Nina Churchill grew up in a college town within a family of artists, architects and designers, with art education being central to her family. Nina has served as HS Chair, now Director, for four years. Before meeting Waldorf Education, Nina lived on both coasts, working in corporate identity, marketing and design in New York and in graphic & landscape design in San Francisco. Nina began teaching at PWHS in the Humanities and Earth Sciences, and shortly after in Fine Art. In between she taught one class from grades 1- 8 grades and another from grades 7 - 8 grades, straddling teaching in the high school during these years. She returned full-time to the HS in 2018, serving also as College Chair and as a Board Trustee.

Nina holds a BA in Fine Arts from WSU, an MS in Communications Design from Pratt Institute and a certificate in Landscape Design from UC Berkeley. She received her Waldorf Teacher Certification from the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training in 2005, when she and her family came to Portland from the Bay Area. Both her children are alumni of PWHS. Nina loves teaching fine art, teaching the history of art & architecture and making art.

Sarah was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California where she attended the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara from Kindergarten-8th grade. She completed her Eurythmy training in 2008 at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California. Upon finishing the training, she taught for two years at the Chicago Waldorf School, then joined the Eurythmeum Fairytale Ensemble in Stuttgart, Germany, where she toured and performed Eurythmy throughout Europe. Sarah came to Portland Waldorf School in 2011, where she teaches in the High School. Sarah is very happy to be in Portland, where she continues to work artistically and deepen her pedagogical capacities. Taking advantage of the natural beauty the Northwest has to offer, she also enjoys fly fishing, baking, and gardening.

Alyssa is a native Oregonian who discovered the wonder and joy of learning through her own, early Waldorf education in Southern Oregon. She has enjoyed a lifetime of learning rooted in the study of languages (Spanish, German, Latin, Portuguese, French), culture, music (violin & viola, chamber music), and the arts (dance). As a young person discovering the world, she traveled with Up with People in 1999-2000, and thereafter earned her B.A. in Spanish from Vanderbilt University. Alyssa also holds a Certificate in Paralegal Studies, and in 2012 earned her M.Ed. through Portland State University’s Bilingual Teacher Pathway Program.

Alyssa joins PWHS after a decade of teaching Spanish Language and Literature at a Portland public high school. During her time teaching, she also participated in the Oregon Writing Project and in the Center for Equity and Inclusion’s Equity Certificate program. Prior to becoming an educator, Alyssa worked in Immigration Law as a paralegal and community outreach coordinator. She looks forward to bringing the best of what she has learned in her previous positions into her new roles at the Waldorf School, and is honored to continue to learn, grow, and serve in this community. Her intent in all that she does is to contribute to justice and joy in this world.

Jeremy Bates grew up in Utah, where he learned to work hard in school and get along with his five siblings. He studied science and teaching at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and taught for two years in mainstream schools before accepting a position at a Waldorf Kindergarten in Salt Lake City.

He has been teaching at Waldorf schools ever since and completed his Waldorf teacher training at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California. Jeremy comes most recently from Mendocino County, California, where he took a class from third to eighth grade. While there, he developed a passion for teaching mathematics, especially in the middle school. Jeremy enjoys running, hiking, reading, recreational mathematics, woodwork, fishing, general relativity, playing the guitar, and spending time with his family.

Ms. Kimes grew up along the West Coast, headed to the Midwest for college, and returned west to stay.  A B.A. and a double major in Mathematics and Geology from Carleton College, a few years working for an architect, an M.S. in Mathematics Education from Oregon State University, an Oregon Professional Teaching License with an endorsement in Advanced Mathematics, 10 years teaching at Corvallis HS, and years of math tutoring all conspired to lead her to Portland Waldorf High School.

She is lucky enough to have made a career out of sharing her love for math, endeavoring to help make mathematics more accessible for as many people as possible.  She has taught most high school math courses (though Calculus is her favorite), and is a big math nerd who loves to laugh, loves to teach, and loves to spend time with those she loves.

Guodong grew up in the mountain areas in southern China. He revels in nature’s abundance, acceptance, diversity, and vitality, along with its stable rhythm of seasons that mirror his soul. When he was 18, as a result of assisting those less fortunate than him, he began seeking a greater meaning, and went onto major in mathematics at Shenzhen University, determined to be a good educator.

