Staff
Each grade level is led by their full time Class Teacher who instructs the children in all Main Lesson subjects, and oversees the children throughout the school day. The Kindergarten Class Teacher is accompanied by the Kindergarten Assistant throughout the school day.
Class teachers are responsible for instruction in all academic areas, as well as lessons in painting, music (recorder and singing), movement, form drawing, class meetings, and games. The Village School faculty members work in two-year loops, teaching the same group of children for two consecutive years. There are four loops; grades one and two, grades three and four, grades five and six and grades seven and eight.
Specialty teachers instruct the following classes: Handwork (knitting, sewing, and other hand crafts); Foreign Language (Spanish); P.E. (movement); and Music (guitar, violin and marimba).
As a Title I School, The Village School receives federal funding for, among other services, hiring part time Instructional Assistants. These Instructional Assistants are available on a daily basis to assist Class Teachers in meeting the needs of struggling learners.
The Village School exceeds Oregon Charter School Law requirements that a minimum 50% of staff are licensed or registered with the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
Individuals interested in employment at The Village School can check for current job postings on the positions available page.
Administration
Administrator, Martha Collins
Martha Collins joined the Village School in July, 2005. Martha holds a BFA from the University of California at Santa Cruz, a Masters Degree in Education from the University of New Mexico, teaching licenses in both Washington and Oregon, a certificate in Waldorf School Administration and Community Building from Sunbridge College in New York, and an Oregon State Administrator License. Martha has been involved with independent Waldorf schools for 25 years as a certified K-8 teacher and Administrator in Hawaii and Washington State. For the seven years prior to joining the Village School in 2005, she served as Administrator for the Seattle Waldorf School. Martha and her husband Greg have two children – Rosalie who is an ER Nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene and Ian who is a chef in group homes in Washington State. Among others, Martha’s interests include painting, gardening, music, hiking, biking and cooking.
Assistant to the Administrator, Catia Juliana
Catia has been involved with the Village School as a parent for seven years and currently has two children attending the school. She worked as an office assistant at the school for two years, then left for several years to work in social services, and has returned as School Coordinator/Assistant to the Administrator. She spent her first 20 years in Western New York, then left to travel out west. She landed in Eugene and never left. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Masters in Sociology from the University of Oregon. Her interests include organic gardening, environmental activism, baking, hiking, biking, and hanging out with her family.
Business Manager, Brandy Newton
Brandy moved, with her family, to Lake Havasu City, AZ in the early 1980's and lived there for 17 years before moving to Eugene. Since coming to Eugene, Brandy has continued her education in the accounting field and holds a Certificate in Accounting and an Associates Degree from Lane Community College. Brandy is working toward her Bachelor's Degree in Accounting at Linfield College. Brandy has worked in the accounting field for the greater part of 15 years. Brandy lives in Eugene with her husband Jordan and two beautiful daughters, Alora and Amelia.
Business Services Assistant, Marlene Shafer
Marlene came to Eugene, OR in March, 2002 after living in Jerusalem, Israel for 21 1/2 years. In Jerusalem she managed a Christian Arabic non-profit publishing organization that published and distributed interdenominational literature. As a part of the distribution, she managed a bookstore that emphasized providing materials for children. While in the Middle East, she traveled to Egypt and Jordan at least annually to purchase publications for more mature readers. During the years she was in the Middle East, she visited America for three months every third year.
Teaching Staff
Kindergarten Teacher, Sarah Wetzel
Raised in Waldorf education, Sarah has always held a deep love and reverence of nature, art, and children. Professionally, she has worked with children in a number of capacities, including as a therapeutic recreation specialist and treatment coordinator for at-risk youth, as an early childhood classroom teacher, as well as an English language teacher in Barcelona, Spain. Recent years have found her tending her gardens, riding her bike, playing with her daughter, and most recently, completing her MS of Early Childhood Special Education and Early Intervention.
First Grade Teacher, Kay Cosby
Kay Cosby is a state certified teacher who has been teaching for over 20 years, the last eight at the elementary school level. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a Masters Degree in education and later attended Pacific University in preparation for teaching the elementary grades. She has been teaching at The Village School since its inception.
Second Grade Teacher, Thomas "Anil" Oommen
Anil holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from The College of Wooster. He studied theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. He taught at an arts-integrated private elementary school in El Cerrito, CA. He earned a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) at Pacific University before coming to teach at The Village School in 2001. Mr. Oommen currently teaches the first/second grade loop at The Village School. He is trained in Waldorf methods through summer intensives at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, California and Sound Circle Center in Seattle, Washington.
Third Grade Teacher, Shannon Powell
Fourth Grade Teacher, Alyson Byas
Fourth Grade Teacher and Title I Coordinator, Sally Grimsrud
Sally is a native Oregonian, born in Eugene and raised along with her brother and three sisters in the tiny coastal town of Elkton. Her mother was a fourth grade teacher and basketball coach. She attended undergraduate school at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, followed by graduate school at the U of O where she received her Masters Degree in Art Education. She recently earned her ESOL endorsement through Pacific University and is currently working toward a reading endorsement. She has been with The Village School teaching the third/fourth loop since its second year. She currently co-teaches fourth grade as well as serving as the Title I Coordinator. She loves being active in the outdoors, especially with her 15 year old son.
