High School Faculty

Our teachers are our biggest asset. They choose to teach at SWS high school because our experiential emphasis allows for so much more than just an intellectual education. Experts in their fields, they highly value the freedom to connect theory and practice in an interdisciplinary and real-world way. Our talented and empathetic faculty members also serve as advisors, engaging with students beyond the academic level to support their personal growth and aspirations beyond high school.

Lisa Ayrault: High School Director, High School Math

Lisa taught math for 20 years before joining the staff of SWS in 2005. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Stanford University and has taught at a variety of public and independent schools in California, New Mexico, and Washington State—including a 15 year tenure at Seattle's Lakeside School. She and her husband served together as Peace Corps volunteers in Niger, West Africa, where they both taught for two years. Their two children led them to discover Waldorf education. For fun, Lisa enjoys adventuring in the outdoors with her family.

Irene Barinoff: High School Math

Irene taught math for 25 years at Seattle's Lakeside School, then took a 15,000 mile road trip across the United States and Canada, returned to Seattle and settled into gardening and enjoying life activities put on the shelf while teaching. She joined the staff of SWS in Fall 2010 as a part-time math teacher. She loves the Waldorf way of education. When not at the High School, she tutors students from pre-algebra through college math, enjoys the outdoors, continues to garden, and works on exchange programs with students from St. Petersburg, Russia. She holds a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Michigan, and an M.S. from the University of Washington.

Sara Fischer: High School Math

Before moving to Paris, France with her family in the fall of 2009 for a two year sabbatical, Sara taught high school mathematics for ten years in Chicago, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. After two years away from teaching and an adventure of a lifetime in Paris, Sara is looking forward to returning to the classroom and her first experience with Waldorf education. Sara loves to cook, exercise, play in the outdoors, and is looking forward to this new adventure in Seattle with her family.

Carl Busse: High School Life and Earth Sciences, PE, Math, Outdoor Education

Carl Busse earned his B.S. in biology from Humboldt State University, and did graduate work in marine zoology at the University of Hawaii, and in aquatic ecology at Western Washington University. He is a SCUBA instructor with a passion for exploring nature. He has completed the Spacial Dynamics training and is devoted to movement education. He has fifteen years of experience teaching in Waldorf schools and three daughters with Waldorf educations. In his free time, Carl organizes SCUBA and hiking clubs and explores his passion for dance and other creative movement.

Bob Koon: High School Earth Sciences, Computer Science, Physics, Outdoor Education

Bob Koon has lived in the Seattle area all of his life. After teaching middle school math and science for 25 years, he worked as a research engineer at the University of Washington Oceanography Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab. Bob has led countless national and international hike and bike trips and brings his love of the outdoors, science and math to SWHS.

Cris Smith: High School Chemistry

Cris Smith was born in Seattle. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in Biology and Chemistry Education, she taught high school biology for several years in the southwest. In the process of looking for a better education for her sons, she discovered Waldorf education and immediately enrolled in the Sound Circle teacher training program. Having taught games and movement at Three Cedars Waldorf School, then chemistry classes at Hazel Wolf High School for four years, Cris is currently working on her Waldorf high school teacher training certification at the Center for Anthroposophy. She balances her passions in cycling, skiing, mountain climbing and hiking with lots of fireside reading and many cups of tea.

Jeff Stephens: High School Chemistry and Physics

Jeff Stephens earned a B.A. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Southwest Minnesota State University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Biochemistry) from the University of Montana. Following a stint doing research at the University of Washington, he took a position at Seattle University where he taught chemistry and biochemistry for nearly ten years. Since 2003 he has been working in the business world and consulting on biofuels and biobased chemicals. Jeff was introduced to Waldorf education after enrolling one of his daughters (now in grade 7) at SWS. His son is in grade 1. Jeff has a long-standing interest in science, especially inquiry-based and demonstration-based learning, that goes back to the time he emptied his sixth grade class by filling it with smoke from a somewhat realistic, erupting, model volcano. He is excited to be teaching science at SWHS. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys river rafting, fishing, hiking, and camping with his family.

Anouk Tompot: High School Life Sciences

Anouk Tompot earned her MS in Animal Ecotoxicology from Vrije University, The Netherlands. Her background includes three years teaching high school Life Sciences at the Denver Waldorf School. She and her husband are parents of three children at SWS.

