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Faculty & Staff

Faculty and Staff 2006-2007

PEACH BLOSSOM      PRE-K     3 & 4 year olds

Christine Waters Lead Teacher in Peach Blossom Pre-kindergarten, brings a lifetime love of children and 25 years of parenting to the Peach Blossom Preschool.  She was the coordinator for the Corvallis Waldorf School 2003-2004 After School Care Program and directed the 2004 Native American Summer Enrichment Program.  Christine was a co-teacher in the Morning Glory Kindergarten for the 2004-2005 school year.   She is a dedicated teacher and child advocate.  Being a mother is her greatest joy. Christine enjoys handwork, gardening and a simple life with her daughter Michaela and her son Mark Allen

Heather Gannon, Teaching Assistant in the Peach Blossom Pre-Kindergarten, is originally from Newton, Massachusetts, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree.  She was introduced to Waldorf when she enrolled her son in kindergarten.  In 2003 she completed her first year of Waldorf Teacher Training in Eugene, Oregon.  Heather and her three sons moved to Corvallis two years ago.  She loves studying herbal and homeopathic medicine.  

MORNING GLORY KINDERGARTEN

Mary Dunn, Lead Teacher, was born in San Francisco, California.  Mary inherited her family’s love of gardening and teaching.  She received her Bachelors Degree in Art History with an emphasis on many of the liberal arts including French language and literature.   After graduating from college, Mary and her family moved to Northern New Mexico.  She enrolled her daughters in Santa Fe Waldorf and there began her interest in Waldorf education.  Mary taught at Santa Fe Waldorf School as the kinder aftercare teacher and became an assistant teacher in 2002. In July 2005, she graduated from Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento.  Mary now lives in Corvallis, Oregon with her two daughters. She enjoys cycling, reading, painting, gardening and anything outdoors near a body of water. The natural world has always been her classroom, as well as inspiration for spiritual self-study. She looks at life with a beginner’s mind, open to what will come and all that will be revealed. 

Callie Tuschen, assistant

WILLOW WIND KINDERGARTEN

Anne Marie Cole Lead Teacher Teacher in the Willow Wind Kindergarten, has had a life long love of children, especially her own nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son. She grew up just outside of Boston, Massachusetts; the elder child of professional classical musicians. Anne Marie played violin and piano throughout her childhood.  She also has had a love of art and a pull to be creative artistically.  Anne Marie attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for four years, graduating in 1997. Anne Marie found Waldorf education when her daughter was a baby, and the more she found out the more she wanted to be involved. So, in 2001 Anne Marie decided to apply for the Waldorf Teacher training program in Eugene Oregon. She was accepted and graduated in the spring of 2004.  Anne Marie now lives on a twenty-acre farm in Monroe Oregon with her farmer husband, two children.  Anne Marie also loves to garden, spin wool on her spinning wheel, walk, cook and continue her spiritual studies.

Anne Marie now lives on a twenty-acre farm in Monroe Oregon with her farmer husband, two children, border collie dog, six goats, and many assorted chickens. She feels she has had and continues to have a culturally rich life which she can attribute much of to her parents. This life has given Anne Marie a deep love of all music as well as a love of singing and playing the piano. Anne Marie also loves to garden, spin wool on her spinning wheel, walk, cook and continue her spiritual studies.

Sarah Shook, Teaching Assistant, also teaches German. (See bio below)

GRADE 1

Dari Fisher was born and raised in tropical North Queensland, Australia.  After traveling in India and Europe, she chose Oregon as her home.  Dari and her three children have been Corvallis residents fro the last twelve years.  She is in the Grades and Early childhood training at the Micha-el Institute in Portland, Oregon.  She brings her love of children and enthusiasm for Waldorf Education to the Morning Glory Kindergarten.

GRADE 2

Jeff Parker grew up a country boy in northeastern Pennsylvania where he spent most of his youth exploring the acres of forest out his back door. In his teens he moved to Tucson, AZ where he gained a respect for the desert and for city life. He received a degree in literature with a minor in French from the University of Arizona in Tucson.  After deciding to become a teacher in a Waldorf School, he moved to Eugene, to do his training. He still lives in Eugene with his partner and her two children.  He loves to hike, play golf, basketball, and tennis.  He also loves to sing and play his guitar as often as he can. He began teaching at Corvallis Waldorf School in January of 2005 and took the last year’s 8th grade through their final year.

GRADE 3

Renate Joy is originally from Austria.  She is a founding parent of the Corvallis Waldorf School.  She has been interested in Waldorf Education for the past thirty-two years.  She completed her Waldorf training in Eugene, Oregon in 2005.  Renate has three sons, which she home-schooled for fourteen years.  She enjoys hiking, painting, knitting, sewing and reading.

Patricia Thom, replacement teacher in 3rd grade

GRADE 4-5

Teresa Barrios has been a Waldorf teacher for six years.  She has taught in Princeton, New Jersey, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and even briefly in Johannesburg, South Africa.  She attended St. John’s College in New Mexico and Grinnell College, Iowa.  She studied Eurythmy for two years, and completed her Waldorf Education Teacher Training in Sacramento, California.  She attendee Waldorf schools in Pennsylvania, California and Germany as a child.  Teresa has settled in to Corvallis with her daughter Melissa, and has felt immediately at home.

