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Allison Fisch
Social & Emotional Learning
Bachelor of Arts, University of Central Florida
Master of Science, Bank Street College of Education
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Allie Fisch brings her passion for teaching social and emotional learning to the Sonoma Country Day School community. She is grateful to be part of a school that prides itself on character education and revels in the opportunity to create a sense of resiliency and emotional awareness in her students.
Allie’s career began in independent schools in New York City, including The Dalton School. She relocated to Petaluma from Manhattan and is loving the former "Egg Capital of the World" and the beautiful Northern California weather.
When she's not in the classroom, Allie loves to travel and experience new cultures. She spent a month backpacking through Southeast Asia to build curriculum and is an adventurous eater when it comes to unfamiliar cuisines. Certified in children's yoga, she taught privately to children with emotional and physical needs and is an avid yogi herself. You can find Allie most at home in her kitchen trying new recipes or entertaining friends with her renowned cheesecake.
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Aly Conway
6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Math
6th Grade Homeroom
Girls Basketball Coach
Bachelor of Science, Sonoma State University
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Aly Conway began teaching at Sonoma Country Day School in 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Sonoma State University, where she was a four-year member of the Women's Basketball Team and served as Team Captain. Aly participated in the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and was President during her Senior year at SSU. After college Aly worked for a start-up company in the North Bay as a data analyst and also coached basketball at Sonoma State and Cardinal Newman High School. It is through these coaching experiences that Aly discovered that her true calling is teaching. Aly returned to her alma mater to earn a Single Subject Teaching Credential while also teaching in the math department at Santa Rosa Middle School.
Aly works to bring out a love of math in all of her students. She challenges them daily to develop strong problem-solving skills as well as teamwork and critical thinking. Aly believes all students have the opportunity to succeed and that making mistakes can actually enhance the learning process when students work hard and persevere.
In her spare time Aly enjoys hiking and being outdoors. She also coaches basketball and loves the opportunity to travel with her teams during the summer.
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Amy Baer
4th Grade Humanities & Homeroom
Comet Leadership Council Advisor
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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As a native Californian, Amy is excited to teach California history, reading and writing. Amy is a wordsmith with a deep interest in reading and a zeal for playing Scrabble. Amy’s favorite thing about teaching fourth graders is watching them transition into independent learners, yet witnessing their youthful excitement and curiosity for learning. Her experiences with children, both personally and professionally, give her the confidence to guide students in a fun and engaging way.
Amy lives in Windsor with her husband and children. Her oldest son, Robbie, is an SCDS alum ('03), and her daughter Madi follows in mom’s footsteps with her passions for reading and soccer. Twins Gracie and Garrett keep up with the family on the soccer field, bike riding, playing games, and swimming.
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Christy Harper
4th & 5th Grade Math
4th Grade Homeroom
Entrepreneur Club Advisor
Bachelor of Arts, Scripps College
Master of Arts, New York University
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Christy began teaching at Sonoma Country Day School in 2009. As a teacher, she strives to share with her students a passion to work hard and play hard. Math takes a lot of concentration, practice, and hard work, but is also full of chances to explore new possibilities, play games, and learn through real-life experiences.
Christy's favorite memory from elementary school was the day in fourth grade when she really, really understood how to do long division. She knew from then on that she wanted to be a teacher, and for years thereafter could be found perusing school supply catalogs and planning out her dream classroom.
Christy is excited to be back in her native California after living for three years in New York City. While in New York, she received her master’s degree in elementary education from NYU and taught fourth grade at a public school in downtown Brooklyn. She also spent much of her time losing herself in Manhattan neighborhoods, planning her next travel adventure, missing northern California's beaches, and eating New York style pizza. Christy’s interests outside of school include hiking and camping, pretending to be a painter, playing the violin, and traveling to places where she can’t speak the language.
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Chunxiang Wang
Mandarin
Bachelor of Arts, Baotou Teachers’ College
Master of Arts, San Francisco State
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Chunxiang Wang joined SCDS in 2011 and teaches Mandarin to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Chunxiang obtained her master's degree in the United States after graduating from college in China. She has taught Mandarin in public and private schools at the elementary and middle school levels and also to adults. In China, Chunxiang was encouraged by her college English teacher to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Teaching brings her a sense of achievement and satisfaction. She loves children and has always had a passion for learning. Being able to teach every day makes her feel extremely happy and thankful.
