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.
SOPHIA KOTKES-CUMMINGS
Assistant Teacher, Sweet Pea Class
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.
Grace Farm Early Childhood Program
JOANNA VONCULIN
Apple Tree PreK Lead Teacher
Joanna has long been drawn to the nurturing and intentional qualities of Waldorf education. She has a background in children’s mental health, with a Master’s degree from Villanova University in psychology. She moved into working in early childhood education when her children were small, and has over a decade of experience in directing early childhood programs. She has completed the Sunbridge Institute’s Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher program and also holds a Vermont teaching license. When not at OVWS, Joanna enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, learning history, traveling, singing, being in the woods and by the ocean, and trying her hand at nearly any handwork she happens to come across.
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.
GEORGINA HAASE
Assistant Teacher, Maple Tree Kindergarten
Georgina's experience with Waldorf education began when her own children attended OVWS. She and her spouse were one of the founding families of OVWS and she has worked here for fourteen years in different areas, including leading the summer camps. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Behavioral Science from Northern Vermont University. She received her Waldorf Early Childhood certificate from Sophia's Hearth Teacher Education Center in Keene, NH. Georgina is from Mexico and enjoys gardening, handwork, animals, dance, and laughter.
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.
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
Interim 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.
HANNAH BILLIAN
Class Teacher
Hannah has been teaching for the past 10+ years in a variety of independent and alternative schools. Her background is in environmental science and outdoor education. She joined OVWS as the Grade One Class Teacher in autumn of 2023. Hannah has worked for a few Waldorf inspired programs, and began her formal Waldorf training with the Center for Anthroposophy in summer of 2023. Hannah lives with her husband and step-daughter on their farm just a few miles from school. She spends her free time cycling on gravel roads, Nordic skiing, trail running with her dog, gardening, reading, and weaving baskets.
TBD
Class Teacher - Grade 3/4
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.
VICTORIA MANSURI
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.
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.
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.
