Our Faculty

THE STAFF

Micah Roseberry, Coordinator, an educator with seventeen years of experience, brings her passion for nature, art, agriculture, outdoor education, and community service to the classroom. She has taught grades one through eight at the Country Day School, graduating the first 8t' grade class in 2002. While studying Humanities and Art Education at Indiana University, she became interested in finding an educational philosophy that nurtured and developed the whole child and mirrored the values of her own family. Traveling to NM to visit the Sustainable Native Agriculture Center in Arroyo Hondo, she fell in love with the mountain light.... and her husband of 16 years. Inspired by another love affair with Waldorf education she helped found the Country Day School and has continued to study during summer sessions at the Rudolf Steiner College. She currently lives in Cerro, where she helps her husband and children run their organic CSA farm.

Kindergarten Teachers

David Gilman, Cedar Mountains Teacher. David has been teacing in various settings since high school: first as an academic tutor and gymnastics coach; then, while attending U.C. Berkeley and College of the Atlantic , as an environmental educator and summer camp counselor; later as a Jewish educator, where he was advised to explore Waldorf education. He traveled to Israel to study in a Foundation Year program in anthroposophy and Waldorf education at Kibbutz Harduf, and he returned to California to complete his early childhood training at Rudolf Steiner College . He has taught kindergarten for the past six years in two Waldorf schools in Oregon and California . Besides teaching (and sometimes within his teaching), David loves to whitewater canoe, explore nature, cook wholesome foods, play music, and practice movement arts, especially Spacial Dynamics, which he has been studying for the past four years.

Silke Markowski, Early Childhood Coordinator, was born in 1965 in a small village in West Germany, where she loved milking cows, jumping in haystacks, roaming the fields, driving tractors and motorbikes. Her teaching career started with leading Sunday School at the age of 14. After finishing her educator's training, she traveled to the U.S., where through her work with children she discovered Waldorf education. She moved to Taos with her family in 1991. Starting a playgroup with some friends in 1992 led to the founding, of Taos Country Day School with Micah, Linda and Melinda in 1994. Today, she is a happy Gnome teacher and feels blessed with the magic, beauty and love the children bring into her life and a community that makes her feel at home.

Becky Whiteman was born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico. She was led to the Country Day School by her two lovely daughters in 2004 and has since become more and more involved. Becky has worked for three years at CDS, as the after care teacher, substitute teacher and for two years as a kindergarten assistant.

Grade Class Teachers

Michael Janzen, first grade teacher, grew up in Wisconsin where he attended the University of Wisconsin, Osh Kosh. Soon after the birth of his daughter, he started a construction company with a partner and ran an owner-operated business for four years. During this time he volunteered for a number of different organizations involved with children. After volunteer teaching in a 7 th grade at the Tamarack Waldorf School he went to Antioch New England Graduate School and completed the Waldorf Teacher Training.

Javier Alvarez, second grade teacher, was born in Mexico City and grew up in Philadelphia. After graduating from the University of North Carolina with a B.A. in History, he moved to San Francisco to pursue his interest in education. He taught at the San Francisco Waldorf High School and Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm in Sonoma County. Javier and his wife, Ellie, have three children: Luna, Pablo, and Mercy. They feel fortunate to have found a place to raise their children in a diverse culture, with endless outdoor adventure opportunities and a thriving Waldorf community.

Sarah Beasley, fourth grade teacher, approaches her fourth year with her beautiful class at the Country Day School with joyful exuberance! Sarah comes to us from Chicago, where she spent most of her childhood. She earned her degrees in History and Geology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she also nurtured her love for the outdoors and traveled extensively while studying abroad in Europe. After graduating, Sarah had adventures collecting stories from Native American elders in Oklahoma, writing grants for a lake association in the northernmost part of Maine, and leading teenage boys on backpacking and climbing trips. Sarah discovered Waldorf education while working on a migrant farm crew, raking wild blueberries, and fell in love with the holistic approach to education. After completing her teacher training at the Arcturus program in Chicago, Sarah spent time in Ireland as a gardener and baker at a Camphill community. From there she was called to Taos by her wonderful class, and looks forward to starting fourth grade with them!

