Our teachers and staff love homeschooling! Whether motivated by their own homeschooling experiences, their belief in the possibilities and potential of distance learning, or their desire to support families from around the world, our teachers enjoy their work so much that a number of them have been with Oak Meadow for well over a decade.
Our teachers also walk the talk. Take K-8 teacher Leslie Daniels, for example. In addition to working as an Oak Meadow teacher since 1986 (including teaching her own children from kindergarten to grade 8 using the Oak Meadow curriculum), she was the founder, director, and head teacher of the “Little Tree Education” program, which offers educational activities to groups of homeschooled students. Her whole professional life has centered around guiding children toward the joy of discovery.
Julia West, an Oak Meadow high school science teacher since 1992, is another inspiring example. As the first distance teacher ever selected for NOAA’s “Teacher at Sea” research project, Julia chronicled her journey as she assisted with a NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service plankton survey in the Gulf of Mexico. One of her blog posts was named in NOAA’s top-ten 2015 Teacher at Sea posts. She used her experience to help inform Oak Meadow’s new Environmental Science for a Changing World course. Julia, too, homeschooled her three children for many years using Oak Meadow curriculum.
Our teachers meet regularly as a group to discuss student progress, develop new courses, and explore trends in distance learning. Some have developed special courses that align with their area of expertise, enriching our curriculum offerings.
Grades K-8
K-8 Director
Stacey Frazer
Stacey Frazer has been an educator for over 20 years in a variety of settings across the United States. She’s been a preschool teacher, an environmental educator, taught at an alternative school for boys and, most recently, been a public school teacher/mentor in a K-8 school. She holds a BS from Georgetown University, an MEd from UMass Amherst in Special Education and a post-master’s certificate in Educational Leadership from Antioch University. Stacey currently lives in Putney, VT with her two children and older rescue dog and loves kayaking, biking, reading, printmaking and traveling (especially on overnight trains!).
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K-4
Sarah Antel
Sarah received her BA in Psychology from the College of Wooster and her MEd from Antioch New England. Her experience includes teaching in the classroom, leading environmental education programs outside, and directing the education program on a farm. These experiences helped her to formulate her belief that children are engaged learners when they are inspired by their environment and encouraged to explore their interests. Sarah lives in a cozy valley in the Green Mountains of Vermont. She adores spending time in her gardens, sewing, riding her four wheeler, listening to live music, and baking.
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K-4
Rosemary Croizet
Rosemary received her Bachelor of Arts in French & History from the University of Vermont and her Master of Education from Antioch New England with an emphasis in Integrated Day. Her first educational training was with horses in her youth, and her classroom experience started with French middle and high school students learning English as a second language. Later, her elementary charges included French students learning English and Vermont Waldorf students learning French. As a home-school parent who used the Oak Meadow Curriculum with her two boys through high school, Rosemary offers a unique perspective as both a veteran teacher and parent. Most recently, she has been teaching French & History to Division 1 college-hopeful high school female athletes. When not involved with teaching, she can be found with her husband on the family farm in northern Vermont, where she enjoys growing food and flowers, walking her dog, cooking the harvest for her family and friends, skiing, snowshoeing, knitting, sewing, reading and singing.
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K-4
Leslie Daniels
Leslie graduated from Indiana University with a BS in Outdoor Education and a minor in General Science. She also received a Teaching Certificate through the School of Education for Grades K-8, and took graduate courses in Alternative Education at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California and at Antioch College in Keene, NH. In addition to working as an Oak Meadow teacher since 1986, Leslie homeschooled her children with Oak Meadow’s K-8 curricula. She is currently the founder, director and head teacher of the “Little Tree Education” program, which offers educational activities to groups of homeschooled students.
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K-8
Megan Devine
Megan Devine is a mom of four school-age children and an experienced educator who lives in the Northwoods of Minnesota. Megan has a K-6 Elementary Education Teacher Licensure with an emphasis in elementary art instruction (Bemidji State University) and a Master’s of Education in Teaching and Learning (Saint Mary’s University). She has completed a variety of training programs during her teaching career focusing on academic and social emotional curriculums and pedagogy.
Prior to her work with Oak Meadow, she was an educator for nineteen years in a small, rural elementary school in northern Minnesota where she worked to not only help her students build a strong foundation of academic skills, but also to engage their heads, hearts and hands through a rich variety of experiences that encouraged and inspired them to develop a love for learning.
Megan lives on a small hobby farm on the edge of the wilderness and enjoys a variety of outdoor pursuits including running, mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding. She also dabbles with fiber arts and soap making. Megan also is a writer and keeps a blog and contributes regularly to Minnesota Parent Magazine, Taproot Magazine and mothering.com as well as a variety of other publications.
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5-8
Mary Fettig
Mary Fettig is a former Waldorf class teacher with over 20 years experience teaching K through Grade 8. She received her undergraduate degree in Education through Goddard College and Waldorf Teaching Certification through Antioch New England Graduate School. Mary is also certified in the Association for a Healing Education’s Educational Support Training and currently serves on their Board of Directors.
Mary loves the natural world and enjoys spending time hiking, cross country skiing, swimming and camping. She is an avid long distance bicycle traveler and can often be found with her husband on the roads across the US.
