Ernie Patterson is the Head of School at the Mountain School. He grew up in Stonington, CT, and moved to Telluride to assume the Head of School position in April 2000. He has been in the education field since 1992 and has worked in schools as a teacher and administrator in Connecticut, New Mexico, Oregon, California and Colorado. Ernie holds a Bachelor of Science from Rochester Institute of Technology, a Master of Liberal Studies from St. John's College, a Master of Education from Harvard University and has recently earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago. Ernie currently serves on the board of the Association of Colorado Independent Schools. Ernie and his wife, Kristin, have two young children, Aven and Bryce. Aven is a student in the Mountain School 's first/second grade classroom and Bryce is enrolled in the Montessori preschool program.