SPECIALISTS
library Ellen Abrams Some of my fondest early memories as a young child were my weekly visits to the public library with my mom, and bringing home piles of books to read. I loved the smell of the library, the feel of the card catalog (yes, I’m getting old), the magic of getting lost in a good book, and the fact that the books were free for anyone. It’s no wonder that I became a librarian. I adore this school, and started my journey at MP&MS 21 years ago as a classroom teacher in both sixth and third grade before transitioning into the library. Early literacy is exciting for me and I enjoy incorporating my theatrical background and passion for mindfulness into my storytimes and library lessons. When I’m not at school or buried in a good book, you can find me hiking the beautiful trails in Marin County, trying out new recipes, and traveling to new places whenever I can. Margot Holtzman I will never forget the feeling of being in the school library as a young girl. My librarian, Mrs. Noguchi, would patiently show me how to fold origami and tell me stories of her childhood in Japan. It was like being enveloped in a warm hug. The books were my connection to other worlds and opened up a world of possibilities for me. It doesn’t surprise me that I ended up as a librarian at Marin Primary & Middle School. I started here 23 years ago as a parent. My three children attended MP&MS, classes of ’07, ’10, ’13, and while they were here, I was involved in the Friends of the Library Committee reigniting my passion for reading and books. As a former teacher of English as a Second Language, I knew that books had the power to change people’s lives through literacy and offered them hope and a place that they could see themselves. Being a librarian gives me the opportunity to share stories and offer the children of MP&MS that warm hug.
music
John Cunningham I’ve performed live on stage from the time I could stand, having been born into a large musical family who performed live musical variety shows annually at the Russian River for over 20 years. I sing and play guitar, ukulele, and bass, as well as a bit of piano and drums. My passion for music is as strong today as when my journey began. From the time I was young, I wanted to teach music to children, to help inspire young students and to help children reach their full musical and creative potential. In my music classroom, I strive to create a fun, safe and creative environment where students can explore music through song, dance, music games, percussion instruments, xylophones, and more. Every child’s music journey is unique and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of each one.
Michael Wray When I was 9 years old, my grandmother took me to see a Big Band performing in a park where many folks were swing dancing. I saw the piano player and asked if I could learn to do that. Now several decades later I am happy to still sit down at the piano and enjoy the expression of music. I thought I wanted to be a rock star, but after witnessing some of the circumstances that come with it, I decided it would be much more enjoyable to work with young people and hopefully inspire them in a musical way. I have been teaching music at MP&MS for 30 years. I have had the unique opportunity of creating a program from the ground up. I know that every single one of us has the potential to make music with a group and this is what drives me to teach. Seeing a young person discover for the first time the joy of singing or playing an instrument is truly a magical moment. I continue to enjoy my own performances in a Big Band, jazz & rock groups and community musical theater.
exploration lab Jesse Swagerty This is my 12th year at Marin Primary and Middle School, and my first year as the Exploration Lab teacher. I’m a parent at MP&MS with daughters in 3rd grade and kindergarten. I come from a family of educators, and ever since I started working in schools, a position like this has always felt like an inevitability to me. I have always been an early adopter and quick to use technology effectively in my classrooms and with my students. Novel and different approaches to learning excite and motivate me. I find learning to be exciting, thrilling. I enjoy taking on innovative projects and trying new things. The position of Exploration Lab teacher is the job of a perpetual learner. I love to seek out new ideas, think of meaningful projects to integrate into existing programs, and put technology into the hands of kids to learn. Exploration Lab focuses on making, design engineering, coding, and robotics. I develop and lead hands-on integrated projects for classes throughout the school to give students a chance to construct their learning and be exposed to the opportunities technology can provide. Kids need opportunities to build their learning through experience, reflection, probing questions, and peer collaboration. Exploration Lab is also a place to be creative, have fun, and try new things! I can’t wait to expand this new program and see where the learning takes us!