Her interests outside of school include hiking, badminton, tennis, ping-pong, and being with friends and family.
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Cindy Rodenbaugh
4th, 5th, & 6th Grade Science
5th Grade Homeroom
Bachelor of Science, Texas Woman’s University
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Cindy Rodenbaugh is the youngest of five children and grew up in a small town approximately twenty miles north of Dallas. She attended Texas Woman’s University (TWU) for a degree in physical education with a biology minor. Cindy’s teaching career began many years ago at McNair Elementary, a public school in her home state of Texas where she taught physical education to general education students as well as deaf, multi-handicapped, and emotionally disturbed students. After two and a half years at McNair, she and her partner relocated to San Jose, California.
Once in San Jose, Cindy began teaching at The Harker School. During her first year there, she taught physical education, coached volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, and track and field. After completing her first year she was asked to develop the lower school science program. Cindy spent the next eight years teaching science as well as serving as the lower school science department chair and the assistant department chair for the middle school science program.
While working at Harker, Cindy also worked part-time for Lockheed Engineering and Sciences, contracting at NASA. At NASA, she worked in the space life science division and was part of the mammalian development team. The team conducted studies on the neurological growth and development of mammals in microgravity. Cindy was fortunate to be a part of NIH-R3, STS-72 which launched some of their equipment and experiments into space on January 11, 1996, as well as Neurolab, STS-90 that launched approximately two years later.
In 2000, when Cindy’s family (partner, Cher, and daughter, Kalii) relocated to Sonoma County, Cindy began teaching 5th grade at SCDS. Cindy has had many different roles at SCDS both as a teacher and an administrator. Cindy is passionate about her family, the students she has the privilege to work with, sushi, giant redwoods, kayaking, the ocean, and orcas.
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Eric Schlaeppi
Music Director
Bachelor of Arts, Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve
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Eric Schlaeppi, our music department head, has been teaching at Sonoma Country Day School since he moved to California in 1990. Before that, in his native Switzerland, Eric received his teaching credentials, taught for two years at the junior high level, earned a degree in Music performance, and was an active professional musician for ten years. At SCDS, Eric has found a great place where he can use his love for instrumental music and pedagogy.
For Eric, there are not enough days in the year to explore his many interests, such as gardening, cooking, riding his bike, traveling, or lutherie, the art of making stringed instruments. A few years ago, SCDS gave him the opportunity to take a two-week class, during which he learned to make an acoustic guitar. Since then, he has built eight instruments in his garage. Eric lives in Healdsburg with his wife, Ilene, and has twin daughters, Nicole and Marie.
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Galia Brieva
Spanish
Bachelor of Arts, San Francisco State
BCLAD Teaching Credential, San Francisco State
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Galia Brieva joined Sonoma Country Day Sschool in 2010 and teaches Spanish to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. She previously taught Spanish to elementary and middle school students at public and charter schools in San Francisco and Sebastopol.
Galia was born in Chile, raised in El Salvador, and finished high school and college in the United States. Galia first became interested in teaching when she was a ninth grade student in El Salvador. One of her class projects took her into small rural towns to teach people how to read and write. She found this experience extremely rewarding. Galia’s love of children and her personal experience learning English as a second language fuel her passion for teaching Spanish. She shares with students not only the importance of learning a second language but also the value of speaking with your heart.
In her free time, Galia likes to sew, knit, take Zumba classes, dance, and spend time with her family.
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Heather Zeeb
Primary Associate Teacher
Bachelor of Science, Northern Arizona University
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Heather was born and raised in Sonoma County and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelors of science in special education and elementary education. Her favorite teaching moments are when creativity is sparked in her students and when their individual personalities shine through their work and participation in the classroom.
Outside of SCDS, Heather enjoys anything and everything that involves the outdoors, including hiking, snowboarding, camping, and playing sports. She also enjoys cooking, baking, gardening, and spending time on her family's farm in Petaluma.