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5-8
Katharine Gibson
Katharine—also known as Kay—earned a BA in Environmental Studies, an MEd focusing on both integrated day and Waldorf Curriculum, and a Master’s in Teaching from SIT. She has worked in Waldorf Schools in both the elementary and kindergarten/nursery programs. Kay spent two years in the Peace Corps in Macedonia where she was an English resource faculty and advisor working with all ages from pre-K to adults. She also led professional development workshops on natural science curriculum to teachers through the Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Kay is passionate about instilling a love of learning. She believes that If students enjoy and value their education, they become lifelong learners full of curiosity, creating the potential for a more fulfilling and joyful life. She resides in Southern Vermont with her black lab and enjoys spending lots of time outside in nature, gardening, kayaking on the river in the summer, and cross-country skiing in the winter.
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5-8
Kristen Glover
Kristen earned her BA from Marymount University and a MAT from Mary Baldwin College. Her experience in the classroom includes teaching middle school Humanities in Virginia, and Mathematics in London, England. Kristen applied her teaching skills while working with the Jefferson Institute in Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, and Lithuania, educating journalists on best practices for creating social media campaigns. Kristen is passionate about helping students become lifelong learners and contributing citizens. She believes that if students bridge what they learn to real-world situations, they will develop meaningful connections. Kristen grew up competing hunters and jumpers in Virginia. She now resides in Washington, DC, and enjoys sailing on the Eastern Shore.
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5-8
Nyah Gueye
Nyah Gueye has taught and worked in many different educational environments for the past 15 years. She has a BA in Art History from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She acquired training from the Center of Ecoliteracy in Berkeley California in connecting art, science, and design. As an art enrichment teacher, she designed and developed artistic innovation projects for after school programs in California. At the international school in Senegal West Africa, she was an assistant teacher for the school-wide visual and performing arts department and started an educational garden project. She is a mother of 5 and has homeschooled her children with the Oak Meadow curriculum and school since 2006. She enjoys cooking and is intrigued and inspired to discover and learn how to use the flavors, colors, and beauty of local seasonal foods and herbs.
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K-5
Aurina Hartz
A native Vermonter, Aurina Hartz completed her undergraduate degree in English, Theater, and Studio Art at the University of Vermont. Although she loves to travel all over the world, she remained in Vermont to complete her Masters in Education and has been working with children and other educational professionals for 15 years. She is dedicated to restorative practices to support students ranging the entire developmental spectrum.
Aurina loves adventures outdoors as well as craft projects right at home with her daughter, husband, cat, and dog!
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5-8
Lori Humiston
Lori Humiston received a BA degree in English from the University of Louisville and a Masters of Science in Teaching from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and certification as a School Building Leader from SUNY Plattsburgh. She has taught English in middle school and high school for the past 18 years after having switched careers from working in the insurance industry. Lori’s passion is helping students understand the power each has to positively impact and change the world. Through literature, she seeks to help students develop a deeper sense of empathy and understanding of themselves and others. Lori lives with her husband in upstate New York, has two daughters in grad school and is passionate about reading, biking, and spending time with her family.
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K-4
Linda Kosiba
Linda Kosiba holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York in Albany, and a Masters in Education from Western Maryland College. Her early years in education were spent as a speech and language therapist in Colchester, Vermont where she worked with children, preschool through high school level. After earning a degree in deaf education, Linda enjoyed working with students, preschool through middle grades, in private and mainstreamed settings. For the bulk of her teaching career, she has taught third grade in local public and independent schools. Her thirty plus years in education have afforded Linda many invaluable opportunities to learn about learning and to gain respect for the diverse approaches that allow a child to thrive and evolve into an independent thinker. She lives with her husband and loveable rescue dog in Burlington, Vermont. In her free time, Linda enjoys being outdoors doing activities that Vermont seasons invite: skiing, gardening, swimming, kayaking, hiking, and, always, reading, as well as the year-round joys of time with family, friends, and volunteer opportunities.
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K-4
Helen McLauchlan
Helen earned a BSc in microbiology and continued on to a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Newcastle, UK. Her teaching career has taken her around the world from the UK to Japan and Canada. She has taught a variety of subjects to a diverse range of students through different approaches. Helen feels fortunate to have experienced a wide variety of educational settings and is excited to teach in a way that allows the individual student choice in learning preferences.
Helen now lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two young children. She enjoys being outdoors, camping and hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She loves reading and is learning to sew during the rainier seasons in Oregon.
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K-4
Meg Minehan
Meg received her MEd with a concentration in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England and her BA from Bucknell University. She has taught in a variety of educational settings including alternative classrooms, outdoor schools, summer camps, and homeschooling cooperatives. For the past several years, Meg directed the children’s program at the Unitarian church where she engaged children and youth in a variety of social action projects. She is the founder and lead teacher of two summer programs that immerse children in the outdoors, and her camps serve to strengthen the child’s connection to the natural world through forest exploration, nature crafts, games, wild edibles, and nature journaling. Meg lives with her husband and three children off the grid in the hills of Andover, Vermont. Together they enjoy backpacking, canoeing, backyard birding, and back country skiing. Meg and her family keep busy homeschooling, raising chickens and goats, and tending their vegetable gardens.
