Faculty
- Kim Dunkley
- Mary Ellingson
- Mary Ewald
- Nettie Fabrie
- Laurie Gardner
- Wim Gottenbos
- My-Duyen Huynh
- Robyn Louise Jones
- Patricia Costa Kim
- Holly Koteen-Soulé
- Monica Lander
- Barry Lia
- Janet Lia
- Ann Neal
- Mary Oak
- Michael Soulé
- Johanna Steegmans
- Vreni Von Arx
- Betsy Weill
Summer Guest Faculty
- Joseph Doucette
- Jana Hawley (McFee)
- Jennifer Knighton
- Michael Kline
- Cynthia Lair
- Geoffrey Norris
- Chris Wiechert
- Kundry Willworth
Kim
Dunkley
Kim was born in Manchester, England. She spent her childhood acting, singing and swimming. After graduating with a BA in Drama and English Literature from York University, Kim traveled the world over for a few years, landing in Seattle. Kim is a graduate of the SCC teacher training program and presently teaches kindergarten at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.
Mary
Ellingson
Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Mary spent her early years living on Washington’s Long Beach peninsula and still feels a strong tie to that area. Mary later moved to Tacoma. She graduated from Fairhaven College and then completed Waldorf teacher training, beginning her study in Eugene, Oregon and finishing in the Antioch New England program. Mary is presently teaching sixth grade at the Seattle Waldorf School.
Mary
Ewald
Mary has been a professional actress for 25 years. She has worked in New York, toured in Europe, and also appeared in major regional theaters on both coasts. She is a founding member of the New City Theater where she has worked with leading contemporary playwright/directors. She had taught independently as well as at Seattle University. Mary has served as director, music director and/or choreographer for five theater productions at the Seattle Waldorf School, and will also be teaching and directing at Hazel Wolf High School this winter. She is a graduate in Dramatic Arts from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Nettie
Fabrie
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Nettie worked as a public school teacher before becoming trained in Waldorf Education. From 1976-1993 she was a class teacher at the Brabant Waldorf School in Eindhoven, where she took two classes through grades 1-8 and taught art and art history in the high school. Since 1992, she has done extensive study of, and teaching in, remedial education. For many years, Nettie has taught and mentored teachers in the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Canada, and the U.S. Nettie is currently an educational support teacher at the Seattle Waldorf School and co-director of Sound Circle’s Teacher Training Program.
Laurie
Gardner
Laurie received a BA in Wholistic Health from Antioch University. She worked in the healthcare field as a nurse for eight years and was Registrar for the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Like many Waldorf teachers, Laurie met Waldorf Education while searching for a school for her children. She attended the Early Childhood Education Seminars at the SWS from and completed SCC’s first Arts & Anthroposophical Studies Course. Laurie studied Remedial Education at the Gradalis Institute in Boulder, CO and completed a three year training in Handwork at Sunbridge College. She taught Handwork in grades 1-8 at the Seattle Waldorf School for ten years joined the adjunct faculty of SCC in 2004.
Wim
Gottenbos
Wim taught in Dutch public schools for 12 years before training and becoming a Waldorf teacher. Since then he has taken two classes 1-8 in Holland, trained and worked as a Remedial Specialist and Teacher mentor, and after teaching 4-8 in Seattle is now carrying class 6. Wim also teaches woodwork in the middle school and is a beekeeper.
My-Duyen
Huynh
My was born in Vietnam and came to the United States of America when she was 24 years old. She studied home economics in Vietnam and computer programming here in the U.S. My met Waldorf Education when her children began attending the Seattle Waldorf School (SWS). She started working as a kindergarten assistant at the Bright Water School (BWS) and then became a handwork assistant at SWS. She completed her foundation year with Sound Circle and her handwork training at Rudolf Steiner College. This fall, My is beginning her 2nd year as a handwork teacher at BWS.
Robyn
Louise
Jones
Robyn taught at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School for eight years as both a class and movement teacher. Her love of music brought her to work with students and teachers in singing and gamelan. She earned her Waldorf teaching certificate from Antioch University in New Hampshire, and has completed a training in Spatial Dynamics. She has lived and taught on both the east and west coasts and holds degrees in liberal arts and landscape architecture from New England schools. She is currently a massage and craniosacral therapist in private practice.
Patricia
Costa
Kim
Patricia, a graduate of the High School of Performing Arts, in New York City, has earned a B.F.A. from City College of New York City, an M.A. from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Washington School of Music. Her extensive teaching career has included private students, music for families with very young children, parochial and private elementary school music, high school music for Seattle Public Schools, courses and workshops for University of Washington and Seattle University. Patricia served as Director of Education and Community Programs for Seattle Symphony for seven years. She has been a Waldorf parent since 2002.
