Sweet Clover Nursery Program
Birth to Age Three (Montpelier Campus)
LEX SANDMAN-PITONYAK
Lead Teacher, Rosebud Class
Lex first came to OVWS in 2017 as an assistant at Sweet Clover Nursery. She began the Birth to Three training at Sophia’s Hearth and became the Lead Teacher in the Sweet Pea room. In 2021, she left to join her husband in Qatar where she worked for a term as an FS2 Lead Teacher at an international school before ultimately relocating to Egypt where her husband is from. Lex has three years of eurythmy training from Peredur Eurythmy in England, and holds a BA from Bennington College with a concentration in Visual Art. As a Vermont native, she is delighted to be back with her son Adam.
DANIELLE DIRECTOR
Lead Teacher, Sweet Pea Class
Danielle has a masters in Art Therapy and Counseling from Long Island University. Prior to joining Orchard Valley Waldorf School, Danielle worked with infants utilizing Pikler principles at Mountain Village School in Stowe. She’s also currently enrolled in both The Gaia School of Earth and Herbs, as well as at Sophia’s Hearth for Waldorf Teacher training. Danielle has a passion for introducing them to the natural world, whether through gardening or harvesting herbs for tea. She’s excited about bringing puppetry to circle time, after having worked alongside a mentor specialized in marionettes and the Waldorf early childhood classroom. Danielle aspires to bring the arts as a method of developing burgeoning language and self-expression in the little ones. In Danielle’s spare time she enjoys spending time with family and friends, being in nature, and hand sewing.
JUSTINE STEVENS
Lead Teacher, Dandelion Class
Justine Stevens is an artist, mother, astrologer, and writer with a passion for the world of children and their stories, illustrations, toys, and songs that spring from the inner well of imagination. As a lifelong spiritual seeker, she feels the works of Rudolph Steiner led her through synchronicity into a Substitute Teacher position at Sweet Clover in 2022, opening the world of Waldorf and Pikler early childhood philosophy. Being part of a space that has such respect for the spiritual well-being and unfoldment of each child is inspiring, and she looks forward to furthering her education in this field.
Justine has a B.F.A. from the University of Georgia with emphasis in Printmaking and Book Arts. She is certified in First Degree Reiki and enjoys the opportunity to offer a receptive energy to the newest members of our Earth.
SOPHIA KOTKES-CUMMINGS
Assistant Teacher, Sweet Pea Class
Sophia attended OVWS as a student, starting in Nursery and continuing through 8th grade. From a young age she has worked with early childhood students as a counselor at summer camps. She is enrolled in an early childhood course at CCV and is looking forward to continuing her education. In her free time she enjoys snowboarding, being by the water, and spending time with friends and family.
MELORA KENNEDY
Assistant Teacher, Dandelion Class
Melora is from Oregon and moved to the East coast when she was 27. In the process she got a Bachelor’s in History and a Master’s in Education including a certificate in Waldorf Education. She found her true love in Waldorf education which she feels is the most authentic response to what children (and adults) need to thrive. She has taught as a class teacher up through grade five and for the last twelve years she has been teaching preschool and younger. She loves Orchard Valley and the Sweet Clover Nursery, and has been honored to work in a support role for the last 6 years. On her own time she paints (pictures), swims and gardens.
LILY LAFAY
Floating Assistant Teacher
Lily attended the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh from Kindergarten through fourth grade where she then supported summer camps multiple seasons. In 2021 she began studying at Sterling College, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in December of 2023. She has a love for all things hand crafted, such as tanning hides, cultivating food, natural dyes, and pollinator habitats. She has dreamed of being an educator for many years and is eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to uphold Orchard Valley’s learning philosophies as the early childhood floater teacher.
Grace Farm Early Childhood Program
GEORGINA HAASE
Apple Tree PreK Lead Teacher
Georgina brings over 20 years of experience working with this age group, many of those years at Orchard Valley, where she was a founding family. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Behavioral Science from Northern Vermont University. She received her Waldorf Birth-Seven Teaching certification from Sophia's Hearth Teacher Education Center in Keene, NH and also holds a level IV certificate on the Northern Lights career ladder for Early Childhood Educators. Georgina is from Mexico and enjoys gardening, handwork, animals, dance, and laughter.
JUNGWOO KIM
Maple Tree PreK Lead Teacher
Jung grew up in South Korea, where she earned a BA in fashion design. Her journey to Vermont began by traveling across the world and eventually to Plainfield, VT. Jung’s desire to bring a natural and loving education to her children inspired her to explore Waldorf Education. She immediately fell in love with it and decided to start a new career path, joining Sweet Clover Nursery in 2017. She earned her Waldorf Early Childhood Birth to Three Certificate through Sophia's Hearth and is currently working toward completion of her Early Childhood Certification for children ages 4-7. During her free time, she enjoys reading, singing, gardening, sewing, and spending time with her three children.
