EC Teacher Training Program Director

Holly Koteen-Soulé received her BA and MA from Antioch University in Seattle and studied Waldorf education at Emerson College. She was a Waldorf Early Childhood teacher for 25 years, first at the Seattle Waldorf School and then at the Bright Water School, where she taught Kindergarten and also pioneered the first Parent and Child classes in the Seattle area. She was a founding member of Sound Circle Center and is currently serving as the Director of Early Childhood Education. She is a member of the WECAN Board and served as the WECAN Coordinator of Teacher Education for five years. She is also member of the Pedagogical Section Council of the Anthroposophical Society.

EC Teacher Training Assistant Program Director

Somer Serpe trained as an artist and as a teacher, earning her BFA degree at Parsons School of Design and her Masters in Waldorf Early Childhood Education at Sunbridge College. After teaching Nursery and Kindergarten at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School for 15 years, Somer now leads the Parent Child Program.  Somer is a Northeast Regional Representative for WECAN and serves as a mentor for teachers and schools as well as an inspirational coach for parents. She leads workshops and parent education opportunities around the country. In the classroom,  Somer enjoys gardening, puppetry,  singing, purposeful work and creating healing stories for children and parents. 

Bonnie Freundlich holds a Diploma from the Eurythmeum in Stuttgart, Germany, an M.A. in Creative Arts in Therapy and a B.A. in Literature. She has worked as a movement therapist in therapeutic and educational settings and has taught eurythmy in Waldorf schools since 2000. She has also served as an Administrator in Waldorf schools and previously in an academic hospital. Bonnie understands it is an honor to support the growth of each child on a unique journey and enjoys connecting with students from her early years of teaching, now young adults. In her free time, Bonnie gardens at her biodynamic farm on Whidbey Island. 

Pedagogical Coordinator

 Michael Soulé is a Waldorf educator and consultant with more than 30 years’ experience working for, advising and advocating for Waldorf schools throughout the US, Mexico, Canada and other parts of the world. He completed training in Spacial Dynamics and Waldorf teaching, holds an MA In Waldorf Education and studied at the Social Development Centre at Emerson College. He has been a class teacher, movement teacher, school administrator, board member, regional rep, Leader of Programs for AWSNA and is currently a consultant to several schools. He’s a founding member at Sound Circle Center in Seattle, where he helped create and direct the NW Mentoring seminar.  Michael earned degrees from Northwestern University and UC Berkeley and helped found and lead several non-profit organizations earlier in his career. 

Practicum Supervisor

Sally’s love of learning inspired her in her studies in English at Portland State University, in Waldorf Teacher Training at Sunbridge Institute, in Goetheanum Studies at Rudolf Steiner College, and in many curriculum and anthroposophical courses. She began class teaching on Orcas Island and then took three classes grades 1-8 at the Kimberton Waldorf School in Pennsylvania. She then moved to Whidbey Island and taught as a special subject and class teacher at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School. During her 34 years of teaching, she also mentored teachers, led teacher training courses, and taught blocks at different Waldorf schools. Now retired from class teaching, Sally finds time to read, explore different arts, garden, and help homeschool her grandchildren. 

Kenya Strong finds her deepest joy in helping others reach their greatest potential. She carries all of her life experiences into her services to help her connect with her students and colleagues. She has a Masters degree in Education and a Waldorf certification. As a Certified Life Coach and consultant to support families adjusting to our shifting social paradigm, she brings more than twenty five years of teaching and service experience. During her Waldorf teaching years, Kenya founded and chaired her school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to help move her community into relevant and timely transformation. She continues her growth and work to bring equality and social justice to the forefront of education. 

Leslie Wetzonis Woolverton: I have lived my entire life drawn to all aspects of DEI, even before it was given a clean, contemporary title. Diversity work encompasses an endless cycle of emotions - joy, acceptance, empathy, resistance, trauma and pain. Becoming aware of this can fundamentally lead us back to joy- certainly to growth- as we move towards greater love, honor, and  acceptance for us all. Our selfless work together must happen in order to bring real change in our world and allow our true humanity to blossom. Our work supporting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice is for all of us. By actively seeking conversations that develop courageous spaces, we can build hope and interest for us all. By sharing our stories and lived experiences, with active listening, we can establish and build trust. 

Camille Hines-Parker grew up on Long Island, surrounded by nature and a close-knit family from the Caribbean. Rhythmic gymnastics became a passion of hers, and over her teenage years, she trained at the Olympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs and Marquette, Michigan. Camille studied theatre at The Juilliard School and attended Saint Edward's University. Camille has worked in theatre, Shakespeare festivals, film, radio, and television. Waldorf education entered Camille's life after the birth of her second son, leading Camille to study at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California and at Sound Circle Center of Anthroposophy, from which she is a graduate. Camille is a co-founder and educator at Threefold Village, a Waldorf hybrid homeschool-based community in Los Angeles.  

