Our Administrative Team

Ed Porritt
Founder, Executive Director and Principal
E-mail ed.porritt@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512

Ed has been a middle- and high-school educator in Boulder County for 20 years, in communities from Broomfield to the Continental Divide. Ed has an M.A. in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a State of Colorado Principal License. In 1998, Ed was the administrator and first teacher of Chinook Alternatives, a highly successful program he developed for the Boulder Valley School District to prevent and retrieve drop-outs.  The program was closed in 2004 due to district budgetary issues. From 2004 to 2007 Ed served as the Dean of Students at Nederland Middle Senior High School, where he continued to coordinate the Chinook West high school program at Teens Inc., Youth and Family Center. In August, 2007, Ed opened Catalyst High School as a nonprofit private school.

Ed continues to expand the potential of his contract-based, short block educational model, working successfully with an increasingly diverse population of students who, for a wide variety of reasons, are not thriving in other school settings. Ed has been the Program Chairman and a Board Member for Attention Homes Youth Shelter and served on the Board of Directors of Compass House.

Dick Weeks
Vice Principal of Academic Affairs
E-mail dick.weeks@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512

Dick brings 43 years of educational experience with teens to Catalyst High School.  His career spans from teaching to school administration positions. Dick created and directed the K-12 counseling program for Colorado Academy in 1979. From 1981-1989 Dick served as Director of College Placement and then Dean of Students at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. In 1989, he became the Dean of Students and later Assistant Head of School at Alexander Dawson School. In 1995, Dick founded the George L. Bridge School, which he named for his grandfather.  For 16 years, Dick served as Head of Bridge School until retiring from that position and joining Catalyst High School.

Rachel Daly
Academic Coordinator
E-mail rachel.daly@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512

Rachel holds a B.A. in English from the University of Northern Colorado. As Academic Coordinator for Catalyst, Rachel creates a new personalized schedule for each student every five weeks.  She also tracks and helps to direct each student’s progress toward graduation. Rachel was one of the first Chinook students and understands the Catalyst Educational Model inside and out. Her personal high school experience gives Rachael insight to the needs of teens. This, along with her sweet disposition, allows her to relate well to students. Rachel can attest to the success of the Catalyst model of education and feels that without it, she would never have graduated from high school. She has a passion for writing, and together with her husband has a brand new baby girl, whom she adores.

Julie Hancock
Assessment Coordinator:  MAP’s, 504′s, CAP’s
BA  English and Communication Studies, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia
MS  Secondary Education/Special Education, City University of New York, New York
E-mail julie.hancock@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512

Julie loves sharing her passion for reading and writing with students. She has taught around the country: Virginia, New York, California, and now, Colorado! Julie is a former New York City Teaching Fellow. She has received numerous grants for her research on helping students of varying learning levels access literacy, and has presented this research at state and national conferences. She has a strong background in Journalism, and her features have been found in The Virginian Pilot, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union Tribune and many more.  In her spare time, she enjoys international travel, volunteer work, hanging out with her husband and dog, and distance running.

Mary Hickling
Registrar and Office Manager
E-mail mary.hickling@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512

Mary received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Conservation from the University of Colorado, Boulder. As Registrar and Office Manager, Mary maintains transcripts, report cards, and other school records, as well as working to keep things running in the Catalyst office – both figuratively and physically! She brings years of valuable experience working with personal fitness, office management and, most importantly, teens. Mary is drawn to issues that face teens today, and addresses them by integrating humor and role modeling and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Her hobbies include gardening, home staging and reading good books. Mary is married and has two teenage daughters (one a Catalyst graduate), and two very fluffy cats!