Lynn holds a Master’s of Education in Integrating the Arts into Curriculum and Instruction of students. For 8 years, she was the director and owner of Discovery Preschool. The preschool was named “Best of the Best” (Best Preschool 2010 and Best Business 2011) for the Truckee North Lake Tahoe area. A resident of Truckee for twenty years, Lynn enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters. Together you will find them enjoying the outdoors through skiing, hiking and backpacking. In her free time, she is often found cheering on her daughter’s at different sporting events.

At the start of her career, Ms. Strecker provided in-home parent education to low-income, at-risk families on early childhood development and behavior modification. She served as intermediary between clients and community resource providers while facilitating behavioral intervention plans, role modeling, and counseling. In 2005, Denise obtained her Master’s Degree in School Counseling fromthe University of San Diego.

During her Master’s study, she worked with a team to conduct action research on improving peer counseling programs in San Diego County. Ms. Strecker presented their findings, with her team, at the 2004 Annual Symposium on Action Research in School Counseling in San Diego. Ms. Strecker holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with a CLAD emphasis and designs and implements powerful, standards-based instruction. She is skilled in differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all students. Denise is adept at working with English language learners and incorporating research-based English language development strategies.
As a 21st Century educator, Denise infuses technology into her daily practices. While teaching third grade, she created her classroom website and assisted students in producing weekly podcasts. As a proponent of hands-on, exploratory lessons, Ms. Strecker has co-facilitated a Kid Serve Sister Mural Project, bringing two distinctly different communities together through science lessons in the creek bed and art. During the past four years, Denise has put her teaching and early childhood development experience to great use in the adventure of raising her young daughters, Sierra and Nevina.

When not at SELS, Denise and her husband continue to raise Sierra and Nevina utilizing expeditionary philosophies. In their free time, the Streckers can be seen hiking on local trails, camping, backpacking, skiing, or snowshoeing.

Dana Seaborg was born and raised in Truckee, CA and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nevada, Reno. She comes to SELS with a wide range of experience working with elementary age children. Throughout college, Dana lead an after school and Kinder program while she worked toward becoming a teacher. After completing her student teaching at Truckee Elementary, she continued substitute teaching regularly and worked daily with both first and fourth graders on literacy skills. Most recently Dana spent a year teaching second grade in the mountains of Costa Rica. While there, she was able to learn effective and interactive strategies to help English Learners excel in Language Arts. Dana is excited to bring her enthusiasm for teaching and local knowledge to SELS this year.

Zach grew up in Ashland, Oregon and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education at the University of Oregon. He has also coached ski racing for eight winters and has been a raft guide for four summers.  Zach’s love of the outdoors and his passion for hands-on instruction make SELS a perfect fit.  He hopes to combine his youthful sense of adventurism with his zest for expeditionary learning to create acurriculum that is both exciting and engaging to his students.

Mr. Williams and his wife Maggie moved to Truckee in fall of 2011 and are excited to be a part of this amazing community. In his free time, Mr. Williams will be exploring the numerous nearby ski runs, white water rapids, hiking trails, fishing holes, and camping spots that the Tahoe area has to offer.

From hunkering in bird blinds along the Platte River to night-hiking the Costa Rican rainforests, Reenie McMains has convinced hundreds of young people to come along on her learning adventures. Teaching at SELS is the highlight of her career – Reenie loves working at SELS! It allows her the freedom to create in-depth learning experiences for her students in an environment that emphasizes creativity, caring and adventure. She enjoys the deep involvement of parents and the investment of the entire SELS community in developing children with strength of character and a passion for learning. For her, work is play!

Before joining the SELS staff, Reenie taught science for eleven years at a science and technology magnet middle school. During her time there, she taught sixth-grade science, acted as Interdisciplinary Team Leader and was promoted to the position of Science Facilitator for her building. She received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching and the Alice Buffet Outstanding Teacher Award.