Jeff Hipolito: High School Humanities

A child of teachers, Jeff has taught college-level literature, writing, and philosophy classes for the last nine years and is excited to be at SWHS. He participates in the larger Seattle Waldorf community both through his long-time interest in Rudolf Steiner and also through his partner’s daughter, who is a Waldorf student. His love of language, literature, and ideas led him to earn a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Washington in 2001. Jeff is convinced that a cultivated life of the imagination is essential to a child’s becoming a happy and well-balanced adult. When he’s not in the classroom, he likes to read and occasionally write poetry. He is an avid cyclist (especially in beautiful natural settings) and has yet to turn down a good game of chess.

Wendy Mullen: High School Humanities, College Counselor

Wendy Mullen started her career on the other side of the high school/college divide as an admissions officer for Pomona College in Claremont, California. From there she came to the University of Washington where she completed an M.A. and Ph.D. in English, and taught in the freshman writing program for three years. Her next move was to Lakeside School where she taught English for ten years and was recruited to do college counseling, running the program for one year as Director. Since that time she has continued as a private college counselor, while pursuing her interest in music, singing and playing electric guitar in a blues band. Most recently she has returned to the University to study American history.

Susan Saunders: High School Humanities

Susan Saunders earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Mass Communications with a specialty in media law, her M.A. in Broadcast Journalism with a specialty in documentary film from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles. She has taught for 30 years in both the public and private sectors spanning fourth grade to university level. She enjoys sharing her passion for First Amendment rights with the Waldorf students and community.

Glen VanDerPloeg: High School Humanities & Fretted Instruments Ensemble

Glen VanDerPloeg is a transplant from the Midwest. After completing art school at the University of Michigan, he earned a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and taught in universities in New York City and Michigan. In 2003 he left the collegiate world to teach at an independent school, and found how inspiring and energizing it was to work with high school age students. He came to Waldorf education when he moved with his family to Seattle, took a post at the high school, and enrolled his son in the lower school. He strives to meet students where they are, in order to point them on paths to new ways of seeing, imagining and thinking. When he’s not doing that, Glen enjoys playing jazz and bluegrass guitar, and hiking with his family.

Dana Ashton: High School Spanish

Dana Ashton has been teaching Spanish for 15 years and loves speaking the language, traveling, and meeting native speakers. During the past ten years she has taught at a Waldorf school, a community college, and a twice-weekly Spanish language group for adults. A big fan of jazz, Latin music, Bach, and Motown, Dana also enjoys getting outdoors, studying Native American culture, painting with watercolors, and singing with others. Dana lives with her fiancé, two teenagers, and two small dogs.

Qin Cao: High School Mandarin Chinese

Cao Qin came to the U.S. as one of the first high school exchange students from China twenty- two years ago. She grew up in Chengdu, China where she went to a school with 2,500 years of documented history. She was extremely blessed to grow up with her grandma's daily stories, seasonal fresh food and unforgettable celebrations of festivals. Qin studied Fine Art and earned her B.A. from The Evergreen State College. She exhibited abstract paintings regularly prior to becoming a mother. Becoming a Waldorf parent has inspired Qin to take the foundation year at the Sound Circle Center which led to her new position at the high school as a Chinese language teacher. She is thrilled to share a glimpse of her culture and language to the high school community. She giggles at the fact that now she gets paid to correct mispronunciation of her name.

Aiko Shimada: High School Japanese

Aiko Shimada was born in Tokyo and moved to the U.S. when she was 18. She has been teaching Japanese for the past 24 years. Oregon State University, Crescent Valley High School in Oregon, and Madrona School (Bainbridge Island Waldorf School), are just a few of the places where she has taught. Aiko is also a guitarist/singer/songwriter, has produced several CD's of her own, and has toured around the United States. She lives with her husband and seven-year-old son, who is home schooled.

Fred Hoadley: High School Instrumental Music

Originally from New England, Fred Hoadley studied music at Hampshire College and Berklee College of Music. He founded the Seattle salsa band Bochinche in 1983, which reigned as The Northwest's favorite Salsa band throughout the 1980's, and produced the band's first album in 1985. After Bochinche, Fred toured nationally with the West African band, Kukrudu, and founded the Seattle based Afro-Cuban jazz band, Sonando, whose 1994, 1998 and 2006 releases received critical acclaim throughout the country. Sonando received The Earshot Golden Ear Award for Best Acoustic Jazz Band of 2007, and was featured in a cover story in the November 2008 issue of Earshot Jazz Magazine. Fred has performed with a long list of Northwest Latin Bands. In 1990, he was commissioned by The City Cantabile Choir to write a suite for choir and Latin Jazz Ensemble. He has received grants and awards from The Seattle Arts Commission for educational programs and composition in 1996 and 1998. He currently plays piano and tres in Sonando, Cambalache, Charanga Danzón, The Susan Carr Ensemble, and Wesito & Friends. He also teaches piano, tres and Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble at Musicworks Northwest and Music Center Northwest.

