April's childhood and adolescent forays into poetry and nonfiction writing informed her decision to study writing and literature in college. Subsequently, she become an English Language Arts teacher for six years in public and private schools in Massachusetts. Through her years in the classroom, April found herself drawn to the students with learning differences and sought to close the achievement gap within her classroom and beyond. Her study of educational therapy, psychology, and the science of learning help inform her work at Maine Coast Waldorf School.

Personally, April's love for writing hasn't waned and she spends many of her free moments crafting new poetry and both fiction and nonfiction pieces. She spends as much time as she can outdoors with her rescue pup, Callie, and enjoys exploring the country through various hiking endeavors.

Growing up, Chris attended a small progressive school in Melbourne, Australia. Similar to Waldorf in its philosophical approach to childhood development, Preshil provided the foundation for Chris’ student-centered, experiential education philosophy. Chris went on to spend 16 years teaching in outdoor education. There he facilitated experiences that provided opportunities for reflection, critical analysis, and synthesis. It became clear to Chris that students needed more than a short immersion program; they needed these principles to be woven into their daily lives. In the classroom, Chris brings his passion for teaching to bear over the course of a year and in the context of a greater community and progression of experiences. Chris’ objective is to assist students to become engaged, informed, and conscientious members of society.

Cyrus has spent some time as an entomologist and a lot of time teaching German to college students in Maine, Massachusetts, and Indiana. In classes on Lady Gaga, poetry, or Spargelfest (asparagus fest), he works with students to develop an understanding of our society and of our places in it; his teaching provides students not only with a critical purchase on social life, but with the tools they can use to envision transforming it. Cyrus has spent a lot of time writing on punk rock and philosophy, so that means he tries to go to as many concerts as possible and then philosophize about the music. But with a family, a garden, and a wood stove, that tends to happen less often.

David discovered the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy through work as a Biodynamic farmer in California. His desire was to change the world and he felt that first Biodynamic agriculture and later life in Camphill Village and in Waldorf Education was the way to marry his professional, political and spiritual life. David loves to sing and play music as well as being outdoors, reading fantastic books and spending as much time as possible with his family. He still believes in the power of Waldorf education to change the world!

David taught at Green Meadow Waldorf School (NY) for 25 years before joining MCWS in 2006 as a founding high school teacher. He also helped to launch the Shining Mt. Waldorf High School in Boulder, Colorado. He has authored three books: Stages of Imagination—Working Dramatically with Adolescents, Life Lessons—Reaching Teenagers through Literature, and a poetry collection entitled, The Irresistible In-Between, as well as several articles for Renewal magazine. David is a faculty member of the Center for Anthroposophy, teaching humanities in the Waldorf high school teacher training summer program. He is also enjoying life's latest delight: grandfatherhood!

Delaney was born and raised in Westbrook, Maine surrounded by a family that loved music. As both a French Horn and Trumpet player, she has played in several jazz ensembles, marching bands, concert bands, and musical theater productions. Delaney had the opportunity to teach in many richly diverse schools throughout the Metropolitan Nashville area, serving students of various cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and yoga. She also enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, Jared, and their son, Acadia.

Ellen has been an active explorer of the living world since childhood. Working with others to understand the intrinsic connection between human beings and their environment inspires her work as both an experiential educator and ecologist. She has conducted field research in climatology, salt marsh ecology, and the population genetics of river herring. Ellen is an avid naturalist, citizen scientist and homesteader. You can find her outdoors in all seasons with her family, gallivanting through wetlands, looking under rocks, and running (or skiing!) everywhere she can.

Jeff grew up six miles south of Freeport in Yarmouth. Jeff has been teaching high school math and science since 1987. He is a founding faculty member of MCWS's high school and has been teaching math and phenomenological science since its inception. Prior to that he taught at North Yarmouth Academy, The Academy at Charlemont, Northfield Mount Hermon School, and The White Mountain School. He also plays bass and sings in an adult "garage band". At one time he was a fly fishing guide in Montana.

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.

Jessica grew up in Maine. She moved to Australia to study her masters and has lived there for the past 13 years. While in Australia she has mainly worked in the Marine Research arena but after the birth of her son in 2012 has focused mainly on teaching. During her time as a marine researcher her professional interests included; Elasmobranch ecology and fisheries management, reef fish ecology, genetics, population modelling, and marine conservation. She has returned to Maine just this summer and is excited to be teaching high school students as she enjoys teaching young adults as they begin to transition into adulthood.

Johanna grew up on the island of Bermuda and had an active and creative childhood. She moved to Maine in 2001, along with her husband, to restore a 225 year old house, a place to live out their artistic ambitions. She has shared her joy of painting with children and adults for over a decade, teaching in many different private schools and institutions, both in Maine and Bermuda. She loves working with the high school students at Maine Coast Waldorf School, inspiring them to look deeper into the beauty of the natural world. She feels passionately that art-making is a vital skill of communication and self-expression for young people. She has two young children of her own and spends her time with her family cooking, playing, painting and in nature as much as possible.

A Denver native, John joins Maine Coast after eleven years teaching at the Denver Waldorf High School, where he was also a student for 14 years. Through teaching, John rediscovered the joys of writing poetry. In poetic circles, John describes his teaching work as arson after Yeats’s sentiment that ‘education is not the filling of pail, but the lighting of a fire.’ This collaborative act of breaking down walls and building anew from the flames is what gets John fired up in the classroom. When not at school, John immerses himself in stories, music, tinkering, and exploring the outdoors with his family.

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.

