Randy had a very long and rewarding career in the classroom, teaching high school and college level math, including AP and IB Higher Level subjects.  He had several posts overseas and in the states throughout his teaching years. Now, Randy is mostly retired but still greatly enjoying working with students in a tutoring environment.

A few fun facts about Randy….he has been a DREAM Adaptive volunteer since 1999 and a Food Bank volunteer. After 18 years of living abroad & out of state, Randy is playing catch up on remodeling his 117 year old house in Whitefish (one of the few remaining originals). He sings with the Crown of the Continent Choir, hikes, bikes and enjoys Sprinter-camper adventures in and out of state with friends and his dear wife.

Education

Honors

•  Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Education (national award 1993; state award 1998)

•  Chosen by students to be the keynote speaker in his 3-year Micronesian teaching post; chosen by students to be commencement speaker in his 9-year stint at the IB school he helped to start on Cape Cod.

Cara has been working in education since 2011 and has been exploring the Flathead Valley since 2013. Throughout her career, she has been passionate, curious, and open-minded. This has led to an exciting career as a SCUBA and oceanography instructor, an FVCC librarian, a global hiking and biking guide, an engineer/teacher for a 3D printing nonprofit, a high school science teacher, and now a tutor. Cara taught 9th grade biology and 11th/12th grade physics for three years. She also taught Algebra I and II at WHS as a long-term substitute. Through her guiding work, she spent several winters in South America, and in 2019 worked in Medellin, Colombia using 3D printers to create functional hand and arm prosthetics. Since returning to the Flathead in 2020, she was the Distribution Coordinator for the North Valley Food Bank, and a library tech and Makerspace instructor at FVCC. She now has two dogs and has no plans to leave the Valley. She loves to hike, bike, and backpack outside, and loves to 3D print, learn about technology, and care for her (over 100!) plants inside. She can also often be found out in the fields with a book–either identifying flowers or reading science fiction!

Education

Emily has been teaching 1st grade at Muldown Elementary School in Whitefish since 2017 and was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2018. Prior to that, she taught Kindergarten for one year and pre-k for ten years, also in Whitefish. She is on the board for the Flathead Association for the Education of Young Children. FAEYC is an organization of early childhood professionals working to solve issues that affect children and families around our valley. Emily was fortunate enough to do her student teaching in Toowoomba, Australia. This provided her with the opportunity to experience different kinds of students, colleagues and school communities. Emily loves working 1-on-1 with students and celebrating their successes. Emily was born and raised in Kalispell, and still calls the Flathead Valley home today. She enjoys doing many outdoor activities, such as hiking, fishing, camping, and snowshoeing with her husband and two sons. She also enjoys reading, puzzles, traveling and baking.

Education

Lisa, a Whitefish resident for 16+ years, is in her eighth year as a para-educator at Muldown Elementary, having worked with students from Pre-K to fifth grade for the past 25+ years. She loves working with her students one-on-one in all subjects and always brings out the best in each student. She is highly organized and comes to each tutoring session prepared with mediums customized to the student’s needs. Lisa believes that the primary goal of tutoring is to help students to help themselves, guiding them to become independent learners. Her approach is to support and enhance what has been taught in the classroom, while encouraging independent learning and thinking, using a variety of instructional materials. In her spare time, Lisa can be found in her sunroom cross stitching numerous projects, designing cards using paint and pens, and hand writing letters with stationery she has created.

Education

Heidi grew up in Helena, MT and attended college at the University of Montana where she studied Spanish, Anthropology, Linguistics and Latin American studies. She later completed her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction through Montana State University. Heidi has studied abroad in Ecuador and Argentina, and she has worked for extended periods of time in both Ecuador and Costa Rica. She currently lives in Columbia Falls, Montana with her husband and three children ages 7, 10 and 15.

Heidi teaches kindergarten through sixth grade Spanish at West Glacier Elementary, adult Spanish classes at FVCC, and tutors for Flathead Valley Tutor and Prep. She is also involved with multiple language associations such as MALT (Montana Association of Language Teachers) and NNELL (National Network for Early Language Learners).

She loves learning and teaching languages and enjoys being a part of others’ learning experiences.

Education

Donna retired from a very rewarding career as a classroom teacher in special education as well as mainstream education in grades K-6th. She was also certified in Gifted & Talented education, as well as English as a Second Language, and worked with children in both groups.

Since moving to Whitefish in 2019, Donna has worked as a substitute teacher for both Whitefish and Columbia Falls School Districts. She loves working one-on-one and says there’s nothing better than seeing the light come on in a child’s eyes when you’ve helped guide them to learn something new. Donna received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education and graduated with honors from the University of North Texas.

She is also an active member of Soroptimist International of Whitefish, whose primary focus is lifting up women and girls to have a better life.

Donna enjoys taking road trips and exploring, but most of all loves spending time with her family and grandkids. They love to cook together, hike, take float trips, play family games and garden together in the summer.

