Parent-Child Teacher & Marigold Nursery Teacher

Lori Hannigan

Ms. Lori is an experienced Waldorf early-childhood teacher who joined the Sanderling Waldorf faculty from Hawaii, where she previously worked at the Haleakala Waldorf School and ran her own Waldorf preschool, Plumeria Playgarden. She studied at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, CA, and holds a master's degree in Art Therapy from the University of Illinois.

Nursery Assistant

Hanna Pellegrino

Hanna, assistant in the Marigold Nursery, was born and raised in Germany. She came to the United States in 1997. Hanna's educational background includes a B.S. in Global Business Management and Certificates in Homeopathy and the Bach Flower Essences. She is currently participating in the Waldorf teacher-training program at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California (WISC). Hanna lives in Encinitas with her husband and two children. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, skiing, working in the garden, reading, crafting and being at the beach.

Nursery/Kindergarten Teacher

Maxine Garcia

Maxine, who became the Rose Nursery/Kindergarten class teacher in 2008, was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego, and brings her detailed, precise artistic eye to each of the many projects she works on with the children throughout the school year. After many years of volunteering in her own two children's Waldorf schools, Maxine became a classroom specialty teacher in 2002, teaching origami in Grades 1-3 at both the Journey School (a public Waldorf charter) and at Sanderling Waldorf. She served as a Grades Assistant at SWS from 2006-2008, and began her Waldorf-teacher training in 2007.

Nursery/Kindergarten Teacher

Megumi Caverly

Megumi, Sanderling Waldorf School's Sweet Pea Nursery/Kindergarten teacher, was born and grew up in Fukushima, Japan. She came to the United States in 1995 to study Anthroposophy and Waldorf education, graduating from Rudolf Steiner College in 1999. Since then, she has taught in both Japan and the U.S. Megumi is the mother of a first-grade boy, and loves young children, singing and making things. She also describes herself as a bookworm - in both English and Japanese.

Nursery/Kindergarten Assistant

Kacey Moe-Vu

Kacey, assistant in the Rose Nursery/Kindergarten, was born and raised in Southern California, and then spent 18 years in Texas. In 2008, Kacey and her family moved back to California to be closer to family, the ocean and the beautiful weather. After taking some time to settle into living in San Diego, Kacey decided to enroll in the Waldorf Institute of Southern California (WISC). She’ll complete the WISC program in December 2012. In the meantime, Kacey enjoys spending her free time with her husband and two children. She also likes to play soccer, swim, run, garden, sew, and read.

Nursery/Kindergarten Assistant & Aftercare Teacher

Charlotte Erickson

Charlotte is the assistant in the Sweet Pea Nursery/Kindergarten, as well as the Aftercare teacher. She grew up in Encinitas, where she spent her childhood days playing in the mud and at the Swami's tidepools. Charlotte first learned of Waldorf education when she worked as a babysitter for several families who sent their children to Waldorf schools. This experience sparked a great passion for education, which brought her to Emerson College, where she completed a yearlong Orientation Program in anthroposophic studies. She later went on to earn her B.A. in Education from Naropa University. Charlotte worked at a Waldorf-inspired preschool in Boulder, CO before coming to Sanderling Waldorf. She loves to create, which she expresses through improvisational dance; singing; storytelling; felting; cooking and painting. Charlotte is an avid gardener, ocean swimmer, and shakuhachi flute player.

Grade 1 Teacher

Jason Gebeau

Mr. Gebeau joins Sanderling Waldorf School as the teacher for the new 2010-11 First Grade class. He moved to Encinitas from Northern California, where he lived while finishing his Waldorf Teacher Training at Rudolf Steiner College. Mr. Gebeau loves music, and has taught singing and performance for the past six years in various Waldorf charter schools in Sebastopol, Sonoma and Flagstaff, AZ. He studied voice and music education at Northern Arizona University and pursued a career as an actor in New York City after graduating. Mr. Gebeau is one of five children, all boys (sorry, Mom!); and grew up in Bridgeport, CT, where he experienced a great childhood full of love and support. He looks forward to the upcoming year, and to growing with the children and the Sanderling Waldorf community.

