Our Instructors
Kellee Blanchard
Kellee was born and raised in Eugene and she loves teaching Imagine That Summer Adventures! in her hometown. During the school year she leads Moving Joyfully, a dance and movement program for young children where she fosters creativity and self-discovery in her students. Kellee feels that working with children is a blessing. She uses stories and imagination in her teaching so Imagine That! feels like home to her playful heart. Though life has allowed her to teach in many places such as India and South America, Kellee will always look forward to her summers with this wonderful program. She is overjoyed to bring it to her current home town of Bend, Oregon and can’t wait to share the experience in the form of Bend Imagines with the community here.
Nina Palada
Nina was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She is currently working as a 2nd Grade Teaching assistant at The San Francisco School. In addition she teaches dance and movement classes to young children. She graduated from Saint Mary's College with a double major in Dance and Choreographic Studies and Justice, Community, and Leadership. She enjoys teaching movement, and movement exploration with young children. She has worked at Imagine That Summer Adventures! in Eugene for many years, and is excited to be the dance teacher for Bend Imagines first summer!
Amy Bathen
Amy grew up in Flagstaff, AZ and has lived in Bend for the last 11 years. She began playing music in school at age 9 and has since picked up a variety of instruments. She has been a part of the local music scene, performing in different bands for the last 16 years. Her primary instruments these days are guitar, drums and keys. Although her active bands have taken a backseat to her growing family, she is excited to share her love of music with this new community.
Before she had her first child, Amy worked as a preschool teacher for about 8 years in Bend. Since then she has been substituting in the public schools and booking music at various venues. Amy is looking forward to combining these two passions of music and teaching in her time with Bend Imagines.
Ruby Jensen
Ruby Jensen looks forward to leading the artistic experience for your kids. She is no stranger to the creative process in Imagine That, bringing a fresh perspective to the art component of the camp. Ruby is a student at a private university in Prague, Czech Republic, where she is pursuing her bachelor's degree. She loves the outdoors, travel and skiing. She was a South Eugene High School student leader for the Integrated Outdoor Pursuits program. She competed at State on the Eugene Ski team, played varsity lacrosse and performed at the Oregon Country Fair. She can't wait to welcome your kids to the Bend Imagines community!
Carina Schmidt
Born in Redmond, Oregon, Carina Schmidt acted in her first play at 6 years old, and shot her first movie at 7. Since then, she has sharpened her storytelling skills, taking on the roles of director, actor, and stage technician, occasionally all at once. Along with her theatre and film experience, Carina brings years of experience as a summer camp counselor and youth crisis worker. While Carina might look back at her early entries into film and theatre as being amateur or underdeveloped, she remembers the electric thrill of creativity that came with making them and the joy of bringing ideas from her imagination into reality. As a drama instructor at Bend Imagines, she hopes to share that joy, and help children to find and use their own creative voices, so that they can continue to fill the world with art and laughter.