Cristine Bachor

Nine summers ago Cristine returned from Alaska to resettle on the eastern shore. A New Hampshire native, Cristine’s family chose Maine for the coastline and access to mountains. Accustomed to hiking and snowshoeing into the Chugach backcountry with their 3 daughters in tow, Cristine and her husband were excited to reacquaint themselves with the eastern seaboard. They bought a 36’ sailboat as their first Maine home, then found 5 acres in Harpswell, built a tiny cabin, and began the east coast version of Alaskan homesteading. 

Creativity, adventure, and hard work are the core values of Cristine’s family. These are the values she uses to ground her classroom as well. Cristine cultivates an environment framed with high expectations, where innovation and individuality are encouraged. Narrative, storytelling, and art are aspects she weaves into her classes; art creates a space where students can make mistakes and lean into their imperfections. 

A graduate of the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a dual major in Economics and Social Thought and Political Economy, Cristine loves to infuse her humanities lessons with economic theory, encouraging students to be conscious consumers and entrepreneurs. Youth all around the globe are developing world-changing inventions; our students are equally capable of innovation and leading social change. 

Cristine’s years as a case manager in Anchorage and New Hampshire are rich experiences that inform her trauma-informed, restorative practices within the classroom. A mother to three girls, Cristine’s creative and volunteer work often pivot around the interaction between children and nature, and how to sustain the wild, particularly that essence within.