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Jaime Dada
5th Grade Humanities & Homeroom
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
Master of Education, UC Davis
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Jaime has been teaching for over ten years, and has previously taught third grade and fourth grade science and history at SCDS, middle school all subjects for Vallejo Unified School District, and kindergarten at Apple Blossom Elementary. Jaime holds a Master of Education from UC Davis and a Multiple Subject Credential and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with an emphasis in Children's Literature from Sonoma State University. Jaime's favorite thing about teaching is making friendships with her students.
On the weekends, you'll find Jaime reading a great book, gardening, or cooking. Her daughter, Noor, is a member of the Class of 2025 at SCDS, and son Thomas is a member of the Class of 2027.
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James Castaneda
Middle School Math
Bachelor of Business Economics, Brown University
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Janice Hall
Chorus Director
Bachelor of Music, Vocal Performance, San Francisco State
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Janice Hall remembers the joy of singing from her early grade school experiences. She is grateful that her life has allowed her to experience music from various venues, as an instrumentalist and vocalist, and that she has had many opportunities for travel and cultural exchange. Janice has experienced piano keyboarding classes, playing woodwind instruments in school bands, and training as a classical vocalist where she experienced the thrill of being on stage as a soloist with community and school choirs and orchestras, Broadway shows and operas.
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Jeanne Weaver
Spanish
Bachelor of Arts, Wake Forest University
Master of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Jonathan Taylor
Music
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Jonathan Taylor has been teaching at Sonoma Country Day School since 1999. Jonathan’s first instrument was the piano and he has been teaching piano for over 20 years. He plays many instruments including the violin, viola, drums, guitar, and tenor and concert ukulele.
Jonathan is an avid science fiction fan and has been known to arrange some of the music from Star Trek (Jerry Goldsmith) for his groups here at school. His favorite books include the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, an adaptation from the BBC radio show by Douglas Adams.
His favorite place to be on campus is in the theater, on the stage. He shares his love of performance with his students and encourages them to perform on stage throughout the school year.
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Kathy Bremner
Learning Support Faculty
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Kathy White
K-2nd Grade Motor Skills Class
6th-8th Grade Physical Education
Volleyball Coach
Comet Leadership Council Advisor
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Kathy White joined Sonoma Country Day School in 1999. Kathy loves teaching hands-on activities and believes that athletics is an avenue to learning life skills that children will use for the rest of their lives. As department head, one of Kathy’s goals is that students learn to love and appreciate lifelong fitness and see that it can be achieved many different ways.
Kathy is an avid runner and has participated in the Boston Marathon.
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Kelly Gaab
7th & 8th Grade Math
8th Grade Homeroom
Bachelor of Arts, UC Santa Barbara
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Head of the math department at Sonoma Country Day School, Kelly Gaab has been teaching upper school math here since 1994. She was drawn to teaching by her desire to work with children and her passion for mathematics. Throughout her years of teaching, Kelly has discovered that math is the perfect subject for witnessing that “Ah-ha!” moment. Often math can be a source of confusion for students but with hands-on lessons, clear explanations, and use of cutting edge technology she is able to see students improve their understanding, increase their confidence, and see the beauty in mathematics. Kelly finds it truly exhilarating when math starts to make sense to the reluctant student or a student sees a window open into a whole new level of mathematics. After running with the mile club at school one day, Kelly discovered her passion for running. She feels that her running has influenced her teaching tremendously. Running was not something that came easy to Kelly but she continued to work hard and set personal goals with each run and before she knew it she had run her first marathon. Much like long distance running, she teaches her students that with the necessary discipline and practice anybody can achieve anything. Encouraging students to set personal goals, work hard to achieve them, and get coaching along the way, they will surely achieve those goals. Kelly is an active participant in the SCDS community. She is a parent of two students, an eighth-grade homeroom teacher, an outdoor education trip leader, a student council representative, the coach of the Mathcounts team, an after-school math tutor, and an assistant coach for the cross country team and the mile club.
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Laurie Prothro
Library & Media Specialist
Bachelor of Arts, Dartmouth College
Master of Library Science, Indiana University
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The daughter of a Navy carrier pilot, Laurie Prothro led a peripatetic existence during the first 15 years of her life; she still has a rubber-banded stack of library cards from the myriad towns where her family lived up and down both coasts.
