Julie Mountcastle

Julie Mountcastle is an experienced elementary educator who joined Slate School's team early during its founding. Throughout the course of a 20-year career as an educator, she has taught at nearly every elementary grade level, in both traditional and project-based classrooms in public schools and at Slate School. She developed and leads Slate School's curiosity-driven curriculum that is both developmentally appropriate and academically rigorous. She designed a school which trusts each child in their learning, and which responds to each child’s wonderings and creativity. She leads Slate School’s ability to dive deep into recognizing and maximizing opportunities for discovery toward realizing a student's potential, and she creates a framework that allows for authentic assessment in all aspects of the classroom. Julie believes that trusting the natural curiosity of the child to drive learning leads to the most joyful and meaningful discoveries for the student, the teacher and, ultimately, our beautiful world. At Slate School, in addition to being Founding Head of School, Julie has taught Grades K/1, 1/2, 2/3, and Grade 5.

As interest in Slate School's unique model continues to grow, Julie works with other educators through workshops, expert panels, and other educational forums. Julie frequently gives presentations at large conferences, including at TEDx, as well as at smaller events and in courses. She speaks about a variety of topics, including curiosity-driven education, being a founding Head of School of a unique K-12 school, the art of listening, the career journey, leadership, finding your passion and purpose, and collaboration.

Before becoming a teacher, Julie was a professional actress and appeared in plays and musicals on Broadway, on London’s West End, and in regional theatre across the country. She has also produced and directed many original theatre works with student performers ranging from elementary school to high school. She continues to sing and perform locally, while also integrating the arts throughout every day at Slate School.

Julie received her BFA from Florida Atlantic University and a Teaching Certificate from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is also an alumna of Columbia Teacher’s College Summer Institute. Read more about Julie Mountcastle.

Jennifer Staple-Clark

For nearly 25 years, Jennifer Staple-Clark has been a leader in nonprofit innovation, and she currently leads two nonprofit organizations: Unite For Sight and Slate School. In 2000, Jennifer Staple-Clark, then a sophomore at Yale University, founded Unite For Sight in her dorm room. Unite For Sight is now a leader both in global health education and in providing cost-effective care to the world's poorest people. She has been featured twice in Nicholas D. Kristof's columns in The New York Times, and cited in A Path Appears by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Jennifer Staple-Clark was also featured weekly on CNN International in 2007 and 2008. 

After nearly 20 years focused on global health and eliminating patient barriers to care, Jennifer additionally founded Slate School, an innovative 501(c)3 nonprofit K-12 curiosity-driven and nature-based school in Connecticut. Slate School is unique in many ways, including eliminating barriers to exceptional curiosity-driven education for its students. Slate School is the only independent K-12 school in the country that does not look at a student's ability to pay before accepting a child, and also meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for every admitted student. 89% of Slate School's students receive significant financial aid, with 50% paying less than 25% of tuition.

Jennifer is the recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, presented by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government to "an individual whose contributions in the realm of community service, advocacy or grassroots activism have elevated the debate or changed the landscape with respect to a public issue or issues." Middlebury College's Center for Social Entrepreneurship presented Jennifer with the Vision Award "to recognize leadership and vision in the world of social entrepreneurship." She is also the recipient of the Yale School of Public Health's Centennial Leadership Innovation Award as well as the Praxis Award in Professional Ethics from Villanova University. Jennifer also received the American Institute of Public Service's National Jefferson Award For Public Service, which is regarded as the "Nobel Prize" for public service. She was also awarded a BRICK Award, which honors and funds change-makers who identify problems and work to change the world. Jennifer is the author of journal articles and book chapters about social entrepreneurship, best practices in global health, and community eye health. Additionally, she has served as a judge in social entrepreneurship competitions, including the Canadian Government's Grand Challenges in Health.

A cum laude graduate of Yale University, Jennifer was a member of the Yale University President's Council on International Activities, and was on the Operating Board of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute. Jennifer frequently gives presentations and keynote addresses about social entrepreneurship and global health.