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Staff & Specialist Teachers

Staff

Daniel Hindes

Daniel Hindes

School Director

  • BA, Liberal Arts: University of the State of New York, Regents College
  • MSEd, Elementary Education: Sunbridge College
  • Waldorf Foundation Studies: Fries Jugendseminar – Stuttgart, Germany
  • Waldorf Elementary Education Certificate: Sunbridge College

Daniel Hindes is Boulder Valley Waldorf School’s Director. Daniel attended a Waldorf school from Kindergarten to 8th grade at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. After high school in Western Massachusetts he served four years in the US Army. He received a BA degree in Liberal Arts with concentrations in history and sociology from the University of the State of New York, Regents College. He then lived in Europe for two and a half years, perfecting his German and studying history and philosophy with a particular emphasis on the work of Rudolf Steiner. After a seven years’ career in corporate IT he earned a Master’s degree in Waldorf education from Sunbridge College and began his teaching career as a high school history teacher at the Waldorf School of Garden City in New York, and continued at the Austin Waldorf School and at Shining Mountain in Boulder. His experience in Waldorf Administration began at the Highland Hall Waldorf School with a governance restructuring project, and he served as Administrator of the Pasadena Waldorf School for two years. Daniel is excited to guide the Boulder Valley Waldorf School through its next phase of growth.

Ruth Godberfforde

Ruth Godberfforde

Assistant School Director

  • BSc Physics: Imperial College Scient Technology and Medicine, London, UK
  • MSc Geophysics: University of Washington, Seattle
  • Elementary Teaching license: University of Colorado, Boulder

Ruth Godberfforde was born in Australia and moved to Hong Kong when she was eight years old. Eight years later Ruth moved to the UK where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Physics from Imperial College in London. Her exploration of the natural world led her to study the upper atmosphere at the South Pole in Antarctica; obtaining her Master of Science in Geophysics from the University of Washington.

A love of learning, children’s curiosity and the desire to play led Ruth to obtain her Elementary Teaching license from CU Boulder.  She worked as a First Grade Teacher at an Arts Integrated Magnet School in Colorado where she was integral in the marketing and outreach of this new school.  Ruth discovered Waldorf Education and went on to work as an Early Childhood Teacher at Boulder Waldorf Kindergarten.  Ruth joined the Boulder Valley Waldorf School community in the Outreach and Admissions Office and is excited to help new families discover the gem of our school here as well a work with students and faculty in her expanded role as Assistant School Director. Ruth’s brings over a decade of school leadership experience – in meeting facilitation, mentoring, rules and regs administration, assessment oversight, marketing and web design – to work within this amazing school.

Subject Specialist Teachers

Nancy White-Schram

Nancy White-Schram

Middle School Math & Language Arts Teacher

  • Bachelor’s Degree, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
  • Master’s Degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy, Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado

Nancy spent her first thirteen years living with her family in New Jersey, the Netherlands, and Italy: learning both at school and through travel. Her non-school childhood hours were usually spent exploring nature, playing with her brothers and friends, or creating something with her hands. Her first teaching job was at Nederland Jr/Sr High School. Although loving her job, after five years she found herself wondering about alternative education systems. Nancy began a Master’s in Experiential Education at C.U., and stayed in the program long enough to realize that teaching in public school was probably not her best fit. During this time of self-exploration Nancy completed a Masters Degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy at the Naropa University, while also studying anthroposophy on her own. She started her own psychotherapy practice, married her husband, and began a family. She and Bob knew they wanted to send their children to a Waldorf school, and subsequently graduated three daughters from Shining Mt. Waldorf School.

Most recently, Nancy trained in special education, taught at Hillside school for five years, and then in Shining Mountain’s educational support department for ten years. She also taught and assisted in SMWS’s Middle School math and language arts classes while there. She is thrilled to begin her teaching journey with BVWS!

Kena Guttridge

Kena Guttridge

Spanish Language Teacher

Ana Guttridge (Kena) grew up in two different worlds, as city girl in Mexico City and also in her father’s hometown of Acatlan, rich with its Mixteco Indian traditions.  Kena has lived in Colorado since 2003 and has over a decade of experience leading Spanish classes and developing curriculum that is interactive, fun, and connected to the natural world. Besides teaching, Kena is also busy on her family’s vegetable and educational farm.  Ollin Farms is a CSA and market farm located in Longmont and Kena teaches youth classes at the farm during the summer.  She can usually be found working at the Longmont Farmers Markets on the weekend.  Kena likes to spend her time with her family, enjoying nature on the farm, doing art and crafts projects, dancing, swimming and sharing her contagious love for the Mexican culture.

