✨ Thank You for Launching Something Extraordinary: ISEEN’s Inaugural Catalyst Institute✨ 

Last month, something remarkable happened high in the Rocky Mountains. Thirty-five visionary school leaders from 14 schools across the United States gathered in Estes Park, Colorado, for the inaugural ISEEN Catalyst Institute—a five-day immersive retreat designed to unite, empower, and activate change-makers ready to bring experiential learning from the periphery to the core of their schools.

With sweeping views of snow-capped mountains and around fireside conversations, participants explored what bold, mission-driven school transformation can look like. They left not only inspired, but equipped—with personalized action plans, practical leadership tools, and monthly coaching cohorts to ensure that real change takes root in their school communities.

Highlights from the Mountain 

Participants:

• Explored topics on faculty empowerment and culture-building, rigor & assessment, systems-level change.
• Collaborated on action plans that will continue to evolve through the 7-month coaching cohorts launching this month.
• Found restoration and renewal through community, reflection, and the breathtaking natural setting—a reminder of why transformative education begins with connection.

What Participants Are Saying

“I think what's exciting for me is the possibility of what schools could be and what they ought to be. That's exciting from both a student-centered perspective, like what are students aspiring to and then what space can we create for them to be in that learning and to walk alongside them. I think the role of a good educator is to support them in their journey. And if we think about what schools ought to be, we can be that place with students and for students.”
Liana Sideli, Vail Mountain School 

“To have those five days to dream about the best version of yourself, the best version of your team, and the best version of your school. I think it is a really excellent opportunity and it's what drew us to Catalyst.”
Dan Susman, Midland School 

“So much of traditional schooling and traditional assessment, feels really adversarial. It's teachers versus students and you do what I say and I will reward you with points. I think we're starting to realize that this isn't helping kids become the leaders, the citizens, the humans that we want them to become, and that we're honestly promising them and their families that we're going to help them become. We all got into this business to change lives. If we can find something that's going to make it more likely that we will change more lives - like the power of experiential learning - we're doing it wrong if we're not doing that.”
Gwyneth Connell, Pomfret School

The Journey Continues

Catalyst doesn’t end here. Over the next seven months, participants will meet regularly in coaching cohorts—small, supportive communities designed to turn their ideas into sustainable institutional change. They are also receiving 1:1 and school cohort leadership coaching. Together, they will carry forward the spark ignited in Colorado, helping shape the future of experiential education across their schools and beyond.

Gratitude

A heartfelt thank-you to our facilitators, participants, and partners - especially the EE Ford Foundation for the generous support of this inaugural year. Your leadership and vision are propelling independent education forward in meaningful, measurable way.

Looking Ahead

Catalyst is just beginning. Stay tuned for announcements about Catalyst 2026 and opportunities to join this growing network of courageous, visionary school leaders. Together, we’re shaping a new era of experiential learning that’s engaging, relevant, and transformative.

“Innovation demands that we learn to work together and take risks.” – Tony Wagner