English
Spanish
Earlier this year, Bluum introduced new Fellows Marita Diffenbaugh, Jewels Carpenter, Phil Diplock, and Keelie Campbell.
Since then, three more Fellows have joined the 2020 New School Fellowship Cohort, to participate in a one to two-year program that prepares future leaders to develop and launch an effective, innovative, and financially sustainable public charter school. Bluum has supported 19 fellows since 2016 with funding and access to resources to design, build, and launch high-performing public charter schools in a range of Idaho communities; from Garden City, to Caldwell, to Fruitland, to Kimberly, to Island Park to northern Idaho.
We’re excited to introduce you to our new Idaho School Finance Fellow, Cole Skinner, as well!
Emily Bergstrom & Deborah Hedden-Nicely
Emily and Deb are two veteran educators who have teamed up to lead Cardinal Academy, a school for pregnant and parenting teens, with a rich history of serving students in the Treasure Valley, formerly known as the Booth Marian Pritchett School. The school will focus on the whole person, providing wrap-around services such as on-site childcare, counseling, medical appointments and workforce preparedness, while also providing a rigorous, well-rounded academic foundation.
Emily Bergstrom completed her Master’s degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. In 2007, she and her husband settled in the Northwest. After a year in the Troy School District, she moved to Boise and served as a school counselor at the Boise Language Academy, Marian Pritchett School, Victory Academy, Boise Evening School and Alternative Summer School, as well as several elementary schools.
Emily has had the opportunity to lead in various capacities through her career serving at-risk students. She believes strongly that students can flourish when given a safe space with proper support in place. Emily believes in the power of community and creating a trauma-informed school that honors the needs of both students and faculty/staff.
Deborah Hedden-Nicely came to the teaching profession after a 20 year career as a journalist and public information director which culminated in co-founding and co-publishing of the Boise Weekly newspaper with her husband, Andy Hedden-Nicely. After the successful marketing of the weekly newspaper in 1999, she returned to Boise State University and earned an M.A. in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, along with her teaching certification in Journalism and Social Studies. Deborah holds a B.A. in Journalism from Idaho State University.
Terrence Moore, Ph.D.
Dr. Terrence O. Moore is a noted teacher, school reformer, and author who will be the founding principal of Kootenai Classical Academy, a classical charter school planning to open in 2022 for grades K-6, and to add a grade each year until becoming K-12. Part of the Barney Charter School Initiative, classical education is intended to “train the minds and improve the hearts of young people through a rigorous, classical education in the liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue.”
Moore grew up in Texas, earned a B.A. in history from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Edinburgh. He served as a lieutenant in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1990-1993. Dr. Moore taught at Ashland University for two years. From 2001-2008, he served as the founding principal of Ridgeview Classical Schools in Fort Collins, Colorado, which was one of the leading classical schools in the nation, whose high school was ranked first in Colorado for several years and in the top-five nationally by U.S. News and World Report.
From 2008-2014 Dr. Moore was a professor of history at Hillsdale College where he helped launch the Barney Charter School Initiative. From 2014 to 2017 he served as the founding principal of the Atlanta Classical Academy and from 2018-2019 as the founding principal of Ascent Classical Academy in Colorado. He has written extensively on education, politics, and moral culture. Dr. Moore and his wife, Jennifer, who is a teacher, have four children.
Cole Skinner
Cole joins the Bluum team as an Idaho School Finance Fellow. The one-year fellowship is designed to prepare an individual for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all of the financial-related activities of a public charter school in Idaho. This includes direct responsibility for accounting, finance, forecasting, strategic planning, property management, and deal analysis.
He has a background in finance, accounting, and technology. He started his career as a Financial Technician, providing financial support and guidance to a variety of student clubs and organizations at Boise State University. The past two and a half years he has worked for a corporate domain registrar, facilitating various client requests, and working with domain registries around the world. He earned a bachelor’s in finance and economics from Grand Canyon University. He also played as pitcher for the baseball team at College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, while he completed his Associate’s Degree. Cole is an Idaho native, and is excited to give back to the next generation of Idaho students.
—