After graduating from Dartmouth, Laurie worked as an editorial assistant in New York City for one year, then moved to San Francisco to work as a journalist. She and her husband settled in Sonoma County in 1980, where she continued to freelance for newspapers and magazines while raising their three children. In 1992, they moved to the Midwest for three years, during which time Laurie earned her MLS, with an emphasis on children’s librarianship, at Indiana University. All that moving added four more library cards to her stack!
When she returned to Sonoma County in 1995, Laurie worked for the Sonoma County Library and then as the District Librarian for the Harmony Union School District in Occidental, and as a library consultant for two Santa Rosa school districts. She enjoys the gastronomic bounty of the region, and in her spare time likes to garden, to hike, and, of course, to read.
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Marri Bayour
7th Grade Humanities & Homeroom
Bachelor of Arts, Loyola University Chicago
Master of Education, Loyola University Chicago
Marri previously worked at Sacred Heart Schools Chicago as a seventh grade humanities teacher and also taught overseas at The Al Dhabianiah School for Girls and The Ibn Sina School for Boys. Marri loves to bring the world into her classroom, helping students learn about cultures that are different from their own. She shares that her greatest joy as a teacher is providing opportunities for her students to see the world from a different perspective. As she and her family have gotten to know SCDS, Marri states that our community has been more warm and welcoming than she could have ever imagined, and is heartened to be part of a school whose mission so closely aligns with her own personal philosophy. She is delighted to be part of our Humanities department and enjoys collaborating with colleagues who she says are talented, friendly, and always have students’ best interests in mind. Outside of school, Marri enjoys hiking our regional parks, practicing yoga, reading, and just recently learned how to knit.
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Matt Nightingale
Primary Associate Teacher
World Religions
Glee Club
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After seventeen years serving churches in Washington, Texas, Oklahoma and California as a full-time music minister, Matt is back to his roots as a classroom teacher. Matt holds a Bachelors degree in music education, and before entering church ministry, he taught music and English in a private high school in Southern California. Matt has always been passionate about helping people learn and grow, so he’s thrilled to be working in transitional kindergarten, world religions, chorus and glee club this year!
Matt’s musical/creative exploits have included performing a solo show at the Tulsa Jazz Hall of Fame, singing the national anthem at two 49ers games and singing with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. His song “Always Entertaining Me” was featured in the hit Korean drama IRIS, and his song “Going Home” was recently recorded by Broadway star and Emmy winner Loretta Devine and is featured on the soundtrack of the short film “Neighbor.” In 2016, Matt and his former wife gave a TEDx talk in our very own Jackson Theater entitled “Choosing Gratitude and Hope.”
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Melissa Kang
3rd Grade
Bachelor of Arts, San Francisco State Univeristy
Master of Arts, CSU Dominguez Hills
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Melissa found her way to teaching after volunteering in the Reading Assistance Program (RAP) through San Francisco State University. Working with third graders, she found herself ignited by her student’s “Ah-ha!” moments. Melissa continued her postgraduate work in Los Angeles, completing her credential and Masters of Curriculum and Instruction at CSU Dominguez Hills.
Melissa has worked at public, private, charter, and now independent schools for almost a decade. She has taught second through eighth grade and is excited for many adventures in third grade! Melissa is passionate about project-based learning, compassionate communication, and children's literature. As a part of the SCDS community, Melissa enjoys collaborating with the students, faculty, and parents in a variety of ways.
When she is not at school, Melissa can be found exploring Sonoma County, spending time with her growing family, hanging with her animals, trying out a new recipe, reading, and doing yoga.
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Michele Ferretti
Transitional Kindergarten
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Born and raised in California, Michele has lived in Sonoma County for the last 18 years. She had the privilege of working as a parent volunteer for the Windsor Unified School District while raising her young daughters, which sparked her interest in education. She worked Special Education as a Paraprofessional for 9 years before deciding to go back to school for her teaching credential. Michele became passionate about teaching after seeing the joy in children’s eyes and knowing she had made a difference in many lives.
In Michele’s free time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, spending time with her extended family and daughters Marissa and Lexie. Marissa is a student at Oregon State University and Lexie is attending University of Oregon.
