Gerald Fluhrer has taught at the Sandpoint Waldorf School since 1997. He was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and earned a B.A. in Social Science at California State University at Chico. Gerald became interested in Waldorf education after studying Anthroposophy for 12 years with Michael and Karen McPherson at the American Eurythmy School in Weed, California. His studies at the American Eurythmy School led to his studies in Waldorf education and then to teaching grades 1 and 2 at the Mount Shasta Waldorf School. Gerald’s daughter graduated from the Sandpoint Waldorf School in 2000.

Jeanette Rinehart grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended high school in the DC area. After attending Rutgers University, she and her family moved to Bozeman, Montana where she received her B.S. in Education at Montana State. Jeanette’s first teaching position was at Sant Bani School in New Hampshire, a K-12 independent school, where a reverence for life in all forms and a dedication to the ideal of service to others was taught. Jeanette has cared for infants and toddlers and has taught Preschool through 4th grade. She holds an M.Ed. in Reading from the University of New Hampshire and loves teaching reading and writing. Jeanette holds an Idaho teaching certification and a Waldorf Early Childhood Teaching Certification from the West Coast Institute in Vancouver. She attends summer programs for teachers at Rudolph Steiner College and, during the school year, she enjoys lively conversations on internet groups with her colleagues from all over the United States. In a quest for self-knowledge, Jeanette mediates daily and hosts weekly meditation groups in her home. In her free time, Jeanette enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, skiing, and skating on the lake when it freezes. She plays piano and guitar and loves to sing with her students and with the Pend Oreille Choral. She organizes class ski trips and takes her students to Schweitzer Mountain several times every winter. Jeanette’s husband, Chris, is a pilot and directs Scholarship Flight Training for teens. Jeanette’s daughters, both health professionals, live in Portland. Trips to visit family include side trips to museums, concerts, vegetarian restaurants and the Oregon Coast where she enjoys exploring tide pools.

Yvette McGowan graduated from Sonoma State University in 1988 with a B.A. in mathematics. In 2004, she graduated from the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. Yvette taught math and handwork at the Marin Waldorf School for eight years before moving back to the Sandpoint area where she began teaching handwork and upper grade math classes at the Sandpoint Waldorf School. Yvette also co-taught a 7th/8th grade class before embarking on her current full-time teaching position at the school. She is a founding partner of Camp Eureka, a Waldorf-inspired summer camp for children, located near the shore of beautiful Lake Pend Oreille. Yvette raised two children, Savannah and Django, both Waldorf school graduates. She enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, running and skiing and is an avid knitter when she has to be indoors.

Julie McCallan has been teaching at the Sandpoint Waldorf School since 1999. She holds an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Illinois, a B.A. from the University of Colorado and a Waldorf teaching certification from Eugene, Oregon. Prior to moving to Sandpoint and joining the Sandpoint Waldorf School, Julie taught kindergarten, and first and second grades at the Roaring Fork Waldorf School in Carbondale, Colorado. She grew up in the Southwest and spent much of her childhood camping and hiking. After a break from formal teaching, Julie served in the Peace Corps in Ecuador where she taught sewing, cooking and gardening to children and adults. She then joined the Sandpoint Waldorf School as a teacher. Julie has two children, Megan and Ethan. Her daughter Megan graduated from the Sandpoint Waldorf School in 2001.

Michael Seifert graduated from Cornell University in 1977 majoring in biology. His interests led him to a career in computer technology and a passion for ceramic arts. He became a stay- at- home dad in 1997. Because of his love of children and education, he began the Waldorf teacher training in 2000. Before moving to Sandpoint, he taught 1st and 2nd grades at the Marin Waldorf School in California. He has taught at the Sandpoint Waldorf School since 2005. He resides in Sandpoint with his wife and two children, one a graduate of the Sandpoint Waldorf School and one a current student at the school.

Kelly Kietzman – Bio will be available shortly.

Amanda Knapp, our Huckleberry Kindergarten teacher, started teaching at the Sandpoint Waldorf School in 2003. She became the lead teacher for the Huckleberry Kindergarten class in 2007. Amanda holds a degree in Theatre Arts from North Idaho College and a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from the University of Idaho. She received her Waldorf Early Childhood Teaching certificate from the West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy in 2009. Amanda was initially drawn to Waldorf education because the curriculum includes storytelling, performing arts and music – all things she loves about working in theatre. She was born and raised right here in North Idaho and has been a long-time resident of Sandpoint where she resides with her husband Neil and their many cats. Amanda is an avid gardener and dancer and enjoys hiking and camping in the local mountains.

Olivia Stoney – Bio will be available shortly.

Lorilie Heisel is the Kindergarten Assistant and Preschool aftercare provider who brings a gentle and nurturing approach to the children. She has called the Sandpoint area her home for over 30 years. She is the mother of two boys, Jensen and Mathis, who attend the Sandpoint Waldorf School. Lorilie, her wonderful husband, Joe, and their two sons live “on the other side of the lake” in Clark Fork where they enjoy swimming, fishing, hiking, skiing, and riding bikes.

Emily Faulkner was born and raised in Massachusetts and has taught French Language Studies at the Sandpoint Waldorf School since 1994. Her French studies began in 7th grade and continued through a semester at the Sorbonne, a year in France, and she then earned her B.A. in French from the University of Idaho. In 2004, Emily spent three weeks in southern France immersed in the language. Emily has lived in North Idaho for 18 years. Emily’s daughters Virginia and Ellen are both graduates of the Sandpoint Waldorf School. After motherhood and teaching, Emily tends a small flock of sheep and she enjoys gardening, fiber arts and outdoor fun. Besides French Language Studies, Emily also shares her vast knowledge of the fiber arts with her classes.

Susan Prez, teaches knitting, crocheting, and sewing to students in first grade. She enjoys instilling a love of working with the hands and showing children how to make beautiful things which can also be used. She has taught handwork at the Sandpoint Waldorf School since its founding in 1992. Susan is a founding parent of the Sandpoint Waldorf School and has worked at the school since its inception.  Susan served as administrative assistant to the president at the North American Farm Alliance where she learned about the workings of non-profit organizations. Her son graduated from the Sandpoint Waldorf School in 2000 and the University of Montana in 2009. Susan is a musician, guitarist and songwriter.

Karen Dignan has been playing violin and fiddle for over 22 years. She learned with a blend of classical Suzuki style training and fiddle music and likes to teach with the same combination. Karen earned a degree in music education from the University of Idaho and has taught general music, band, choir and strings in public schools. She is now mostly a mom with a smattering of teaching at the Sandpoint Waldorf School and at her home.

Susan Morton is passionate about handwork and loves sharing this with her students. She spent a year studying and working at the American Eurythmy School in Weed, CA and has worked in several Waldorf-based Camphill communities, which support people with disabilities. Susan spent eight years working with “at risk” youth as a mentor, counselor and art and handwork teacher. She has worked at the Sandpoint Waldorf School as an assistant in the Preschool and Kindergarten and as an aftercare provider. She has studied Anthroposophy for more than a decade and continues a deep and abiding commitment to her studies and through them an understanding of the world and human beings.

Amanda Blossom is the aftercare provider for the older grades. She has been a parent at the school since 2002 and an aftercare provider since 2004. Besides her work at the school, Amanda runs a summer camp where she continues her love of working with children. She is dedicated to her three children, Ashland, Sadie, and Kaysia.

Michael Soule – Bio will be available shortly.

Sandi Nicholson – Bio will be available shortly.

Tricia Sullivan – Bio will be available shortly.