Volunteer Profile: Amy & Thom Teten
AMY
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Personal: Children: 2; Cash (8, 3rd grade at Friends) and Woodrow (5, Kindergarten at Friends) Pets: 1 dog; a pure bred Standard Poodle, Heddy
Education/current or previous employment: B.A., History, University of Texas at Austin, M.B.A., University of Texas at San Antonio
Career:Currently I’m the Vice President of Customer Experience & People Ops at TeamSnap, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado
Hobbies/passions/talents:Alpine skiing, bouldering, hiking, camping, smoking anything on my Green Egg, watching history documentaries, attending outdoor concerts, spending time outdoors with my family and friends … the list goes on! I’m also interested in learning how to fly-fish, dabbling in organic soap-making, and am excited to begin trying to make kombucha from scratch.
Volunteer activities at Friends: 2nd grades sleepover (I’m still recovering) (2017), Annual fund classroom chair (2017 & 2018), Parent participation: grounds clean-up day (2017 & 2018), Advancement Committee member (2018), 3rd grade room parent (2018), Colorado Gives Day donation coordinator/aide (2018)
Q: How did find Friends School & why did you choose it for your children? When we made the strategic decision to move from Texas to Colorado, we knew we wanted to land in the greater Boulder area. Finding the perfect education haven for our children was our chief priority. In speaking with a regional education consultant, we were introduced to Steve de Beer at Friends School, performed research on the school, met with a few Friends parents, interviewed, and quickly became enamored with the school’s culture, philosophy and overall approach to whole-child learning. We have happy, engaged, well-adjusted, and thriving kiddos, and we attribute much of that to the match we found in Friends.
Q: What motivates you to volunteer? When I get involved in something, I give it my all. I am deliberate about where I focus my time outside of work and my family. Getting involved as a volunteer for my kids’ school was an easy decision because:
- It affords me the opportunity to give back to something that serves such a key purpose in my children’s molding.
- I get exposed to a variety of people whom I might not have regularly met, giving credence to the ethos of community that Friends offers.
- Hopefully my kids see the importance of the spirit of volunteerism, and that it inspires them to volunteer, too.
Q: What books are you reading right now? (Alternate question: If you could have one super power what would it be?)
- “Powerful” by Patty McCord
- “Garden of the Beasts” by Erik Larson
- “The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery & the Making of American Capitalism” by Edward E. Baptist
Q: How do you recharge?
- Head to the bouldering gym
- Get a massage
- Turn off the notifications on my phone and put it away for a few hours
Q: If we were to open your fridge, what would we find? (consider taking a photo of the inside of your fridge!)
Hearty homemade soups, eggs, meats, fruits & veggies, lots of condiments
THOM
Hometown: I grew up in the military, but was moved to San Antonio, Texas in the middle of high school and I ended up sticking around for 21 years, so I consider it home. ¡Puro San Anto!
Education:BA in Political Science, with a Minor in Philosophy @ University of Texas, San Antonio
Career: Prior career: Tech. Current career: Trophy Husband
Hobbies/passions/talents:Being outside: especially hiking & snow sports. Art: I have a background in printmaking and wood sculpture, and am currently vocal training for a foray into performance art. Learning: I spend more hours than I can count falling down rabbit holes to learn (at a minimum) a little about everything.
Volunteer activities at Friends: Parent Volunteer Days, Chaperoning Field Trips, Helped build playground stage, Art teacher hiring committee, whatever task Bryn, Rebecca, or Caroline need help with (like swapping art displays or sweeping, etc.)
Q: What motivates you to volunteer?Because my kids still think it’s totally cool to see me hanging at their school. Because it truly takes a village, and I also want my kids to learn how to be good villagers, by example. Because educators are the hardest working folks who should get ALL the support they need, (and also I selfishly always learn new skills around them that boost my parenting toolkit.)
Q: What books are you reading right now?
Last: “My Beloved World,” by Sonia Sotomayor
Current: rereading “A Different Kind if Intimacy,” by Karen Finley
Next: “When They Call You a Terrorist, A Black Lives Matter Memoir,” by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
Q: How do you recharge? Blast music waaaaay too loud, hike, play with our dog, cook, and if I’ve really lost my mind, I just rearrange all the furniture in the house.
