Stan WOOD, Director
PEAK Outdoor Center

Stan is in his 25th year as a faculty member at Heathwood and has served as Director of the PEAK Outdoor Center for ten years. He previously served as Athletic Director and coached several varsity sports including boy’s basketball and track. Stan is a 1986 and 1998 graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). He is also an instructor for the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association, and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. Stan was recognized by the Richland County Conservation District as Conservation Teacher-of-the-Year in 2001. He is an experienced kayaker, mountain biker, backpacker, mountaineer, and adventure racer.

Becca REYNOLDS, Associate Director
PEAK Outdoor Center

Becca is a former Heathwood student and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Education in 2004. She has extensive wilderness education experience with students of all ages having worked for Inside Out, Inc., a leading organization that provides wilderness education for students from schools throughout the country. She also served as Assistant Director and Head of Outdoor Pursuits for many years at Camp Arrowhead in Tuxedo, NC. Becca is a 2002 graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and is a certified Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard, and Rock Site and Ropes Course Manager. She is an experienced backpacker and rock climber, and has most recently served on the 2nd grade teaching team at Clear Creek Elementary School in Hendersonville, NC.

Katherine HOLLOWAY
Instructor and Program Facilitator

Katherine is an integral part of the PEAK Outdoor Center having served as the Associate Director for three years. She graduated from Brevard College with a degree in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education in 2002. She has worked extensively with wilderness programs at Brevard College and Gwynn Valley Camp. Katherine has worked as a wilderness counselor with Eckerd Youth Alternatives, a program that provides backcountry rehabilitation opportunity for adjudicated boys. Katherine is certified as a Wilderness First Responder, is an American Canoe Association (ACA) certified kayak instructor, and is an experienced paddler, backpacker, mountain biker, and rock climber.

Robert HORAK, Ph.D.
ISMS Guidance Counselor

Robert has been a school counselor since 1993 and is in his fifth year as counselor in the Intermediate and Middle School at Heathwood. He earned a Master of Education (M. Ed.) in 1993 and an Education Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in 1995 from the University of South Carolina Department of Educational Psychology. In 2003, He earned his Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of South Carolina, Department of Educational Psychology. Robert has received advanced training by Project Adventure as an Adventure-based Counselor and serves as a ropes course facilitator for several educational institutions. In addition to his published dissertation on Adventure-based Counseling, he is a published author in the Journal of Individual Psychology and a contributing author in the textbook: Culture & Counseling: New Approaches. Robert is an accomplished pianist, a pilot and holds an advanced diving certificate. He enjoys running, cycling, and riding motorcycles.

Bill BRUNER
Program Marketer, Instructor and Facilitator

Bill has been an instructor with the PEAK program since the fall of 2004. He attended Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona and currently directs marketing efforts for the PEAK Outdoor Center. Bill has a B.S. in Business Management. He has served on the Board of Directors for Columbia and Charlotte Green and he is the past president of Columbia Green. Bill has extensive experience in the backcountry, having spent time backpacking, climbing, canoeing and caving in the southeastern United States and in the desert southwest.

Kate ABDELNOUR
Instructor and Program Facilitator

Kate has worked with PEAK programs for the past six years. She specializes in ropes course facilitation and spends her summers working with Camp Sunshine, a camp that provides exciting opportunities for children with mental and physical handicaps. Kate is currently a student at the University of South Carolina pursuing a degree in Athletic Training.

Jim MORRIS
Senior Instructor/US Science Teacher

Jim has more than 20 years experience as an outdoor education instructor and trip leader, including 16 years experience with the North Carolina Outward Bound School, and has previously served as the director of outdoor education programs at three NAIS schools. Jim is in his tenth year as an Upper School Science teacher at Heathwood. He is an experienced paddler, having kayaked the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. He is also an experienced ropes course facilitator, mountaineer and backpacker.

Hartley BARBER
US Art Teacher

Hartley has been a member of the Heathwood faculty for six years. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1993. Hartley has traveled throughout most of the lower 48 states and parts of Canada, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, England and Western Europe. Hartley has a Wilderness First Aid certification. He is an experienced whitewater kayaker and an avid backpacker, climber and nature photographer.

Peyton Bruner SASNETT
IS Science Teacher

Peyton is a 1987 graduate of Heathwood Hall. She holds Bachelor of Science (1991) and Master of Science (1994) degrees from Clemson University in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, and is currently completing her PhD (2007) in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Biology. Peyton worked as an Aquatic Biologist for the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control for seven years prior to teaching Earth Science at Heathwood. She has been teaching and coaching at Heathwood for five years. Peyton is a certified Wildlife Biologist, an experienced naturalist, hiker, and backpacker, and is American Red Cross First Responder certified.

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