Patricia Costa Kim: High School All-School Choir

Patricia was born in Brooklyn, NY, to musical parents. As a seventh grader at St. Athanasius elementary school, she was asked to lead the singing at church. Her artistic interests led her to the NYC High School of Performing Arts where she learned to play viola and enjoyed the opportunity to perform as accordion soloist with professional symphony orchestras. Working as a singer, keyboard player, and music educator helped her to earn a BFA from the City College of New York and a Masters degree from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College. Her years of teaching, recording, composing, arranging, and performing—from Brooklyn and Broadway to Nashville—inspired a move to the Emerald City. Since 1990, Patricia has earned her Ph.D. at the University of Washington School of Music, taught in Seattle Public Schools, and spent seven years working as Director of Education and Community Programs for Seattle Symphony. There, she was responsible for the creation and implementation of Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center. Patricia has also been a Waldorf parent since 2002.

Robert Murphy: High School Orchestra

Robert T. Murphy began violin studies with Piotr Swic in his hometown of Columbia, SC. He received his B.M. in performance at the Dana School of Music in Youngstown, OH and his M.M. in violin pedagogy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on a McNair Fellowship. Mr. Murphy studied violin with John Wilcox, Myron Kartman, Bernard Zink, Ilana Setapen, and chamber music with Stefan Kartman and Michael Gelfand. He studied orchestral conducting with Margery Deutsch and string pedagogy with Darcey Drexler and Robert Gillespie. He has played in masterclasses for Jamie Laredo, Dorothy Delay, and the Cleveland Duo. Mr. Murphy has performed in orchestras such as the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Festival City Symphony Orchestra, Youngstown Symphony, Ashtabula Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, etc. He has also performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Hootie and Blowfish, Crystal Gayle, Al Jarreau, and others. Mr. Murphy has attended festivals such as the Spoleto Music Festival USA, the Brevard Music Festival, the Mid-America Chamber Music Institute, and the Milwaukee Chamber Music Festival. He has taught middle school and high school orchestra and digital music at Whitefish Bay Schools in Wisconsin, and was also on the violin staff of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. He is thrilled to be working with the beautiful hearts and minds at the Seattle Waldorf School.

Gordy Ryan: High School African Drumming

Gordy Ryan’s training included African music and dance at the Olatunji Center for African Culture on 125th Street in Harlem, classical studies at Manhattan School of Music, and Jazz studies at Sounds of Joy in New York City. He has worked as a recording artist for albums, jingles, and film scores with players such as Babatunde Olatunji, Carlos Santana, David Sanborn, Abbey Lincoln, Airto Moreira, Planet Drum, Gabrielle Roth and many more. He toured the world with The Olatunji Drums of Passion for over two decades and brings his deep knowledge of African music, jazz, and funk to the master classes he leads at many locations in North America and Europe. He carries on with passion the tradition of “generation passdown”—which was a focal point in the work of Babatunde Olatunji—to light the internal fire, inspire, and train those who will follow in our footsteps as creative musicians.

Yusuf Kilgore: Beginning Guitar

Yusuf Kilgore is an accomplished guitarist, teacher, and composer known for his versatility. He earned a B.A. in Folklore & Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, studied at the IU School of Music, played at cafes in Paris and Berlin, and now plays a variety of styles including Brazilian choro, gypsy jazz, Americana, Latin jazz, and bluegrass. He is a member of the band, Gadjo Gypsies.

Laurie Andres: High School Eurythmy Piano Accompanist

Linda Povinelli: High School Eurythmy

Linda was born and raised in upstate New York and also Phoenix, Arizona. She received her Masters in Philosophy from Penn State before moving to the Pacific Northwest. Linda was a parent in the lead class at Bright Water School, and her daughter is now a ninth grader at our high school. Linda has pursued her love of eurythmy for many years and recently graduated from the Rudolf Steiner College Eurythmy Training Program. Linda is a member of the Puget Sound Eurythmy Troupe and also works as a biotech paralegal.