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K-4
Justin Neal
Justin is a licensed K-6 elementary educator who also teaches first grade in Virginia. He holds both a BS and MA in Education from Liberty University. Justin has been a classroom teacher for ten years, working with multiple grade levels, and is excited to be working with families around the world at Oak Meadow. Justin is also the proud dad of twins!
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5-8
Amy Proctor
Amy received her BS in Wildlife Management from the University of New Hampshire and her Master’s of Elementary Waldorf Education from Sunbridge College. She completed additional graduate level work in Birth through Age 3 from Sophia’s Hearth Family Center, and completed Level 1 of Spacial Dynamics training. After carrying a class from grades 1-4 at Monadnock Waldorf School in Keene, NH, she became a mother and a K-8 teacher for Oak Meadow. Several years later she went back to classroom teaching at the Upper Valley Waldorf School in Quechee, Vermont.
Amy continues to teach at UVWS where she is an active member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Amy resides in Hartland, Vermont with her two dynamic sons and their sweet cat, Edward. She spends her free time studying sensory education, learning how to be an advocate for differing abilities and learning styles, reading, doing handwork, hiking, cross-country skiing, and learning how to maintain the land around her historic brick schoolhouse home.
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K-8
Mae Star Salinsky
Mae Star received her BA in Elementary Education with a minor in Environmental Studies from Prescott College in Arizona. She has experience teaching in public schools as well as private Progressive, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia programs in Arizona, California, and Vermont. With over fifteen years experience with a wide age range in diverse educational settings, Mae Star has learned that there is no one size fits all approach to learning and each child has unique needs and strengths. Helping children discover their talents and become confident learners is her passion. She is homeschooling her own two daughters in Southern Vermont at their homestead in the woods. She enjoys adventurous travel, photography, telling fairy stories, and eating tacos.
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K-8
Vee Sampson
Veronica (Vee) Sampson has been an educator for 25+ years. From the University of Vermont, Vee received a Masters in Education specializing in Learning Differences and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in Mathematics in conjunction with The Vermont Mathematics Institute. After raising a family in the Northeast, in 2018 Vee returned to their hometown in Greenville, South Carolina, where they currently share a residence with their parents. Vee loves to make art on their own and collaboratively, dog sit, bike, hike, and works at the intersection of Buddhism and Social Justice with a variety of mutual aid groups.
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5-8
Gwen Trumbull
Gwen received both her BS in Nutrition and her MEd in Elementary Education (with a focus on teaching social justice) from Keene State College. Her varied educational background includes teaching regular and special education in public and alternative classrooms in Vermont schools. She also has eight years of experience as an individual and group tutor, working with students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Gwen loves helping students connect their own life experiences to the subject that they study, thus helping them to gain passion for their own learning. Gwen holds an associate degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University and loves using cooking to help teach all subjects, including math, reading, physical, and social sciences. Gwen lives in Western MA where she often can be found happily running, hiking, kayaking, or preparing meals for friends.
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High School
High School Director
Dr. Alan Fortescue
Alan Fortescue holds a PhD in Education and Leadership from the University of Virginia, and he earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in literature. Alan has extensive experience in teaching and leadership in higher and experiential education. He was the director of education for Earthwatch Institute from 2005-10, and has been a consulting editor for the Journal of Environmental Education since 2007. Alan has served as a consultant for UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), where he was also a cofounder and steering committee member for the North American Alliance for Sustainable Development and Education. He has consulted for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, Discovery Channel Education, and WGBH Public Television. Alan enjoys exploring new ways to empower and inspire students to gain awareness of themselves, others, and the world around them. In addition to his accomplishments as an educational professional, he is an award-winning painter and skilled mountaineer.
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Social Studies
Mollie Bachner
Mollie grew up in Vermont and earned her Bachelors’s degree from the University of Vermont with a dual major in Secondary Education and History. Mollie has long been interested in social studies and how the interplay of the past and present affects the future. She hopes to pass this curiosity onto her students. Along with traditional education, Mollie pursued learning outside the classroom through a NOLS course and horse training.
Mollie lives on a horse farm in Vermont with her three horses (Bailey, Dora, and Gladys, as well as a handful of boarders) and two dogs (Norma and Rosie). Along with teaching, Mollie runs a dressage training operation on her farm.
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Art
Nathan Eldred Banks
Nathan Eldred Banks earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art with a concentration in Sculpture from The College of Art+Design at SUNY Purchase in Purchase, NY. After graduation in 2003, Nathan moved to New York City and worked as a product development coordinator for both Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon in their consumer products divisions.
Feeling a longing for the countryside, Nathan returned to his hometown of Franklin, NY, three years later, where he was elected Town Justice and opened his own welding studio, illumiNate Sculpture. In 2011, Nathan earned a Master’s Degree in Art Education with a studio concentration of Drawing and Painting from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. At the end of his Master’s program Nathan moved with his wife Vanessa to South Florida, where he now lives, with the addition of his 5 year-old homeschooled daughter Violet Sunshine. Nathan loves teaching and continues to make paintings, drawings, and experimental art as part of his daily practice.
