Head of School

Rebecca Ruland, Head of School

Rebecca earned her BA in Science Education from Northern Arizona University and held her first teaching job on the Mexican/US border in Yuma, Arizona, teaching primarily migrant students whose first language was Spanish. Through her position with the Peace Corps in Namibia, Rebecca worked with the Ministry of Education to create teacher training centers in rural communities. After obtaining her MA at the University of New Mexico with a focus on multicultural education, she returned to the Peace Corps in southern and eastern Africa to train teachers to effectively work in secondary classrooms as an Associate Director of Education.

Upon her return to the United States, Rebecca was hired by Colorado Mountain College to direct a family literacy project working primarily with mothers and children newly arrived from Latin America. Her most recent school administration role was as founding leader of a K-8 public charter school, Two Rivers Community School (TRCS) the first public charter school in the rural mountain community of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Its mission is to “ignite a passion for learning and high achievement through interdisciplinary experiences, multiple problem solving methods, second language acquisition and culminating work aimed at positively impacting the community and the world.” This mission, similar to that of AHS, continues to motivate Rebecca.

Rebecca is married to Terrence Shanahan. Together they have raised a wonderful daughter, Kate Shanhan, who attends college at Montana State University. In her free time, Rebecca finds joy in biking, hiking, skiing and exploring the outdoors.