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Molly Hill
1st Grade
Junior Comet Leadership Council Advisor
Bachelor of Arts, Mills College
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While studying English and creative writing at Mills College in Oakland, Molly Hill’s future goals were not necessarily related to education. It was a post-college job at a Berkeley preschool that introduced her to the joys of teaching and sparked her interest in this career path.
Molly began teaching at Sonoma Country Day School in 1991. As a teacher of younger students, Molly keeps in mind the long-term influence she might have. Using the ‘pebble-tossed-into-the-water’ analogy, she is aware of how one lesson, action, or word of encouragement can create a ripple of change, whether big or small. Molly knows the power of an exuberant, knowledgeable, and patient teacher; she is also just as enamored with the process of learning as she is with its end results and consistently tries to model this for her students.
Prior to teaching first grade at SCDS, Molly taught almost every grade from kindergarten through fifth grade. She was the lower school director for five years and has held the positions of math specialist, Kindergarten admissions director, after school program director, curriculum guide co-director, and master teacher, all at SCDS. She considers herself lucky to have found a place that values diligence, intelligence and integrity, along with vision, creativity, and wisdom.
Molly also loves reading and writing fiction and is actively involved in both a book club and a writing group. She also enjoys making things, studying and discussing all things design-related, going on motorcycle rides with her boyfriend, seeing live music and dancing, and spending time with friends and family. Though she has no children of her own, Molly is especially in love with her twin nieces, Addie and Josie.
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Monica Mann
2nd Grade
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Monica has spent almost twenty years in education. She has always loved school and knew that she wanted to be an elementary teacher from a very early age. She started volunteering and working in education during her junior and senior years in high school and continued volunteering throughout college. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from Sonoma State University and a minor in Biology. She received a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with a CLAD emphasis from Dominican University. She has taught kindergarten through fourth grade over the past fifteen years. Monica has taught drama, been part of Leadership Team, served as a reading coach, grade level team leader, and a master teacher for student teachers. She has attended many professional development workshops in writing and enjoys teaching the writing process to her students.
Monica enjoys spending time with daughter doing many outdoor activities together including mountain biking, hiking, camping, and trail riding in the jeep and on the dirt bike. She also enjoys baking, scrapbooking, and walking her dog.
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Naomi Clark
Art
Bachelor of Arts, University of Colorado Boulder
Master of Fine Arts, The Pratt Institute
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Nate Eaton
6th Grade Humanities & Homeroom
8th Grade Drama
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Boston University
Master of Fine Arts, University of San Francisco
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Nate has taught humanities, drama, and journalism for over 15 years at private prep schools around the country. Before that, he was a professional New York actor (Broadway, Off-Broadway, TV) and journalist (NY Post, Times, and Village Voice), and he was a founding storyteller of NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour. Nate brings all of these passions into his classroom where he focuses on honing 21st Century critical thinking and reading skills; articulation and audience awareness in writing; public speaking and debate practice; and, of course, his deep enthusiasm for thought provoking literature, creative writing, and theater. Storytelling, the Hero’s Journey, and the art of being human are at the foundation of all his curriculum.
Nate holds graduate degrees both in Writing (University of San Francisco) and Classical Theater (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London), and he earned his BFA in Acting (Boston University). He has been on the faculty at Montclair Kimberley Academy, Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley, and Theater For A New Audience in NYC. He also taught and created curriculum for many years with acclaimed author Dave Eggers at 826 Valencia in San Francisco.
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Nikki Thomas
8th Grade Humanities & Homeroom
Bachelor of Arts, UC Los Angeles
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Nikki began her teaching career as a high school math teacher in Switzerland, but it didn’t take long for her to realize that her true passion was teaching humanities. She joined the SCDS community in 2007. She has traveled extensively through Asia to explore different avenues in education. She enjoys teaching history and learning with the students how the events and people of the past have shaped the world that we live in today. Nikki loves working with burgeoning middle-schoolers and finds them endlessly creative, innovative, and full of life.
Nikki is a classically trained yoga teacher and spends most of her spare time mountain and road cycling in gorgeous Sonoma County.