projects lab Ferenc Dobronyi When I was growing up, there was a man in my neighborhood named Jack Kasper. Jack was a truck mechanic in the desert, and a humble veteran of World War II. He was a handyman who could fix anything. He was the father of two daughters, a few years older than me, who could also fix anything. He let me use real tools when I showed curiosity about the noisy goings-on in his garage and yard. When I was a kid, Jack taught me carpentry, and when I was a teenager we rebuilt engines and I built a dune buggy. The one thing I never learned from Jack was patience, but when I became a patient man, I realized that was his lesson all along - the patience to understand the mysterious workings of machines, and the patience to fix them; the patience to dream and design my ideas, and the patience to follow through with the build. As I work with your children, I think of Jack Kasper everyday. The Projects Lab isn’t about every kid building an identical birdhouse. It’s about the students gaining confidence with the tools, and learning to choose the right one to solve a problem. It’s about developing fine motor skills and recognizing quality craftsmanship. Projects Lab is about nurturing creativity, designing ideas and making them real, and fixing the “failures”, a word we don’t shy away from. We’d like your children to grow into confident, capable innovators who can solve their own problems, help others with empathy, and understand and help solve the world’s problems. I’d also like their experience to be so much fun, they don’t even know they are getting an education.
physical education
SPECIALISTS
Matt Penwell I grew up in Fairfax at a time when everyone knew one another, the town only had a couple of stop signs, and Sir Francis Drake Blvd. was a two lane road. I was afforded a fair amount of freedom early on, and I used my Red Schwinn cruiser bike to explore the far reaches of town. My mother, keenly aware of her six-year-old’s desire to be active and outdoors, registered me for youth soccer on a team called “Pezan’s Flower Gallery.” Arriving at my first practice, I received a bright green uniform with a picture of a flower bouquet on the front. I remember putting on my uniform, walking onto the field, and chasing after my first ball. I was hooked, and from that moment on, I began to live and breathe soccer. Even after becoming a multi-sport athlete, and also discovering mountain biking, surfing and distance running, soccer remains my number one. I played soccer at the collegiate level, and continue playing and coaching soccer to this day. I’ve been a part of the MP&MS community since the mid 1990’s. I love helping young people learn about the benefits of exercise - building strong bodies, having fun, and working together! Children receive great satisfaction discovering and participating in a physical activity they enjoy. I work with passion, and take pride in teaching and modeling the philosophy of “Life-Long Fitness”, positively supporting my students through their journey of finding an enjoyable physical activity, so they are more likely to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout their lifetime.
outdoor education center Angela Layton As a child I spent my summers on my grandmother Barbara’s farm at the base of a beautiful forest covered mountain in the Oregon Cascades. The farm had all the farm things: animals, food and herb gardens, creeks and ponds. Each morning my grandma would hike us grandkids up to the tallest spot on the land where we were surrounded by many types of trees, shrubs and flowers. She would carefully arrange a circle of stumps for each of us to sit on. Once we were all sitting quietly, she would teach us the names of the trees, plants, animals, and insects around us. She would start with the common names, and once we had those memorized, she would then teach us their scientific names. Thanks to my grandmother’s inspiration, I have the pleasure of teaching Outdoor Ed to our students who, coincidentally, are also sitting on stumps, in a circle, in our very own garden here at MPMS. The David R. Heath Outdoor Education Center, aka “The Garden”, is a year-round living lab where the students can access and feel connectedness to the natural world just steps away from their classroom. Our learning garden aims to deepen the students’ ease and connection with natural systems while fully stoking the fires of imagination, play, joy and the miraculous. By growing our own food from seed to harvest and having hands-on experiences preparing dishes, the students gain insight into the value of whole foods and a sensitivity to the great amounts of energy required to make food. The students’ relationship with harvesting, processing and eating food fresh from the garden develops and deepens as they progress through the grades.
Kira Akka-Seidel ’09 I grew up on this campus. My mom was one of the second grade teachers here when I joined the preschool in 1997. I stayed through eighth grade and graduated with 25 other students, 19 boys and 6 girls. As an only child, raised by a single mother, my family was small and my circumstances were often isolating. But this school gave me the siblings I always wanted and an extended family that remains to this day. I was a sporty, outspoken, and competitive kid and although I sometimes felt I didn’t fit societal expectations, at MP&MS I felt like I belonged. The accepting, community-oriented nature of this school must be why I keep finding my way back. While I was a senior at Branson, I did a teaching internship in the fifth grade classroom. In 2019, I came back to substitute teach and coach the JV basketball teams. Now I am in my second year as the sixth-eighth grade PE teacher with the goal of fostering an environment where students can build their self-confidence and feel seen. A few fun facts about me: I graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a double major in Environmental Studies and Legal Studies (Go Slugs!); I lived and worked in Chennai, India for 7 months after college; I am applying to graduate programs in Foreign Policy and Global Affairs and hope to live abroad as a US diplomat someday.
