Holly Bright BlackmanThis year the Archuleta School District (ASD) welcomed five new teachers to its ranks, some home-grown in Pagosa Springs and others from across the country.
Holly Bright Blackman
Holly Bright Blackman is originally from Charleston, S.C., but she grew up in the Hague, Holland, and Midlothian, Va.
She completed her bachelor’s degree in history at Virginia Commonwealth University and then moved to Montana to work in Glacier National Park.
Natalie EricksonNatalie Erickson
Natalie Erickson grew up in Pagosa and graduated from Pagosa Springs High School in 2010. Knowing she wanted to push herself outside her comfort zone, Erickson moved to Phoenix, Ariz., to pursue her dreams in education.
She attended Grand Canyon University, but decided she wasn’t made for the city life. Feeling like a fish out of water in the desert, she wanted to return to Colorado to start her teaching career.
Dana HaywardDana Hayward
Dana Hayward is a Colorado native who grew up on the Front Range and is now happy to call Pagosa Springs home.
Hayward has enjoyed spending time outdoors since she was young. She loves hiking, running, skiing, fishing and spending time in the San Juan Mountains.
Lauren WolfordLauren Wolford
Lauren Wolford hails from Alma, Colo., a small town not far from the Breckenridge ski resort.
She spent the past year teaching in Cortez on the edge of the Ute Mountain Ute reservation. Prior to her time in Cortez, Wolford spent five years in Boulder, where she pursued her education at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Mat WolfordMat Wolford
Mat Wolford was born in North Carolina on the Ft. Bragg Army base. He lived there for a few years before moving to southern California, where he spent most of his childhood.
Halfway through high school he moved to Philadelphia, where he lived before joining the Navy. He served for six years as a Navy diver on board the USS Topeka, a fast-attack submarine.
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