Kelly Campus of Teton Science Schools
"Connecting People to Nature Through Education"
November 2, 2004
Dear Penny, Steve, T.J., and Friends and Family of Tiffany;
The Teton Science School community was heartbroken when we heard about
Tiffany. It is incomprehensible that someone so young and full of life should
leave us so soon in her life’s journey. If there is any grace or goodness to be
found in this tragedy, it is that Tiffany’s community of friends and family have
gathered as a result, to share our grief, care for one another and to celebrate
Tiffany’s life.
I wanted to take a minute to share some memories of Tiffany’s year at Teton
Science School as a graduate resident. For those of you not familiar with the
program, it is a year of field teaching and graduate coursework in the wilds of
Jackson Hole Wyoming. Tiffany was a student there during 1997-1998. Some of the
friends that shared that year with her are here today.
The program is intense, requiring energy, commitment and an ability to
stretch beyond your personal and professional comfort level. It was the perfect
environment for Tiffany and she thrived. As an educator Tiffany illustrated what
great field teaching is all about; compassion for her students, a love of the
natural world, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. She also built
reflection into her teaching practice, giving her a depth of self awareness
unusual in a person her age.
When I think about Tiffany in the Teton Science School community, I will
remember her in beautiful colors; azure blues, magenta, and lime greens. In the
monochromatic landscape of a deep Wyoming winter, while most of us were huddled
deep within earth tone down jackets (because let’s face it we are a field
science school!), with faces deep within our scarves protected from the cold,
Tiffany was a blaze of color, running down Ditch Creek road into the wind,
loving it every step of the way. She loved color, and in many ways it
represented who she was; the light and energy with which she lived her life and
all that she shared with her community of family and friends.
We would like to remember all that Tiffany brought to the lives of students,
faculty and friends of Teton Science School by renaming the cabin she lived in
during her graduate residency. We hope that the cabin formerly known as
“Bearpaw” may now be known as “Staelin”.
With love and support,
[signed]
April Landale
Director of Kelly Campus
Graduate Faculty
PO Box 68 • Kelly, Wyoming 83011 • Ph. 307.733.4765 • Fax 307.739.9388
www.tetonscience.org • email: info@tetonscience.org
