Landmark Stories

Tyler Schulz ’15 

Salt Water Running Through His Veins

For Tyler Schulz, there’s more than a touch of ocean water running through his veins. He grew up on Nantucket and when he was in fifth grade his family took up temporary residence in Beverly, Mass. so he could attend Landmark Elementary•Middle School. During his eight years here, he was an active member of the community, became a residential student at the High School, and was a leader on the sailing team. 

He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Marist College in 2019 and then took a sales job in Boston, where he soon realized that a desk job was not feeding his soul and the ocean was beckoning. With COVID looming large and a decision to make, Tyler didn’t waste any time. He enrolled in courses in Florida to help him pass the U.S. Coast Guard-approved exams to earn his Master Captain’s License for 100-ton vessels. With experience captaining private Hinckley charters in the summers on Nantucket and winters in Florida, he was able to fine tune his interests further and realized that running private fishing charters on Nantucket was where his heart was. 

He purchased a 21-ft. center console boat, hung his shingle, and is now running a small fishing charter business on the island. When he’s not on the water, he’s growing his apparel business, AckFish, where he designs and sells stickers, t-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts with an expanded inventory coming soon. On his company’s website, Tyler invites his customers to “live life off the charts.” Fueled by the seawater running through his veins, he’s doing just that.

Chuck Martinsen ’96

Doing What He Loves, Everyday

Chuck Martinsen has boundless energy and a tireless commitment to environmental conservation. Among his many roles as the deputy director of Marine and Environmental Services in Falmouth, Mass., he is also the deputy chief harbormaster, game warden, shellfish constable, and a veteran environmental law enforcement officer. His territory is one of the busiest coastal areas in the Northeast and is also home to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. 

At a recent presentation he made at Landmark’s Elementary•Middle School, Chuck shared many stories of his work to help illustrate his passion for his job and the demands and variety of his workday. “There’s no such thing as a typical work day, which is what I love. It fits me, my energy level, and my desire to work outside. One day I could be dealing with an oil spill and the next morning I might be tracking down people who are illegally fishing, and that afternoon I’m partnering with our commercial shellfish farmers.” At the end of Chuck’s presentation to an audience of rapt students, he showed an image of his 4-year-old son, and said, “There are so many things that I’m interested in and that I love, but none more than this little guy. He helps put it all into perspective.” 

Andy Leshaw ’21 on right

Andy Leshaw ’21

When Bootcamp Becomes “A Blast”

Growing up on the coast in Florida, Andy Leshaw has always loved being on the water. When he left Landmark, he knew that he wanted to pursue a career in a field that would enable him to work on and near the ocean. He’s entering his junior year at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he’s majoring in marine transportation. The goal is to earn his unlimited tonnage license, become an officer in the Merchant Marines, and to eventually serve in the Navy’s MSC (Military Sealift Command), where he would be part of a team shipping supplies for the Navy and other branches of the military.

At the Academy, Andy’s days are highly structured and begin at 6:20 a.m. with wake-up and room inspections. And yes, his bed-making skills have advanced from when he was a resident at Landmark—complete with regulation hospital corners! As a student, he’s a member of a regiment where he dresses in the appropriate uniform every day, participates in daily flag raising, and marches in formation. All this before breakfast. There’s an afternoon and evening protocol too that keeps him busy until bedtime. “Bootcamp was definitely an adjustment, but it got me ready for what was to come next. Once I got used to it, I actually thought it was a blast!” he joked. “It’s not for everyone. We started with over 400 students in my class and we’re currently near 190.” he shared. 

Andy credits his comfort with self-advocacy, time management, and other executive function skills to his time at Landmark School. In Celestial Navigation, one of the hardest classes in the Marine Transportation Program, cadets have to calculate the observed altitude of three stars in order to find their position. Using a modified format similar to two-column notes, he keeps his work neat, organized, and in order of operation. “I’m on the sailing team at Mass Maritime too, and we travel most weekends. It can be challenging to keep up with my classes, participate in the regiment, and stay involved on the sailing team. When I need to talk to a professor to ask for extra time to complete an assignment, I’m totally comfortable with that.”

