With an influx of 10 new teachers to AHS this year, it is highly likely that you have seen some new faces around the school. It can be difficult to meet all of them so we made it easier by finding out everything you need to know.

What is your hidden talent?

Maile LaPenna (My-lee) – English

Well I kind of want it to stay hidden. There was a period of my life where I did some rapping. Some white girl free-style rapping…competitions and all.

Diana Dame – English

I can paint my nails, like professionally. I can do gel manicures. I have a gel uv light.

Shawn Robinson- Math

I like to cook indian food.

Kelsey Cunningham- Media Center

I don’t really have any hidden talents.

Lauren Reiss- Counseling

I can hula hoop pretty well or cribbage.

Dan Perl- Special Ed

I can throw a frisbee really far.

Amanda Stringer- Art

I’m really good at starting campfires and making homemade fire starters.

Jane Larsen- French & ELL

I like to play golf. I can hit the golf ball pretty straight.

Susanne Morrison- College Counseling Coordinator

Connecting with people.

Martha Richards- Athletic Director

I can wiggle my ears and I can alternate them. I can do one at a time.

What is a fun fact about you?

Maile LaPenna (My-lee) – English

I spent the winter in Costa Rica and learned to surf.

Diana Dame – English

I played rugby in college.

Shawn Robinson- Math

I have two kids; one of them is a freshman here.

Kelsey Cunningham- Media Center

I like to snowboard.

Lauren Reiss- Counseling

I am a vegetarian, have been for ten years.

Dan Perl- Special Ed

I used to have a mohawk.

Amanda Stringer- Art

I owned a ferret in college.

Jane Larsen- French & ELL

I have a dog named sully & have never seen Monsters Inc.

Susanne Morrison- College Counseling Coordinator

I’ve been spanked by Michael Jordan’s grandmother.

Martha Richards- Athletic Director

I’m probably the only division one golf coach that won a national championship in different sport (basketball).

What is one piece of advice you would give students?

Maile LaPenna (My-lee) – English

It sounds cheesy, but be true to who you are.

Diana Dame – English

It gets better.

Shawn Robinson- Math

You have to work hard when you are young. The more you work while you are young, the more opportunities and the more choices you have when you get older.

Kelsey Cunningham- Media Center

Enjoy high school.

Lauren Reiss- Counseling

Find something that you connect with or you’re passionate about and go for it.

Dan Perl- Special Ed

You have amazing resources at Aspen High School, use as many of them as you can.

Amanda Stringer- Art

Never say something about someone that you wouldn’t say to their face.

Jane Larsen- French & ELL

Take responsibility and accountability for your own learning.

Susanne Morrison- College Counseling Coordinator

Relax and enjoy it.

Martha Richards- Athletic Director

Bring great energy to what you do.

How do you spend your summer break?

Maile LaPenna (My-lee) – English

On Fire Island.

Diana Dame – English

I have always worked too much over the summers, but now that I’m in Aspen I’ve dedicated myself to exploring the outdoors. So next summer I’m getting a bike pass to Snowmass and I’m going to climb some things. Yeah so I’m going to explore anything and everything around here.

Shawn Robinson- Math

Every June we ski at Indy pass, even when we weren’t living here we were regulars at the pass through June until the snow melts. My father and brother and sister live in Calis Bow, Montana, so when it starts to get too hot down here we go up there and spend 2-3 weeks with them. My wife is Italian; her parents live in Italy, so once every few years instead of going to Montana we’ll go and stay with them in Italy for a month.

Kelsey Cunningham- Media Center

Reading, being by the beach, walking my dogs, and hanging with family and friends

Lauren Reiss- Counseling

I like to travel. I like to do anything outdoors like hiking, catching up with friends, seeing music (concerts).

Dan Perl- Special Ed

As a white water rafting guide.

Amanda Stringer- Art

I go to my family cabin in Northern Minnesota for a month, usually every summer. Park myself at a lake with my family.

Jane Larsen- French & ELL

Traveling: I did a cross country trip this past summer all the way back to the East Coast, back to New Jersey and then back.

Susanne Morrison- College Counseling Coordinator

I try to be outside as much as possible with the family. I visit our family that is not here, spend time with the kids, try to enjoy the Rocky Mountains as much as possible, get in the backcountry whenever I can.

Martha Richards- Athletic Director

On the boat (at Ruedi), wake boarding as much as possible.

If you won the lottery, and decided to give up teaching, what would you do?

Maile LaPenna (My-lee) – English

I would travel the entire world and buy really expensive camera equipment and take fabulous photos of everywhere I go and just start making a blog and it wouldn’t matter if anyone read it because I would be so rich that I would just feel really good about myself.

Diana Dame – English

I’d be a writer.

Shawn Robinson- Math

I don’t think I would stop. I mean if money is not an issue I don’t think there is another job that I would rather do.

Kelsey Cunningham- Media Center

Probably open like a bookstore.

Lauren Reiss- Counseling

I would want to invest my money and I would love to be an interior designer.

Dan Perl- Special Ed

I would travel.

Amanda Stringer- Art

Travel and buy a huge house.

Jane Larsen- French & ELL

I would buy a house in the mountains; I would buy a house at the beach; I would buy a house in France, and then I would give my money away to charity. And I would buy a pickup truck.

Susanne Morrison- College Counseling Coordinator

I would probably travel the world with my family and support some amazing causes. It could be working towards solving some major societal problems like climate change, malaria, world hunger, clean water, but something cool.

Martha Richards- Athletic Director

Well, I would like to think I’d still do this job. I’d just hire more people to do more things so we could do some really cool things. I always said I’d be a really good retired wealthy person because I think of all the causes I’d give to, but I’d probably still want to be involved. My thing all along is that I have always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and especially in kids, so I’d probably still find a way to be involved somehow in making something better for the community and for the kids especially, as it pertains to sports. Everyone else can handle the other stuff.

What is your funniest high school memory?

Maile LaPenna (My-lee) – English

High school wasn’t very funny to me.

Diana Dame – English

I was interviewed for a news story. They were trying to fire my chorus teacher and I was very involved in the arts and they came and said why should we keep the arts and what is it you love about your school and I said, you know I’m just really proud that I went to school here and it makes me sad because people haven’t gotten as well of an education as I have. That was like the worst grammar I could possibly use.

Shawn Robinson- Math

I gave a valedictory address. During the late 80’s the weekend report (on SNL) was done by Dennis Miller and at the end he would say and that’s the news and I am out of here and he would sign a little piece of paper, and that’s the way I ended my valedictory address.

Kelsey Cunningham- Media Center

All my friends and I used to dress up in different outfits for backwards Friday and school spirit week.

Lauren Reiss- Counseling

We had a lot of streakers in high school, at sporting events.

Dan Perl- Special Ed

I don’t remember high school.

Amanda Stringer- Art

The seniors would always do a sleepover in the lawn before the first day of school and we would park all of our cars in a cul-de-sac area and walk through a forest to get to our school. The police that year blocked off the cul-de-sac and started writing curfew tickets to everyone whose cars were in there, and they looked up my license plate number and called my mom. She totally lied and got me out of trouble.

Jane Larsen- French & ELL

We had a competition at my high school called Mister Central. It was like a pageant for the senior guys and I helped my friend with his skit.

Susanne Morrison- College Counseling Coordinator

I had two black eyes for school pictures…I want to say sophomore year.

Martha Richards- Athletic Director

The fact that I had a perm mullet.