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Nina Strika
Director of Learning Support
Master of Science, Columbia University School of Social Work
Master of Education, Bank Street College of Education
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Noah Parker
Physical Education and Athletic Director
Bachelor of Science, Sonoma State University
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We are thrilled to welcome Noah, who has over twenty years experience coaching and teaching, to our PE department. Most recently Noah has been a head coach for the North Coast FC Soccer Club, and also spent four years as a PE teacher and Head Coach for the Varsity Boys Soccer team at Sonoma Academy. Noah is passionate about teaching students new ideas, skills and techniques and enjoys supporting his students throughout the learning process, ultimately resulting in increased confidence and skills. Noah states that he is excited to be a part of SCDS’s cohesive staff, working together to create a quality learning environment for students. In his free time, Noah stays active running, mountain bike riding, disc golfing and playing soccer.
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Olga Khaykin
Primary Associate Teacher
Bachelor of Arts, Mills College
Master of Arts, University of the Pacific
Olga has experience in both the public and independent school worlds. Most recently she taught 4th and 5th grades at Guerneville School, and prior to that was a resident teacher at the Town School for Boys in San Francisco. She also has international experience teaching hands-on art and science with The Senegal Project in Senegal, Africa. Olga immediately connected with the warm, collaborative, and progressive community of SCDS, as well as our mission to bring learning to life! She is excited to implement innovative teaching practices in the classroom, and she brings a passion for environmental education to our lower school. For Olga, teaching means connecting with students, supporting them in their intellectual, creative, and social-emotional growth, and weaving her own interests into her lessons. When she’s not teaching, Olga enjoys taking nature walks, learning about herbalism, meditating, cooking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
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Sarah Howe
Primary Associate Teacher
Bachelor of Arts, Framingham State University
Master of Arts, National Louis University
Sarah joins us from the Central Elementary School in Helena, Montana where she worked as an elementary reading and math specialist. Prior to her time at Central Elementary, Sarah worked as an assistant teacher at Francis W. Parker School, a renowned independent K-12 school in Chicago. Sarah finds joy in teaching and sees it as a profoundly rewarding job where she strives to foster personal growth, curiosity, and the foundation for lifelong learning in every child. She admires the supportive partnerships between faculty and families at SCDS that create such a strong community, and looks forward to collaborating with exceptional teachers who share a passion in cultivating a learning environment where students thrive. Sarah is a lifelong learner herself and an adventure seeker, enjoying mountain biking, hiking, running, taking dance classes, volunteering, eating new foods, and baking.
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Sean Marshall
Maker Associate
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Sean Marshall joined the Sonoma Country Day School community in 2010 as a member of the facilities team, spent time as our Network Administator, and is now our full time Maker Associate, facilitating Maker integration in the classrooms.
When he's not helping students with a project in the Maker Space, Sean loves to sink his teeth into all things technology, enjoys flying drones and kites, and likes to work on large interactive art projects.
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Shannon Connor
Primary Associate Teacher
Bachelor of Arts, San Francisco State
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Shannon graduated from San Francisco State with a bachelors degree in Spanish and earned her multiple subject teaching credential from Sonoma State.
Shannon exclaims that the primary grades have stolen her heart! She loves seeing the genuine interest and excitement for learning in young children. Watching them blossom into intelligent and caring young beings fills her with joy, and fuels her to find that spark in all children.
Shannon's personal interests include spending time with her family, gardening, hiking, camping, yoga, and is an avid hula-hooper and dancer.
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Shelly Laskey
Program Associate
Comet Leadership Council Advisor
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Shelly Laskey is a life-long learner and teacher. At an early age she knew teaching was what she wanted to do. However, she had other experiences to explore along the way.
Shelly was born and raised in California. She has attended schools in Sonoma County and graduated from Sonoma State University with her Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. Her teaching experiences include both public and private schools. Shelly loves that moment when the excitement and enthusiasm bubbles up in her classroom and she strives to see the joy of learning in each student.
Shelly began teaching at Sonoma Country Day School in 2009. Her hobbies include reading, traveling, music, scuba diving, and motorcycles. Shelly’s red hair, smile and enthusiasm stand out, and she hopes you will introduce yourself to her when you see her.
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Steve Bush
Kindergarten
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Steve Bush started his teaching career with the goal of teaching university level psychology but was amazed to find himself teaching kindergarten instead. He quickly realized that teaching the younger group completely fulfilled all of his criteria for leading a happy productive life. Steve Bush never looked back.
