By Peter Murphy
The Mountain Times
There’s a long history of newcomers making their way down the western slopes of Mt. Hood, along the Old Oregon Trail and into western Oregon, and two new teachers have joined their ranks at the Oregon Trail School District in Welches.
Nestled amid the tall trees of the west side of the Oregon Cascades, the Oregon Trail School District encompasses 424 square miles in the Hoodland region of the Cascade Mountains, including Sandy, Boring, and Mt. Hood, but it turns out that the two new trailblazing teachers are both at Welches School. With its headquarters in Sandy, the OTSD is a big, but not too-big district, with 3,000-plus students in eight elementary, middle and high schools.
Both Teresa Peltier and Catherine Smith have joined the ranks at Welches Schools as a student counselor and teacher, respectively. (Welches is an elementary school and a middle school, operating on the same campus). Their motto is “Children Thrive Here,” and the two new staff members will help make that happen.
While Ms. Peltier isn’t exactly a newcomer to the Welches community, having lived there for nine years, she’s now formally a part of the staff. Last year, she was a substitute teacher in the Oregon Trail School District and a volunteer, and now is fully on board as a student counselor for grades K-8 at Welches School. She has a Bachelors of Science from Cornell University, and is pursuing a Masters of School Counseling from OSU. Outside of academia, she has decades of experience volunteering with youth, from youth media production classes and after school programs to earn-a-bike programs and fundraising.
As for being the “go-to” person for all the students, Ms. Peltier is now working full time in a job she has wanted for some time. “I wanted to work for Welches School because I believe in the importance of excellent public education in helping our young people achieve – now and all throughout their lives. I also believe in the power of a strong, engaged community, and Welches School is a cornerstone of the Mt. Hood community. I am honored that I have been trusted by the Welches School team and our student’s families to support our students with their social-emotional, academic, and career readiness needs and ambitions”.
Just down the hall, figuratively speaking, Catherine Smith teaches 7th and 8th grade Math and Science at the Middle School, as well as electives in Environmental Science and Creative Science. With her BA from Dartmouth College and a Masters of Education from Portland State University and a few years teaching middle school in Beaverton, she recently moved to Welches where she has found a teaching environment that helps her pass on her love of learning. “I have always loved learning, and I’m hoping to share that enthusiasm with students. I have been really fortunate to have many wonderful teachers, so I know that great teaching can really help students fall in love with a subject.”
Among other accolades, Welches School features a 93% retention rate for teachers, a sure sign that the newcomers have found a long-term educational home.