Steamboat Springs, Colo. (August 13, 2020) – Emerald Mountain School, a K-8 independent school located in downtown Steamboat Springs, and Steamboat Mountain School, a college preparatory high school with an emphasis on global experiential learning, have jointly agreed to merge into a single entity to offer the community an unparalleled K-12 independent education. United in purpose and mission, the two schools will continue their commitments to academic excellence, socio-economic diversity, the importance of community, outdoor and global experiential learning, and competitive skiing and snowboarding in their partnership with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. The merger will roll out in two distinct phases over the next two academic school years, 2020/21 and 2021/22. 

 “We are excited to announce this merger and what it means for the future of independent education in northwest Colorado,” said Johnny Spillane, current Board Chair of the Emerald Mountain School and son of its founder Nancy Spillane, and a graduate of both schools. “The boards and administrators at both schools recognized the strengths and the undeniable alignment, in both mission and purpose, that the two entities have. After nearly a year of careful consideration, we are confident that we can achieve more together than apart.” 

The merging of the two schools will take place over two years in two phases. In Phase 1, the two schools will merge the business administrations and create one Board of Trustees to develop a united and long-term strategic vision. Each school will maintain its unique identity, programming and teaching faculty. Phase 2 will begin at the start of the 2021/22 academic year with the implementation of the school’s unification under one mission and one name, Steamboat Mountain School. 

“This merger is more than two entities coming together,” said Meg Morse, Head of School for Steamboat Mountain School. “In combining resources, we can offer more educational opportunities and a more profound overall experience for our students and their families. A seamless K-12 independent education is something we know our community has been seeking and the timing is right with the visionary leadership we have on both boards.”

For more information about the merger, click here or direct inquiries to Alice Tesar at [email protected].

To learn more about Emerald Mountain School, please visit www.emeraldmountainschool.org or call 970.871.8081.

To learn more about Steamboat Mountain School, visit www.steamboatmountainschool.org or call 970.879.1350.