Holly
Koteen-
Soulé
Holly received her BA and MA from Antioch University in Seattle, and studied Waldorf education at Emerson College. She was a Waldorf Kindergarten teacher for 18 years, first at the Seattle Waldorf School and then as the founding teacher of the Bright Water School, also in Seattle. She has led courses in early childhood for several teacher training centers and has served as an AWSNA consultant for developing schools. Holly has been on the core faculty of Sound Circle Center since 1995, where she is the director of Early Childhood education.
Monica
Lander
Monica holds a BA in Psychology from Eastern Washington State University. She completed her Waldorf teacher training at Sunbridge College, and her Spacial Dynamics certification at the Spacial Studies Institute. She took one class from grade 1 through to grade 8, and another class from grade 3 to grade 8 at the Washington Waldorf School in Washington, D.C. From 2000-2003 she was that school’s movement education teacher, working with children in all the grades. Monica is completing her fifth year as a class teacher at Bright Water School and is an active outdoor educator of adults and children in the Northwest. Monica has worked as a Waldorf consultant, teacher mentor and evaluator.
Barry
Lia
Barry trained in biodynamic agriculture with Dr. Andrew Lorand at New College of California. Together with his wife Janet, he has been practicing biodynamic husbandry on their urban homestead for over 15 years, and they have led workshops introducing biodynamics locally in many venues. Barry coordinates the Washington Biodynamic Group, works on local biodynamic farms, and consults in biodynamic farming and gardening. He also maintains a study of Goethe’s scientific methodology and is active in developing the International Qualitative Picture Forming Methods Association. Barry holds a Ph.D. in neurobiology and works as a clinical technologist at UW Medical Center.
Janet
Lia
Janet Lia has over 20 years of experience teaching art in public and private elementary, middle and high school, as well as teacher training. After completing a 2-year Bio-Dynamic certification in Scandinavia, Janet earned a B.A. in Education and her Public School teaching credentials (K-12 with endorsements in Visual Arts and Agriculture). She completed a Waldorf Teaching certificate in 1984 and followed this with a formal 2-year Arts Program at Rudolf Steiner College. Currently Janet teaches fine arts in local Waldorf schools, at SCC, at the Experimental College, and the University of Washington. She is the owner and instructor of A.W.E. (Art With Everyone) in Seattle, where she continues to develop herself artistically as she works with her students.
Ann
Neal
Before pursuing a Eurythmy training at The American Eurythmy School in Mt. Shasta, Ann worked as a Registered Nurse for 15 years. While teaching Eurythmy at the Sandpoint Waldorf School and at Whatcom Hills Waldorf School, she completed the Eurythmy in the Workplace training with Anna Marie Erlich and the Waldorf Teacher Training at SCC. She has just graduated a class that she has taught since their fourth grade year at Whatcom Hills Waldorf School where she is once again teaching Eurythmy full time. She has taught Eurythmy at SCC for the past five years. Ann lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband, Aaron.
Mary
Oak
Mary Oak trained in Storytelling and Creative Writing and began her teaching at Emerson College in England. She has an M.F.A in Creative Writing and a B.A. degree in Mythopoetics and Sacred Ecology, both from Antioch University. She has kept a journal for 38 years and is currently working on a manuscript about her journey with congenital heart disease. In addition to teaching, Mary works as a writing guide with individuals and has been published in a variety of journals. She taught Language Arts at Hazel Wolf High School for five years and has been on the core faculty of Sound Circle Teacher Training since 1998.
Michael
Soulé
Michael is a trained Waldorf teacher, holds an MS in Environmental Engineering and is completing his MS in Waldorf Education. He also completed training in Spacial Dynamics and studied at the Social Development Centre of Emerson College(UK). Over the past 25 years, he has worked to help found and direct several non-profit organizations focused on environmental education. He was the administrator of the Seattle Waldorf School from 1986-91. More recently he taught grades 1-4 at Bright Water School and is currently the Leader of Programs and Activities at the Association of Waldorf Schools (AWSNA). Michael is a founding member of Sound Circle Center.
Johanna
Steegmans
Johanna was born, raised, and trained as a pediatrician in southern Germany. She came to Seattle in 1989. Here she completed her training in Naturopathic Medicine at John Bastyr University. Johanna was on the founding faculty of Sound Circle Center, teaching in the Early Childhood courses and the Foundation Year. Now, besides co-directing the Foundation Year Studies in Sound Circle Center, Johanna travels and teaches in various places here and abroad. Johanna also works out of a private practice in Seattle.