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English
Annie Bolotin
Annie Bolotin holds a PhD in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan and an AB in English from Harvard University. She has taught college-level writing across the curriculum. As a teacher of composition and literature, she empowers students to use their reading and writing in order to pursue their individual interests and unique questions. Her essays on poetry appear or are forthcoming from Texas Studies in Literature and Language, Jacket2, and Boston Review. She has presented her research at conferences organized by the Modern Language Association, the American Comparative Literature Association, the American Literature Association, and the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present. When she isn’t reading or writing, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and spending time outdoors.
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Math
Erin Bouchard
Erin loves learning, teaching, and telling stories, and she has been tutoring math since she was in high school. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication-News Broadcasting from the University of Florida, she found her way back into teaching, where she taught middle school math. Erin established her own tutoring company in 2009, where she tutored students of all ages and in many subjects, including elementary, middle school, high school, and some college math. After several years, she moved to NYC, where she became the Family Engagement Director at Central Synagogue, working with families of kids from birth to college-aged. Erin earned her Master of Science in Education Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University in 2016. When life took Erin and her family to Colorado, she decided to become a stay-at-home-mom to her young son. She’s now living in S. Florida, where she grew up, enjoying life with her friends and family. Erin enjoys hiking, swimming, watching movies, and eating delicious vegan food.
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Science
Robbin Dilley
Robbin earned a BA in Biology from Columbia University and a MEd from University of Massachusetts Boston. In her ten years of teaching, she has taught biology, chemistry, and environmental science in both public and private high schools. Robbin is a National Board Certified Teacher and was an Ecology Project International Fellow in 2019. She worked for many years as a wilderness educator for Hurricane Island Outward Bound School and still tries to lead courses whenever she can. Robbin lives in Rockport, Maine with her husband and their dog Tesla. She enjoys reading, backpacking, canoeing, and exploring wild places.
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Science
Melissa Ditto
Melissa received a BS from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in Environmental Science with a concentration in environmental chemistry and toxicology and a minor in Geology. She also holds a MS from the Pennsylvania State University in Environmental Engineering. After a career in environmental consulting doing field work and traveling all over the county to contaminated sites, Melissa changed directions to science education. She has taught high school science for over 10 years and enjoys making science hands-on and fun for a younger generation of learners. When not teaching, you can find Melissa homeschooling her own four children using Oak Meadow curriculum as well as running a small farm in Tennessee specializing in regenerative agriculture raising cattle, hogs, poultry, and dairy.
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English and Humanities
Catherine Domareki
Catherine earned her BA at Yale and has completed coursework towards a Masters degree in Medieval History at the Pontificia Università Antonianum in Rome, Italy. For the last 15 years she has taught English, Latin, French, and Humanities to high school students. Catherine has worked as an actor in Los Angeles and New York, and now lives in Göteborg, Sweden with her husband and two daughters. Learning foreign languages and traveling have always been passions. Some of Catherine’s favorite cities are Quebec, Prague, Stockholm, Budapest, Heidelberg, Assisi, and Manali, India.
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French
Lydia de Faveri Spiegel
Lydia de Faveri Spiegel holds a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Francophone Studies from the University of Massachusetts. She previously graduated from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, with a degree in Human Geography. Lydia has taught French and Italian courses at the high school and university levels for the past twenty-five years. Of Italian and Swiss origins, and a native speaker of Italian and French, Lydia has always been intrigued by language and culture. She enjoys motivating and guiding students to make connections between their academic studies and life experiences. She takes great interest in collaborating with colleagues to provide an interdisciplinary approach that makes learning more dynamic and effective. Lydia lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband and her two children, and she enjoys traveling, walking, and the company of friends.
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Math
Ariel Kane-Esrig
Ariel studied physics, math, and education at Hampshire College. She has always been curious about the world and loves sharing that curiosity with others by teaching and learning. She believes that pursuing our questions often teaches us even more than the answers. She teaches in classrooms, on farms, in the woods, and on horses. In her spare time, Ariel enjoys singing, hiking, gardening, solving puzzles, and reading. She lives in Maine with her partner, one little dog, and one quirky cat.
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Humanities
Atta Kurzmann
Atta has been teaching for more than 30 years at the college and secondary school levels. Her disciplines include psychology, religion and philosophy, English, ceramic sculpture, yoga, and mindfulness. She believes that students learn best through the process of discovery, and she offers them many options for academic development that support personal reflection and honor differing learning styles.
Having volunteered in the Peace Corps in Thailand following her graduation from Hartwick College in the late 1970s, Atta’s commitment to serving the wider community has been ongoing throughout her adult life. In addition to directing the Community Engagement Programs at an independent school where she worked, she and her husband and daughter brought several groups of high school students to the Joybells Orphanage in northern India, where they taught and lived with the children for a month during the summers. This project’s far-reaching positive impact led to an ongoing partnership between Oak Meadow School and the Joybells School. Atta holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Massachusetts and an advanced degree in Human Services from Goddard Cambridge Graduate School for Social Change. She studied yoga and meditation while living in India for three years during her young adulthood and completed an intensive practicum in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction at the University of Massachusetts Medical School later in life.
The mother of two children, Atta cherishes the opportunity to spend time with her family and their many animals. She loves to bicycle, putter in the garden, and meander through the forests surrounding her home in southern New Hampshire.
