Faculty

Instructional personnel at the Academy at Sisters Oregon boarding school are selected for their commitment to individualized curriculum, educational excellence, innovation, and a willingness to motivate. All faculty are either licensed or have extensive experience in the areas they teach.

h Rick Buening h

Rick is the Academic Director of J Bar J Learning Center. He has worked in alternative education at J Bar J for more than 20 years. Rick received his Bachelors Degree in Social Work from the University of Missouri and his Masters Degree in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He holds a Standard Oregon Teaching Certificate in Social Studies. Rick is a member of The National Council for the Social Studies and The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. He is past Chairperson for the Oregon Advisory Committee for the Northwest Accreditation Commission and is currently serving on that committee. As an educator, Rick is committed to alternative education and to the idea that "all students are capable of being confident, self-directed, lifelong learners".

Rick enjoys hiking, reading, home improvement projects and spending time with his two grandchildren. He has a special interest in the people and literature of the "beat generation".

h Jessie Russell h

Jessie has worked in the field of education for the past ten years. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Recreational Therapy from Middle Tennessee State University, her home state. Jessie is currently completing her Master's of Education from Prescott College.

She has taught informal and non-formal educational environments. These environments range from the formal classroom to the outdoor classroom. Jessie has taught high school students in the classroom and with a traveling high school program based out of North Carolina. She has taught middle school students in the classroom in an alternative school setting. Jessie enjoys working with students in educational settings that also place emphasis in behavioral components. All academic settings she has worked in have been in conjunction with a treatment focus. Prior educational settings have focused on behaviors and learning differences in order to aid students to reach their full potential.

Jessie moved to Bend in the fall of 2000 and enjoys this community for several aspects. She prefers the small town of Bend and appreciates the outdoor hobbies she can participate in just out her back door. Jessie has traveled the United States extensively, on her own and with students. She has also traveled to several other countries. She plans on continuing to explore other cultures as to enrich her own knowledge and appreciation of diversity.

h Niki Redenius h

Niki received her Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from Auburn University in 2003. She moved to Oregon later that fall and attended the University of Oregon where she graduated with a Masters Degree in Middle/Secondary Education in 2005. Niki has experience teaching in middle and high schools and alternative education. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their 16 month old daughter, riding her horse, and taking advantage of the many outdoor activities available in Central Oregon.

Contact Rick Buening for further information.