Dear Parents,

It's Teacher Appreciation Week and as I was thinking back on all of the educators I have had in my life, I remembered that there were a few in my family. My great-grandmother was a teacher, a couple of great-great uncles were teachers, my grandmother was a teacher, and my mother was a teacher. Hmm... it does seem to run in my family.

This week the faculty at Swan has happily received cookies, cards, an invitation to a luncheon on Friday, and many smiles and hugs from the students. Coincidently, as a final part of our enrollment campaign, a mailing is being sent out that focuses on our staff. With all of this going on, it occurred to me that, although you may know a bit about your child's teacher, you may not have had a chance to learn about the background of the people who are such a big part of your children's lives. So as my grandfather would often say, "let me give you the skinny on that."

Karen Akins has been here at Swan School since 1999 - first as the Spanish teacher, then as the first/second grade teacher, and now as a co-teacher of the Explorer classroom. Before starting her family, she taught the primary grades in a San Francisco private school housed in the Raphael House Emergency Shelter. She spent a wonderful year in Brazil and nine months in Spain. Her fluency in Spanish was important in her 12 years of work at the emergency shelter with children and their parents who were often new to the country.

Karen holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester in Sociology with a minor in Spanish as well as a Master's in Teaching specializing in Elementary Education from City University.

Lowell Jons is currently a co-teacher with Russ in the Navigator class (grades 3, 4, and 5) and next year he will teach the Adventurer class (grades 5 and 6).

Lowell holds a B. A. from the University of Northern Iowa with a major in Biology and minor in Earth Science and Environmental Education. He returned to school as an adult and received his Masters in Teaching through City University specializing in Elementary Education. He has taught in 3 other multiage classrooms before coming to Swan School in 2005.

After adventuring in Antarctica, New Zealand, and Australia, he decided to settle down and start a bicycle store in Port Townsend. During the 13 years that he owned PT Cyclery, he taught countless school programs on bicycle safety and maintenance. He also mentored several students through a school program in his bicycle store and later in his photography business. Lowell has also led numerous bicycle and kayak adventures in places as far away as Costa Rica and Alaska. Additionally Lowell founded the Quimper Trails Association and was also a founding board member of the Olympic Discovery Trail. His photography and writing has appeared in numerous national publications.

Loida Robles Santana is our teacher of the Discoverers' class (preschool for 3 and 4 year olds). Loida received her Bachelor 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 schools for the next five years. While there she taught English as a second language to newly arrived students from Central and South America. She is also an experienced teacher of children in third, fourth and sixth grades.

Loida moved to Montana in the early 90's where she opened her own preschool. She also 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, Wyoming) with her husband and four horses. While on this trip they studied and followed the old Oregon Trail. This amazing adventure lasted three years. She has been at Swan School since September 2003.

Marcy Stewart is currently co-teaching the Explorers' class (grades K-2) with Karen. A teacher at Swan since 2002, Marcy has worked with children since 1975, including 14 years teaching 3, 4 and 5 year-olds at Port Townsend Head Start. She has a B.A. in English, a Master of Library Science degree, and a Child Development Associate Degree.

Before teaching, Marcy spent 10 years in Southeast Alaska. While there she was a commercial fisher with her husband as well as running a beach logging operation. Once while in a bay south of Juneau, Marcy's boat was surrounded by humpback whales. She fondly recalls how they would turn on their sides and stare up at her from just 6 feet away! If all that boating wasn't enough to keep her busy, she began the children's department at the Ketchikan Public Library (which is flourishing to this day thanks to the strong program that Marcy created). Marcy's love of music has been with her all her life. She began playing in a symphony orchestra when she was just ten years old and hasn't looked back since. Prior to coming to Swan School she attended the Suzuki Violin Institute and became a certified instructor.

Russ Yates - Well now it's my turn to tell you a little about my background. As I'm sure you know, I am the school's Director and currently co-teacher with Lowell of the Navigators' class (grades 3, 4, and 5 this year, grades 3 and 4 next year). I have a B.A. in Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Education, a B.A.Ed. with endorsements in Elementary Education, History, and Social Studies Education, and an M.S. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology. During my 15 years in education prior to coming to Swan School, I have had the pleasure of teaching children in grades 2 through 6. The majority of that time has been in multiage settings. One of my earlier classrooms was featured in an independent documentary titled Honoring Diversity, the Multiage Classroom and another was featured in the March/April 2005 issue of Mothering Magazine in an article titled Ode to the One Room Schoolhouse. I created the Multiage-Education.Com website in 1996. The website has become somewhat of a hub for multiage educators and I receive email from all over the world (I've heard from multiage teachers from every continent except Antarctica). Not wanting to get bored, I have also instructed teacher education courses for Western Washington University and City University.

Prior to my becoming an educator, I was a Boy Scout leader for 8 years, a salesperson at the old R.E.I. store in Seattle (which I nearly burned down while demonstrating how a backpack stove worked, but that's another story), a summer camp director, and a manager for a sporting goods store called The Port Townsend Bay Company. I also worked as a bicycle mechanic at PT Cyclery for a short time.

In addition to these full-time classroom teachers, Swan School also boasts an awesome four-teacher music staff, an excellent Spanish teacher (Loida), an Art teacher that inspires our students, and two Physical Education teachers that keep the children asking for more.

Wow! Could anyone ask for a more interesting staff with such diverse experiences? As you know, this superb staff is not only great at teaching and passionate about what they do, but they also care deeply about each and every child here at Swan School. And yes, although you have seen their cars parked outside of school at all hours and even on the weekends, they do have lives outside of school... and that makes them all the more interesting and fun to be around!

Russ