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English
Seth Landman
Seth Landman holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Denver and an MFA in Poetry from UMass Amherst. He is the author of two books of poems: Sign You Were Mistaken (2013, Factory Hollow Press) and Confidence (2015, Brooklyn Arts Press). In addition to teaching high school English, he has also taught poetry to students at all levels from elementary school through college. He regularly leads discussion groups on Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. He also spends time watching movies and listening to music, walking in the woods or at the beach, obsessing about basketball, and recording podcasts with friends.
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Humanities
Rebecca Larkin
Rebecca has been a high school teacher for over 25 years in New Hampshire and Vermont. Her classroom was always the noisy room, with lots of activities, lively discussion, art supplies, and (usually) food. She still likes to find ways to bring fun to learning, even if it’s from afar! Rebecca has a BA in history from University of Michigan, and an MEd from UMass Boston. She’s also earned graduate credits in teaching, psychology, neuroscience, and special education. Rebecca has a daughter in college who is an accomplished athlete and who is Rebecca’s greatest hope for saving the world. Rebecca recently returned “home” to the Boston area after living in NH and VT for the last few decades. She loves being closer to family, old friends, more diverse cultures, activities and restaurants and still finds a good amount of nature. Living right on the Charles River and only a quick drive to the ocean is a welcome departure from being in the landlocked mountains. She loves to travel, read, listen to music and NPR. Rebecca also likes to cross-country ski, snowshoe, hike, swim, and take as many yoga classes as she can. Namaste.
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Science
Stephanie Lieblappen
Steph earned her BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and a Master’s in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College. Her master’s research focused on the process of snow densification of the polar ice sheets and how the microstructure of the ice as it transitions from snow to solid ice impacts the trapping of atmospheric air in our ice core records. She has over 15 years of experience tutoring chemistry, physics, and math from fellow student-athletes while at URI to privately tutoring high school and college students in the time since. Steph has classroom teaching experience from her time at an alternative learning charter high school in New Hampshire. In this teaching role she was able to integrate hands-on learning approaches into the classroom to increase student engagement and understanding.
A Rhode Island native, Steph currently resides in Central Vermont with her husband, two young children, two dogs, and three-legged cat. She loves to spend her time introducing her children to the magic of the world along with hiking, biking, gardening, snowboarding, and traveling.
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Humanities
Anna Logowitz
Anna began her teaching journey studying teen advocacy and literature at Bennington College but switched to religious studies in order to investigate words that change lives. She earned both her BA and MAT from Smith College and has taught a variety of subjects to students ranging in age from toddler to grandparent in Waldorf, Montessori, charter, mainstream public, and special ed schools. Anna aspires to help young people find meaning in their studies and their lives. She lives in Maine with a tailless polydactyl cat and fills her spare time with boat building, toy making, exuberant discussion, and art that makes people look twice.
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Math
Beth Lomnitzer
Beth’s first job after completing her undergraduate degree from Hope College in Holland, MI, was teaching English at a Japanese girls school in Sendai, Japan. During her year and half living and teaching in Japan, Beth was able to travel to the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and even spent a month traveling in India. Soon after she returned to the US, she moved to the Adirondack Park in New York State where she has lived for 30 years.
Beth loves to hike, camp, bike and was a whitewater raft guide on the Hudson River Gorge for 8 years. Beth has been lucky to have been able to travel to Brazil, sail the Caribbean and explore parts of Mexico.
She received her graduate degree from the SUNY Plattsburgh, taught math in the public school (grades 6 through 12) and also homeschooled her own two children in all subjects — both of whom are now college graduates living and working in Tampa, FL. In addition to working for Oak Meadow, Beth also teaches ESL remotely to young children in China.
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Social Studies
Joseph Malherek
Joseph holds a PhD in American Studies from George Washington University and a BA in political science and cultural studies from the University of Minnesota. He has been a visiting fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University in Budapest, and he was a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of Vienna. He has held postdoctoral research fellowships from the American Historical Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Joseph has taught classes at the university level on a variety of topics including American history and politics. Before entering graduate school, he worked for several years as a policy analyst for public interest organizations on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Originally from Minnesota, Joseph has also lived in Montreal and Oaxaca, Mexico, and now lives with his wife in Raleigh, North Carolina. Politics and history are his professional obsessions, but record-collecting, thrift-store-shopping, pre-Covid traveling, and bicycling are among his off-duty passions.
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Spanish and Social Studies
Sara Molina
Sara earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Sociology-Based Human Relations from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Vermont. She has taught social studies, Spanish, and ESL in independent, public, and university classrooms for many years. She developed and teaches a distinctive new course at Oak Meadow,ESOL: English for the American Classroom. Born in Madrid, Spain, Sara grew up in a multilingual and multicultural home in Vermont. Sara’s passion is travel and she has had the good fortune of spending extensive time in Europe and South America, including a month-long hike along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and three years living and working on the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. She hopes to foster this love of travel in her students.
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Social Studies
Gabriel Moss
Gabe Moss earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a BA in history and classics from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. A passionate reader and teacher of history, his academic specialties include ancient Rome, military history, and the digital humanities. He also works as a professional cartographer and educational game designer. When he’s not teaching, Gabe enjoys hiking, reading, and musical theater. He lives in Michigan with his wonderful wife, Sara, and his acceptable dog, Max.
