Fly fishing in Idaho	Russell Yates Head of School Teacher for Navigators' Class (3rd-4th Grades) Email russ@swanschool.net During Russell's 15 years in education prior to coming to Swan School, he has had the pleasure of teaching children in grades 2 through 6. The majority of that time has been in multiage settings. His classroom has been featured in an independent documentary titled "Honoring Diversity, the Multiage Classroom" as well as in two magazine articles, the March/April 2005 issue of Mothering Magazine in an article titled "Ode to the One Room Schoolhouse" and the online edition of Edutopia Magazine in an article titled "Wisdom of the (Multi) Ages: Students Learn by Teaching." Russell's Multiage-Education.Com website has been considered the online hub for multiage educators worldwide since 1996. Russell has also instructed teacher education courses for Western Washington University and City University. In addition he has conducted numerous in-service classes and workshops for various school districts on a variety of subjects. When not at school, Russ will be sailing in Port Townsend Bay, kayaking in Northwest lakes and Puget Sound, or standing in a stream delighting in his recently rediscovered love of fly fishing. "I have been enjoying the outdoors practically since I was born and my parents took me camping for the first time." Russ and his wife Linda also travel when time allows. They were married in Denmark, have driven to Alaska, journeyed through Canada's Northwest Territories, and have recently returned from an extended exploration of central Idaho. Russell has earned a B.A., majoring in Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Education; a B.A.Ed. with endorsements in Elementary Education, History, and Social Studies; and a M.S. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology.
Hiking in the Olympics	Melinda Pongrey Teacher for Adventurers' Class (5th-6th Grades) Email melinda@swanschool.net Melinda is well-known in the Port Townsend community, as well as nationally among educators interested in individualizing and differentiating instruction for their students. Melinda has an art, science and math background and has worked in education for the past sixteen years. Melinda received a BA from The Evergreen State College and a Masters of Science in Education from Old Dominion University. In 1998 she founded the Sisiutl Center for Learning to work with children and adults who experience many types of learning differences. She has published numerous articles, provided workshops for educators throughout the state and consulted with school districts on her innovative education techniques. Locally she has taught in a 5th grade classroom and guest taught at Mountain View, Blue Heron and Port Townsend High School.
Volunteering in Mexico	Karen Akins Teacher for Explorers' Class (1st-2nd Grades) Email karen@swanschool.net Karen Akins has been at Swan School since 1999 - first as the Spanish teacher and then as the first/second grade teacher. She has lived for extended periods of time both in Brazil and Spain. She enjoyed building a house for a Mexican family last summer with a group of people that included two of her daughters. Prior to having a family, Karen lived in San Francisco for 12 years where she worked in Raphael House, an emergency shelter for families. She interacted daily with residents and their children and ran an evening program for the children using storytelling as a basis for drama and art activities. For the last three years of her stay, she taught first and second grade in a private school housed in the shelter. Karen holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a Master's in Teaching from City University. Karen makes it a priority to provide a warm and stimulating atmosphere in which children fully participate in constructing their own learning. Classroom community is fostered through discussions and plenty of small group and whole class collaborative hands-on learning. Karen lived in San Francisco for 12 years where she worked in Raphael House, an emergency shelter for families. She enjoyed working with residents and their children and ran an evening program for the children in which she used storytelling as a basis for art activities and movement. For the last three years of her stay, she taught first and second grade in a private school housed in the shelter.
