Ananda grew up on an organic farm in southern New Hampshire, where she attended both the Pine Hill and High Mowing Waldorf Schools. From a young age, Ananda felt a sense of responsibility to the world around her; to be of service to all beings. A brief devotion to the study of fine arts gave way to many years of travel, study and work in Latin America and New York City, where her focus was social justice and human rights. Ananda found her inclination for healing work when she moved to Northern California, becoming first a massage therapist and later a somatic psychotherapist. She moved to Maine in 2007, where she has been guiding individuals and groups in mindfulness and meditation practices. Woven throughout all of her life experiences has been the thread of creating beauty, crafting, and working with her hands.

Caitlin grew up in the beautiful Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts. After completing her undergraduate degrees at UMass Amherst, where she studied anthropology and Spanish, she was lucky enough to be hired at a nearby Waldorf school as an assistant. Inspired by her work, she went on to complete a M.Ed and Waldorf teacher training through Antioch University in Keene, NH. When not with her students, Caitlin can be found gardening, knitting, sewing, and walking her dog.

Cerridwen was raised on a homestead in coastal Blue Hill, Maine where she attended a Waldorf school from Early Childhood through Grade 8. When Cerridwen was in third grade she remembers her class teacher asking the students what they might want to be when they grew up. Her answer was a teacher.

Cerridwen spent many years traveling and working in education before returning to Maine to create a home and community. She finds peace by the ocean in any season, and lives in South Portland with her child, husband, dog, and chickens.

Clare has recently been teaching at the Sandpoint Waldorf School in Idaho where she took a class from first through fourth grade. Prior to that, she worked as an assistant at Maine Coast Waldorf School in our early childhood branch. She graduated with her Waldorf Grades Teacher Training from the Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto. Clare earned her Bachelor degree from Bowdoin College.

Ezra grew up at the Himalayan Institute, a yoga ashram in Northeastern Pennsylvania in the company of people dedicated to spiritual striving. This inspired him to focus his life on learning and improvement. He relishes designing authentic learning experiences for his students. Ezra is from a Quaker background and welcomes challenging questions. He loves most things, specifically math, science, woodworking, and wildcrafting.

Gwen brings to Maine Coast Waldorf School experience teaching in both Waldorf early childhood and grades programs, most recently at the Wasatch Waldorf charter school in Utah. She completed her early childhood training from the Pleiades Initiative and both her Masters degree and Waldorf Grades certification from Antioch College New England.

Heidi has been teaching in Waldorf Schools since 2003. She has worked as a class teacher, math teacher and in the educational support program. When she's not teaching, Heidi writes fiction and spends time with her own children.

After graduating from college, Jane earned a teaching certification for grades K-8 and enjoyed 10 years of classroom teaching in both private and public schools. She became a stay-at-home mom after the arrival of twin sons. During that time, Jane authored a phonics and spelling workbook and started a private tutoring business. Because many of her students struggled with reading, she pursued specialized training which allowed her to target specific reading skill deficits. Over the past 17 years, Jane has worked with nearly 100 students assessing reading difficulties and providing individualized instruction. She also has experience working as a Literacy Strategist, designing and providing instruction for students and teachers while employed by the South Portland School Department. Jane and her family live in Brunswick.

Jeff has spent most of his career in the field of Civil Engineering. During this time he served as a technology instructor. His natural teaching ability led him into education as a full time substitute teacher at MSAD51. His curiosity, dependability, friendliness and passion earned him being a most requested substitute. His approach is to be organic, kind and non-reactive. He provides direction and re-direction as needed with respect and empathy being of utmost importance. Jeff builds relationships with students and helps them to enjoy learning and be mindful of how their thoughts affect their world. He and his wife play musical instruments and sing in their home studio, capture photography, paint, and nature watch on their deck. Jeff is the chef in his household cooking local, organic and sustainable ingredients.

Jennifer served as an assistant in the nursery for four years.  She first came to MCWS after working with mixed ages at the Peaks Island Children's Workshop, both as a teacher and as a lifeguard. Jennifer has a background in educational entertainment, working with local organizations such as PORTopera and Portland Symphony Orchestra with their educational outreach.