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Latin
Colleen Rice
Colleen earned her BA at Colgate University and her MA and PhD at University of Wisconsin-Madison, winning several academic honors along the way for her study of the Classics. She has teaching experience at the elementary, secondary, and college level. While a graduate student, Colleen was an instructor for an independent high school student preparing for the Latin International Baccalaureate exam, a private Latin tutor for both primary and secondary school students, and a mythology instructor for a summer program for gifted elementary students. She loves to travel and has studied extensively in Italy and Greece. Colleen now lives in upstate New York with her husband and young daughter and enjoys running, cooking, and spending time outdoors.
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English
Marnie Rogers
Marnie holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Education from Smith College. She attended University of Kansas for graduate work in English, where she taught as a TA and completed her Master’s thesis in poetry. She joined Oak Meadow as an English teacher in 2000, while working in a local independent bookstore and raising three sons. An National Endowment for the Humanities scholar in 2016, Marnie was the first distance-learning teacher to participate in the program, The Immigrant Experience in California through Literature and Theater. Currently, she lives with her family and three cats in southern Vermont where she gardens, swims, and walks along the river. Marnie loves teaching, writing, and books—novels, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, history, and science. Back in the days of Harry Potter, she began reading young adult fiction extensively, and she enjoys discovering what students are reading.
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Science
Martha Sullivan
Martha received a BS in Biology from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Bath, UK.
She has taught science at the high school and middle school levels at boarding and day schools in the UK, Austria, Ireland, Belgium and the USA. She has also served as the head of science at two schools and most recently as the director of operations of a forest school in Maine.
Martha also worked for several years as part of a K-5 science curriculum development team and authored several children’s books that promote biodiversity.
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Science
Stephanie Tartakoff
Stephanie graduated with a BA in Chemistry Education from BYU and has been teaching chemistry at various levels in public and private school settings for the past 15 years. She is currently working on her MS in Chemistry and loving the challenges of learning hard things! In conjunction with teaching at OM, she also moonlights as an adjunct professor for several local universities teaching general chemistry labs. Labs are what bring the subject to life and it’s her favorite part of the sciences!
By the time she was 16 years old, Stephanie had lived on three different continents and visited 20+ countries. She enjoys the unique perspective living abroad has given her. She currently lives in rural northern NY with her husband and three kids and is trying to embrace winter sports to survive the long, cold months. She enjoys downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice skating. During the warmer months she trains and competes in triathlons, with swimming being the favorite sport. Stephanie also enjoys music and plays piano and flute and loved competing with the marching band throughout her high school and college years.
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Math
Lindsay Vanoli
Lindsay earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Saint Mary’s College of California. After moving to Vermont in 2009 to pursue a post-baccalaureate pre-medical certificate from the University of Vermont, Lindsay transitioned into a career of teaching. She earned a Master of Science in Mathematics in Math Education from Montana State University in 2019. Lindsay has experience teaching math in both public and private high schools and has been tutoring students in all levels of mathematics, from middle school through the college level, for over 15 years. Originally from California, Lindsay now enjoys living in Northern Vermont for its beautiful seasons and access to outdoor adventures. She enjoys hiking in all seasons, biking to explore all of the state’s rail trails, finding the best swimming holes, cooking delicious food, and reading when she runs out of good shows to watch!
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Art
Brooke Vertin
Brooke earned her BFA in Printmaking from the University of Kansas and her MFA in Printmaking from the University of Notre Dame. She spent the first part of her teaching career teaching at the college level. Currently, Brooke teaches grades K–12 and finds working with this range of ages to be especially rewarding and fascinating. Brooke’s own artwork takes a mixed-media approach combining printmaking, drawing, and painting techniques. Brooke also enjoys knitting, gardening, and exploring the world with her husband and two dogs.
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English
Naomi Washer
Naomi has taught High School English at Oak Meadow since 2017 and designed the Composition: Expression & Understanding course. Prior to Oak Meadow, she had a decade of experience in alternative education, arts integration, and project-based learning for first-grade through graduate students. She holds a BA in Dance, Theatre, and Literature from Bennington College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago where she taught composition and directed the Graduate Writing Center Consultant Program. She has presented her research on teaching and learning at the National Mentoring Symposium, the Creative Writing Studies Conference, and the American Literary Translators Conference. She is committed to the ethos of progressive, project-based education for adolescents and believes that student-centered, inquiry-driven teaching and learning is transformative. A published novelist, poet, translator, and essayist, she lives in New York City.
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Science
Julia West
Julia graduated from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science/Fisheries Biology. She has been with Oak Meadow since 1992, teaching high school science and Health and Fitness. She has strong interests in alternative energy, gardening, music, fitness, and outdoor activities, such as cross-country skiing, paddling, hiking, and biking. She is on the PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) Educational Staff, and has ACA (American Canoe Association) certification for whitewater kayak instruction. In developing our new health course, she was committed to integrating a fitness element because physical exercise is proven to enhance mental clarity and mental health, and is a vital part of any healthy lifestyle. Most recently, Julia became the first distance-learning teacher chosen to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Teacher at Sea research program. She lives in North River, New York, where she homeschooled her three children, two of whom have fledged the nest.