After graduation, he taught math in a public school, and then studied Anthroposophy and Waldorf education in residence for two years at Rudolf Steiner College. He taught mathematics in the US and China for over 20 years before joining PWS. He believes that math helps students develop various human virtues and thus promotes humankind to flourish.

He tries to make math accessible so that everyone can benefit from math learning. The moment the teacher and students resonate together is the highest blessing time for him. In his leisure time, Guodong enjoys hiking, gardening, reading, recreational mathematics, yoga, singing, and spending time with his family.

Shannon joined PWHS in 2019 with a passion for crafting meaningfully rigorous, experience-based science courses that build and develop curiosity, knowledge, imagination, and understanding for the workings of the natural world.  

Shannon received her Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics with a minor in Spanish from the Washington State University, Honors Program. She then went on to study Waldorf education at the Rudolf Steiner College receiving a Waldorf High School Teacher Certificate in Life Sciences and Chemistry in 2011.

She draws curricular inspiration from her 10 years of co-developing an educational permaculture site on the Big Island, homesteading and installing water and photovoltaic electrical systems, and 8 years of teaching Waldorf grades, handwork, gardening, and middle school science blocks both in a cooperative homeschool environment and at Cedarwood Waldorf School.

Tim has been a Waldorf parent since 2002 and has worked in Waldorf schools across the US as both a high school math and science teacher and an administrator since 2008. He hails originally from the Philadelphia suburbs and earned a BS in chemical engineering and engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware. Prior to working in Waldorf Schools he worked in manufacturing and Bioengineering R&D for DuPont, management consulting for companies such as Toyota and Union Bank, and he and his wife, Anni, started and ran a fresh organic baby food company. Tim has 3 children.

Virginia grew up in the woods outside Grand Ronde, Oregon. Before collecting responsibilities, she worked and traveled through Europe and the Americas, including a stint on boats in Alaska. She met Waldorf education while au pairing in Zurich.

She holds a BA in German Literature, and certificates from Waldorf Teacher Education Eugene, Spatial Dynamics and English as a Foreign Language. She taught two classes 1 through 8 at PWS, and has served in the administration, high school, Board and College. She loves food, family, swimming holes, languages and the Waldorf curriculum.

Kelly, or “Ms. Maher rhymes-with-star”, is a versatile and dynamic teacher with infectious curiosity. She values intellectual rigor, empathy, humor, beauty, and play in the classroom. Kelly loves that Portland Waldorf School is a home for her eclectic passions. She holds a B.F.A in Acting from Emerson College, a J.D. from the University of Minnesota, and an M.F.A. in Writing from Hamline University, and she draws on her expertise in law, journalism, drama, and literature to build classes that fully explore the deep questions and perspectives on what it means to be human.

She is an occasional actor, the author of one book of poetry, Tremolo (Tinderbox Editions), and a proud founding member of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. Kelly has taught at PWHS since 2022.

Matt grew up and spent much of his early adult life in Michigan where he enjoyed the music and art scene of Ann Arbor and swimming in the Great Lakes. Before becoming a teacher, he worked for several years at the Community Farm of Ann Arbor, a Biodynamic CSA, where he would not only find a passion for farming but also inspiration to pursue writing and teaching. Matt earned a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at Eastern Michigan University.

He studied Waldorf teaching at the Center for Anthroposophy in Wilton, New Hampshire. Before joining PWHS, Matt taught High School English for thirteen years at Kimberton Waldorf School where his daughter, Evadene, attended until graduating in 2021. At Kimberton, along with teaching, he developed and led several pedagogically-based trips, including agricultural practicums at nearby camphill communities, volunteer work at nonprofits and urban farms, and poetry festivals.

Christopher grew up in Pine City, New York in a close-knit Italian-American family. He was educated at Georgetown University and New York University, where he received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature. He taught Humanities and American literature at Reed College and was Fulbright Senior lecturer in Turkey in 1993-94.

He served as Executive Director of the Oregon Council for the Humanities from 1997 until 2006. After eight years as a Waldorf parent, Christopher began teaching literature, history and social studies at PWHS in 2007. He retired from full time teaching in 2022, but continues to teach a variety of main lesson blocks at PWHS.

He has studied at the Rudolf Steiner Institute, Rudolf Steiner College and the Center for Anthroposophy. In addition to writing projects, Christopher is still trying to get better at basketball and guitar. He is a devoted cyclist and is grateful to live in one of the most bike-friendly cities in North America. His two sons are PWHS alumni.

