| Get to know our staff a little..... |
Our teachers are the heart of the Neskowin Valley School. They are imaginative professionals who use their expertise to guide each child to enjoy learning and achievement through mastery
of skills. The school's integrated curriculum reflects the rich interests and diverse talents of its teachers. At NVS, each child’s innate intelligence and natural curiosity is fostered in an
environment where children can grow confidently.
Amy Henderson: 6th, 7th, 8th Grade Teacher (Olders)
Date of Hire: July 2007
Amy, a native Oregonian, spent her early years in Beaver Creek, Oregon. Her family lived in China, Hong Kong and Mongolia for seven years and she graduated from Hong Kong
International School where (among other things) she studied Mandarin. Amy attended Houghton College in New York State, as a pre-med major, and graduated from the University of
Oregon with a B.S. in art. Amy is an experienced environmental educator, leading trail crews for both the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire and the Student Conservation
Association in Denali National Park. She is an experienced rock climber and cross-country runner and enjoys hiking, biking and gardening. Amy is certified in grades 7-12 art education. She
is currently earning a Master’s degree in youth and community art.
Frank O'Brien: 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade Teacher (Middles)
Date of Hire: August 2010
Originally from New York, Frank has called Montana his home for the past 12 years. He comes to Neskowin from the similar sized Olney-Bissell School, teaching all subjects from K music
to 8th grade History. Frank has a BA in Elementary Education with a Reading Endorsement from the University of Great Falls, Montana, and a BFA from the State University of New York.
He is currently finishing up a program on Neuroscience and learning from the All Kinds of Minds Institute in Durham, North Carolina, and has taken Cultural Mentoring workshops under the
tutelage of world reknowned tracker and teacher Jon Young. When Frank is not a passionate teacher or family man, he is a passionate performing songwriter.
Education:
John Fiedler: 1st, 2nd Grade Teacher (Youngers)
Date of Hire: July 2003
John has been the Youngers' class teacher at NVS since 2003. He has degrees from Whitman College and the University of Washington, and was teaching college English in the Midwest
before following a different path into elementary education. He is a certified teacher with credentials in both Michigan and Oregon. Since coming to NVS, John has studied at the Riggs
Institute (literacy), participated in Education Northwest’s Summer Math Institute, and trained in Jump Math. In 2009, he was a William Stafford Teaching Fellow studying ways to bring the
example of Oregon’s most famous poet into the elementary classroom. John writes every morning before school.
Kate Parker: 4 & 5 yr old Teacher (Explorers)
Date of Hire: August 2009
Kate "grew up all over" in a Marine Corps family, including 3 years in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo, Egypt, and along the East Coast until 1972, when the family set down roots in Salem,
Oregon. Kate returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2008 after spending 18 years in North Carolina, where she graduated from North Carolina Central University with a BS in Human
Development, emphasis in Early Childhood, and completed coursework for a MS in Early Childhood Education and Development from UNC-Greensboro. Her teaching philosophy has been
influenced by the theories of Reggio Emilia and the Project Approach. She loves to keep company alongside children as they grow and develop in their wonder for life. She enjoys cooking,
conversing, and photography, and can't wait to get her bike tires fixed so she can ride it to work.
Jenny Case: 3 yr old Teacher (Adventurers)
Date of Hire: September 2005
Jenny grew up in the Neskowin area and comes to us with ECE training at the Opal School in Portland and the Helen Gordon Early Childhood center (the lab school located at Portland State
University). She assisted John Fiedler in his 1st/2nd/3rd grade class during the 2004-2005 school year and taught the Beginners class for two years. Jenny was also the director of Child
Care at the ASAP Treatment Centers in Portland for five years.
Education:
Eric Simpson: Music Teacher
Date of Hire: August 2009
Eric has been a professional musician from the time he played his first church service on a big tracker organ at age 10. Though he started college as a Music major, he became captivated by
Psychology and ultimately Social Services, and he has held a variety of interesting jobs. He is now the organist and choir director at the Episcopal churches in Newport and Waldport, and
you may see him behind the counter at Paws on the Sand in Lincoln City. For his job as music teacher at NVS, Eric trained as an Orff Schulwerk teacher at the University of Oregon in
summer 2009.
Julie Fiedler: Head of School
Date of Hire: July 2009
Julie came to NVS in 2003 when her husband John became the Youngers teacher and once served as the English teacher to the Olders. She has co-taught the Ancient World Summer School
with John for the past six summers. She taught college English for 25 years, edits for business and is a ceramics sculptor and tile painter
Education:.
Patsy Guard: Administrative Assistant
Date of Hire: July 2010
Patsy has recently joined us in the role of Administrative Assistant. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has worked as an Office Administrator in three churches in
the Portland metro area. She has also been the director of a church preschool as well as the Christian education/youth director. While Patsy's two children were growing up, she spent much
time volunteering in classrooms and with parent/teacher groups. Out of Patsy's love for serving people of all ages and the church, she decided to attend seminary at which she earned a
Master of Divinity in Pastoral duties. She was appointed and served as pastor for 2 United Methodist churches in Rainier, Oregon and Clatskanie, Oregon. She is looking forward to meeting
and helping all the children and parents at NVS!
Education:
We invite you to visit Neskowin Valley School and spend time in our classrooms with our students and teachers. A visit is the best way for you to see this extraordinary learning community.
To arrange a tour or to receive an application form, please contact us. Financial aid information is available as well. We look forward to hearing from you.
of skills. The school's integrated curriculum reflects the rich interests and diverse talents of its teachers. At NVS, each child’s innate intelligence and natural curiosity is fostered in an
environment where children can grow confidently.