Joshua was born and raised in Saratoga Springs, NY at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. After college he spent three years teaching English in Japan, and has taught high school humanities in Waldorf high schools for 18 years (Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, and most recently Shining Mountain Waldorf School in Boulder, Colorado). In his free time he loves being with his family (wife, Kim and daughter, Forest) in the outdoors, reading, writing, and carpentry. He comes to Maine Coast Waldorf School with a passion for seeking out truth and meaning in life and the world with his students.

Throughout her life Julie has always been a maker. She is motivated most when using her hands to create, She has worked in many media including wood, clay, glass, metal, stone, painting, drawing Teaching has always allowed her to learn and share her enthusiasms. Julie will always seeks out the opportunity to make something over buying it. She finds her greatest inspiration spending time with her family in the outdoors actively engaging in every season. She also loves to cook and share meals with friends, xc ski, and pick blueberries. Julie considers Maine her home where she lives a busy life with her husband and their daughter in a house they built on a little farm they created.

A native of Michigan, Kali spent most of her adult life bouncing across the country, and the Atlantic, in pursuit of adventure and unpasteurized cheese. An undergraduate fascination with French cinema quickly evolved into a life-long obsession with all things French. From teaching in the South of France, to gathering chestnuts in the Cevennes, to running the streets of Paris with a local running club, Kali has worked, traveled, and jogged extensively throughout France. Her love of the language is matched only by her passion for teaching, and she is thrilled to share this enthusiasm with her students.

Before moving to Maine, Kali was a French teacher at a boarding school in New Hampshire. She currently lives in Bath with her husband, son, and terrier.

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.

Kelly comes to Maine Coast Waldorf School from 16 years teaching physics, chemistry, and agricultural science as a public educator. Passionate about making upper level content accessible and differentiated, Kelly's enthusiasm for STEM education naturally leads her to look for opportunities for her students beyond the walls of the classroom. Outside of school Kelly can be found tending her flock of heritage Jacob Sheep, hiking with her dogs, cross country skiing and crafting with her daughter.

Louanne has lived in Maine her whole life. Her love of art and dance brought her as far away as Guinea, West Africa where she studied with Les Ballets Africans. She has a passion for understanding differences and building connections whether through art, dance, or dialogue. This led her to pursue art education, helping spearhead a program at USM in community arts. Louanne seeks opportunities to reduce isolation in individuals by promoting self-efficacy, compassion, and community stewardship. Her role at Maine Coast Waldorf School draws on her belief that every individual has an important and unique story and contribution to the world. She is a mother, lover of nature and poetry, and has a great curiosity for understanding how things work, unfold, change, and grow.

A coin toss landed Nancy in Portland after graduate school, and she has called Maine home ever since.  After teaching at the college level for five years, Nancy decided she wanted to teach adolescents and started teaching in public high schools.  Nancy and her husband discovered Maine Coast Waldorf School when they were searching for a nursery program for their daughters seventeen years ago. Foundation Studies deepened Nancy’s understanding of Waldorf education and prepared her for Waldorf high school teacher training. Nancy enjoys helping bring plays to life, inspiring students to appreciate literature and transforming their thoughts to the written word. She loves spending time with her family, reading novels, writing poetry, and immersing herself in nature.

Nancy is a violinist and teaches strings, classroom music and chorus.  She has served as principle violinist for the Maine State Ballet Orchestra and has performed with the Portland Symphony, the Bangor Symphony, the Maine Chamber Ensemble, the Portland Opera Repertory Theater Orchestra and the trio Musica Sorrella. Nancy has served as a conductor with the Brunswick Regional Youth Orchestra, the Southern Maine String Academy and at several District Festivals across the state. Nancy is the founder of the Coastal Youth Orchestra and conductor of CYO's Fiddleheads and Coastal String Ensembles. Nancy is well known for her enthusiasm and sensitivity in working with young string players and for her dedication to music education. In her free time she enjoys running and spending time skiing at Sugarloaf with her husband and two children, Alexandra and Christopher.

Régine, born and educated in Nantes, France, came to Maine as a teaching intern in the 1970s where she met her husband who became a diplomat. They embarked on an international life that took them to Iceland, Morocco, Switzerland, France and Bangladesh in addition to Washington, DC. While teaching for 35 years in International Schools and raising four bilingual, bicultural children, Régine did volunteer work in the slums of Morocco and Bangladesh, where she ran the UN Women's Association Welfare Program. She still helps Buddhist schools in Nepal and India, such as the Siddhartha School in Ladakh, India, where she started MWHS sponsoring of one of their students. It is no surprise that she established our International Exchange Program!

Sharyn grew up in Midcoast Maine on a small farm. She began taking pictures and dance classes at the age of 14. Art has always been her inspiration and she graduated high school from Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Sharyn  worked as an architectural photographer up and down the east coast and ended up in New York City for seven years. She moved back to Maine in 2001 and has been in business for herself doing portrait, commercial and fine art photography.

Sharyn resides in Pownal with her 13-year-old daughter and rescue Rottweiler. She is a member of the Green Memorial AME Zion Church in Portland and of the Alma Cubana Dance team, which performs annually at the Boston Salsa Festival.

Beginning with her experience as a college senior interviewing prospective first year students, Whitney has spent more than two decades working with students as they make the transition from high school to college. She has worked as a college admissions officer, a high school counselor, and an independent counselor. She visits several dozen colleges each year and is always amazed by the diversity of higher education opportunities available in the United States and abroad. Whitney currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Higher Education Consultants Association.