Isabel is a passionate and multi-talented individual with a rich background in both education and the arts. Hailing from Santiago de Chile, she holds a degree as a Profesora de Castellano and a Master in Education. For over six years, she honed her skills as a dedicated Spanish teacher in her homeland before embarking on a new chapter in her life in the US.

Isabel's connection to her culture runs deep, as she was involved in a folk group from a young age, singing and dancing to traditional music from Chile. Upon moving to the US, she spent over 15 years enchanting audiences on the east coast with her soulful vocals and captivating performances. She has recorded two CDs and composes her own music. She played a pivotal role in the organization of the Latino festival in Delaware for more than six years, and is also a skilled plastic artist, allowing her to express herself through different mediums.

Fueled by her passion for both music and education, Isabel has experience in both Waldorf and Montessori education. She constantly strives to strike a harmonious balance between her two great loves—nurturing young minds through education and continuing to create art and music that touches hearts and celebrates her cultural heritage.

An Oregon native, Thomas has taught subjects in Scandinavian Studies and German at Portland State University for three decades, where he has developed and launched over twenty separate courses. He holds a Ph.D. in German Literature from the University of Washington, in Seattle.

His areas of interest include Northern European film, Scandinavian crime fiction, Austrian literature, Arctic cultures, and the German, English and North American short story. Thomas is regularly engaged in Scandinavian and German events, both locally and nationally, and has served on the Board of Nordic Northwest.

For him, teaching means much more than sharing knowledge in the classroom. It involves facilitating a process of discovery that encourages curiosity, compassion and critical thinking so we may gain a broader understanding of each other and our world. He believes the classroom is a vital staging ground for this process; it should be an open forum in which students of all backgrounds, cultures and beliefs feel free to engage fully in an interactive environment.

When not busy teaching or chasing the aurora borealis in the Arctic, he enjoys hiking and woodworking; also, he revels in the cantatas of Bach, the operas of Wagner and the incomparable keyboard music of Duke Ellington.

Aaron has enjoyed a rich life of music that has led him down many paths of exploration. He started playing guitar and piano as a young child and eventually moved to the violin at age 10. Aaron attended Marin County public schools and was a member of the middle school and high school orchestras in the area. After high school he pursued degrees in classical music with a focus on violin performance. He earned a bachelors degree from the University of California at Irvine and a Masters degree from the New England Conservatory of music in Boston. Aaron spent an additional two years at the University of Kansas furthering his education. It was there he started to delve deeply into bluegrass, Celtic music, Jazz and improvisation.

In 2002 Aaron joined the band Hot Buttered Rum and proceeded to play concerts all over the country and beyond. In 2013 Aaron and his wife moved to the town of Sonoma where their son Koya was born. In Sonoma, Aaron helped to start a youth music program based on the El Sistema principles, helping the most at-need children in the area access orchestral instruments and instruction. He also taught at the Sonoma Montessori school.

A native of Gaithersburg, MD, Joshua Sommerville is a singer, pianist, music director, and composer who graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Music. Throughout his career, he has had the privilege of working with many esteemed artists such as the late Dr. Walter Turnbull (Director of the Harlem Boys Choir), Dr. Ysaye Barnwell (of Grammy Award-Winning Vocal Group: Sweet Honey in the Rock), Stanley Thurston, Bill Colosimo, Dr. Karen Kennedy, Dr. Joyce Garrett, Patrick Lundy, Richard Odom, Dr. Stephen Holmes, Dr. Marco Merrick, Twinkie Clark (Multi-Grammy Award Winner), Melba Moore (Multi Grammy Award-Winning Award Winner), and many more.

He founded three semi-professional groups: His W.I.L. Community Choir, Unique Sounds of Love, and To Be Continued Youth Choir. He also created the acclaimed workshop, How Much Do You Love It?, that has traveled to Bermuda, Italy, Guatemala, Germany, and Africa. He also tours as music director for the world-renowned choreographer Rennie Harris.

In 2020, he was hired by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC to be their assistant conductor as well as conductor of their vocal ensemble, Seasons of Love. At the same time, he was also hired as assistant conductor of The Arlington Children’s Chorus of Arlington, VA. In 2022, he moved to Portland, Oregon to be the Director of Performing Arts for BRAVO Youth Orchestras. He also serves as the Worship Coordinator at West Linn Lutheran Church and the Artistic Director of the Portland Boychoir in Milwaukie, OR.