 

Karrin Pasko

Karrin Pasko

Games and Developmental Movement Teacher

  • Environmental Education Graduate Certificate – University of Minnesota Duluth, MN
  • BA in English – St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
  • Level 1 Spacial Dynamics Certification
Karrin has gained in depth teaching experience in both environmental and movement education over the last nine years working in both Waldorf schools and environmental learning centers.  During her five year tenure as the Movement and Games teacher and athletic director at the Waldorf School of Princeton, Karrin developed and taught a separate developmental movement class to the first and second grades, managed the after-school sports program (coaching cross-country, assisting in basketball and tennis), and took lead roles in the Michaelmas celebration, in addition to teaching first through eighth grades. Karrin obtained a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Education from University of Minnesota Duluth as well as a BA in English from St. Olaf College. Karrin also recently obtained her Level 1 Spacial Dynamics Certification.
Karrin Pasko grew up in central New Jersey and attended the Waldorf School of Princeton from kindergarten through eighth grade. Throughout her childhood she enjoyed playing outdoors with her three sisters and stayed active playing for the local soccer team and running on her high school’s track team. Now, in her free time Karrin enjoys hiking, rock climbing, paddling, running, gardening, playing music and cooking.
Jasmine Dancy

Jasmine Dancy

Handwork and Woodworking Teacher

Jasmine Dancy has been Waldorf educated since kindergarten.  Her mother was a professional dress-maker, and her father was an amateur (though quite accomplished) carpenter, and she was steeped in making and building things from an early age.  During high school, Jasmine attended visual arts courses at Carnegie Mellon University. After that she attended the visual arts program with a focus on sculpture at Emerson College in England, a Waldorf teacher training school where she was immersed in anthroposophy.  After studying music performance (focus on cello) with a minor in education at UC Santa Cruz, she worked in Waldorf home daycares for about a decade.  During this time she also completed a two-year massage therapy training at Boulder College of Massage Therapy, and a yoga teacher training at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm.  Jasmine also trained as a circus acrobat, and is a certified aerial acrobatics instructor, frequently performing in the region and designing and making extravagant costumes for wearing on stilts.

Jasmine is currently enrolled at Gradalis, a fully accredited Waldorf teacher training program.  Jasmine is delighted be bringing her rich synthesis of passions and skills to Boulder Valley Waldorf School.

Mikael Leonhardt

Mikael Leonhardt

Band Director & Teacher

Mikael Leonhardt joins Boulder Valley Waldorf School as the Band Director. He is delighted to work with 5th – 8th grade students with a variety of wind, brass and percussion instruments. Mikael is also a Trumpet instructor at Front Range Community College.

Mikael completed a Master of Music for Trumpet Performance at Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Music at University of Wisconsin Whitewater. Mikael has much experience with outdoor performances as stage technician in Rockford Illinois. Mikael was also the principle trumpet in a mariachi ensemble that involved performing over 90 traditional mariachi pieces as well as outreach to students from ages 6 to 18 years old.

Grace Hemmer

Grace Hemmer

Violin, Viola and Orchestra Teacher

Grace Hemmer began her violin journey at the age of 4 after moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Grace received her Bachelors degree in Violin Performance from the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Kansas City, Missouri. She relocated to Boulder to complete her Master’s in Violin Performance at CU Boulder, studying with Takács founding member Károly Schranz. 

An experienced teacher, Grace also taught at Harmony Project in Kansas City and locally at Boulder MUSE. She also enjoys playing with a variety of groups and is a member of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. In her spare time, Grace enjoys reading and spending time outside.

Eleanor Wells

Eleanor Wells

Cello Teacher

Eleanor Wells has been an active performer and teacher along the Front Range for the last twenty years. She is a member of Boulder Philharmonic, Opera Colorado and the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, she makes frequent appearances with Colorado Music Festival and loves playing chamber music concerts with friends whenever she gets a chance.  Elle earned a Bachelor of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder as a full scholarship student and went on to earn her Masters of Music from University of California at Santa Barbara as a teaching assistant in the quartet program. During her summers as a student, Elle attended the Eastern Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, Takacs Quartet Program as well as the Banff Chamber Music Program.

Elle has been a private teacher in the Boulder area for the last 20 years, maintaining a wonderful studio of fantastic young cellists as well as a frequent orchestra coach at Boulder High School, Centennial Middle School and Rocky Mountain Center for the Musical Arts. She is absolutely passionate about teaching cello, particularly to young beginning learners. She is also mom to two children, who keep her busy by sharing her passion for skiing, riding horses and visiting art galleries whenever they can.

Boulder Valley Waldorf School

Formerly
Shepherd Valley Waldorf School

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