Grade 2-3 Teacher

Melanie El-Ghoroury

Melanie was born and raised in Freiburg, Germany. She is the mother of three boys, twins Dylan & Dennis (10) and Tristan (13). She met her husband, Chuck, during a year abroad in Julian, California. Melanie went to a teacher's college for four years in Germany, and completed her Waldorf teacher training in San Diego in 2005. Her educational background also includes Polarity Therapy training; studies in astrology; and wilderness survival training with Tom Brown, Jr. As a teenager, she was a competitive track-and-field athlete specializing in heptathlons, and sports was one of her university majors in Germany. Melanie loves sports and the outdoors. She previously worked as a substitute teacher at Sanderling Waldorf before joining the full-time faculty. She is fluent in German, French and English.

Grade 4-5 Teacher

Lori Duckstad

Lori grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, where she learned to knit, crochet and sew, and developed a love of working with her hands. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy and a Master's Degree in Counseling and Human Development. She worked in a variety of social-service, school and hospital settings for 11 years, and discovered Waldorf education when looking for a preschool for her eldest daughter. Lori has her Waldorf Teacher Certificate and more than 10 years of experience as a Waldorf teacher, working as a Class Teacher, Handwork teacher, Music teacher and Classroom Assistant. She is the mother of Kelsey, a college student, and Sarah, a junior-high student. Lori loves to read, travel and do handwork in her spare time.

Eurythmy Teacher

Amy Schick

Amy completed her training in Eurythmy and Pedagogical Eurythmy at the Eurythmy School in Spring Valley, New York and Emerson College in East Sussex, England. She has been teaching Eurythmy since 1992 to students in Nursery/Kindergarten through Grade 8. Amy has taught in the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara, the San Diego Waldorf School and the Journey School, and has been teaching at Sanderling Waldorf School since 1998.

German Teacher

Frau Stephanie McClure

Frau Stephanie has more than six years of Waldorf teaching experience and blends the rigor of the German language with the Waldorf joy of learning. She earned her M.A. in German Literature from the University of Nevada, Reno. Frau Stephanie has lived in New York City, Delaware, Switzerland, Utah, Germany, Canada, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Mexico, Washington and California. She and her husband, Andy, live by the beach in Carlsbad with their two daughters, 14-year-old Lauren and 7-year-old Erin, who has Rett Syndrome. Stephanie enjoys yoga, cooking and walking her dogs.

Spanish Teacher

Señora Vanessa Anderson

Señora Vanessa has worked in various capacities at Sanderling Waldorf School for more than four years. Spanish has been a part of her whole life, given her Latin American heritage. She received a B.A. in Spanish and Communication from Arizona State University, and is continuing her studies in Waldorf education and pedagogy. She has a working background in elementary education. Señora Vanessa and her husband moved to San Diego in 2005 from Willcox, AZ, where they both were raised.

Handwork Teacher

Thea Mason

Thea Mason was born in an Indiana suburb of Chicago to two educators. Along with her three sisters, she attended the only K-6 Montessori school in the region. While she admired the philosophy of Maria Montessori, she became interested in the history of and philosophies of Rudolf Steiner, incorporating them into her parenting style and eventually enrolling her son at Sanderling. Growing up, Thea was happiest while exercising her body - through every discipline from dance and sports, to needlework and macrame. Now as an adult, she is grateful to have found two career paths perfectly suited to her life's pursuits. She has been teaching yoga, both in private and public settings, for almost 10 years, and she is thrilled to be into her first year as Sanderling Waldorf's Handwork Teacher, having worked as the Handwork teacher's Assistant last year. Thea and her partner Brian have three sons: 10-year-old Drake, 4-year-old Ocean and 18-month-old Roanen.

Gardening & Games Teacher

Chuck El-Ghoroury

Chuck first began working with children in 1986 as a camp counselor at Camp Stevens in Julian, CA. He spent the following summers on staff for the summer camp programs, and in 1993 he made a three-year commitment as an intern camp director. Chuck met his wife, Melanie, at Camp Stevens. After completing his internship, Chuck moved with Melanie to her homeland of Germany, where they lived for three years. During that time, he worked on a biodynamic farm and learned all about Waldorf education, anthroposophy and biodynamic agriculture. Chuck, Melanie and their three sons later returned to Julian to pioneer Volcan View Farm. In the summer of 2009, Chuck participated in Waldorf Games/Movement training, and eagerly joins the faculty as both the Gardening and Games teacher.