David Heldreth

About David

Dave Heldreth took a less-than-traditional route to becoming a teacher. He studied engineering and physics at Purdue and Oakland University while working as an engineer for General Motors. As his passion for the outdoors became a more prominent part of his life, he decided to pursue that as a career. He spent his 20s working and guiding in wilderness areas around the world. Whether it was at the summit of Mt. Rainier or climbing ocean cliffs in Thailand, he came to realize the greatest reward was sharing his passions with students.

After marrying his adventure partner, he spent several years in rural Wyoming working for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). At NOLS, Heldreth furthered his studies of leadership, wilderness skills, and teaching methodology while taking students into challenging and enriching wilderness experiences. Heldreth brought those skills to the boarding school world as a way to get more time with his students. After getting his Masters in Education and working throughout the west, Heldreth spent the previous three years as the head of a high school in Kansas, hanging out in classrooms with his therapy trained corgi named Waffles.

While leading a school was a fun challenge, Heldreth far prefers to geek out with students. He and his family (partner Becca and twin daughters Madelyn and Zoey) are excited to be a part of the Interlochen team and enjoy all that northern Michigan has to explore.

To push one's self is not an ability, but a learned habit.