spanish The MP&MS Spanish program is centered on the belief that helping our students to build a solid communication in another language fosters the skills and values to broadly understand and appreciate cultural differences and enhance cross-cultural communication. The MP&MS Spanish curriculum, which begins with our youngest students in preschool, promotes the application of basic conversation and communication skills while steadily building an understanding of basic grammar for reading and writing skills. These skills are regularly reinforced through hands-on classroom activities and textbooks for older students. Our penpal and teachers’ exchange program with Colegio Williams, our sister school in Cuernavaca, Mexico, has created deep connections between our schools and enriched the program for our students, promoting global citizenship. The MP&MS Spanish program is led by teachers who bring not only language fluency, but also a deep knowledge of culture to share with students. In addition to developing speaking, reading, and writing skills, students learn about the history, geography, music, art, traditions, and culture of the Spanish-speaking world through personal stories shared by their teachers, classmates and their families, and other adults at school. Student experiences in the Spanish program provide important preparation not only for future language study, but also for their participation as members of the global community of the future.
Nora Bailetti I was born and raised in Argentina surrounded by a family of teachers. As a child I often played being an educator, teaching my imaginary students a very complicated, pretend foreign language. Although I first became a Physical Education teacher, my passion for languages, especially my native Spanish, and the opportunity to teach in a classroom changed my life forever. I love being around kids and finding ways to make learning Spanish fun and engaging. This is my eighteenth year at MP&MS, and in my classes, I teach to reach students at their own capacity and I really try to utilize methods that best accommodate their individualities. The openness to express my creativity here at school, and the warmth the community demonstrates have made a life-changing impact.
SPECIALISTS Sara Bender ¡Saludos! I was born in Mexico City and was raised by American parents who had a passion for Mexico and all its beauty. Even though we came to the United States when I was five years old, the culture and language were always a huge part of my life. I remember lying in bed, constantly trying to remember the colorful homes, the delicious meals, and the kindness of the people, marking every day off on the calendar that led me to going back. I traveled to Mexico every summer and accompanied my mom to many events at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC, where she worked. When it was time to go to college, I opted to study in Mexico and lived there for almost three years, soaking up every bit of life as possible. I traveled on buses all over the country to dance in the streets for festivals like Cervantino and walked around cemeteries each fall celebrating the Día de los Muertos. Those were the most exciting and educational years of my life, so it was a tough decision to return to the US to complete my studies. As I continued my education, I knew I loved Spanish and the culture, and also loved working with kids, so becoming a Spanish teacher would become the perfect career choice for me. In my opinion, teaching Spanish is not just about showing my students the rules of the language, but also instilling in them the beauty of travel and appreciation for people who are different from us. I want my students to understand how unbelievably cool it is to speak another language because that ability allows us to communicate with so many people around us and far away. Silvia Flores-Vasquez Hola. I’m Silvia Flores-Vasquez, aka Sisi. I was born in El Salvador and migrated to the United States of America at age 15. I discovered my passion for teaching when I was in first grade. I loved my first grade teacher so much that I wanted to be her helper all the time. I helped by sweeping and mopping the classroom, organizing the teacher book shelf, wiping the desks, and the most special job for me was to erase the chalkboard. As a reward, Srita. Carmencita would let me take home the little bits of chalk leftovers from the day. Those tiny little pieces of chalk would help me go home and imitate her lesson for all the little children in my “Barrio” neighborhood. I would have at least 5 kids at my house every afternoon teaching them what I had learned on that day. Those kids (adults now) to this day still call me “Profe” - teacher. I have a passion for teaching children, and have been at MP&MS since 2012. Children learn Spanish by exploring the culture, food, and music of the many different Spanish- speaking countries. I’m excited for this school year with my students. We’ll have lots of fun!
