 Kindergarten and First Grade Teacher, Theater & Sign Language
Peggy was educated as a child in Cyprus, England, France, Japan and
Hawaii. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in World Literature,
French and Linguistics from Stanford University and a Master's degree
in Special Education from San Francisco State University.
Peggy has directed cultural exchange programs specializing in
environmental education and the performing arts in Europe, Central
America, Canada, the South Pacific and the United States. She has been
a language arts teacher for the California State Literacy Project and
coordinator for the "Hands on Science" program of the Education Task
Force in Marin County, currently re-named as the Marin Teachers' Network.
Peggy is one of the founders of Cascade Canyon School and has always
been an active member of its staff. She is the Kindergarten and First Grade core
teacher, as well as a specialist teacher in theater and sign language. Peggy also serves as a teacher representative on the Cascade Canyon School Board.
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 1st and 2nd Grade Teacher, PE Specialist (5-8)
A current resident of San Francisco, Lindsay originally comes from Ohio, where she earned her Masters in Education and Bachelors in Human Development at The Ohio State University. She has both an Ohio teaching credential for grades K-3, and a California Multiple Subject Credential for grades K-6. Lindsay brings a strong background in emergent curriculum - drawing on children's interests, extending learning through projects and performances, and making learning active. Her philosophy was strongly shaped by her experience observing at The A. Sophie Rogers Laboratory School, affiliated with The Ohio State, and from teaching at Old Firehouse School, a Reggio Emilia preschool in Mill Valley, where she looped with her pre-K students in a two-year program to prepare them to enter Kindergarten.
In addition to her love of children and humor, Lindsay brings joy and confidence to the classroom, a willingness to take risks, and a strong awareness of the importance for differentiated instruction.
Lindsay was a high school and college athlete in track and field, and enjoys sports and being active with kids. She also loves technology and has gone through extensive training in integrating technology in the classroom.
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 Jason Morris, Third and Fourth Grade Core Teacher & Elementary Science Specialist
Jason
Morris, a life long Marin resident, has over 20 years of experience in
education. Before joining the faculty of Cascade Canyon, he was the leader of the Marin County Outdoor
School at Walker Creek Ranch. Prior to joining the Ranch, Jason taught for
16 years at Vallecito School in Terra Linda. Additionally, he taught for
3 years in Santa Rosa, and for one amazing and life changing year in New
Zealand. While at Vallecito Jason was a permanent figure on boards, panels, and
committees that furthered the goal of building a strong school community.
He served as a staff liaison to the PTA, organized and participated in Family
Math, Science, and Language Arts "Nights," and took on leadership
roles by serving as a teaching vice principal. Jason also played a
consistent and key role in curriculum development, curriculum adoptions, and
trainings to further both his knowledge and to help his colleagues attain
greater expertise.
Drawn to
Cascade Canyon School by its dedication and mission to teach all children in a
small, community oriented setting, Jason joins our staff with the experience
and skills that fit so naturally with our school. Jason graduated from
San Francisco State with a BA in Child Development, and received his Multiple
Subjects Teaching Credential from Sonoma State University.
Jason
brings a deep background in working with students of all backgrounds and
abilities. He enjoys working collaboratively with staff, students, and
parents alike to provide a meaningful school experience for all. His
classroom is one that builds an environment of trust, safety, and understanding
for all who enter. Jason is excited and enthused to be a part of the
Cascade Canyon community and looks forward to many years of amazing teaching and
learning.
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 Fifth and Sixth Grade Core Teacher, K-4 PE
Javier Montiel brings six years of experience
working with fifth and sixth
graders as a lead naturalist at Walker Creek Ranch, Marin County
Office of Education's outdoor education school. His supervisor's comment
at the Ranch was that there was no group of kids nor any individual
students that Javier couldn't reach, turn around and engage. His
supervising professor from Sonoma State, MaryAnn Nickel, said he is
one of the most natural, creative teachers who has
ever come through her program, and added that Javier is an exceptional writer and thinker
and has a beautiful way with kids.
Javier graduated with honors from Cal Poly in psychology, and completed his teaching credential at Sonoma State seven
years ago. The year immediately following his credential program, he
spent in Mexico City, teaching English as a Second Language. Upon his
return, he was hired at Walker Creek, where he worked until he joined the Cascade Canyon staff in the fall of 2010. Javier is bilingual in
Spanish, is a singer songwriter and guitar player, an avid reader, and an outdoor
enthusiast. He has significant experience in outdoor education, new games and team building.
Javier is excited to be in his second year as the 5/6 teacher at Cascade Canyon.