Fifth Grade Teacher, Susana Romatz
Susana grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Religion and Earth Science from Central Michigan University in 1998. She lived briefly in New York City and Lafayette, Louisiana before coming to Eugene to attend the Waldorf Teacher Training from which she graduated in 2005. Before joining The Village School faculty, she worked at Fern’s Edge Dairy milking goats. She enjoys drawing, the ocean, and trying to talk to fairies.
Sixth Grade Teacher, Matthew Bigongiari
Born on the south side of Chicago, Matthew, a trained Waldorf teacher, has worked as an educator for 17 years. He is the father of two beautiful daughters and was one of the original co-founders of The Village School. His work in writing much of the original charter proposal and federal start-up grants, coordinating the curriculum and serving on the Board for 3 years, helped to put the school onto the firm foundations it finds itself today. He now teaches in the 5th/6th grade loop and also works as an educational consultant to charter schools across the state. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, cooking, reading, music and being in nature.
Seventh Grade Teacher, Mr. Justin
Justin grew up on the edge of suburbia in Beaverton, Oregon. His early adventures in the woods and fields around his home, and their subsequent development into more neighborhoods and apartments lead him to follow a career in environmental education. For a number of years he taught about the natural history and ecology of the Northwest. Some of his fondest memories are those that involve a creek side mountain lion track and the awe of attentive kids. He’s worked as a professional storyteller as well. He enjoys baking bread, playing old blues on the guitar and banjo, drawing, kayaking, and long walks on the beach.
Eighth Grade Teacher, Andy Traisman
Village School Seventh and Eighth Grade teacher Andy Traisman was raised in suburban Chicago, IL. He graduated from Northern Arizona University, and later completed graduate work and received his teacher’s credentials from the University of Washington where he began his teaching career. After ten years teaching Junior High in suburban Seattle, Andy and his family moved to Eugene in 1993. After two years running his own business Andy returned to teaching, working with Matthew Bigongiari at The Renaissance school and later as a co-eighth grade teacher at the Eugene Waldorf school. Andy worked at various middle and high schools in 4J before coming to the Village School in 2001. Andy has a son in college and a daughter in High School, both K-8 graduates of the Eugene Waldorf School.
Kindergarten Assistant, Susan Flynn
Susan was born in Southern California and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, land of fun and sun. She attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas for two years before starting a family and moving to a small desert town called Pahrump. In 2000 and 2002 each of her sons respectively chose to attend U of O. Having set her sights on the Eugene Waldorf Teacher Training Program, she sold her farm and moved to Eugene. Upon completion of the Early Childhood Certification Program she worked part time at the Eugene Waldorf School and at the Village School as the movement teacher for the First and Second grades. She is now working in the Village School Kindergarten for the third year and is delighted to be a part of this wonderful Village School Community.
Special Subject Teachers
Lower Grade Spanish Teacher, Cybele Higgins
Cybele was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. She has lived in Pakistan, France and China. She has taught Spanish to children ages preschool through third grade and Mandarin Chinese in kindergarten through college. Cybele has a B. A. in East Asian Studies with a focus on Chinese History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and an M. A. in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Portland State University. Cybele is currently teaching English as a Second Language at LCC.
Upper Grade Spanish Teacher, Jonathan Bilenki
Jon’s interest in “lo español” (that which is Spanish) began in grade school when he began to play “la guitarra” (the guitar). He has studied the instrument in its myriad forms for many years. Before gravitating toward learning Spanish language, his additional language studies included surveys of German, Latin and Ancient Greek. He began his formal Spanish studies at Lane Community College, and to date he has earned a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Oregon in Spanish. This past summer he attended a teacher-training program in Cuernavaca, México where he visited a number of local public and private grade schools. This year, in addition to teaching Spanish and Guitar at The Village School, he teaches Spanish at Eastside Alternative Elementary School and Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School as well.
Upper Grade Marimba Teacher, Nic Gusset
Nic has studied Shona music on marimba for 15 years. Originally taking classes at the Kutsinhira Cultural Arts Center, then playing in Zambuko for several years and now currently in Kudana. He trained in western music during his seven years in middle and high school. His father is a violin maker, and his mother worked in the medical profession (Allopathic and Alternative) for many years, recently starting a motivational walking companion service. Music is very important in his life, and he is enthusiastic about introducing Shona music to our students.
Title I Staff
Title I Instructional Assistant, Donna Sakamoto
Donna is from Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from the University of Illinois, she worked for the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management in the southwest and Alaska for eight years. She also has a degree in Elementary Education from Utah State University. Since moving to Oregon in 1984, she has worked as a substitute teacher, teaching assistant, childcare worker, art instructor, and artisan. She is married to a park ranger, and they have one child attending the University of Oregon.