| 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 the International High
School in Hong Kong 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 brings many talents to the Olders class and
will continue teaching Mandarin to our students.
Jackie Farah: Curriculum Coordinator / 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade Teacher (Middles)
Date of Hire: September 2005
Jackie brings to NVS many years of teaching experience in various settings and with a wide range of ages, 2nd grade - adults. After five years in Ethiopia teaching English in a rural
junior/senior high school, Jackie returned to Oregon in 1996. Most recently, she taught for five years at the Gardner School in Vancouver, Washington, which has added even more to her
solid grounding in curriculum development.
Education:
Jenny Case: Kindergarten Teacher (Explorers)
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 tought 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:
John Fiedler: 1st, 2nd Grade Teacher (Youngers)
Date of Hire: July 2003
John has a varied background in teaching, including 12 years as a college instructor. He has done summer professional development through the Riggs Institute (The Writing Road to
Reading) and the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory’s Math Institute. John and his wife Julie have taught the Learning Village’s Ancient World Summer School at NVS each of the
past five years.
Education:
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.
Kaileen Barley: Administrative Assistant
Date of Hire: July 2007
Kaileen has recently joined us in the role of Administrative Assistant. She has spent much of her time volunteering, coaching and coordinating youth athletic programs. She is a part-time
student at Portland Community College and is currently seeking a degree in Business Administration. After spending only a few days volunteering at NVS, she immediately fell in love. "I
grew up in the foothills of the Cascades in Leavenworth, Washington. My elementary school was a one-room schoolhouse, 1st through 4th grade, with class sizes averaging five students.
To me, NVS feels like home and I look forward to being part of this community."
Education:
Randall Koch: Community Relations Coordinator
Date of Hire: August 2006
Randall Koch was born in Portland, Oregon and attended the University of Oregon, from 1969-1973, studying design and animation with Prof. David Foster. He has lived and worked in the
Oregon coast community since 1978, when he began the design and construction of his home in the Slab Creek valley. He has been active in the community, having served as Coordinator of
the Cascade Head Music Festival from 1988 – 1991, Executive Director at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology from 1991 -2005 and most recently he has served as the Community
Relations Director at Neskowin Valley School, in Neskowin, Oregon. Randall’s community organizing and public service in the non-profit sector has enabled the development of a wide range
of relationships in the central coast community. He is comfortable in the field, the forest, the boardroom and the legislature. He is also a practicing studio painter with deep roots in the
Oregon arts community.
Kate Parker: 3 & 4 yr old Teacher (Adventurers)
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.
Sue Parks-Hilden: Drama Teacher
Date of Hire: August 2009
Sue, a native Oregonian, joins NVS after 30 years at Portland Community College, Sylvania campus, where she was Director of Theatre Arts. Sue has been an award-winning actress and
director in the Portland area for many years, and taught a Musical Theatre Class at Oregon Children's Theatre, where she thoroughly enjoyed working with a younger group of students. As
an English and Theatre major at the University of Oregon, Sue performed extensively with the University and Carnvial Theatres. She completed her studies with a MAT at Lewis and Clark
College, where she produced a children's readers' theatre version of "Horton Hears a Who."
Eric Simpson: Music Teacher
Date of Hire: August
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. He will bring an exciting new Orff program to NVS for 2009-10.
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 the International High
School in Hong Kong 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 brings many talents to the Olders class and
will continue teaching Mandarin to our students.
Jackie Farah: Curriculum Coordinator / 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade Teacher (Middles)
Date of Hire: September 2005
Jackie brings to NVS many years of teaching experience in various settings and with a wide range of ages, 2nd grade - adults. After five years in Ethiopia teaching English in a rural
junior/senior high school, Jackie returned to Oregon in 1996. Most recently, she taught for five years at the Gardner School in Vancouver, Washington, which has added even more to her
solid grounding in curriculum development.
Education:
- BA in literature, University of Oregon
- MA in Teaching, George Fox University
- Post Graduate Study, Counseling Psychology, Lewis and Clark College
- Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL), Portland State University
Jenny Case: Kindergarten Teacher (Explorers)
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 tought 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
John Fiedler: 1st, 2nd Grade Teacher (Youngers)
Date of Hire: July 2003
John has a varied background in teaching, including 12 years as a college instructor. He has done summer professional development through the Riggs Institute (The Writing Road to
Reading) and the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory’s Math Institute. John and his wife Julie have taught the Learning Village’s Ancient World Summer School at NVS each of the
past five years.
Education:
- Education Course work, Hope College, Holland, Michigan
- PhD studies in English (ABD), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- MA, English, University of Washington, Seattle WA
- BA, English, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
- Credential: Elementary Education, Middle School Language Arts
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.
- M.A. in Literature, University of Washington
- B.A. in Art and English, summa cum laude, University of Puget Sound
Kaileen Barley: Administrative Assistant
Date of Hire: July 2007
Kaileen has recently joined us in the role of Administrative Assistant. She has spent much of her time volunteering, coaching and coordinating youth athletic programs. She is a part-time
student at Portland Community College and is currently seeking a degree in Business Administration. After spending only a few days volunteering at NVS, she immediately fell in love. "I
grew up in the foothills of the Cascades in Leavenworth, Washington. My elementary school was a one-room schoolhouse, 1st through 4th grade, with class sizes averaging five students.
To me, NVS feels like home and I look forward to being part of this community."
Education:
- Degree in Progress, Portland Community College
Randall Koch: Community Relations Coordinator
Date of Hire: August 2006
Randall Koch was born in Portland, Oregon and attended the University of Oregon, from 1969-1973, studying design and animation with Prof. David Foster. He has lived and worked in the
Oregon coast community since 1978, when he began the design and construction of his home in the Slab Creek valley. He has been active in the community, having served as Coordinator of
the Cascade Head Music Festival from 1988 – 1991, Executive Director at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology from 1991 -2005 and most recently he has served as the Community
Relations Director at Neskowin Valley School, in Neskowin, Oregon. Randall’s community organizing and public service in the non-profit sector has enabled the development of a wide range
of relationships in the central coast community. He is comfortable in the field, the forest, the boardroom and the legislature. He is also a practicing studio painter with deep roots in the
Oregon arts community.
Kate Parker: 3 & 4 yr old Teacher (Adventurers)
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.
Sue Parks-Hilden: Drama Teacher
Date of Hire: August 2009
Sue, a native Oregonian, joins NVS after 30 years at Portland Community College, Sylvania campus, where she was Director of Theatre Arts. Sue has been an award-winning actress and
director in the Portland area for many years, and taught a Musical Theatre Class at Oregon Children's Theatre, where she thoroughly enjoyed working with a younger group of students. As
an English and Theatre major at the University of Oregon, Sue performed extensively with the University and Carnvial Theatres. She completed her studies with a MAT at Lewis and Clark
College, where she produced a children's readers' theatre version of "Horton Hears a Who."
Eric Simpson: Music Teacher
Date of Hire: August
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. He will bring an exciting new Orff program to NVS for 2009-10.
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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