Our Instructors
Kellee Blanchard
Kellee was born and raised in Eugene and she loves teaching Imagine That! in her hometown. During the school year she leads Moving Joyfully, a dance and movement program for young children where she fosters creativity and self-discovery in her students. Kellee feels that working with children is a blessing. She uses stories and imagination in her teaching so Imagine That! feels like home to her playful heart. Though life has allowed her to teach in many places such as India and South America, Kellee will always look forward to her summers with the wonderful team and super Imagine That! kids. This year Kellee is honored to have taken on the role of director of Imagine That!
Scotty Perey
Hailing from the Big Sky State of Montana in 1988, Scotty Perey graduated from the University of Oregon School of Music (Composition, ’94) and proceeded to build a community of nearly a thousand students and their families over the past two decades, both privately and within the 4J School District, as well as from the ten past seasons of Imagine That! Enjoying everything from music to reading to writing to hiking to skiing, playing with his band, “The Sugar Beets” or traveling all over the world, Scotty can safely say that there is no job in the known universe more custom-tailored toward the very essence of his being than teaching music at Imagine That!
Santiago Gause
Santiago is originally from Austin, Texas, but grew up in Oregon and has spent most of his life in Eugene and Cottage Grove. He is currently majoring in Theater at the University of Oregon and has been a camper at Imagine That! in the past.
He comes from a musical family and played drums in the family band. Whether it’s jamming with friends or obsessing over his dad’s collection of Cheap Trick records, music has always been a part of his life. His primary instrument is the drum kit, but he’s also studying guitar and learning to compose and record his own music. He loves working and connecting with kids and has worked as an assistant instructor with Nature’s Mystery Awareness School and as a substitute Spanish teacher for the Village School. He's very excited about working with the campers to create a safe environment for expression and play, and to cook up some hits.
Elise Pierce
Born and raised in Eugene, Elise began attending Imagine That! with her sister when she was 8 years old. Her love for the magic of Imagine That! has been growing ever since. Currently a preschool teacher at Teton Science Schools near Grand Teton National Park, she engages with children through creative inquiry and exploration of the natural world. During her time with the youngest humans, she enjoys wondering, exploring, observing, and constructing knowledge through different artistic mediums both inside and outside the classroom. Previously, Elise’s work at the Child Development Center in Bellingham, WA shaped how she encourages children to guide their learning through curiosity and fascination with the world. At other times, she is traveling, creating, and outside playing, learning with people she loves. She returns home every summer to immerse herself in the beauty of Eugene and the fun of Imagine That!
Lisa Mattielo
Born in Eugene and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Lisa has delighted in watching her nieces (now camp instructors) Elise and Eden perform for years in Imagine That! camps. Lisa's love for music, drama and art started early on. At the age of 9, she wide-eyed watched Liberace on TV and decided to become a concert pianist. She has taken many years of piano and voice lessons, created myriad art projects (often utilizing an abundance of glitter) and entertained her friends and family endlessly with her hilarious, ongoing one-woman show. Lisa graduated with an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from Eastern Washington University and has lived in Italy and Spain. She has taught preschool in the 2/3's class at The Big Little School for 12 years thus far and loves it! When not exploring and learning with her classroom kiddos, Lisa loves performing in plays in various local Eugene and Cottage Grove theaters. Her life goals are to learn to fence, play the drums and adventure all over the world teaching kids.
Rachael Barrows
After having experienced Imagine That! as a camper from the ages of 8-14, Rachael is excited to return to the magic as a drama teacher. Born and raised in Eugene, Rachael graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Environmental Science and recently completed an internship with NASA's DEVELOP program. They are currently working towards a career in Oceanography, but are thrilled to go back to their roots in Eugene for the summer and work within their passions of education and creativity. Their goal is to find a career path that blends science, education, and fun together.
Their other interests include art, writing, travel, and playing ultimate frisbee. Having done theater through childhood and into high school, they are excited to combine their love of drama, creativity, and small friends during camp this summer.
Nina Palada
Nina was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She is currently working as a 1st Grade Teaching assistant at The San Francisco School. In addition she teaches dance and movement classes to young children. She graduated from Saint Mary's College with a double major in Dance and Choreographic Studies and Justice, Community, and Leadership. She enjoys teaching movement, and movement exploration with young children. She has worked as an assistant teacher at Imagine That! for four years, and now is one of the dance teachers.
Olivia Jaczko
Olivia was born and raised in Oregon, and from as far as she can remember, has been in love with the performing arts and their special way of bringing people together. Always striving to keep dance alive in her life, Olivia spent most all of her childhood at the dance studio in her hometown, and continued to dance at Lane Community College. Since then, she dances independently and with others in collaborative projects. Olivia has a broad experience working with kids, from teaching dance classes, working in other performance camps, to working at afterschool care programs. Other than dancing, Olivia loves writing an performing songs, and being an audience member for others as well.
Carina Schmidt
Born in Redmond, Oregon, Carina Schmidt acted in her first play at 6 years old, and shot her first movie at 7. Since then, she has sharpened her storytelling skills, taking on the roles of director, actor, and stage technician, occasionally all at once. Along with her theatre and film experience, Carina brings years of experience as a summer camp counselor and youth crisis worker. While Carina might look back at her early entries into film and theatre as being amateur or underdeveloped, she remembers the electric thrill of creativity that came with making them and the joy of bringing ideas from her imagination into reality. As a drama instructor at Imagine That!, she hopes to share that joy, and help children to find and use their own creative voices, so that they can continue to fill the world with art and laughter.