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Science
Nicole Williams
Nicole graduated from Plattsburgh State University with a Bachelor of Science in Cellular Biochemistry. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Teaching degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Science from SUNY Plattsburgh as well. Nicole’s love for science led her to work for the New York State Department of Health as a public health inspector of restaurants, children’s camps, beaches, campgrounds, hotels and as a health advocate for low income families. After earning her MST, Nicole began her career as an educator teaching middle and high school science in a rural upstate NY public school as has continued to earn an additional NYS teaching certificates in teaching students with disabilities.
After teaching in the public school setting for 11 years, Nicole was looking for something to reignite her passion for both science and education and has found it with Oak Meadow. Outside of teaching, Nicole enjoys traveling, camping, skiing, ice skating and spending time with her husband and children. In September 2018, Nicole was awarded the New York State Master Teacher award.
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Humanities
Antony Yaeger
Antony received his undergraduate degree in Poetry and Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and his Masters of Science in Education and Waldorf Education from Sunbridge College, New York. Antony spent four years at the East Bay Waldorf High School in Berkeley, CA teaching poetry, photography, literature, and directing school plays. In 2009, Antony graduated once again from Sarah Lawrence College, this time earning a Masters Degree in poetry and creative writing. He encourages students to use writing as a tool for self-exploration, and to gain clarity and perspective on world events by examining issues from new angles. Antony currently lives with his wife and twin boys in Point Lookout, where he enjoys writing poetry and journeying into New York City for soul-inspiration.
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Staff
Executive Director & School Liaison
Steve Lorenz
Steve earned a BS in Secondary English Education and an MEd in Elementary Education with additional studies in Educational Administration. He is the former head of The Grammar School in Putney, Vermont. Earlier in his career, Steve served as elementary school principal, and secondary, elementary, and early childhood teacher. He has been involved with independent and public educational institutions, including serving on the board of trustees for Vermont Academy and on the board of directors of a local public school. He served as the executive director of a natural history museum and environmental learning center in Vermont and has participated in community service projects in Vermont for over 30 years. Steve also serves as the Oak Meadow School Liaison and has been with Oak Meadow for five years. Steve and his wife Nancie home schooled their daughter and son during their elementary school years. He enjoys the outdoors, travel and reading.
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Executive Director
Chloe Lee
Chloe has a BA from Eugene Lang College in NYC where she studied alternative education as well as photography, video and sociology. The experience of education has always felt as important as the content— the spaces we study in are very much part of how we learn. When not working toward the best homeschooling experience possible for our families, Chloe is exploring the woods with her daughter and husband, baking pies and tarts, perfecting the dumpling, and learning. Always learning.
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Director of Admission
Wendy Richardson
Wendy has a BA in Social Work from UNH and an MEd from Lesley College. She taught kindergarten to second grade before leaving the classroom to turn her full attention to her family. Her two teenage daughters are her pride and joy, and she says they keep her exploring and learning at their beautiful home on the Connecticut River. Wendy returned to the education field as an educational counselor at Oak Meadow before being named director of admission. She uses both of her degrees to help families explore and discover the best and most successful way to educate their children. In her spare time, Wendy loves pretty much any activity that keeps her outdoors with her family: running, hiking, swimming, and skiing.
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Director of Technology
Chris Arnini
Chris has been with Oak Meadow for over a decade as our Director of Technology, also known as our “tech guru.” When he steps away from the computer, Chris spends time in his garden and on home improvement projects. He also enjoys attending concerts and traveling with his wife and 2 children. They love to explore all things Disney World together. There’s also usually a cat or two near the computer to keep him company while he programs and codes.
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School Counselor, Educational Counselor
Keri Arsenault
Keri works as both an educational counselor and Oak Meadow’s school counselor. With a bachelor’s in psychology and master’s in education specializing in school counseling from Keene State College, Keri creates counseling policy and protocol, and initiates support and intervention for students of all ages who need extra guidance. Keri’s counseling philosophy is student-centered and solution-focused. She wishes for all of her students to recognize their unique gifts, build resiliency, and create deep connections in the world around them. Keri resides in New Hampshire with her partner, two kitties, and one wild pup. In her spare time she loves to travel, read, hike, kayak in the summer and snowboard in the winter.
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Assistant to the School Liaison / Shipping Associate
Ezra Black
Ezra splits her time at Oak Meadow between the warehouse and supporting the School Liaison with our charter and other schools who use our curriculum. A born and raised Vermonter, Ezra spent nearly 2 decades on the West Coast before returning home. She is always up for learning something new and adventuring, especially with her son and daughter. Ezra hopes to eventually expand her learning and adventuring to living on a farm.
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Director of Marketing & Communications
Catherine Hays
Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Catherine was a strategist at a marketing agency, helping businesses in the hospitality, education, and food and beverage industries achieve their business goals. She holds an BA in English and American Literatures from Middlebury College.
Originally from Birmingham, AL, Catherine now lives in Brattleboro with her partner and their two cats, Oliver and Alfred. In her free time, Catherine loves to travel, garden and care for her houseplants, read, and exercise with her kettlebells.