Andrea Marquardt-Preiss: High School Curative Eurythmy

Andrea was born and raised in the Black Forest, in south Germany. Her passion for movement, dance and people have guided her on a path of learning and teaching that continues to fascinate and inspire her. Starting out as a physical therapist in Germany, she worked for 12 years in the fields of Neurology and Orthopedics, especially with children. During this time, Andrea discovered the Feldenkrais Method, a holistic approach to movement and learning on all levels, and Eurythmy, which unites movement, poetry and music. Andrea worked as a Feldenkrais Practitioner and Eurythmist in her private practice near Munich, Germany, and taught Eurythmy in a Therapeuticum and in private Kindergartens, where she witnessed the healing effect of Eurythmy on children and adults. In 2008, Andrea moved to Seattle with her family, where she recently finished her training as Eurythmy Therapist, and now works with children at SWS. In addition, Andrea utilizes Feldenkrais and Eurythmy Therapy in her private practice with people of all ages. Andrea performs with a local Eurythmy troupe, loves hiking, being in nature with her family, and the great variety of music in Seattle.

Morgan Sobel: High School Practical and Theater Arts Assistant

Morgan Sobel is a practicing and performing musician and multi-media artist. A Waldorf "lifer," Morgan spent his grade school years in numerous Waldorf schools before graduating from the Washington Waldorf High School. He comes to SWHS after studying and then working in theater arts and set design. Morgan’s Waldorf education now also comes full circle as he reunites with a former teacher, our own Lavender Kindergarten teacher Mary Lentz.

Michael Kline: High School Practical Arts

Michael was born near Philadelphia, PA, and spent most of his school years in a suburb of St. Paul, MN. He studied art there, in Duluth, MN, and finally Madison, WI, where he earned a B.S. in Art degree in 1985. It was in France, at the monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, that Michael met and married his wife, Geraldine. Together, they moved to Stourbridge, England, where he completed a Waldorf class teacher training course. Later, he pioneered the Practical Arts program for grades six through twelve at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, NY, and taught a variety of main lessons in grades six through nine over eight years, including a five-month period at the Vancouver, B.C. Waldorf School in 2004. The Klines moved to Seattle in 2006 where, along with teaching, Michael continues to develop his work as a visual artist.

Darwin Nordin: High School Fine Arts

Darwin was born and raised in a small farm community in northern Wisconsin. He was fascinated with nature as a child, and today the natural world inspires the sculpture, drawing, and painting that he exhibits nationally. Darwin earned a BFA from the University of Wisconsin in River Falls and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA. He has worked collaboratively with poets, writers, actors, dancers, filmmakers, and set designers. He has also facilitated the creation of large mixed media artworks for organizations like The Seattle Children’s Museum, The Pacific Northwest Ballet, and The Museum of Glass. Having taught for The Washington State Arts Commission, Powerful Arts, The Gage Academy, Centrum, The Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Arts Corps, Darwin is also an adjunct instructor for Lesley University in Cambridge, M.A. He brings 25 years of experience as an independent teaching artist to his work in the Fine Arts classroom at SWHS. To learn more than you will ever want to know about Darwin visit his website at www.sempervivus.com.

Martina Brimmer: High School Experiential Education Coordinator

Martina Brimmer was born into the San Francisco Waldorf School where she was a “faculty child” from preschool through eighth grade and was in the founding class of the San Francisco Waldorf High School. Her interests in sustainable agriculture and social justice took her to Prescott College, a natural fit for the Waldorf alum, where she graduated with a degree in Agroecology. Martina has spent time in the Bolivian Andes doing agricultural research and has cycled many-a-mile in search of just food systems. Having made Seattle her home base since 2006, she’s founded a handcrafted pannier company here and joined the Seattle Waldorf School staff.

Iris Kulasic: High School Educational Support

Iris was born in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She spent a carefree childhood exploring the town streets, parks and alleys, and befriending other children, stray cats and dogs. The sudden outbreak of war turned the whole family into refugees and the unstoppable current of that time brought her to Croatia. Iris, 15 years old, tried to attend high school, but was turned away. She accepted an offer from a US peace-promoting organization and came to Chestnut Ridge, NY, where she lived with an American host family, and attended and graduated from the Green Meadow Waldorf School. Later, she graduated from Brown University with a double major in History of Art and Visual Art. She then worked as an assistant to the Bosnian Ambassador to the UN, and after a few years decided to focus on education. While studying for her masters in Education and Pedagogy, she taught for three years in a Bronx public school. Looking for further challenges, Iris then taught for a year in Philadelphia, then returned to New York to teach Art in a Chinatown public school. After arriving in Seattle, she pursued her longtime wish to learn the ways of a Waldorf teacher at Sound Circle Center and the Seattle Waldorf School. In addition to providing educational support, she teaches art and select morning lesson blocks at the grade school.