Jill grew up in a family that loved traveling and hiking. A year spent in Switzerland, just before college, brought fluency in French and her first experiences working on organic farms. Her work as a naturalist exploring the redwood forests with children led her to Waldorf education. Long stretches in the wilderness—canoe trips in Labrador and the Boundary Waters, backpacking trips in the Wind Rivers and Cascades—as well as travel in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central America continue to give her perspective and inspire her love of teaching. When she is home, she spends as much time as she can outdoors.

John toured in Tony Montanaro's Celebration Theater Ensemble. He is a resident guest artist with the Portland Ballet Company and has performed for over 20 years as Drosselmeyer in the Nutcracker. He is a past host of the Portland Symphony Kinderkoncerts. He taught for many years at the Rudolf Steiner Institute, and presently is an instructor at the Spacial Dynamics® Institute. He is a founding boardmember of Seeds of Independence, where he continues to facilitate in their Jumpstart program for first-time youth offenders. He performs a duet show with his wife.

Katy has been accompanying choirs in the greater Portland area for more than 20 years. She regularly works with several schools in the area, as well as many private choirs, ranging in age from elementary school through high school and beyond. Katy also teaches piano to students of all ages.

Lauren Kerr was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was a student for six years at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor. She studied elementary education at University, and in her early professional life worked in the public schools of Ann Arbor and Chicago. She attended the Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California, and then took a class from first to eighth grade at the Bright Water Waldorf School in Seattle. After graduating her class, Lauren traveled internationally for a year, and then moved to Madrid, Spain, where she taught English at the Escuela Waldorf de Aravaca. 

In addition to traveling, Lauren loves to hike, bike, and relax with a nice cup of tea and a good book. She has enjoyed exploring Maine and discovering the natural wonders of this beautiful state.

When plucked suddenly from her complacent New England habitat in early adolescence and immersed in the warp and weft of life in South Africa, Lynn's eyes and interests were opened to a very different world perspective. Though primed for the adventure by her father's stories from annual sojourns to the Far East, experience proved the more immediate educator. After graduating from high school in Hong Kong, she once again became a mostly settled, slightly restless New Englander. It was on meeting Waldorf Education that she found a reflection of her early experiences in the exploration of the world's cultures as they unfold in the elementary curriculum. Besides her continuing fascination with indigenous peoples everywhere, she brings her love of the arts, a pleasure in the world of nature, and an enthusiasm for creating with her hands into her classroom.

Margaret found her way to Maine by way of Cincinnati, Ohio, to attend Bowdoin College. While there, she studied Latin and Greek, and met a great guy, upon graduation married him, and has been in New England ever since. She is still not so sure about the cold, cold winters, but she does love the Maine summers, and the gorgeous landscape of the Maine coastline. When she and her family spent a year abroad in Australia, she found her way to Waldorf education there as well, and it was in Melbourne, Australia that she began her studies to become a Waldorf teacher. She finished her M.Ed with a specialty in Waldorf Teaching when she returned to the United States. Margaret began with her current class in first grade in the Fall of 2013.

Marta grew up on Cape Cod where her family ran a fish market; she shared the work of filleting and preparing seafoods from an early age. It was on a hilltop in Avignon (following a semester in Stockholm) that she learned of Waldorf education from her travel-mate. She began teaching in Washington, D.C., where she met her husband and enjoyed 10 years of city life. They ventured up to Maine where Marta taught in the Bath Public Schools. Marta and Tom grew their family by adoption; experiencing their children's birth cultures of Kazakhstan and Ethiopia and raising these two wonderful children has broadened their world infinitely. Marta continues to love the ocean, her family, and her two sweet cats.

I spent my childhood in a small town in the Southern Tier area of Upstate New York. After completing my Associates Degree in Business at S.U.N.Y. at Alfred I lived and worked in Syracuse, NY for the next 15 years. For the majority of those years I worked for Guardian Life Insurance Company and also completed my Bachelor's Degree by taking evening courses. I eventually obtained the revered position of Service and Sales which included selling employee benefits and servicing existing accounts throughout Upstate New York.

