perceived. She appreciates being a part of who her students become as a whole person.
Science & PRESERVE
Olivia has a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry, and a master’s degree in biology, both from Utah State University. She received her PhD in plant biology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She has studied pollination ecology for over 20 years, authoring several field guides for native solitary bees. Olivia has taught science at elementary, high school and college levels. She enjoys photography, cooking, and reading.
Olivia says she loves teaching science in middle school because, “I am not done being a kid. I get to share the best parts of being a kid with my students – exploring, hiking, frog catching, experimenting with bubbles, and seeing what happens with different amounts of baking soda in your cupcake batter.”
Poetry, Poet-in-Residence
Michelle retired from a 36-year career, teaching English and Humanities in June 2021. She has authored two books of poetry, and her poems are included in anthologies, and in print and on-line journals. She spends her time on adventures with her 4-year old granddaughter (daughter of a Girls’ School graduate), training for competitive races, writing, gardening, and hiking in the Sangres and Jemez Mountains.
Michelle says, “The language of poetry offers a gift and a window. The Santa Fe Girls’ School students are eager for the opportunity, and the whole experience nurtures everyone involved.”
New Mexican Wood Carving Project
Miguel Chavez is a master woodcarver, furniture-maker, and native New Mexican. He was selected in 1991 to create furniture that is part of a permanent collection at the state Capitol. He served as a Santa Fe City Counselor from 2000 to 2012 and a County Commissioner from 2013 to 2016. In addition to furniture-building and hand-making adobes, Miguel enjoys gardening, shopping at thrift stores, and keeping chickens.
Miguel enjoys watching the students learn not only fractions and measurement in Carving, but also patience and perseverance.
Office Administrator
Jessica is proud to bring many years’ experience in both non-profit and for-profit business to the Santa Fe Girls’ School. Jessica has a bachelor’s degree in art with an environmental studies concentration from Kalamazoo College and is an avid traveler, printmaker and urban sketcher.
Bookkeeper
Deanna has worked in the non-profit sector for more than 25 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an accounting concentration. Deanna is an avid birdwatcher, loves hiking, biking, and camping. She lives with her husband Rick and usually a dog or two.
Co-Founder, Former Program Director (1998-2018)
What I loved most about the Girls’ School was being a part of the growth and changes of our students, from the day they arrived as children, to the day they graduated as powerful and effective young women. And I love learning what they are doing now with their adult lives, as they move into their careers and build families and communities of their own.
I loved our dialogues and I loved challenging and being challenged by students, as we explored ideas and patterns.
I loved being part of our community culture which prioritized relationship, without which learning and teaching could not flourish. I loved our small size which allowed us students and teachers to really know one another.
Like many of our students, I made life-long friends at the Girls’ School. And I developed skills and aptitudes which have served me well, as I make my way on my post-retirement path. I work as a Studio Teacher/Welfare Worker in the motion picture industry: this means I’m responsible for the education and welfare of any actor under the age of 18, who is working on set. I really enjoy this work. I am part of a fascinating industry, and my job demands strong skills as educator and administrator, as well as the ability to navigate complex relationships and competing priorities. I believe my 20+ years at the Girls’ School gave me the tools I needed to move into this new career.
I continue to stay involved with the Girls’ School as a Trustee. We have a phenomenal team of faculty and administrators who lead the school with vision, excitement and effectiveness. I am thrilled to watch, and participate in, the growth of the school as it expands programming, flexes with the changing times and establishes itself as a staple of the Santa Fe community – all while keeping intact its vision, its mission and its philosophy.
And I’m a grandmother!! I love it. I am truly privileged and grateful to be a daily part of their lives.
Co-Founder (1998-2004)
It has been my honor to be a co-founder of The Santa Fe Girls’ School. Since 1999 the growth and achievements of the school’s students, facility and administration, have been remarkable; commencing with a student body of 12 girls to current day enrollment of nearly 40. I am proud to support The Santa Fe Girls’ School and its proven academic excellence.
Poet-in-Residence (2000-2020)
I retired in 2020 after 20 years as the poet-in-residence at SFGS. Of the many schools I’ve worked in, this was my absolute favorite. From the joyful 6th graders to the questioning 8ths, the quality of the students and staff never failed to amaze me. I miss being with you all but have retired to be next door to my grandkids and make artists books with poems and sketches.
English, geography, math (2003-2010)
I loved that our school gave us choice
and valued each person’s voice.
These days I can wander,
garden, paint, and grow fonder.
Remembering is a way to live twice.
Former Administrative Director (2004 - 2015)
Janet Graham began work at SFGS with a previous 30-year teaching/administrative career. She added to this experience working as the Administrative Director at SFGS from 2004-2015. Janet was lucky to have the opportunity to substitute and teach conflict resolution classes during this time as well. Since retiring in 2015, she has stayed active hiking, reading, gardening, painting and traveling. Janet remains connected to SFGS as she works to maintain their grounds/gardens.
Science and PRESERVE (2003-2014)
What I loved about teaching at the Santa Fe Girls School was the Preserve; and I loved my colleagues; and I loved the girls most of all.
Teaching there was magical.
But now I get to do all the things I once got to teach. I’m working at the New Mexico State Land Office on Climate Change and Conservation Policy. I’m writing all the time, as much as I can. And best of all, I get to be a grandpa to my two awesome grandsons! Feeling very blessed and always grateful for my time at SFGS.
English (2010-2015)
What I loved about teaching at Santa Fe Girls’ School was the small class sizes and the sense of intention in the curriculum and learning process. I loved how daily staff meetings were used to collaborate on cross-curricular projects and to wrap around individual students’ situations and needs. Santa Fe Girls’ School really delivers on the promise to foster individual growth in girls– academically, socially, and emotionally. Being a part of that felt huge and intimate at the same time; it felt like a revolution and it also felt like a family.
I left the Girls’ School to go back to school to become a healthcare provider, something I had dreamed of. Having always excelled at English and the humanities, I wanted to challenge myself to learn math and science, and my students’ fearless knowledge-seeking and skill-seeking