Rural Aspirations Project

Korah is originally from a small town in Maine and has always valued the "sense of place" often fostered in small, rural communities.  She designed and directed alternative education programs from 1999 to 2014. These program models are in operation at Mt. View High School, Five Town CSD, and Sumner Memorial High School. Korah's work has focused on providing learning opportunities within a public school framework conducive to improving motivation, highlighting relevancy and increasing academic performance.  Her programs have guided many students toward becoming leaders and strong community members.  Korah was a 2010 recipient of the Maine Department of Education Commissioner's Award for her work with at-risk students.  She was also a semi-finalist for the Hancock County Teacher of the Year.  Korah received a B.S. Environmental Education from Unity College and an M.Ed. Leadership from UMAINE.  She has been working with Rural Aspirations to build programming in schools since 2014.

Valerie Peacock’s first experiences in education were through the College of the Atlantic Summer Field Studies (SFS) for Children. SFS opened her eyes to a new way of teaching - outside, hands-on, relational, place-based.  After 5 summers, she was inspired to get her teaching certificate. She started teaching biology at Sumner Memorial High School in 2006. She immediately began to adapt and build curriculum and programming that connected students to the deep and real connections they had to their physical and economic place She quickly felt the constraints of the traditional school system and had had the amazing opportunity to create an alternative program.  In 2011, she worked with a team to design and implement the Sumner Liberal Arts Pathways program where students identified goals/passions and designed learning plans tailored to their needs. She has been working with RAP since 2013.

Sara King graduated from Salve Regina University with a B.S. in Elementary and Special Education in 2013. Throughout college she spent summers working as a trip leader for Nature's Classroom guiding teens on kayaking and camping expeditions. She went on to teach second grade at a small rural school creating and developing her own curriculum, scope, and sequence for her students in all subject areas. During that time she received her a Maine Recreational and Sea Kayak Guide License and in the summers, she began guiding sea kayaking, paddleboard, and canoe trips for LL Bean. After teaching for three years, she took some time off to travel to Nepal, receive her Registered Yoga Instructor Certification (RYT 200), trek in the Himalayas, and WWOOF at a farm. Upon returning, she received training as a Children's Yoga Instructor and then went on to work for UMaine Cooperative Extension as a 4-H Youth Development Professional helping youth to learn about and connect to their sparks and interests in a hands-on meaningful way, facilitate learning of life skills, and connect them to the larger community. Sara's love of the outdoors and passion for connecting youth to natural resources sparked her to return to graduate school at UMaine Farmington. She will graduate in the spring of 2023 with a M.Ed in Educational Leadership with a Nature-Based Education concentration.

Dawna grew up in a small Maine town spending her time outside playing, swimming, biking or hiking. She gained her love of nature and her appreciation for our natural resources from her Game Warden father. For over 20 years, working with the Greenville School Department and at the Appalachian Mountain Club, Dawna has taught Health, Environmental, Outdoor and Physical Education, with a priority of getting students outside and working with teachers to facilitate learning in outdoor spaces. In 2014, Dawna was awarded the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District Environmental Educator of the Year Award. For the past 18 years, she has coached an after-school Cross-Country Ski Program with help from Maine Winter Sports Center/Outdoor Sports Institute and Natural Resource Education Center (NREC) and helped coach a Greenville State Championship Girls Basketball team. Dawna received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and her Master’s of Health Education from Southern Illinois University. She has been involved with Rural Aspirations since 2018.

Todd graduated from College of the Atlantic with a B.A. in Human Ecology and went on to teach social studies at Mount Desert Island High School with a focus on service learning and active citizenship. Upon earning his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Maine, Todd served as the principal of Deer Isle-Stonington High School from 2007-2017 where he led the transformation of a small rural high school in coastal Maine. During that time, the school saw dramatic increases in its graduation rate from a state worst 57% to over 90%. The school also launched an ambitious initiative to personalize learning for all students through the creation of thematic pathways in Marine Studies as well as Visual & Performing Arts. After assuming the principalship at Bucksport Middle School in 2017, Todd and the school staff embarked on a journey to use experiential learning to reconnect the school community after the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs included the Students Taking Alternative Routes to Success [STARS] alternative program; the construction of an Applied Learning Lab to support hands-on lessons in gardening, aquaponics, cooking, and building; and the redesign of the school's middle level teams around relationships and experiential learning.  Todd has been involved with Rural Aspirations since 2013.