JOHN TATLOCK
Maple Tree Assistant Teacher
John is an alumni of the Lake Champlain Waldorf High School who relocated from the Champlain Valley to Cabot last August with his partner and infant daughter. With a background in literature and creative writing, John began his time in early childhood education as a preschool teacher at Heartworks in Williston, after years working on farms and in bakeries. John is grateful for the lifelong curiosity and reverence for the world that his Waldorf education instilled in him. “It unlocked a world of endless creativity, beauty, and passion for me, and I am excited to foster this same excitement and connection to the world in the students at the Orchard Valley Waldorf School.”
BETSY LEBLANC
Assistant Teacher, Maple Tree Classroom
Betsy has degrees in music performance from Juilliard and McGill, and has spent most of her career in Vermont as a chamber musician, music educator, and fitness professional. She discovered Waldorf Education in 2000, when she taught in the kindergarten aftercare program and led the middle school wind ensemble at the Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Shelburne, VT. An avid singer and visual artist, Betsy is a member of the Montpelier-based vocal ensemble, Many Waters, leads the Green Mountain Hospice Choir HeartSing, and used visual arts as a therapeutic means of recovering from post-COVID. With a love for Vermont and its mountains, she has thru-hiked the Long Trail twice, as well as completing the Long Trail alongside her beloved dog, Sam. She is excited to return to Waldorf Education because it aligns with her belief that every human’s inherent creativity should be nurtured and realized.
MICHELLE GULLAGE
Kindergarten Teacher & Summer Camp Director
Michelle worked in Outdoor and Adventure Education for over a decade before stumbling upon Waldorf Education while looking for a preschool for her oldest child in 2008. In 2009, she stepped into the Kindergarten classroom where she taught before moving up with her current class to First Grade. She has a BS in Recreation, Parks and Tourism, with a concentration in Outdoor Education, and a Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Certificate from Sunbridge Institute. Michelle lives with her family on a mountaintop just a few miles from school with a menagerie of animals. In her spare time, she loves to drink coffee, listen to bluegrass, and run the miles of dirt roads and trails surrounding her home.
MAR YORK
Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Mar started working at OVWS in the fall of 2025 after a decade of experience in nature-based early education. The land here captivated her immediately and she is grateful to be able to share her passions of music and agriculture with the young ones of the community.
MARIANNE PERCHLIK
Morning Garden Teacher
Marianne is the mother of three OVWS alums and discovered Waldorf Education through the original Morning Garden class. She was part of the parent community that created OVWS in 2004. In 2017, Marianne joined the faculty of OVWS and has held several different roles here. For 12 years, she has practiced as a childbirth mentor, doula, and parenting coach. Prior to motherhood, Marianne served at the Juvenile Defenders office as a Juvenile Attorney. She holds a JD and a Master’s in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, as well as a BA in Theater and English. She is a certified Waldorf High School Teacher from the Center for Anthroposophy and taught for 4 years at the Initiative; a Vermont Waldorf High School on the campus of Goddard College. She is a certified Waldorf 0-7 teacher from Sophia’s Hearth. Marianne is passionate about singing, writing songs, gardening, sustainable agriculture, and swimming.
Grace Farm Grades
KATE ALLEN
Class Teacher - Grade 1/2
Kate first learned about Waldorf education when she was in high school in Santa Cruz, CA. Her son previously attended Sweet Clover, and she is coming back to Orchard Valley as an educator after working in a public school for the past two years. She has a Masters of Arts in Elementary Education and is licensed through the state of Vermont to teach K-6, and a Bachelors of Arts in Sustainable Food Systems from Sterling College in Craftsbury, VT. Kate has a love for folklore from around the world and enjoys sharing different cultures with children through the lens of folk stories. Kate is passionate about the environmental issues facing our time. She believes that nurturing a reverence for the natural world will inspire future generations to be mindful stewards of the land we inhabit. In her free time, Kate enjoys reading, gardening, going for long walks, nordic skiing, and spending time with her son.