Steve began teaching at Sonoma Country Day in 1995. Previously he taught with Santa Rosa City Schools and Family Life Center in Petaluma. He was originally drawn to teaching because of his interest in developmental psychology and his desire to give back to society in some way.
Steve has always been very curious about the evolution of values and belief systems, sociology and psychology. He chose to teach kindergarten because of the incredible level of excitement, energy, curiosity, openness, and authenticity that these young children bring to the classroom.
Steve's hobbies include studying science, ancient history, ecology, and writing children’s books. He is an avid gardener, hiker and cyclist.
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Steven Oppenheim
Learning Support Faculty
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Susan Fountain
Learning Support Faculty
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Tina Poles
TK, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Grade Science
Bachelor of Science, UC Santa Cruz
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Tina Poles has been teaching at Sonoma Country Day School since 2007 and is also the director of the sustainability and environmental science program. Tina’s main habitats are the primary science lab and garden and outdoor classroom. In her classroom, Tina emphasizes 21st Century skills. Tina feels that students learn best when basic skills are linked to complex analytical skills and thinking creatively about applying information to real world problems. These practices help students recognize what information matters, why it matters, and how it connects and applies to the real world. Each grade experiences the outdoor classroom with these goals in mind.
Before SCDS, Tina was the Director of School Gardens at Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. In that capacity, she was able to visit hundreds of school gardens around the state, see best practices in a wide range of schools, and bring those insights to SCDS’s environmental program. Tina has a permiculture design certificate and completed a four year Waldorf teacher training program. As a 2010 fellow at the Leadership Institute for Ecology and Economy, Tina spent the year studying local food systems, energy and waste management, water uses, business practices, transportation and social justice, bringing the best practices she learned back to the SCDS community.
Tina lives with her family in a co-housing community in Cotati. She was a founding member, working on the development, design, legal, and marketing aspects of the project. Tina has a daughter in college and her husband is on the faculty at Sonoma State University. All three of them love to travel and have been lucky enough to live in both Sweden and Nicaragua. Tina’s passions are kayaking, reading, and knitting, although she has not figured out how to combine all three of them at once. She loves both hiking and telemarking skiing in the high Sierras. She also likes to gather mushrooms on the coast and is learning how to ferment different foods.
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Wendy Gahagan
Art
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Miami University
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Wendy has brought her experience and expertise with her to Sonoma Country Day School. She believes in nurturing the ever-evolving artist within each student while focusing upon individual skill, creativity, and discovery.
Wendy began her artistic journey in Ohio. She graduated cum laude from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a minor in art history. Soon after graduating, Wendy began teaching. She designed and taught classes for Common Space, a non-profit organization offering summer programs in the visual, performing, and literary arts. She then completed Montessori training and taught pre-primary art at Westside Montessori. Before relocating to Sonoma County, Wendy spent six years at the Toledo Museum of Art, teaching classes and workshops in pottery, drawing, painting, sculpture, and mixed media to students of all ages.
When not teaching at SCDS or working in her home studio, Wendy has her own business, Zala Studios. Her custom fine interior finishes are found in homes primarily in San Francisco and the Bay Area. She also shares a passion for tennis, hiking, skiing, travel, museums, and music. Wendy resides with her husband, dogs, and 1906 "fixer upper" in the quaint town of Geyserville.
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Zack Long
7th & 8th Grade Science
7th Grade Homeroom
Bachelor of Arts, UC Santa Cruz
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Zack Long believes he has the best job at Sonoma Country Day School. As science teacher for students in seventh and eighth grades, Zack has the tremendous opportunity to lead students through an exploration of the natural world. He sees the excitement and wonder that are the hallmarks of scientific inquiry, and he is in the enviable position of guiding young minds daily in the pursuit of answers to the questions that concern us all.
Zack’s passions in his personal life mirror those he shares with his students in the classroom. An avid musician, writer, photographer, and videographer, he challenges his students to express and document their learning with enthusiasm, creativity, and technological confidence. His students create movies, songs, photo essays, and podcasts, filling their learning with the long-lasting experiences that education is supposed to provide.
Zack shares his love of hiking and cooking with his wife Sara, son Isaac, and daughter Lyra.
