Alex Dagitz
Alex worked as an admissions counselor for Davis and Elkins College for a year after graduating. Then he worked at Alldredge Academy as a therapeutic wilderness counselor for 4 year before coming to TKS. Alex worked as a dorm counselor, support counselor, shift supervisor, and Assistant Residential Coordinator prior to his current role since joining the TKS team.
“I work at TKS to make a difference; a difference in the lives of our students and as well as their families. I work at TKS because the sense of community you feel when you walk around campus is real. There is a collective group of both staff and students working together to achieve something greater for themselves and those around them.”
Outside of work, Alex loves to spend time with my family: going hiking on one of the local trails, visiting the farmers’ market or just playing outside. He is passionate about the being outdoors and participating in hiking, skiing, snow boarding or just spending some time in the woods. Alex is also an avid runner, who loves putting miles in running around the street and trails of Charlottesville.
- Published in Academic Staff
Markevus Collins
Prior to joining the TKS team, Markevus worked as a Qualified Mental Health Professional providing therapeutic day treatment in alternative behavioral settings. He also served as a long-term substitute in the public school sector.
“I chose to work at TKS in order to positively promote the lives of young boys as they navigate their way from childhood to adulthood.”
In his free time, Markevus enjoy coaching high school football and spending time with family.
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Jim Rekrut
Jim began working with children and families immediately following graduation from the University of Richmond. After one year as Lead Pre-school teacher at a Goddard School in Richmond he joined the staff at the Discovery School of Virginia, a therapeutic wilderness boarding school, where he served in many roles until the school closed at the end of 2020.
“I am very excited to join the staff at Little Keswick. I see this as a opportunity to share his passion for positive change, growth, and development with both the students and the staff I lead and mentor. I credit positive attitude, discipline, hard work, and perseverance for my own growth and maturation during my career. I am eager to share this with others wherever I can.”
Jim is married to his best friend Brittney with whom he shares the joy of raising his 2 year-old daughter, Juniper. The family is rounded out by Jack Nicholson and Rosemary, two 11 year-old rescue pups. His is passionate about sports, music, and cooking and has an affinity for the world’s hottest peppers!
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Janey Davis
Before coming to Keswick School Janey worked 9 years at KinderCare Learning Center. She held many roles during this time. She worked with children of diverse ages (newborn to 12 year olds). Her positions included Preschool Teacher, Hooked on Phonics tutor, Summer Program Developer, and Activities Developer. These positions provided Janey an opportunity to grow as a teacher, and learn different styles of instruction. She was able to learn behavior management and how to construct a classroom to allow students to be successful. She also learned how to best meet the needs of each individual student. These skills helped prepare her role at Keswick School.
“ I chose to work at Keswick School because I want to make a difference in the lives of the students I work with each day. To be a part of something that brings new beginnings and hope.”
In Janey’s free time she loves to go hiking. To explore the outdoors, and take lots of pictures of the beauty that surrounds her. She loves spending time with her kids and family at the beach, amusement park, or the comfort of her home. She also enjoys looking for opportunities to be a blessing to someone in need. That could look like an encouraging note, a side hug, a shared laugh, a homemade gift, or even a special treat. She believes that kindness and a smile is one of the best gifts you can give a person and encourages others to do the same.
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Charlotte Broxon
Charlotte Broxon has taught in Albemarle, Goochland, and Fluvanna Public Schools, as well as run her own retail visual arts studio where she sold local art and taught art classes, private lessons, and workshops for seven years. She has also had the privilege of being selected to teach with UVA’s Curry School of Education Gifted Program for area students. Charlotte has worked with diverse student groups, ranging from at-risk students to gifted students, to those students who find themselves to be both gifted and struggling with learning issues or physical differences.
“I have always been fascinated by humanity’s need to create. Guiding young people to, and through, dynamic self-discovery of their expressive voice is a great joy for me. There is such power in creative thinking! I am excited and honored to be a part of the future by working with the students at Keswick School. ”
Charlotte enjoys art-making, spending time with friends and animals, reading, and mowing grass in her free time. She has two teenage daughters, a Chiweenie dog, a friendly hound dog with no eyes, and a portable guinea pig. She may also have a cat soon, if her foster cat behaves.
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Mark Mellusi
Mark attended Georgetown University where he studied Physics and English, and Virginia Tech where he earned a masters degree in education. Because he loved the outdoors and the possibility of helping young people make positive changes in their lives, he began his career at New Dominion School as a residential group leader, supervisor and as a classroom teacher. At the founding of the Discovery Schools of Virginia, he was the school Principal and eventually served as the CEO.
“Upon the closing of the Discovery Schools, I still felt drawn to the idea of helping young people reach their potentials academically and emotionally. I believe that helping students achieve success in these realms can open up doors to an amazing future that they might not have believed was possible.”
Mark enjoys woodworking, reading, and promises not to play the banjo for you under any circumstances. He lives with a dog and twelve chickens. His favorite times are spent with his wife Laura and their three children.
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Brittany Neal
Prior to joining our community, Brittany worked with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities for 8 years.
“I originally came here for an internship. However, after starting my internship I fell in love with the culture and what the school is for. ”
Outside of work Brittany loves to fish, garden, ride four wheelers, card/board games.
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Bridget McBride
Bridget has previously taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, France and in Virginia. She holds a B.A. in French and a Masters of Teaching, both from the University of Alaska, Anchorage and a Special Education endorsement from Old Dominion University. She is fluent in French.
“I choose to teach at the Keswick School because it provides a unique, educational environment in which everyone on campus is able to work together to encourage the academic, social and emotional growth of each student.”
In her free time, Bridget enjoys spending time with family and friends. Some of her favorite hobbies include traveling, hiking, horseback riding and tennis.
