Lora Rasmussen, Math Teacher (5th through 8th)

Lora Rasmussen is excited and honored to join the Siskiyou School faculty as a math teacher, grades 5-8.  Lora has taught for many years, beginning her career at outdoor school in Flagstaff, Arizona where every sixth grader in the district spent five days learning and living in the mountain environment.  She received her bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University in Biology and Secondary Education. From there, she went on to teach a variety of science subjects at both the middle and high school level.  She is now thrilled to be part of a small caring community that values all aspects of learners, encouraging their natural curiosity and creativity.

Lora moved from Arizona to the Oregon coast in 2005 and taught science at Brookings Harbor High School. Lora moved to the Rogue Valley in 2011 to earn her master's degree at SOU in the field of Environmental Education. During this time, she served as graduate teaching assistant for biology labs and interned with programs like Salmon Watch, Farm to School and Bear Creek Watershed. The past few years, she has been a teacher in the public schools, including high school biology, chemistry, earth science, physical science, plus middle school science & math.

Daughter of a biology professor and a pre-school teacher, Lora was raised valuing education and embracing a strong sense of place. Her family spent vacations camping, fishing, hiking, rafting and loving the outdoors, instilling a sense of wonder and gratitude for life that she strives to encourage in others.

Lora has a happy partnership with her husband, whom she met on a Grand Canyon rafting trip over thirty years ago. They like to say that their first date was 14-days long, and they have been a team ever since. They spent a decade traveling & guiding on rivers all over the west, and in fact, her husband is still a rafting guide on the Wild and Scenic Rogue River. Together they are avid gardeners, and process the crop into delicious salsas, sauces and preserves.

Lora loves to hike, bird watch, visit the coast, write letters and poetry, and stay connected to friends and family that may be widely scattered, but always close at heart.