Aaron Capo Rettig

Aaron “Capo” Rettig has been a teacher, board member, and student at World Class Academy before becoming the principal of the school in 2010. Capo graduated in the school’s first class in 2002 before studying economics and journalism at the University of Oregon.

Capo was on the board of directors for three years before giving up that position to join the faculty, where he taught Spanish and Literature. In 2010, Capo took over the principal position from his former teacher/coach and school co-founder, Scott Doherty.

In 2013–2014, Capo expanded the school’s programs to include the Kiteboard Academy. In 2016–2017, the Climbing Academy was added as the third academy under the school’s banner.

Capo grew up in the small coast-range town of Summit, but his passion for whitewater and education has now taken him around the globe several times. Capo is the co-author of Colombia Whitewater, the first whitewater guidebook to Colombia’s rivers, where he was an early pioneer of the country’s whitewater.

A writer and photographer, in 2006, Capo produced the documentary Lo Demas Es Loma, which highlighted the impact of Plan Colombia on the lives of everyday Colombians. Notable expeditions include The Oil and Water Project (Colombia/Ecuador) and the Africa Revolutions Tour (Zambia, South Africa, Lesotho, Madagascar).

Capo has a monthly column in Kayak Session Magazine called New Wave, which highlights up-and-coming junior whitewater paddlers. Capo lives in White Salmon, WA, and is passionate about being outdoors and education.