Stories from the Journey
The strength of our school community is built on the continued commitment of faculty, students, and families to support each other as they learn and grow. Here are stories of the people, places, and experiences that make up the Aspen Country Day School journey.
Olivia Taylor
August 18, 2025
Olivia Taylor joins the Early School from Ajax Cubs and Ajax Sleepaway Camp, where she was a preschool lead teacher and outdoor education leader. Olivia studied music and musical theater
Julie Young
August 18, 2025
Julie Young joined Aspen Country Day’s Early School in 2025 from Aspen’s Wildwood School, where she was a lead teacher for four- and five-year-olds. Before starting at Wildwood in 2014,
Mallory Radney
August 18, 2025
Mallory Radney joins the Early School from Aspen’s Early Learning Center, where she served as assistant director and as a preschool teacher since 2020. Mallory earned her director’s certificate and
Nicole Gogolak
August 18, 2025
Nicole Nagel-Gogolak returns to ACDS, where she previously taught art for all grade levels in the 1990s. Originally from Flushing, Michigan, she holds an MFA in fiber from Cranbrook Academy
Kerry McGonigle
August 18, 2025
Kerry McGonigle brings 23 years of classroom teaching experience to Aspen Country Day School. She began her career in Woodbury, New Jersey, then taught in Bethesda, Maryland, part of the
Matt Johnson
August 15, 2025
Matt Johnson and his dog, Moe, moved to Aspen to start working at Aspen Country Day School for the 2026-26 school year. He previously served as middle school academic coordinator
Oliver Bacharach
August 15, 2025
A Los Angeles and Roaring Fork Valley native, Oliver Bacharach is a skilled and personable outdoor leader who has worked locally as a snowboard instructor and coach, mountain bike coach,
Emily Burnham
August 15, 2025
A third-generation Coloradan, Emily Burnham is from Fort Collins. She moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2016 to teach Fourth Grade at Aspen Elementary School (and to be closer
Tanaia McBride
August 15, 2025
Originally from Bentonville, Arkansas, Tanaia McBride arrived in Aspen in 2015 to pursue a career, adventure, and mountain living. She has nearly two decades of experience working with children of
Emily Bryant
August 30, 2024
Emily moved to Aspen in summer 2024 from Hingham, Mass., following her graduation from from Davidson College. She has worked as an outdoor education instructor at Camp Deer Run on