Reenie earned her first degree in Psychology from the University of Miami , worked in the business community, and later returned to school as an adult to become a teacher.

She spends her summers working as a freelance education writer, most recently published in science textbooks for Houghton Mifflin-Harcourt Press and Nelson Publishing. In her leisure time she hikes around the Sierras with her beloved Bernese Mountain dogs and relaxes by sketching and pastel painting. 

Julie set her sights on Experiential Education (and Expeditionary Learning) at Prescott College, where she earned her undergraduate degree. From participating in fieldwork in a marine mammals course in Kino Bay, Mexico to rainforest ecology in Costa Rica, and all fieldwork in between, Julie not only learned the pedagogy necessary to understanding learning behaviors, but also witnessed the miracle of in-the-field experience- a true cornerstone to education and sense of place. Julie received her teaching certificate at Sierra Nevada College and is one long dissertation away from her Masters in Education.

Julie enjoys the Sierra Nevada Mountains with her husband, two young children, and lab/golden mix, “Crazy-Hazie.” When she is not trail running, skiing, climbing, entertaining her kids, sipping espresso, road-tripping, or grading papers, Julie picks up her guitar and plays a few gigs. A transient musician/ singer/ songwriter for over 15 years, she loves the Americana/ bluegrass genres and loves to sing a tune or two out in downtown Truckee with whichever band she is playing with at the time.

Julie is proud to be a founding team member at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School- a school where academic excellence, reinforcement of positive character, and supportive community produce happy, high achieving students!

As one of the founding crew leaders at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, Diane Welch is a veteran teacher of 20 years. Prior to arriving at SELS, Mrs. Welch taught for 8 years at a highly implementing Expeditionary Learning school in Pocatello, ID. Mrs. Welch has a high level of experience designing Learning Expeditions that align with newly implemented Common Core State Standards as well as a deep understanding of Expeditionary Learning practices. She has organized and led many crews on Adventure trips to Lake Tahoe, Yellowstone National Park and Crater’s of the Moon National Monument as well as taking her crew rock climbing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, swimming, and camping.

As an educator, Mrs. Welch has spent her time at SELS teaching a multi-age 2nd/3rd grade class, 8 years teaching a multi-age 3rd/4th grade class at Pocatello Community Charter School. She has been selected to present at five Expeditionary Learning Schools National Conferences and has participated in numerous summits and institutes with the ELS network. Prior to teaching in Truckee and Pocatello, Mrs. Welch taught 5th grade in Jacksonville, Florida for six years and 2 years teaching 2nd/3rd grade in Morehead, Kentucky. Her experience is an asset to the continuing success of SELS.

Mrs. Welch holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. She is dedicated to building a strong community of learners through team building initiatives and strives for her students to become active members of their community through crew service projects. “I believe students learn best when their work is meaningful and authentic,” Welch states.

Mrs. Welch is a native Californian and enjoys outdoor activities such as biking, hiking, skiing and most recently, stand-up paddle boarding. You will most likely find her spending her free time enjoying the beauty surrounding the Truckee area. She will be living in Truckee with her husband and two children.

Ms. Bell has a proven track record of creating opportunities for collaboration and togetherness and is eager to bring those skills to the team at SELS.  She has developed collaborative planning teams at her school sites, lead Writing Scoring Guide workshops, implemented Family Math and Literacy Nights and presented early-literacy acquisition seminars to both school boards and parents.  

Ms. Bell has worked with English Language Learners in a variety of settings.   She and her daughters spent this past spring in southern Peru, volunteering as academic tutors at a community project for children.   Prior to that, her work has included teaching Kindergarten to a multilingual population in south India and serving as a teacher and administrator at a summer school for ESL students in Massachusetts.

Ms. Bell holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Smith College and had the honor of being selected as Teaching Fellow at the Smith College Lab School.  

She has lived in Truckee for ten years and loves trail running, backpacking, crafting and curling up with her children and a good book.  Her husband and two daughters are all excited to be a part of the SELS community.