Stephen Broadbridge ’85 

Committed to the Caribbean Environment

Stephen Broadbridge is a jack of all trades and a well-known personality and resource on his home island of Trinidad. In high school, his mother noticed that he was struggling to keep up. With family in the Beverly, Mass. area, she brought him north to be evaluated at Boston Children’s Hospital. With a diagnosis of dyslexia, he enrolled at Landmark High School. Coming from the Caribbean, the New England weather was challenging, but he was thriving in the program academically and socially. “I took advantage of everything that Landmark had to offer. I loved scuba diving and got certified while I was at Landmark. I was also introduced to kayaking, which I brought to my home island. And I remember taking the train into Harvard Square to frequent record stores where I discovered a love of classic rock and roll, American blues, and jazz. I have over 2,000 records to this day!” he said. 

Fueled with a renewed sense of confidence and appreciation for the water, he built a successful eco-tourism business. “At Caribbean Discovery Tours we host hiking, kayaking, mountain trekking, camping, birdwatching, sailing, and scuba diving tours, as well as visits to cultural attractions.” He loves his work and remarked on how rewarding it is to be a steward of his local environment and the diverse ecosystems of the region. caribbeandiscoverytours.com

Stephen is also a published wildlife photographer, registered location scout, film producer, game warden, and vice president of the Trinidad and Tobago Incoming Tour Operators. In these roles, he is often called upon by visiting television and film production companies shooting nature-based programming in the Trinidad and Tobago area. Among the many productions he has supported, some of the achievements he’s most proud of are films for the BBC and National Geographic.

Lee Dalzell ’20 

Teach a Man to Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime

As long as Lee Dalzell can remember, his father lobstered commercially in the Gloucester, Mass., area. Lee enjoyed being out on the water with him and imagined that someday he might turn that into a career. In fact, Lee has been juggling a small commercial fishing enterprise for several years while taking classes full time at Southern New Hampshire University, majoring in business and entrepreneurship. When he’s not in class, he’s primarily trapping and selling green crabs, which are in turn sold for bait, fertilizer, and animal feed. “This is an aspect of fishing that kind of fell into my lap, but I like it,” he admitted. Once he graduates, he plans to dive deeper into the field and grow his commercial fishing business. 

Lee and his Landmark classmates graduated in that fated “COVID year.” He remembers his time at Landmark fondly but recalls feeling robbed of all the fanfare of a senior year including prom, a traditional commencement, trip to Disney, and other events. “I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far without Landmark. One of the classes that I think was most helpful was Speech and Debate. When you own a business, you have to be comfortable expressing yourself, and I learned that at Landmark.”

Allyson Bartels ’16

Adventures and Learning On and In the Water

When Allyson Bartels graduated in 2016 from Landmark High School, she went on to study engineering, following in the footsteps of many of her family members. She quickly realized that the program wasn’t speaking to her. Letting her instincts be her guide, she stepped away from what had been a lifelong dream and pivoted, taking a gap year at High Mountain Institute. There she immersed herself in something that had always been a personal interest: outdoor education. “This was a huge departure for me since I had always planned to go into engineering. I wouldn’t have the guts to do that if I hadn’t taken Landmark’s Outdoor Leadership class,” said Allyson. She admits that she still has the paddle mounted above her bed that her Landmark teacher, Tristan Whitehouse, gave to every student as they completed the course, which serves as a badge of honor and source of pride. 

Eventually, Allyson harnessed this passion and enrolled in Prescott College in Arizona, where she took courses, taught through AmeriCorps, and eventually graduated with a degree in adventure education.

She has dabbled in a host of disciplines including, avalanche I and II training and forecasting, snow science, and was a rafting guide, among other pursuits—all leading her to the Tetons and the Jackson, Wyoming area. 

Fast forward and Allyson is working as an educator in the Teton Science School, where she leads school groups through the park and surrounding area. “We’re out in the field everyday, and I often focus on water ecology, where we diagnose the health of the river water. We test turbidity, nitrates, PH, talk about what a watershed is, how we clean our natural water resources, which macroinvertebrates live in our waters, the role of dragonflies, mayflies, and so much more,” she offered. Allyson said of her life and career, “I love what I do and am so happy that I let my heart lead the way.”