Joey Higuera This is my 4th year at Marin Primary & Middle School and my first year as a 6th-grade advisor, alongside being Spanish support for all grade levels, with a focus on middle school. Last year I taught 7th and 8th grade Spanish and was an 8th-grade advisor. I am a parent of an 8th-grade girl and a 1st-grade boy. As a 1st generation LatinAmerican immigrant I grew up as a dual language learner and recognized the power of language early on. Teaching is a passion I have followed for over 16 years and I am tremendously grateful to have spent the last 4 of those in a place that truly treasures childhood and inspires children to be their truest and best selves. From the Seashore Room in our preschool division to SSAT administration on Saturdays, Marin Primary & Middle School has given me a place to share who I am and my love of teaching. I firmly believe no student is ready to learn until they know they are safe, seen, and cared for. I am excited about this year ahead and grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community once again.
tree school
Tree school was launched last year to extend our preschool program into the outdoors in a mission-centered way. Dylan Turner, former Forest teacher, is joined by Shanga Juckas in leading this exciting outdoor program, which has expanded to include Kindergarten due to extraordinary popularity. Every other week, each class embarks on a morning of outdoor, nature-based, learning adventures. An abundance of research suggests that young children benefit from spending more time outdoors. Even before the onset of the pandemic, families were facing intense schedules and enticing digital technology that made it increasingly difficult to find time to wander and wonder in nature. We are fortunate to be able to offer wonderful outdoor spaces right here on campus; with Tree School, we can also take advantage of the richness of Marin’s local environment. Children have the opportunity to find both stimulation and calmness in the woods, or in the open spaces, all at a pace that is often quite different from what is afforded by a traditional school setting. Tree School has become a beloved and successful program, and the experiences shared by each class contribute to their education and their cohesiveness as a small group. Dylan Turner I found my love for early childhood education working as a “co-op dad” at my daughter Eva’s preschool in San Francisco. Eva is now 16, and her sister Sabine is 10. My wife Nicole and I live with our daughters and pets in San Rafael. I helped to start the Tree School program at MP&MS last year, after having worked in early childhood classrooms for the better part of the 2010s. (They are still my favorite small people!) With tremendous support from the community, I get to spend virtually every weekday morning leading children aged 2 to 6 into Marin’s natural playscapes. Only after having started the program did I realize that the Tree School journey is a return of sorts to my own childhood. As a kid in Ontario, Canada, I was lucky enough to spend multiple summers exploring lakeside wilderness with my sister and our cousins. Still, the memories that rushed back last year were from hours I spent as a boy in an eroded area known as the Dongas across from my family’s house during the two years we spent in the southern African country of Lesotho. I was often alone (or with my sister) back then, following trails to climb, lift rocks, and enter caves nearly every day until dusk. When the children are in a groove at Tree School, I have a strong sense of familiarity with the magic trick that occurs: getting hands-on learning about a place, and getting lost in wonder, all at once. Shanga Juckas Tree School is a dream (that I never even knew was an option) come true. I have been a student on the receiving end of outdoor education and I know the impact these trips can have. But before I ever understood the concept of “the great outdoors,” I was less than interested in exploration of the natural world. My mom named me after the Shawangunk Ridge (the foothills of the Catskills), where she grew up hiking and climbing and just being outside. But I dreaded long hikes as a kid, and I could be convinced only with the promise of a sugary treat at the end. At some point during the years of elementary school, something shifted. I remember going to Yosemite with my fifth grade class and feeling stoked from start to finish. Since that age, I have been constantly curious about everything outdoors. When I met Dylan and heard about Tree School, it made me reminisce on that time in my life when I was not as connected with the outdoors. I think there can be a lot of frustration for a young person, particularly at the early preschool age, when the motivations to be outside may be different from the parent or adult leading the hike. Each student brings to Tree School their own curiosity; whether it is finding cool rocks, climbing trees, building forts or anything else, Dylan and I are ready to follow that curiosity and let them lean into it. Every Tree School day is filled with bursts of excitement, like noticing how soft dirt is (!) or climbing to the top of turtle rock. Tree School days are also full of challenges, like learning (the hard way) how sharp thistle plants are or maybe not yet being ready to climb turtle rock. Growth is happening in both the exciting moments and challenging ones. I am thrilled to be a part of Tree School’s second year and to be working alongside Dylan as we watch your children change with each season.
SPECIALISTS