Category: board

I grew up in a small town in southern Idaho, and after graduating from Boise State, I decided to take a gap year in Puebla, Mexico. It was a year that changed me – I learned Spanish and immersed myself in a new culture. Eventually, I found my way back to Idaho, where I’ve lived in the Sun Valley area for the past 20 years with my wife and our three daughters.

Our family feels incredibly lucky to be raising our girls in such a vibrant and supportive community, and I am excited to contribute to Syringa Mountain School’s mission. With a background in finance and a passion for community engagement, I look forward to using my skills and enthusiasm to support the school and help it continue to thrive.

Originally from Peru, I am a 24-year resident of the Wood River Valley. I’ve worked with students at Wood River Middle School and Wood River High School as a paraprofessional and translator. And as a preschool teacher at the Big Wood School. I hope to bring this experience and dedication to Syringa Mountain School Board.
I want to continue to strive for educational excellence for our students. I will continue these efforts by supporting our teachers and staff, so that all students can succeed.

My 12-year old son, Sebastian is in 8th grade and looks forward to attending Wood River High School thanks to the formation he has received over the last 5 years at Syringa.

I love our friendly, compassionate, and caring community, and I want to give back by serving as your school board member.

Chris moved to the Wood River Valley in 2020 with his Idaho-native wife Jane and now four children. He grew up in Boston and also lived in the DC Metro area. He has degrees from Boston University and Johns Hopkins University in International Relations and Economics respectively. Professionally he has a lot of experience helping health care institutions, government, and businesses better serve patients, citizens, and customers.

Chris loves Syringa. It’s the main reason he moved here and loves seeing his children thrive emotionally and academically. Chris paid rent during his college years translating Individualized Education Plans for Brazilian students. Then his first post-college job was at a health clinic advocating for kids to get appropriate school services. He’s very happy to contribute back to the Syringa Community by serving on the Board.

Sarah moved from Buffalo NY to the Wood River Valley in 2002 where she met her future husband Jon. In 2008 they married and moved to Seattle where Sarah attended Bastyr University and received a Master’s degree in Nutrition and became a Registered Dietitian. After the birth of their son Silas in 2012, they moved back to the valley in 2013 and Sarah started working at St. Luke’s. She became a Certified Diabetes Educator in 2015 and their daughter Norah was born in 2016.

Sarah is passionate about ensuring her children have access to the outdoors, arts, and music through a Waldorf-inspired education model. She enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and downhill and nordic skiing with her family and friends. She currently works for St. Luke as the director of Community Engagement and manages the Center for Community Health.

Jennifer was born in Oregon. She is a registered member of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. After high school she attended the University of Oregon and received her Bachelors in Family and Human Services in the College of Education, in 2008. With her degree she went back to work with the Tribes as a Family and Human Services Caseworker. Jennifer returned to the University Of Oregon’s College of Education to obtain her Masters in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education in 2010. After Graduating in 2011, she Married her Husband and joined him in the Wood River Valley to begin her career in education. She taught early childhood special education for 5 years, and became a mother. After having her 2 children, Josephine and Jackson, she was moved to the kindergarten classroom. She taught Kindergarten for 2 years and then decided to make a shift to the private school sector. She now teaches toddlers at the Sun Valley Community School.

Jennifer is a committed member of the community with an educational background that is committed to the success of Syringa Mountain School.

Email:jbarrett-neet@syringamountainschool.org