Peter Westman, M.Ed. — Head of School, Math Lead
Peter grew up skiing through the cornfields of Minnesota, canoeing, climbing, and going to Audubon summer camps. He’s even an Eagle Scout! After graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he began working with the Minnesota Department of Energy on renewable energy sources. He left this idyllic setting to move to Seattle for a job with a medical startup company, but like so many others at the time, the company went under. His path to education began with a program to place professionals in schools as substitute teachers, and he actually enjoyed teaching math and science to high schoolers. He attended classes at the University of Washington and became certified to teach, ultimately spending eight years teaching in the Seattle area.
During his time there, Peter’s philosophy was strongly influenced by working in small schools. “Smaller schools create more accountability for everyone—no one can let the ball drop. I knew EVERY student in the school by name.” The fact that Realms remains committed to small class sizes, plus the appeal of Utah’s gorgeous natural assets brought Peter to Utah. He believes schools need to look beyond traditional educational methods, and Realms does just that, giving students autonomy, getting them out of the classroom, and tying grades to competency.
Surprising fact about Peter: He is on a patent for a medical device to treat pulmonary disease.
Ashley Alldredge, M.Ed. — Dean Of Students, Social Studies Lead
Ashley earned his Master of Education and Special Education Endorsement at Westminster College. His graduate research studied the influence of mindfulness on ADHD and anxiety. He has a B.A. in history from the University of Utah, and spent many years working at the Marriott Library in the Special Collections Department. In 2005, he started teaching social sciences at Realms of Inquiry and leading student service projects and immersion learning experiences in Chile, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
Ashley has also been an experiential educator and learning specialist for students at a therapeutic boarding school. Ashley believes in the value of making connections across a broad range of subjects and bringing learning theory into the classroom to make curriculum relevant and meaningful.
He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and two young sons. They enjoy being on rivers, rock climbing, and playing in Utah’s red rock canyons.
Fun Fact about Ashley: He was a professional river guide on the Colorado River and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
Allison Jaycox Coffman, M.A.T.
Ally is a born and raised Minnesotan with a love for all things snow and water. She is also a proud Iowa State University alumni with a B.S. degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Science Education. She started her career as a biology teacher at Muscatine High School in Muscatine, IA. During her 6 years at MHS, Ally served as the science department chair and an instructional model teacher.
Ally believes in authentic learning experiences both in and out of the classroom. She has organized and led two international science conservation trips to Honduras and South Africa through the organization Operation Wallacea. During these trips, students worked alongside scientists, conducted field research, trekked to remote field sites, and learned to scuba dive. Seeing students flourish both intellectually and emotionally through travel has been the most rewarding part of these trips.
In addition to student travel, Ally has a history of personal international travel. Most recently, she received a teaching grant that allowed her to travel anywhere in the world. She chose to visit the Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Ask her about her trip! She’d love to share stories and pictures of this life-changing experience.
Ally is excited about joining the Realms team as an adjunct biology teacher. When Ally is not teaching at Realms, she is a science teacher at the Winter Sports School in Park City. In her spare time, Ally enjoys skiing, running, hiking, and being outdoors. Ally lives in Salt Lake City with her husband, and two cats, Chip and Pepper. As an animal lover of all types, she also has a Chilean Rose-Hair tarantula and leopard gecko.
Karri Van Tongeren - Administration, Bookkeeping & Registrar
Karri discovered Realms as a parent in 2009 and happily joined the staff in 2013. A Utah native, Karri recently moved to Nevada to be closer to her adorable grandchildren. While she misses the energy and creativity of the students on campus, Karri is thrilled to remain involved with Realms remotely. Karri is passionate about reading, and since coming to Nevada has begun tutoring elementary reading groups and volunteering as a reading buddy for struggling students. When she’s not working, she enjoys cooking, sewing, gardening, crafting, and spoiling her grandkids.