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Kayla Owens
Kayla has held various administrative jobs and spent five and a half years managing a psychology office before realizing her true dream was actually participating in the therapeutic process with clients. Before moving home to Virginia, Kayla worked for 9 months at a wilderness therapy program in Utah, mentoring students through their journeys in the wild.
“It’s deeply important to me to help youth have access to mental health resources that I didn’t until adulthood. Keswick School stood out to me the second I saw the job listing because it allows me the opportunity to serve as a mentor for students and nurture relationships with them over a long period of time, which allows us to see each other’s growth and build upon it together. I’ve loved my experience working with teens, and as someone who’s neurodivergent, I’m especially excited to work with these young men with learning differences.”
Kayla loves all things outdoors, including camping, climbing, hiking, stargazing, finding new plants and flowers, swimming, and campfires. She fuels her competitive spirit by playing board games and card games and challenging herself to learn new skills (most recently she’s dabbled in woodworking and leatherworking). And she revels in some of the finer things in life by baking/cooking, traveling, dancing, playing with her niece and nephews, and making and listening to music.
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Daniel Gulde
Daniel began working with neuro-diverse children as a volunteer at a summer camp in Texas. He continued working there as a staff member for the following five years, in both the summer and throughout the year. After this, Daniel worked at a Montessori school that operated as a vegetable farm and goat dairy serving middle-school-aged students in northern New Mexico. Daniel volunteered in language immersion programs in local public schools in college and eventually returned to Camino de Paz upon graduation. After moving to Virginia and working at a corn maze and a cattle farm, Daniel worked at the Virginia Institute of Autism in Charlottesville before starting at Keswick School.
“I feel called to work at Keswick School because of the opportunity to provide a uniquely structured educational experience to our students with tangible outcomes.”
Outside of work, Daniel enjoys music in many forms including listening, playing and otherwise participating. Daniel also enjoys food preparation (in many forms), reading fiction and some non-fiction, running, and swimming in the summertime.
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Jordan Stout
Jordan has held a diverse range of positions, progressing from service roles to a quality assurance specialist. Prior to joining Keswick, she accumulated over two years of experience in the corrections field, where she was actively involved in several key programs, including suicide prevention, rehabilitation, and reintegration into society.
“I initially joined Keswick as a Residential Counselor, where I valued the opportunity to mentor, build relationships, and being able to play with the kids. I have appreciated being a reliable and stable source of support for them, which has also kept me on my toes and encouraged me to think creatively and outside the box. It gives me a profound sense of purpose to see them grow and succeed, knowing that I contributed to their journey.”
Outside of Keswick, Jordan cherishes time with her son and two dogs. She enjoys playing recreational volleyball and exploring trails. Jordan also has an extensive collection of bells and has traveled to several countries and states. She is always planning her next adventure, both domestically and internationally, and delights in learning about diverse cultures and cuisines.
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Jimmy Green
Jimmy studied evolutionary biology with a passion at the University of Virginia. After graduating, he worked on projects at UVA related to community ecology and biodiversity until enrolling in the Curry School of Education. After earning his Master’s in Teaching, he worked in Albemarle County Public Schools as a science teacher from 2007-2014, along with coaching baseball at one school for 4 seasons.
“I learned about TKS from a contact in the public schools. The dual focus on both community and individual development was what initially attracted me. At TKS, staff learn a suite of approaches designed to help students recognize and shape their own growth, and the growth of their peers. It has been very rewarding to work with young men so closely and to see them make such profound progress during their time here.”
Jimmy enjoys relaxing with his wife and 2 dogs both locally and on the road. He has had the chance to backpack in both Central America and South Africa, and would take any chance to travel the world again. He loves to play sports, especially volleyball, baseball, basketball, golf, and disc golf. He is also a big nerd who grew up reading comic books and now greatly enjoys consuming comic book movies and television.
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Gabriel Loader
Gabriel went to Southern Oregon University where he obtained his Bachelor of Science in History, while also running Cross Country and Track. Gabriel worked at an elementary school for two years as an educational assistant and a substitute teacher. He then went on to work at Ontrack Rehabilitation center as the Childcare Director.
“I chose to work at Keswick School because I understand the need for alternative schooling. The educational system does not fit all the needs of our students, and I know that they deserve just as much as any child does.”
Gabriel enjoys running in his free time, primarily training for the marathon. Gabriel also loves hiking, cycling and bowling.
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Kyle Wolfe
After completing his degree, Kyle moved to Charlottesville to begin his career at TKS as a Residential Aide. After six months, Kyle moved into the Lead Counselor position for the Madison Dorm. Following a year stint in that position, Kyle transitioned into the Residential Support Counselor Role. After completing one year, Kyle moved to the Academic Team as the Academic Support Counselor. Currently, Kyle is working on his third year as the Support Counselor for the Academic Day, and plans on pursuing further education in Social Work.
“I love that no single day at work is the same! Knowing that my job is to help kids achieve their full potential and to help them feel happier and better about themselves, brings satisfaction to my life.”
Outside of work, Kyle enjoys spending time with his family, friends and dog, Cooper. Whenever he gets the chance, he enjoys board gaming with friends and participating in rec baseball and hockey. He is a passionate fan for all Philadelphia sports.
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Tricia Neumann
Tricia has instructed hundreds of TKS students in horseback riding. Her commitment to our riding program goes beyond riding instruction to include caring for our horses and teaching our students horse care. Beyond TKS, Tricia also provides riding instruction throughout the Charlottesville area to help local riders prepare for competition.
“Witnessing the transformation of each student into a capable young man fuels my passion to continue serving the TKS community.”
In her free time, Tricia likes to spend time with her grandson, be physically active, attend yoga classes, and garden at her home.
- Published in Academic Staff