With the good fortune of meeting my potential husband who lived in Freeport, through mutual relatives in Syracuse, I moved to Maine when we married and have not looked back. Once my daughters were entrenched at MCWS I took over the position of managing the school store on a volunteer basis which increased my desire to understand Waldorf education. This led me to the Waldorf Foundations Study Course, After completing this course and with a fabulous opportunity to achieve a Waldorf Teachers Certificate at Antioch, by taking weekend classes,I obtained the Waldorf Teacher's Certificate after 2 years of study and internships. I jumped right into teaching main lesson classes and substituting at MCWS and began as the Events coordinator in 2013. This position draws on the many skills I've developed through chairing various non-profit initiatives as well as my understanding of the MCWS community.

Other than being extremely involved with my daughter's class activities, volunteering in the community and at school events, and working as an insurance consultant at my husband's company, I was a competitive runner. I have since taken up cross country skiing and enjoy the outdoors.

A love of travel and adventures abroad, beginning with a high school exchange to Brazil led Michael to study and then teach both French and Spanish. He has enjoyed living and teaching in France and leading student trips to Central America and Quebec; experiences which have inspired a strong passion for world cultures that he brings to his students in stories, songs, and games. His favorite pastimes include spending time with family and friends, working outdoors building and landscaping, playing guitar, and singing songs late into the night.

Molly’s experience working in business operations and investment banking was the catalyst that led her to education, a career that has brought meaning and passion to her life. As someone who struggled with ADHD as a child, she gravitated towards working with children with learning differences. Working at a school serving gifted and twice exceptional learners in Austin, Texas, she gained extensive experience helping her students understand their learning style, cope with their challenges, embrace their unique strengths, and find success. Molly is grateful that she can bring this passion to her work at Maine Coast and continue to help children on their path to self actualization.

Currently enrolled in a master’s program in Educational Psychology, Molly spends a lot of her free time learning about how she can best serve her students and loves to see how her studies infuse her work with fresh knowledge, solutions, and expertise from the field. When she is not at school or studying she enjoys cooking elaborate meals, doing anything outdoors, and spending time with her family.

Oliver is a native of Germany who came to Maine in 2001. Since 1990, Oliver has been working with children and teenagers in various settings in Europe and the US. Through his many years of experience in arts, language, nature studies, athletics, social work, culinary arts, crafts, and music—as well as being a father—Oliver feels at home in creating exciting, inspiring, and versatile activities for children of all ages. Oliver has been the German teacher for Kindergarten through 8th grade at Maine Coast since 2005. His many tasks at the school have included teaching high school German, woodworking, cooking and coaching middle school cross-country.

Ross grew up in Alaska where his connection to the outdoors was part of the rhythmic flow of the seasons. Ross first became aware and interested in how movement is related to learning after studying movement theater between his undergraduate and graduate studies, which eventually led to Spacial Dynamics and the study of human movement.  Currently in his 4th year of Spacial Dynamics training.  Current and past movement pursuits include swimming, rock climbing, bare back rodeo, long distance ocean kayaking, sailing, and bush flying.

Suzie is a native New Englander who knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a teacher.  During her first career, Suzie had a wide range of experience in the hospitality industry. She discovered a way to nurture her love of the outdoors by shifting from the sales department of the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, to a management position supporting the back country huts for the Appalachian Mountain Club in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Marriage and motherhood brought Suzie to Maine, where her family grew to four children and many pets. Suzie readily admits her current career direction was inspired by the experiences of her four children, all educated at Maine Coast Waldorf School, from the early childhood program onward. Her own Waldorf faculty experience includes time as a volunteer, full time handwork instructor and classroom teacher.  Suzie loves to knit, swim and spend time with her family.

Toben studied Elementary Education and English. Toben loves working with children and he is absolutely built for it.  He is kind, compassionate and fun and is always coming up with creative and interesting ways to work with children. In addition to serving as an After Care Teacher for Maine Coast Waldorf School, Toben oversees the family programming at two local churches.  Toben is an amateur poet and his most prized material possession is a signed copy of “Dog Songs” by Mary Oliver.

Vanessa is Grades School Office Manager. She has spent the last ten years teaching in Maine classrooms and working as an educational program coordinator, and also has experience in public relations, event planning, and program development. She is a Maine native and after some time in New York and New Hampshire she returned to pursue her passion for community education. Vanessa holds a B.A. in English Literature from UNH, and a Master’s in Education from USM. Other interests are cooking, live music, and being outdoors year-round. She lives in Brunswick with her partner and their 3-year-old rescue pup.