Education

Jasmine was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in the Wenatchee Valley. Always fascinated by other cultures and languages, she studied Spanish at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. She then completed a C-BEST certification and became a multiple subject tutor at Sylvan Learning Center, specializing in Math and Spanish. In 2003 Jasmine began serving as Dean of Women and professor at Calvary Chapel Bible College (CCBC) in Murrieta, California before serving for a year in London, England, as a missionary. After returning to California, Jasmine taught for CCBC and various extension campuses throughout the U.S. and around the world. She also taught math and history classes for local homeschool cooperatives. After completing her Master’s Degree in History from Liberty University in 2021, she moved to Kalispell, Montana, where she most recently worked as a professor at Montana Christian College. Although she has spent many years working in a college setting, Jasmine has always enjoyed tutoring students of all ages and working to build their confidence and bring out the best in them academically. She is excited for the opportunity to serve students through Flathead Valley Tutor & Prep!

Education

Sherri was an elementary teacher in Columbia Falls for nearly 30 years. She loves to teach reading and help students find those books that get them excited about reading. She has a passion for writing and her story, “River Lessons”, was published in the Whitefish Review. Sherri enjoys working with young writers to find their own voice. Sherri also enjoys teaching math and sharing the strategies that increase comprehension. She is excited to work with students in a one-on-one setting. Sherri was awarded the Northwest Montana Reading Council Educator of the Year award in 2010 and again in 2024.

Sherri grew up in western Colorado and moved to Whitefish to be a ski bum (and then a teacher) right after college. When she is not tutoring, Sherri loves to explore the outdoors with her husband and dog on foot, bike, skis, paddleboard and raft. She has two sons who are in college at Montana State and University of Utah.

Education

During college, Holly participated in the America Reads and America Counts programs, in which she worked one-on-one with elementary students and helped them improve their reading or math skills. She found the experiences so rewarding that a future in teaching and education seemed like the perfect fit. Since then, almost all of her adult life has revolved around education. Holly is a licensed/certificated teacher in math and psychology, and she taught math and/or AP Psychology in a high school setting for about ten years. She enjoyed being able to share her love for both subjects with her students. Holly currently works as a substitute teacher in the Whitefish School District, and she also really enjoys tutoring students. She finds it so rewarding when a topic “clicks” for a student either in a classroom setting or during a tutoring session.

Holly is married, has a son, and loves spending time with her family. She enjoys reading, playing board/card games, spending time outdoors, and traveling (but she wishes she traveled more).

Education

Over the past 8 years, Bekah has worked with Preschool, Elementary, and Middle school students as a paraprofessional, teacher, tutor, and track coach. She discovered her love for teaching (and the mountains) in the Flathead Valley while obtaining her TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) certificate. Inspired by her experience, Bekah returned to Minnesota and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Elementary Education in December 2020. While in college, Bekah had the opportunity to work as a paraprofessional with students grades K-5, tutor English Language Learners, and coach Middle School track athletes. Since then, she has taught 4th and 5th grades and Preschool. She has enjoyed being back in the Valley with her husband, where she pursues hobbies of distance running, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, hiking, camping, and paddleboarding. Bekah enjoys and sees great value in tutoring, because it allows students to receive one-on-one differentiated instruction. She is passionate about encouraging students to overcome challenges and adopt a growth mindset by utilizing their interests and strengths as a platform for growth. One of her favorite moments as a teacher is watching something click for a student as they conquer an academic concept that was previously confusing to them.

Education

Amy grew up in Maine, where she earned her undergraduate degrees in Political Science and History. She moved west in 1993 and has called Whitefish home since 1998. She and her husband Clint have raised two children here, Madeline (21) and Jack (19), and are deeply rooted in the Flathead Valley community. She holds a Master’s in Education with a focus on Literacy from the University of Idaho and recently retired after 27 years of service in the public school system. Her roles have ranged from Special Education and Reading/Math Specialist to her most recent position as a Social Studies teacher in the Whitefish school system. She is Orton-Gillingham trained through the Orton-Gillingham Institute, specializing in structured literacy approaches that are especially effective for students with reading challenges such as dyslexia. In addition to teaching, she has tutored students in the valley for over a decade and currently serves as the Literacy Specialist for Kalispell Montessori. When she’s not teaching or tutoring, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, skiing, biking and hiking.

Education

Jake lives in Columbia Falls with his wife, Paige, and in his free time he likes to ski, run, and hike. He has been teaching math and physics in Montana for the last 13 years, at Sweet Grass County High School, Columbia Falls High School, and Kalispell Middle School. He enjoys teaching everything from 6th grade math to AP calculus and physics.

Education

Nikki has been teaching at Muldown Elementary School in Whitefish for the last 25 years. She has taught in a variety of grade levels and is currently teaching 4th grade. Nikki was born and raised near Missoula, Montana and loves this amazing state and all it has to offer. Nikki currently lives in Whitefish with her husband and three children ages 22, 19, and 14. In her free time she loves being on the water, reading, and following her kids’ sports activities.

Education

Jacqueline is a recently retired 30 year Whitefish High School social studies teacher who spent the last decade teaching AP United States History (APUSH) and the past 3 years AP World History Modern. Her AP scores have consistently been 30 points higher than the national average for the AP history courses she taught. The vast majority of her students pass the spring AP exam and many earn exemplary scores of 4 or 5. She is passionate about history and teaching. Jacqueline has lived and played in the Flathead Valley for the past 32 years and has raised two boys who are now in college pursuing their own dreams. Jacquie would love to work with students in small groups to help them develop the skills to excel on the AP exam, in addition, to foster strong analytical and critical thinking skills essential for navigating life in the 21st century.

Education