Vreni
Von
Arx
Vreni grew up in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. In 1981, she graduated from Waldorf Kindergarten Training in Bern. From 1981-1986, Vreni worked as a teacher in Bern and Zurich. In 1986 she immigrated to Seattle. After the birth of her two children, she became a preschool teacher and an early childhood teacher. For the past five years, Vreni has devoted her time and energy to fiber arts and she has been exploring felting as an art form.
Betsy
Weill
Born in New York City, Betsy went to the University of Pennsylvania to study architecture. When she was 21, Rudolf Steiner’s work kept jumping onto her path. Later, a desire to teach children led her to Pacific Oaks College and then to the brand new Seattle Waldorf School, where she was a student teacher and after-school care provider. After a wild year in the mountains of Idaho, Betsy went to the Waldorf Institute in Detroit and returned to Seattle to take a class from 1984-1992. Since then, she has worked as a mentor and preschool teacher. Betsy is a founding member of SCC and co-director of Sound Circle Teacher Training.
Summer Guest Faculty
Joseph
Doucette
Joseph Doucette coordinated research on endangered alpine plants and high altitude air pollutants with the US Forest Service and Harvard School of Public Health before becoming a teacher. He trained at the Eugene Waldorf Teacher Training, taught math and science at the Eugene Waldorf High School, is currently in his 2nd cycle as a class teacher at the Whatcom Hills Waldorf School in Bellingham, WA. On the side, Joseph serves as the representative to the Northwest regional schools on the AWSNA Leadership Council.
Jana
Hawley
Jana Hawley (McFee) is a graduate of Cornish Institute’s Worlds of Music program. She has studied Waldorf music education with Michael Deason-Barrow, Fabian Lochner and Eleanor Winship, specializing in Mood of the Fifth music. Jana has taught at Rudolf Steiner Institute in Maine, Sunbridge College and in the SCC Teacher Training. She is currently teaching music at the Green Meadow Waldorf School in New York. She joined the faculty of Sound Circle Center in 1999.
Jennifer
Knighton
Jennifer Knighton received her teacher training certificate from Antioch New England and also has certificates in Spacial Dynamics and Verbeck Singing. She has been a grades teacher for 18 years, having taught at several schools and most recently completing an 8-year cycle at the Sacramento Waldorf School. She has been presenting workshops to teachers since 1996, and is currently the first grade teacher at the Bright Water School in Seattle.
Michael
Kline
Michael Kline has a BA in art and a Waldorf Teaching Certificate from Emerson College in England. He pioneered the Practical Arts Program for the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs in New York, taught at the Vancouver Waldorf School and for the last two years has been a class teacher at the Seattle Waldorf School.
Cynthia
Lair
Cynthia Lair has been performing for over 25 years. She studied acting in NYC with Uta Hagen and improv with Paul Sills, The Groundlings and Matt Smith. She is a regular performer with The Edge improv group. She is the author of two books on whole foods, star of web whole foods show “Cookus Interruptus” and, when not acting, teaches nutrition at John Bastyr College.
Geoffrey
Norris
Geoffrey Norris has been an actor and a voice, speech and drama teacher for the past 28 years and has taught and performed throughout the world. Trained at the London School of Speech in 1978, he is a founding member of the Rose Theatre Company, voice and theatre consultant at Michael Hall School in UK, movement and voice teacher at High School Helicon Dance/Eurythmy Training, consultant with Schola Teatru and is actor/storyteller in Teatro delle Stella, which toured the US with the Norwegian folktale, “The Princess who went to the Heart of the Earth.”
Christof
Weichert
Christof Weichert is the leader of the Pedagogical Section in Dornach Switzerland. After growing up as a Waldorf student himself, he has had many years experience as a teacher in Holland. Christof brings a great appreciation for challenges in the life of the teacher and a deep understanding of the spiritual foundations of the pedagogy. Christof travels throughout the world supporting the continued growth of Waldorf education and inspiring teachers in their development.
Kundry
Willwerth
Kundry Willwerth was a Waldorf kindergarten teacher for over 30 years. For the last 20 years she has devoted herself to translating Wilma Ellersiek’s Hand Gesture and Movement Games from the German, playing the games with children in her care and presenting workshops throughout North American and internationally. She is also the founder and artistic director of Magic Garden Puppets, a marionette theatre company in central N Y state.