Sandra Houston is the fifth grade main class teacher. She comes to Taos after teaching for the past five years in Montana at St. Labre Mission School on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Prior to teaching in Montana, Sandra was a teacher for 15 years at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School (where her son Matthew attended from the Early Childhood program through the eighth grade). Sandra is looking forward to bringing to the Fourth grade and the school her love of singing, painting, foreign language, and yodeling from the mountain tops.

Michelle Marks, Upper Grades teacher, has two beautiful children who are in the 2nd and 4th grades. She has just completed her Waldorf Teacher Training at Antioch University. Michelle has a BFA in Theater and is a Certified Herbologist and Natural Health Consultant. She loves teaching the Waldorf curriculum, especially the artistic elements.

Nic Tuff, Upper Grades teacher. Originally from England and Canada , Nic made Taos his home for three years (working with the upper grades and after-school programs at CDS) after graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont . He then went on to get his Master's of Education at Antioch University in New Hampshire , specializing in Integrated Learning and Waldorf education. He has taught upper grades in schools in Virginia and New Mexico . He is a micaceous potter and a videographer, having worked for a stint with the BBC. He is passionate about connecting people with the natural world and in bioregionalism. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys spending his time on the rivers of the southwest in his kayak. Nic is very excited about working at CDS with its dedication to community and earth stewardship.

Specialty Subject Class Teachers

Handwork

Vadan Baker, our handwork teacher, has lived in Taos County for 28 years and has been at Taos Country Day School for six years. She is a textile artist, gardener, and loves to bake outside of school. She loves teaching at Country Day School.

Violin/Cello

Audrey Davis began as a classical violinist in New England and brings over 40 years of professional experience to the Country Day School music program. She received training in the Suzuki method of violin instruction, and for 26 years has been teaching the children of Taos and surrounding towns to play violin and cello. In addition to playing in orchestras, quartets and mariachi groups, she presently performs with the Jenny Vincent Trio, well-known for its Northern New Mexico music. In 2006, under her guidance, the Country Day School String Orchestra recorded a CD of high quality musicianship, "A Class of Strings"

Movement and Games

Jesse Gemmell has been teaching movement and games at the Country Day School for the last four years. Originally from Canada, Jesse has a strong background in gymnastics and holds a degree in Child and Youth Counseling. He also teaches classes at the local Gymnastics Academy. Jesse focuses his class on cooperative games, social development and spatial dynamics. Jesse was also the snow board program sponsor and the assistant sponsor of the ski program.

Oana Havris, Eurythmy. Oana was born in Romania and came to America at the age of fifteen. She graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a double major in Theatre and English Writing and then went on to receive an M.A. from Antioch New England Graduate School in Education with Waldorf early childhood concentration and state certification. While at Antioch she fell in love with eurythmy and after teaching in the early childhood for two years in Portland , Oregon , she move to California to study eurythmy full time at the Rudolf Steiner College . This last summer she received her eurythmy degree in Dornach , Switzerland , and is happy to be teaching what she loves to children. Oana enjoys working artistically in eurythmy, spending time in nature, reading, and making seed bead jewelry.

Music

Jenna Paulden has been fascinated by the work of Rudolf Steiner for 21 years, and has been a Waldorf parent for much of that time. She holds a B.A. degree in Theater and Literature from Grinnell College. During the course of her liberal arts education, she also studied many other subjects, such as Plant Ecology, Drawing/ Printmaking, Ancient Chinese Poetry, and Ethnomusicology. She brings this wide range of academic curiosity to her teaching. Jenna has taught Geometry and Humanities at a private Junior High and High School. She teaches Music at Taos Country Day School.

Spanish

Rocio Mondragon is our new Spanish language teacher. A native from Cusco, Peru where she is presently working on an Ecological Humanitarian Project in the Andean Village of Compase. Rocio graduated from college in San Francisco, Ca where she also taught art, papermaking and owned "Luna Press" a printmaking studio. She lives in Taos with her family and grandchildren. She is also a court interpreter and is very dedicated to working towards the restoration of the Spanish language and culture at a local community level.

For current employment opportunities, please call us at 575-751-7750.