Andrea first began teaching children working for the Pacific Arts Center in Seattle, which brought her into a variety of different settings as an artist-in-residence. She attended Seattle University and graduated in 1999 with a Masters In Teaching degree and K-8 certification. She worked for 9 years as the art specialist at The Bertschi School in Seattle, a leading private elementary school.
Jaffrey is a proud alumni of both Carpe Diem Primary and Harbor School! He completed a Masters in Teaching program at Pacific University in Eugene, Oregon. In addition to the program's curriculum, he pursued cultural competency training that focused on creating classrooms that celebrate and respect all forms of diversity.
In 2013, after a 10+ year career as a carpenter, Ethan started his high school teaching career as a drum set and small music ensemble instructor at Holy Names Academy in Seattle. He quickly earned a Masters in Teaching degree in Secondary Mathematics and went on to teach Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Pre-calculus, Math Analysis, and AP Computer Science to grades 9-12.
Kate grew up in Maine, leaving to attend the University of Puget Sound and complete her BA in Politics and Government. After working in labor law and for the ACLU, she returned to school to earn a Masters in Teaching degree from Seattle University. She started her teaching career working with wee ones in London before moving to Palo Alto, California where she taught kindergarten.
Steve has been an educator of children for over 25 years. He began teaching in the Seattle public schools before moving to the Giddens School in Seattle where he taught pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade for 21 years. His work at Giddens fostered a strong commitment to anti-bias and social justice education with children.
Zoë graduated from Washington State University with a BS in Biology, beginning her career doing hands-on chemistry and microbiology in the quality lab at the Pyramid Brewery. Her first foray into K-12 education was developing a chess curriculum for public elementary schools. She earned her MS in Secondary Education at Canisius College (New York), completing internships emphasizing inquiry-based and cooperative learning.
When her children were young, Lauretta made a profession out of storytelling, offering Artists-in-Residence programs in the local schools. She probably would have stayed with storytelling forever had it not been for her older son's experience at Harbor School. Initially drawn to the school because of its low student-teacher ratio, she quickly became enamored of its service learning and travel study emphasis.
Alisara graduated from The Evergreen State College with a BA in International Studies & Contemporary Art History. She then attended The School of Art Institute of Chicago earning a BFA in Print Media. She completed her MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Print Media. Prior to coming back to Vashon (she graduated VHS), Alisara worked as an Artist Assistant, Film Curator, Exhibition Artist, Graphic Designer and Arts Administrator.
Joleen is a beloved fixture in Vashon Island education, having had multiple roles over her years in our public schools, including her vaunted success with the Chautauqua multi-age elementary program. Joleen is thrilled to be part of a strong teaching team at Harbor School and Carpe Diem. She joined the faculty at Harbor School in 2015 as a K-3 teacher at Carpe Diem and is now the multi-age Upper Elementary (4th/5th grade) teacher.
Mark brings over 30 years of international and independent school experience as an elementary teacher, educator and administrator to Harbor School. For the past 8 years, Mark has been Head of School at The Gardner School of Arts & Sciences in Vancouver, WA. During his time at Gardner, Mark also served the Northwest Association of Independent Schools as a member and Vice-chair of several accreditation teams.
Jackie moved to Vashon from the Midwest in 2005 and has been working at the Harbor School since 2008. With kindness and patience, she facilitates the flow of information and fosters the connections that come from all branches of the Harbor School community—students, faculty, families, trustees, alumni, volunteers, and friends. Outside of school, Jackie loves spending lots of quality time with her husband, three children, and her dog and cat.
In 2010, Niamh began her involvement at Harbor School as a volunteer parent when her daughter Amelia entered 4th grade. She has played a key role in Harbor School's annual auctions in addition to serving as parent volunteer coordinator prior to becoming Admissions Director. Niamh has an extensive background in office administration both in the United States and in Europe.
Russell has lived on Vashon with his family for the past 3 years. Most recently, he has taught at The Bush School where he served as Chair of the K-12 World Languages Department and taught Kindergarten through 5th Grade. Prior to The Bush School, Russell taught pre-school through 3rd grade at Heritage Hall School in Oklahoma City and Spanish at the University of Oklahoma.
Since 2009, Allison has been an active member of Harbor School's community as the proud parent of Oakley, Class of 2013, and Beckett, Class of 2016. She is also a Carpe Diem alumni parent. In July 2013, Allison joined the staff at Harbor School after many years as an active volunteer.
Nicky Wilks teaches PE to students in grades 4-8 and also assists teaching our Life Skills program throughout the year. Nicky is founder and executive director of Journeymen Institute, a Vashon based nonprofit offering nature-based rites of passage and long-term mentorship opportunities for youth in the Puget Sound region. He has also volunteered with Vashon Wilderness Program.
Todd comes to us after four years of teaching at Seacrest Country Day School, an independent school in Naples, Florida. Todd has a Bachelor of Art with a Major in English from Dartmouth College and is completing a Masters in English Studies from the Universite de Lyon 2 in France – his thesis is 20th Century American Poetry.
HARBOR SCHOOL / 15920 Vashon Hwy SW / PO Box 1912 Vashon WA 98070 / 206.567.5955