Business Manager 

Jaya Mannam Miller comes to us from Bright Water Waldorf School in Seattle, where she has been a part of the administrative staff and where her mother is this year’s Eighth Grade teacher. Jaya attended Desert Marigold School in Arizona from the second through the twelfth grade. Jaya’s higher education is in Computer Science.  While she didn’t find the corporate world very congenial, she has enjoyed working with nonprofits where her holistic Waldorf background gave her a well-rounded approach to problem solving.  She wants to work in an environment where relationships are an important part of getting the job done and people value each other. For fun Jaya likes kayaking, walks with her beagle mix, Yuki, reading science fiction, and she shares her family interest in astrology.

Robyn Jones taught at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School for eight years as both a movement and class teacher. She earned her Waldorf teaching certificate from Antioch New England and has completed a training in Spacial Dynamics. She holds degrees in Liberal Arts and Landscape architecture and is a trained massage therapist.  She teaches music and movement classes at Sound Circle. 

Nancy Pfeiffer grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated with a BA from DePaul University, where she studied Art and Theatre. She apprenticed and worked with several potters at both Lill Street Pottery Studio in Chicago and Pottery Northwest in Seattle. Her interest in Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy began with Early Childhood Classes from Sound Circle. This led her to become a Waldorf Teacher. For the past 17 years she has taught classes primarily at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School from Early Childhood to the Middle School.  

Daniel Stokes has worked within the Waldorf Education movement since 1975. He received his teacher training at Emerson College, England and a diploma for Speech and Drama in Sydney, Australia. He co-founded Mythos Storytellers and Looking Glass Theater which performed and led workshops in schools across Australia. Over the past 24 years Daniel has been a class teacher and has brought a love for the spoken word, specifically its use in the classroom, through courses in poetry, storytelling and drama in Waldorf training centers throughout the U.S. He currently lives with his wife in Portland and spends some of the year abroad training teachers and mentoring in Waldorf Schools.

Nettie  Fabrie was born and raised in the Netherlands. She earned a masters degree in Education and worked two years as a public school teacher while training to become a Waldorf teacher. She took two classes from first through eighth grade in the Brabant Waldorf School in Eindhoven. During these years she took several courses related to Waldorf education in Stuttgart, Germany and Dornach, Switzerland. In 1992 she earned a BA in Art History from the University of Leyden, and in 1996 a BA in History from Fontys University in Tilburg, then taught art history and history at the high school level. In 1998 she completed a degree in Internal Pedagogical Management, and in 1993 and 1994 mentored grade school teachers at Seattle Waldorf School to increase the education quality. From 1994 to 2000 she worked as a remedial and high school teacher in the Brabant Waldorf School, traveling frequently to the United States and Canada to mentor teachers in several schools. 

Anouk Tompot was born and raised in Amsterdam, Holland and studied Biology at the Vrije Universities in Amsterdam, where she received a Master’s degree and worked in the department of Biology and Society. Anouk also explored several eastern and mystical traditions and systems and discovered a bridge between east and west when she encountered Anthroposophy. She is a graduate of Rudolf Steiner College and has been teaching for over 15 years in Waldorf Schools, mostly as a high school teacher, but also has experience in early childhood and grade school.  She has been teaching foundation studies classes at Sound Circle for the last ten years. 

Wim Gottenbos holds an M.A. in Education, a Waldorf Teaching Certificate, as well as a Remedial Teaching Certificate. Wim has worked in Waldorf schools for over 40 years and continues to be thrilled by working with the children in his class. His passions outside of work include beekeeping, gardening and reading. 

Jana Hawley has been a visiting faculty member at several Waldorf teacher training institutes in the US as well as at institutes abroad, including China and Australia. She has led workshops in movement, singing, and composition, and is a contributor to The Mood of the Fifth: A Musical Approach to Early Childhood, a WECAN publication. Jana earned her BFA in Music from Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA, and her MSEd in Waldorf Elementary Teacher Education from Sunbridge College. 

Fanny Kenny lives on Whidbey Island with her husband and two daughters where she enjoys playing and teaching music. She has taught music to children in grades 1-8 at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School since 2008, and is now taking a break to homeschool her youngest daughter. She regularly enjoys playing music with the "Saratoga Orchestra" and "Island Consort" on Whidbey, and especially loves a good sing along at the beach or round a fire. As a graduate of Sound Circle Center, she feels lucky to share her passion for music with students of Waldorf Education, and is incredibly grateful for the education she received there.