GRADE 6

Anaïs Alexander brings her experiences as a Waldorf graduate into her classroom.  Anaïs holds a BA in Integrated Human Development and minor in Art History from San Francisco State University.  She studied in Florence, Italy for one year and later, and worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho, Southern Africa for two years.  In Lesotho she lectured at the National Teacher’s Training College, and worked with the Ministry of Education to development the country’s first Early Childhood Education curriculum.  She found her way back to Waldorf after visiting the Goetheanum (headquarters of Anthroposophy) near Basel Switzerland.  When she returned to the United States, she became involved with the San Francisco Waldorf School, teaching in the preschool and after school program.  She weaves bits of her adventures through Africa, Asia and Europe into her fairy tales. 

GRADE 8

Christopher Highfield

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Enrichment

Don Marquiss, Eurythmy Teacher, was raised in Corvallis and now lives in the Portland Area.  He taught at the Portland Waldorf School for several years.  He is one of the founding Faculty at the Cedarwood School, where he was a Grades and Eurythmy Teacher.  Don received his certificate in Eurythmy at the Spring Valley Eurythmy School. We are grateful that he is bringing Eurythmy to our students.

Hugo Nava, Spanish Teacher,

Sarah Shook, ASC director, German Teacher and Willow Wind Teaching Assistant, has been a Corvallis resident on and off since 1988.  She is a graduate of Corvallis High School, class of 1995 and has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Portland State University in the subject of German Language and Literature.  During her undergraduate studies, she attended the Universität Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany for a year.  After earning her degree at PSU, Sarah participated in Oregon State University’s Graduate Teacher Education Program.  Finding Public Schools a difficult fit with her learning philosophy, she taught pre-school for three years in Corvallis, then spent a brief time in Wallowa County, Oregon.  Returning to Corvallis in 2004, she began teaching German at the Corvallis Waldorf School.  She loves working with students from early childhood through eighth grade, and has a fondness for singing and games.

Janet Throop, Beginning and Intermediate Strings Teacher, has been teaching violin for over 25 years.  She has been teaching students here at the school for 7 years.  The students have enjoyed her enthusiasm and talents.  Janet loves to ride her bike, garden and hiking.

Lenka White, Strings Teacher

Julie Courtney, Choir Teacher

Anne Riddlington, Advanced Orchestra Strings Teacher, started playing the violin when she was 3½ and played it for nine years.  She then switched to the cello and has been playing it for the last seventeen years.  Anne has a Bachelor’s Degree in cello performance.  She has been with our school for the last three years teaching the advanced students.  She has been teaching privately lessons here in Corvallis for four years.  She likes to watch movies, walking and plying in her band.

Lenka White, Intermediate Strings Teacher, has been playing the violin for twenty-two years.   She has a Degree in Music from Czech Republic.  She has been teaching violin for ten years.  She has been working with children here at the school for three years.  She enjoys playing with her two children, healthy food, cooking, outdoors, reading and listening to music.

LeeAnn Ernandes, Faculty Mentor. LeeAnn came to Waldorf Education through her two sons in 1980, which also coincided with the first year of the Eugene Waldorf School.  She served as a pioneering parent for many years until she began her preparation to become a class teacher.  LeeAnn taught grades for nine years while also beginning her work in adult teacher education, which began in Eugene I 1990.  Currently, she teaches upper grades curriculum and pedagogical development courses, substitutes, mentors and evaluates for a few west coast schools.  LeeAnn received a Bachelor of Science at the University of Oregon in 1970 in the field of Public Administration.

Christi Raunig, Remedial Tutor.  Christi has a Master’s degree in teaching from Whitworth College in Spokane , Washington. She worked as a middle school teacher in Auburn, Washington for five years teaching primarily reading, but also math and science. She was instrumental in coordinating the school’s learning assistance program for students who were performing below grade level in math and reading. She relocated to Corvallis to raise her daughter and has also furthered her studies in acupuncture. She values the opportunity to work one-on-one and with small groups of students. It is important to her to really get to know her students and their specific needs.She says she “loves working at the Waldorf School as it has such a nice energy to it and is such a nurturing place.

After School Care

Kristi Hager, Handwork Teacher and Enrollment Coordinator, is one of the founding parents of the Corvallis Waldorf School.  She majored in Art in college.  She was on the Board of Directors for twelve years, and is involved in the school in many ways.  Kristi currently teaches handwork in Grades 2-8 in the morning and is the After School Care Director in the afternoons.  She also held the position of Administrative Coordinator for two years.  Through the years she has worked on various committees including the Festival, Building and Grounds, Community Life, Parent Council, Administrative, Conflict Resolution, After School Care and Development. Kristi is a watercolor artist and a lazure painter.  She is the mother of two children.

Anna Collins, After School Care Provider,

Jessica Hartger, After School Care Provider

Michelle marie, After School Care Provider

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Staff

Rob Dudenhoefer