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Educational Counselor
Stacy Hiler
After working in the hospitality field for several years (including renovating and co-running a classic Vermont inn), Stacy switched gears, completed her Early Childhood Montessori Training and became an assistant classroom teacher at Hilltop Montessori School in Brattleboro, VT. Now she enjoys using her skills as an Oak Meadow Educational Counselor, assisting families with their homeschooling journey. Stacy hails from New Orleans, where Southern grace and courtesy are in the drinking water. Now a Vermont resident and parent of two grown children, Stacy enjoys live music, foraging in the woods with the family pooch (she knows her edible fungi!) or cooking up a mean Jambalaya.
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Director of Curriculum Development
DeeDee Hughes
As the Director of Curriculum Development, DeeDee Hughes gets to combine her love of writing with her passion for creating vibrant educational experiences for children. A long-time writer and editor with a degree in education and psychology, DeeDee first started at Oak Meadow in 2008 as a curriculum editor. Since then, she has filled many roles including K-8 teacher, Educational Counselor, Content Manager, and Registrar. Homeschooling her two sons for several years gave her valuable insight into the practical and educational challenges facing independent learners. As Director of Curriculum Development and Editor of Living Education, DeeDee spends her days looking for new ways to fire up learning. DeeDee lives in Oregon, where she is usually found with a book in her hand. She loves to send handwritten letters to her family and friends. When she’s not reading or writing, DeeDee can be found puttering in her garden, soaking in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
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Shipping Manager
Andy Lobenstine
Andy has a B.S. in Aviation Technology from the University of Central Missouri. He’s been an instrument rated pilot since 1992 and owned his own plane for a couple years. Working as a parts manager at several aircraft maintenance facilities over 20 years in the Washington, DC suburbs, Andy brings his inventory management skills and shipping experience to head Oak Meadow’s logistics operation in the warehouse. He lives in Easthampton, MA with his girlfriend and 17 year old son. Andy is an active bowler in several leagues, play softball, and loves pizza, great cheeseburgers and video games.
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Bookkeeper
Matt Mabry
Matt Mabry graduated from Stetson University and taught private music lessons for several years before joining Oak Meadow as their bookkeeper. Matt not only helps with budgeting, reporting, invoices, and more, he’s the office fitness expert. That fitness expertise, from gymnastic rings in a tree, biking to work, or swinging his kettlebells around the office, helps him keep up with his 2 young children.
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College Counselor
KD Maynard
KD has held roles in college admissions, college counseling and financial aid, academic advising, teacher training/curriculum development, and a variety of administrative and leadership positions. The institutions she’s worked for include Brown University, World Learning, Marlboro College, The Putney School, Community College of Vermont, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. KD’s liberal arts background (AB from Brown in Linguistics and Classics, and a MALS from Dartmouth focusing on Women’s Studies and writing) provides her with a worldview that seeks to make connections between and among people, ideas, and a sense of a greater good. She loves living in southern Vermont, spending free time in nature (hiking, kayaking, etc.) when she’s not working, volunteering with the homeless, and spending time with her grandchildren.
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Customer Relations Specialist/Administrative Assistant
Libby McCawley
Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Libby enjoyed a career teaching kindergarten and fourth grade at The Grammar School in Putney, VT. She holds an MEd from Antioch University New England and has also worked for a variety of companies in marketing and public relations.
She enjoys spending time with her two grown daughters, Emma and Greer, as well as hiking, gardening, cooking and performing in area theater productions. Libby lives in Putney with her kooky cat, Addison.
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Curriculum Specialist
Kathleen Moore
Kathleen earned an M.Ed in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University. She values education in terms of formal schooling, but also in terms of the informal learning and growth that happens at summer camps, in radio programs, through the library, and through building relationships. Kathleen’s love of learning started at a job at YMCA Camp Coniston and continued through work in special education, after-school programs, and museum exhibit design. Kathleen lives in Vermont with her dog Casco and has recently gotten into make-your-own-gear sewing!
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Registrar
Eden Terrell
Eden has a BA in Linguistics and German, an MA in Intercultural Management. She has worked as an admission counselor and librarian at World Learning/SIT and was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine in 1998. Eden loves talking about languages, cultures and travel, and swimming and biking with her twin son and daughter, both of whom were Waldorf and Montessori-educated in their preschool years. Of her job as registrar at Oak Meadow, Eden says, “I enjoy giving people the opportunity to find a path that works for them!”
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Publications Manager
Wendy Therieau
Wendy Therieau has 35 years of experience in educational book composition, setting, and design for giants such as Scholastic, Pearson, Penguin and Houghton Mifflin. Wendy also successfully ran her own business for 5 years prior to joining Oak Meadow. Now she makes the interior and exterior of all Oak Meadow books look sharp and keeps publications on track as our Production Manager. When she’s not making books, you’ll find her enjoying Vermont with her 11 grandchildren!
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Social Media & Digital Marketing Manager
Natalie Wise
Natalie Wise is our social media and digital marketing manager, so you’ll find her in Instagram stories, Facebook messenger, and scouring the internet for the best in fun and educational homeschooling ideas. When she’s not pinning and tweeting for Oak Meadow, Natalie is an author and spends her free time writing, baking and hiking with her husband and their chocolate lab Bellamy.
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