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 Middle School Math and Science Teacher & Coordinator of Outdoor Education
Karen Sonnenblick grew up in Miami, Florida and completed
her BA in Biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She earned
her
Master of Science degree in Biology from the University of Oregon. Her
research
focused on ecology and fire management. Karen then moved to Madison,
Wisconsin,
where she worked teaching hands-on science and environmental education
and
authoring middle school science curriculum for the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources and the Aldo Nature Center. She completed her
elementary and
middle school teaching certification through Concordia University in
Madison
and taught middle school math before leaving Wisconsin to move to
Fairfax.
In her free time, Karen enjoys playing bluegrass and
old-time guitar, hiking, gardening and yoga. Karen is very excited to share her love
of science, music and math with the Cascade Canyon School community.
Karen is currently in her third year on the faculty of Cascade Canyon. Karen serves as a teacher representative on the Cascade Canyon School Board.
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 7/8 Humanities Teacher & Administrative Specialist - Dean of Students
Evan Hansen was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He earned his B.A. in Classics and Philosophy
from Vassar College in 2001, his M.Ed. from Portland State University in 2004,
and an M.F.A. in Writing from Columbia University in 2009. He holds a current Oregon teaching license
for secondary Language Arts and his California single subject license is
presently in process with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Evan arrives at Cascade Canyon after teaching English and Social
Studies, coaching boys soccer, and designing core curriculum for the Portland
Public Schools since 2004. He also
taught writing to 9th graders as a Columbia Writer in Residence in New York
City from 2007 to 2008, while on a sabbatical from PPS. He has enjoyed working with a broad spectrum
of students, and he brings a passion for reading, writing, and the creative
process to the classroom. This in mind,
he is very excited to join the Cascade Canyon community.
In his free time, Evan enjoys playing soccer, jogging,
traveling, and writing. His poems and
book reviews have been published in a variety of magazines, and he is at work
on his first full-length poetry manuscript.
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 Music & Art Specialist
Lisa Maxwell has worked as both a professional musician and artist for over 20 years. She has composed, arranged and conducted music for commercials, film and television music libraries, strings, horn sections, big bands, and orchestrated the music for Warner Bros’ Emmy Award-winning and “Histeria!” and “Animaniacs: Wakko’s Wish” feature film. As a sax player she led the horn section on the Guns ‘n’ Roses world tour, Spinal Tap tour, and played on cartoons and commercials; Lisa has also appeared in the Joni Mitchell Project, and with the Machito Big Band, the MTV Awards and the National Association of Songwriters Awards shows. Most recently, her music has been featured in "Sons of Anarchy" on FX.
Concurrent with her exciting music career, she has continued to work as a visual artist. With a background strongly rooted in figure drawing, painting and sculpture, she receives commissions nationally to paint portraits and abstract works.
In 2008 she moved to San Francisco from New York, where she had been teaching music and art in schools, and was hired as a guest composer, teaching artist for San Francisco Opera's Aria education program.
"I could no more choose between art and music than I could choose between food and air. The importance of keeping the arts in schools cannot be stressed enough. I have had so many great teachers over the years, whether art teachers, music teachers, fellow professionals in the field, or my students. All of them have helped make me a better artist; and creating art and music have made me a better person. I look forward to becoming part of the wonderful group of faculty and students at Cascade Canyon and to sharing the fun and passion that has so freely been shared with me."
-Lisa Maxwell
Lisa studied art with Joe Blaustein, at Hampshire College, Mt. Holyoke and UCLA. She studied music at Manhattan School of Music, Dick Grove School of Music, NYU Kodaly Certification Program and received the Quincy Jones Arranging Scholarship at Berklee College of Music.
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 Spanish Specialist
Madeleine holds her Masters of Arts in Education from UC Davis, and has studied Comparative Literature with a Latin American focus at La Universidad de Chile, Santiago and at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, where she received her Bachelors Degree. She holds a California Bilingual Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and taught in a second grade dual immersion classroom in Davis after finishing her Masters program. Prior to earning her Masters, Madeleine taught high school Spanish at San Domenico for four years.
Madeleine lives locally in Fairfax with her husband and two daughters, and is excited to join Cascade Canyon School!
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 Kindergarten Science Specialist & Instructional Assistant
Bryana Tunder was born and raised in Woodacre, California. She received her BA in Religious Studies and Art History from UC Santa Barbara, CA. As an alumni from Cascade Canyon School’s early days, she is thrilled to have returned. Bryana taught at Free Range Kids Preschool in Limerick, Ireland in 2009 and has worked in both the Kindergarten and 5/6th grade classes here at Cascade Canyon School since then.
Bryana has shared her passion for theater and dance with Cascade Canyon students by assisting with Theater and Sign Language classes (K-8) as well as the end of the year whole school play in 2011, “It’s Showtime!”.
Bryana is excited to be coming back this year as both the Kindergarten science teacher and as the instructional assistant in the 5/6 class.
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Faculty and Staff 