Tending her bees	Marcy Stewart Teacher for Voyagers' Class (Kindergarten) Email marcy@swanschool.net A teacher at Swan since 2002, Marcy Stewart has worked with children since 1975, initially as the first children's librarian at Ketchikan Public Library in Alaska, and including 14 years teaching 3, 4 and 5 year-olds at Port Townsend Head Start. She is certified in the state of Washington with endorsements as a classroom teacher and school librarian. Marcy has a BA in English, a Master of Library Science degree and a Child Development Associate degree, and she supports her commitment to providing the best education for her students through ongoing professional training. Marcy came to Port Townsend from Southeast Alaska, where she lived in a float house, fished commercially with her husband and made a strong and lasting relationship with the natural world and its cycles. While working in the Ketchikan Public Library, Marcy produced a daily children's radio program enjoyed by children and adults alike. In Port Townsend, Marcy has taught Fiber Arts, violin and violin lessons to adults and children, is a member of the Port Townsend Community Orchestra and the Lincoln Beach Quartet, has worked for Centrum as a Future Problem Solving evaluator, and served on the Boiler Room board. She has recently become a member of the Chimacum Grange Beekeepers, with 2 hives of honeybees at home along with a flock of chickens and the usual cats and dog. Marcy is also an avid amateur mycophagist! Marcy's experiences and professional training help her provide rich child-centered classroom experiences that foster a strong community learning environment and engage students in the exciting and empowering process of learning.
	Loida Robles Santana Teacher for Discoverers' Class (Preschool) Spanish Teacher Email loida@swanschool.net Loida received her bachelors of science from the State University of New York in Bilingual/Bicultural Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She taught for the Agency of Child Development of the City of New York for eight years. During those years she was head teacher for preschool and kindergarten children where she developed a bilingual curriculum. She then went on to teach in the New York City public school for the next five years. While there, she taught English as a second language to newly arrived students from South and Central America. She is also experienced teaching third, fourth and sixth grade. Loida moved to Montana in the early 90's where she opened her own preschool and provided additional services to the community by introducing John Bradshaw's "Homecoming" series and giving a 10-week workshop on "Alternative Methods of Parenting". Loida also took a journey across the U.S. on horseback (from New York City, to Fort Laramie, WY) with her husband and four horses. They studied and followed the "Oregon Trail". The adventure lasted three years. She has been at Swan School since September 2003.
Planting trees	Michelle Peters Aide for Discoverers' Class (Preschool) PE Teacher Email eps_michelle@swanschool.net Michelle has been paired up with Loida as the preschool aide since 2007. She finds working with Loida and the preschool children to be nothing less than a joyful experience! Michelle is from California, where she earned a liberal arts degree at UC Santa Barbara and a masters degree in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP). As part of her training, she worked as a counselor in several different settings, including a hospital psychiatric ward, a community counseling center and a group home for emotionally disturbed teenage boys. For the four years prior to moving to Washington, she ran an in-home childcare center for children ages seven and younger.
Paddling in Idaho	Tracy Thompson Assistant Head of School Email info@swanschool.net With a background in non-profit marketing, public relations and development, as well as 5 years experience as a middle and high school English teacher, Tracy is eager to take on the challenges as the Assistant Head of School at Swan School. Tracy earned B.A.'s in English and Communications at the University of Washington, and subsequently earned a teaching certificate and a B.A. in Secondary Education at The Evergreen State College. Her schooling at Evergreen awakened her passion for child-centered, developmentally appropriate, individualized education - and she is thrilled to support Swan's mission. Her non-profit experience includes working at Seattle's Empty Space Theatre and at Centrum in Port Townsend. Tracy enjoyed the lively non-stop action of being on the "team" at Centrum, where she wrote press releases and newsletter copy, planned the Centrum Gala, managed the production of promotional materials and managed donor and artist receptions - among many other things! In her spare time Tracy and her husband John have fun raising their two young boys Hayden and Graham, hiking, berry-picking and goofing off. She is also an avid quilter, baker, reader and yoga enthusiast.
Enrichment Program Staff Choir Leslie Lewis eps_leslie@swanschool.net Beginning Violin Kristin Smith eps_kristin@swanschool.net Violin Ensemble and Keyboarding Gary Fredrick eps_gary@swanschool.net PE Michelle Peters eps_michelle@swanschool.net Spanish Loida Robles Santana loida@swanschool.net
Board Members Tiffany Drewry 379-1697 Email Chair Randi Pendergrass 301-3036 Email Treasurer Kris Becker 390-8310 Email Secretary Betsy Carlson 379-1554 Email Charlie Hanson 379-9444 Email Katie Mattern 379-5771 Email Tina McCleese 301-4438 Email Maxine Seran 385-9277 Email Traci Tanner 379-2511 Email
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