Amy Henderson: 6th, 7th, 8th Grade Teacher (Olders)
Date of Hire: July 2007
Amy, a native Oregonian, spent her early years in Beaver Creek, Oregon. Her family lived in China, Hong Kong and Mongolia for seven years and she graduated from Hong Kong
International School where (among other things) she studied Mandarin. Amy attended Houghton College in New York State, as a pre-med major, and graduated from the University of
Oregon with a B.S. in art. Amy is an experienced environmental educator, leading trail crews for both the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire and the Student Conservation
Association in Denali National Park. She is an experienced rock climber and cross-country runner and enjoys hiking, biking and gardening. Amy is certified in grades 7-12 art education. She
is currently earning a Master’s degree in youth and community art.
Frank O'Brien: 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade Teacher (Middles)
Date of Hire: August 2010
Originally from New York, Frank has called Montana his home for the past 12 years. He comes to Neskowin from the similar sized Olney-Bissell School, teaching all subjects from K music
to 8th grade History. Frank has a BA in Elementary Education with a Reading Endorsement from the University of Great Falls, Montana, and a BFA from the State University of New York.
He is currently finishing up a program on Neuroscience and learning from the All Kinds of Minds Institute in Durham, North Carolina, and has taken Cultural Mentoring workshops under the
tutelage of world reknowned tracker and teacher Jon Young. When Frank is not a passionate teacher or family man, he is a passionate performing songwriter.
Education:
- BA in Elementary Education with a Reading Endorsement,University of Great Fall, Montana
- BFA State University of New York
John Fiedler: 1st, 2nd Grade Teacher (Youngers)
Date of Hire: July 2003
John has been the Youngers' class teacher at NVS since 2003. He has degrees from Whitman College and the University of Washington, and was teaching college English in the Midwest
before following a different path into elementary education. He is a certified teacher with credentials in both Michigan and Oregon. Since coming to NVS, John has studied at the Riggs
Institute (literacy), participated in Education Northwest’s Summer Math Institute, and trained in Jump Math. In 2009, he was a William Stafford Teaching Fellow studying ways to bring the
example of Oregon’s most famous poet into the elementary classroom. John writes every morning before school.
Kate Parker: 4 & 5 yr old Teacher (Explorers)
Date of Hire: August 2009
Kate "grew up all over" in a Marine Corps family, including 3 years in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo, Egypt, and along the East Coast until 1972, when the family set down roots in Salem,
Oregon. Kate returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2008 after spending 18 years in North Carolina, where she graduated from North Carolina Central University with a BS in Human
Development, emphasis in Early Childhood, and completed coursework for a MS in Early Childhood Education and Development from UNC-Greensboro. Her teaching philosophy has been
influenced by the theories of Reggio Emilia and the Project Approach. She loves to keep company alongside children as they grow and develop in their wonder for life. She enjoys cooking,
conversing, and photography, and can't wait to get her bike tires fixed so she can ride it to work.
Jenny Case: 3 yr old Teacher (Adventurers)
Date of Hire: September 2005
Jenny grew up in the Neskowin area and comes to us with ECE training at the Opal School in Portland and the Helen Gordon Early Childhood center (the lab school located at Portland State
University). She assisted John Fiedler in his 1st/2nd/3rd grade class during the 2004-2005 school year and taught the Beginners class for two years. Jenny was also the director of Child
Care at the ASAP Treatment Centers in Portland for five years.
Education:
- Associates Degree, Portland Community College
- BS, Arts and Letters; Major: Early Childhood Education, Portland State University
Eric Simpson: Music Teacher
Date of Hire: August 2009
Eric has been a professional musician from the time he played his first church service on a big tracker organ at age 10. Though he started college as a Music major, he became captivated by
Psychology and ultimately Social Services, and he has held a variety of interesting jobs. He is now the organist and choir director at the Episcopal churches in Newport and Waldport, and
you may see him behind the counter at Paws on the Sand in Lincoln City. For his job as music teacher at NVS, Eric trained as an Orff Schulwerk teacher at the University of Oregon in
summer 2009.
Julie Fiedler: Head of School
Date of Hire: July 2009
Julie came to NVS in 2003 when her husband John became the Youngers teacher and once served as the English teacher to the Olders. She has co-taught the Ancient World Summer School
with John for the past six summers. She taught college English for 25 years, edits for business and is a ceramics sculptor and tile painter
Education:.
- M.A. in Literature, University of Washington
- B.A. in Art and English, summa cum laude, University of Puget Sound
Patsy Guard: Administrative Assistant
Date of Hire: July 2010
Patsy has recently joined us in the role of Administrative Assistant. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has worked as an Office Administrator in three churches in
the Portland metro area. She has also been the director of a church preschool as well as the Christian education/youth director. While Patsy's two children were growing up, she spent much
time volunteering in classrooms and with parent/teacher groups. Out of Patsy's love for serving people of all ages and the church, she decided to attend seminary at which she earned a
Master of Divinity in Pastoral duties. She was appointed and served as pastor for 2 United Methodist churches in Rainier, Oregon and Clatskanie, Oregon. She is looking forward to meeting
and helping all the children and parents at NVS!
Education:
- B.S. in Business Administration, Office Administration, San Jose State University
- Master of Divinity, The Theological School in Ohio
We invite you to visit Neskowin Valley School and spend time in our classrooms with our students and teachers. A visit is the best way for you to see this extraordinary learning community.
To arrange a tour or to receive an application form, please contact us. Financial aid information is available as well. We look forward to hearing from you.
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