Tom worked as a commercial fisherman, was the vice president of the United Fishermen of Alaska, and was on the board of directors of the SE Alaska Fishermans’ Co-op. He then became foreman of SE Alaska’s largest shipyard until moving back to Portland in 1979 to open a custom woodworking shop. Tom has taught as a woodworking teacher at PWS since 1992. He completed the three-year applied arts course at Sunbridge College and has taken continuing Waldorf education classes through the Micha-el Institute, where he teaches adult woodworking and teacher training classes. Tom is a founding member of PWHS.

Rochelle Giametta brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role at PWS. Before joining us, she worked as a Case Manager for The KINDNESS Project in New York, providing educational support and assessment for children with learning and behavior differences. She also served at Sierra Vista Child and Family Services in Modesto, focusing on early intervention and identifying mental health needs in children.

At PWS, Rochelle coordinates our Educational Support Program and teaches Life Skills and College and Career classes in the high school.  Passionate about supporting students with learning differences and mental health challenges, she is also a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Provider, certified Executive Function Coach,  and is an Independent Educational Consultant in College Admissions and Career Planning. 

Rochelle has three kids, two dogs, one cat and a loving husband who puts up with it all.

Jeff was previously the handwork teacher at Micha'el, after returning from living in Nepal, where he founded an apparel company. Jeff served as a sergeant in the Army Reserves and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2003. He went on to become a kindergarten assistant at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York, and a high school teacher at the Waldorf School of Garden City. Jeff has a BA in Fine Arts, an MS in Education and studied Dance at the Florida Ballet Arts.

Conor came on as the PWHS Outdoor Program Coordinator in the spring of 2023. He lives for much of the year in Hood River, Oregon. For the past decade, he has been working as a professional expedition river guide, leading trips ranging from 3 to 9 days in length in some of the most remote regions in the western United States.

He also instructs whitewater rowing and swiftwater rescue throughout the year. Conor's passion for outdoor education began during his undergraduate studies at Colorado Mesa University, where he created a degree path in Outdoor Education and Leadership. From there, he went on to complete his masters in Outdoor Expedition and Adventure Leadership at Southern Oregon University; his thesis involved organizing and executing a 31-day bikepacking expedition in Ecuador!

Conor leads all PWHS Outdoor Trips with enthusiasm and vision, and is a beloved member of the High School community.

Justice grew up in Houston, Texas, before moving to the Pacific Northwest and graduating from Washougal High School. Justice graduated with his Bachelor’s degree from Washington State University in Personnel Psychology and Human Resources. While attending classes, Justice coached basketball in Beaverton for four years, traveling across the country for basketball tournaments and events. Justice brings great knowledge and experience to leading, and enhancing the entire essence of a sports experience.

Teresa has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine and has many years of previous work experience as an Administrative Assistant with the County of Los Angeles. She is excited to share her exceptional organizational skills with PWS!

Contact Teresa for student records and PWSConnect issues

Sara comes to PWS with a background in school community building, communications, graphic design, and medical science. She welcomes prospective families with warmth as she guides them through the admissions journey with personalized attention and support.

Beyond her professional role, she is an avid explorer of the Pacific Northwest, enjoying adventures with her husband and two daughters. When not discovering hidden gems in our region, she can be found curled up with a good book and her cat.

Contact Sara to learn more about PWHS and to start your application.

Brittany grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, where she spent most of her childhood creating, crafting, and exploring the wonders of the woods. She studied Sociology & Geography at Ohio University before starting off on her own adventure.

Brittany moved to Stuttgart, Germany where she worked as an au pair and began to learn more about Waldorf education. Following her au pair year, the Frie Hochschule was offering its first international masters course in Waldorf pedagogy, and … the rest is history.

As part of her training, she completed teaching internships in Edinburgh and Cape Town. She then worked at a small Waldorf school in California for one year before visiting and falling in love with the Pacific Northwest.

Brittany joined PWS in 2018 and has worked as an early childhood assistant and a grades class teacher. She is passionate about sharing and spreading the beauty of Waldorf education, and dreams of a world in which every person is seen and encouraged to become who they are. Outside of school, Brittany enjoys hiking, crafting, and discovering new swimming holes, usually with her dog, Phoebe.

Contact Brittany to learn more about PWS, schedule a tour, or to volunteer at outreach events.