VICTORIA MANSURI
Class Teacher - Grade 3/4
Lower Grades Handwork Teacher
Victoria started her journey with Waldorf education as a student at the Washington Waldorf School in Washington, DC. Her love of creativity, beauty, and reverence led Victoria to become a Waldorf teacher. After graduating with her BA in English and Dramatic Arts from the University of California at Davis and her Waldorf Teaching Diploma from Rudolf Steiner College, Victoria took her first Waldorf first grade in 1998. She’s been teaching ever since. In 2019, Victoria moved to Vermont and in 2021, she joined OVWS. She recently completed her Master’s Degree for Experienced Educators, with a Focus in Healing Education from Antioch University. Victoria loves to dance, sing, and act and has two cats.
MARINA MIRONOVA
Class Teacher - Grade 5/6
Marina’s love for Waldorf education began during her college years where she studied art, anthropology, and the history of human culture in Siberia, Russia, where she also grew up. Since moving to the United States in 2005, she has worked as a nanny, had her own successful healing practice as an EFT tapping practitioner, and is raising her two boys. In September 2020, her family joined OVWS and then in spring 2021 Marina graduated from Sunbridge Institute as a Waldorf Elementary School Teacher. In her personal time, she enjoys the outdoors, sings in the Bella Voce Women's Chorus, plays piano, dances in her living room, knits, and studies astrology.
LOTTIE MAKER
Class Teacher - Grades 7/8
Lottie received her BA in Elementary Education from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, where she taught second and third grade at an arts-based charter school. She then returned to Vermont, joining the OVWS community in 2019. Lottie grew up in central Vermont and attended festivals at the Green Mountain Waldorf School, which left a lasting impression and served as an inspiration to dive deeper into Waldorf education in the years since. When not in the classroom, Lottie loves to dig in the garden, create with her hands, sing in harmony, and walk in the woods with her husband and three children.
Grace Farm – Subject Teachers
LUKE BOUSHEE
Woodworking and On the Land Teacher
Luke has shared his passion for nature connection with youth at wilderness schools since 2012. For the past 6 years, he was a mentor at Earthwalk Vermont where he taught earthskills and naturalist studies. He is a graduate from Teaching Drum Outdoor School's Wilderness Guide Program and was a long-term apprentice at ROOTS School. In addition to working with younger children, he has led his own all-season camping trips with teenagers and has taught at Kroka Expeditions. When not teaching, he practices traditional crafts, hunting, fishing and wild food harvesting.
ALLIE ANDRUS
Middle School Handwork Teacher
Allie is a mother of three and has been a Waldorf parent for 13 years. She is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Art Therapist and has worked with children and adults in a variety of settings, currently in private practice. She is a Doctoral Candidate in East West Psychology where her focus has been the role of domestic craft (meeting domestic needs with our own hands) in family life. She enjoys knitting, crafting, general tinkering, growing food, working with animals, and adventuring with her family.
TYLER PRICE
Movement Teacher
Tyler Price came to OVWS as a parent, seeking a naturally enriching education for his two sons. He found himself inspired to get involved, eventually joining the staff as the Movement and Games teacher. Tyler is a lifelong athlete, growing up playing basketball and later training in various martial arts, such as Capoeira, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, and KickBoxing. He is currently in his second year training in level one Spacial Dynamics. In his spare time, Tyler can be found bicycling, hiking, sculpting, cooking fabulous meals and practicing archery. He is also a writer, musician and performer of Hip Hop and Reggae music.
MELANIE GRUBMAN
Farm and Garden and Cyber Civics Teacher
Melanie is a trained Waldorf teacher and professional family educator who uses community building techniques. She received a BA in government from Wesleyan University and a M.ED with teaching licenses from Antioch University. She is trained as a Maggid (Jewish storyteller/community leader). Her other professional pursuits presently include running an all-women dry stack masonry business and directing festivals and school programming as the education director of Living Tree Alliance, where she also built her home with her two sons. She enjoys bike touring, hiking and having her hands in the soil and on stone.
Student Support Services
STEPH KILIAN
Steph has been a social worker in child protection, domestic violence, and adolescent detention settings which has made her care deeply about and value the importance of early life events and environment for children and families. She loves being a mother and all the beauty, challenge, self-reflection and growth, gift of childlike awe, and even mundane monotony that she has been privileged to experience. She is passionate about Waldorf education, parenting support and education, building community, and social justice issues. She hopes to combine her love of helping others through social work with her belief in the wisdom of anthroposophy and her experience of Waldorf education.
JUSTIN MORRISON
Justin moved to Vermont in 2018, having previously lived in 3 other states and one Canadian province. He earned his BA in English at the University of Toronto and his M.Ed. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Antioch University New England, where he was exposed to Waldorf teaching. Justin sings in an area choral group and is active in folk music and dance. Justin spends his spare time renovating his house in Richmond, and has brought his passions for music, dance, woodworking, and creative building to his teaching practice.
