Academic Staff

Krysten is the Academic Director for Chrysalis, and prior to this role she was the Special Education Coordinator and English Teacher.. Through her time at Chrysalis she has taught English 9, 10, 11, 12, Standards Based English, American Lit, British Lit, World Literature and more. Krysten grew up in Oregon and attended college in Montana. She completed her student teaching in Australia while earning a BA in English teaching. She also has a Masters of Science in Special Education. Krysten has worked in therapeutic group homes for teens as part of the direct-care staff and managed weekend programming. She has worked as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional, mainly in special education and English classrooms. Outside the classroom, Krysten enjoys participating in local community theater as well as volunteering to teach hunters, promoting safety and stewardship. For relaxation, she goes for Nordic skiing, hiking and, of course, reading.

English Teacher and Assistant Academic Director
Darla was born and raised in northwest Montana. She’s had “Eureka moments” ever since calling Eureka home. She graduated college in Montana (with one year of her study completed in Maine) and went on to graduate school at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Darla holds BS and MA degrees in education with a specialization in reading. She has taught all levels of students, from preschool through college, and has enjoyed each and every grade. Creating cross-curricular unit studies is Darla’s all-time favorite educational pursuit. In keeping with her comprehensive approach to teaching, Darla has immersed herself in various aspects of our therapeutic boarding school since joining us in 2007 – a major Eureka moment for her. Initially, she joined our program staff, then became food services coordinator. Her formal expertise is as English teacher and assistant academic director. She loves to motivate both students and staff, and she is known for her creativity and others focused attitude on campus.

Thomas is originally from Kalispell, Montana, with extended family in the surrounding areas of Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula. At the age of five, he moved to Florida, and continued to come back and visit Montana throughout his childhood. He always had a passion for math and graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and began teaching high school math classes, while also pursuing his graduate degree in Secondary Education. After teaching at the high school level for 6 years, Thomas left the classroom to pursue other avenues in education, which included curriculum development, e-learning, instructional technology, and many others. Prior to Chrysalis he worked at an Instructional Technology position with Saint Leo University, where he specialized in supporting faculty in effective instructional practice with classroom technology. Over the years, he and his wife dreamed  about moving back to Montana, and are so excited to be able to enjoy all of the activities it has to offer. Thomas enjoys all types of outdoor activities, such as hiking, rafting, fishing, and camping. He also enjoys playing the guitar, working with animals, and spending time with friends and family.

Margaret teaches courses in music, gardening, and textiles. She has a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Hastings College and a Master and Doctorate in Flute Performance from the University of Kansas. In class, Margaret is passionate about quality creations, but she also works to find any avenue to help students appreciate and use their creativity in whatever area suits them. Her goal is for students to learn to love music, textile arts, and gardening in any capacity so that it can serve them for the rest of their lives. Margaret loves performing individually and in ensembles locally and is an avid knitter. She serves on the community theater board and leads the community choir.

Javier is from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication and is certified as an International Speaker by the Association of Hispanic Speakers. He is a Facilitator, Coach, Master Coach and Instructor in Neurolinguistic Programming by the International Association of Coaching with NLP. Javier is also a certified Soccer Coach by the United States Soccer Federation. In his free time Javier enjoys hiking, fishing, camping, hunting, riding, and playing soccer.

After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in education from University of Great Falls (University of Providence) with concentrations in Science and Communication Arts, she has taught various middle school science courses. Sally is passionate about cross-curricular teaching/learning which has consequently led her to additional teaching endorsements in Library Media and Health and Physical Education through University of Montana-Western. She has been active as a district representative in the Northwestern Educational Cooperative for curriculum development in science, English language arts, library, technology, physical education, and health. Sally teaches Biology, Chemistry, Physical sciences, and Space and Rocketry.

Sally came back to her roots as a Eureka native to work at Chrysalis and be closer to family. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and riding horses.