Who We Are
Argonaut Director,
Chris Balme
Chris has spent more than 20 years as an education leader and innovator specifically in service to middle school youth. Maybe it’s because his middle school journey was crummy. Maybe it’s because the research on middle school is so perplexing: it is a time of incredibly rapid development for all young people, not only intellectually but also socially and emotionally; yet it is a time when so many lose their interest in learning. What are we doing wrong with middle school?
Chris’s career has been dedicated to activating the hidden potential of these years. He first taught as a middle school science teacher, and then founded a non-profit to re-invigorate middle schoolers’ love of learning. For this work he received the Ashoka Fellowship, given to leading social entrepreneurs around the world. Chris then co-founded and was Head of School at Millennium School, a progressive independent middle school in San Francisco, California. His book, Finding the Magic in Middle School, was published in 2022.
To sum it up: as Argonaut’s Director, Chris is having way too much fun leading this program. Argonaut brings together all of his research and leadership in middle school education. With playfulness and personal challenges, Argonaut is designed to tap into the amazing potential of middle schoolers everywhere.
Connect with Chris on social media: @chrisbalme
Annika Bhasavanich, Facilitator
Annika is an ADHD coach and former classroom teacher who thrives on building safe and compassionate spaces for young people to express their truest selves. With a colorful background rooted in both Bangkok and San Francisco, she has always pursued diverse experiences, starting from her early days at the Nueva and Thacher schools, and eventually earning a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from McGill University in 2019.
After her academic pursuits, Annika embarked on a journey as a Humanities teacher at the Millennium School, where she crafted and delivered dynamic project-based learning adventures spanning mindfulness to social justice. Having fallen in love with working with students one-on-one and in tight-knit groups, she now coaches young people seeking executive-function support and compassionate mentorship.
You can learn more about Annika’s work at her website, here.
Abigail Henderson, Facilitator
Abigail is a person of many passions, most of which involve teaching and learning in some form. Some of her past learning adventures have included facilitating guest interactions with sea animals at a Florida aquarium, guiding kids through nature at a summer camp in Wisconsin, helping college students understand consent in Pennsylvania, and teaching computer science at an all-girls school in Connecticut. She currently serves as a STEM Guide and Advisor at Millennium School in San Francisco, while leading faculty advisory and wellness groups through Millennium Forum.
During her undergraduate career at Swarthmore College, Abigail built a cognitive science major by taking courses in six different departments. Her thesis work focused on animal cognition and communication, specifically viewing animal communication systems through a linguistic lens. She enjoys taking things apart and looking at them in a new way, both literally and figuratively. In the classroom, she recognizes that failure is a necessary part of any learning process, and she strives to make it fun for everyone involved.
Krista McAtee, Facilitator
Krista‘s 25 year journey through education has been about teaching as an act of love. In her roles as a educator in preschool, a Spanish Dual Immersion elementary school, middle school, high, as a mathematics methods professor, math and social justice coach, parent and grandparent, her come from is always Love. She reminds those around her that every action is an act of love or a call for love and that we are either intentionally acting from a place of love or reacting from a place of conditioning.
She teaches that Love is the only power that can resolve all that ales our society. Racism, white supremacy, hetero patriarchy, colonialism, hatred and fear are simply symptoms of the absence of understanding and recognition of the love that we are.
Her work in the world is practicing, teaching and being love because Love is our innate, natural state. Krista creates and facilitate communities where we can recognize the love that we are and learn to come from love in all of our thoughts, Emotions and actions. When we better learn our true nature, love, all the ways we have been conditioned to practice; separation, hierarchies, fear, etc will simply melt away. So many of our great leaders have known what Dr. Martin Luther King said so clearly, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” When the goal of education in our country is to be and to practice love in everything we do, we will have the educational system the society of our dreams.
Argonaut Partners
Millennium School
Millennium School is a progressive, independent middle school in San Francisco, co-founded by Argonaut director Chris Balme, who served as Millennium’s Head of School until 2020. Millennium has become a leading example of how developmental science and social-emotional learning can transform middle school into a powerful, positive experience.
Two Decades Academy
The Two Decades Academy is dedicated to amplifying high-impact students through debate, critical thinking, and the skills to lead through complexity.
Advisors
Andrew Ravin: Founder & Head of School, Workshop School, Brooklyn
Cate Han: Founder, Hudson Lab School
Emi Takemura: Co-Founder & Director, Learn by Creation and FutureEdu
Roberto d’Erizans: Head of School, Millennium School