Grade School Specialty Faculty

Blake Cisneros: Spanish Teacher, Grades 1 – 8

Blake Cisneros was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in a thriving Hispanic community. He later moved to Washington State and earned his B.A. in Education with a minor in Spanish from Evergreen State College. He has been involved in music and arts education for the last thirteen years, teaching everything from Environmental Education to directing Arts Education programs in the Public Schools. This will be Blake's fifth year as a Spanish teacher, and second year in a Waldorf school. In addition to teaching Spanish, Blake also specializes in teaching African and Afro-Caribbean folkloric drum and dance, and performs regularly in the Puget Sound area. He believes that music and art are tools for universal human communication, and will help us as a local and global community to move together in a positive direction to a brighter future. Blake, his partner, and their two year old son are excited to connect with the amazing Waldorf community in Seattle.

Naoki Hirata: Japanese Teacher

Naoki was born and raised in Niigata prefecture in Japan. From the age of three, he enjoyed skiing with his father. He studied pharmacy at Kanazawa University, and after graduating worked for a hospital in his hometown as a pharmacist. He spent most of his twenties in Tokyo, attending an acupuncture school and working as a pharmacist. He enjoyed the metropolitan busy life and encountered Anthroposophy through a friend, which changed his life. Immediately Naoki joined an Anthroposophical study group and was fascinated by Steiner’s philosophy. In 1983 Naoki and his wife Yumiko moved to Camphill Village, Beaver Run in Pennsylvania to explore Curative education and Anthroposophy. They spent four years as seminarists, caring for and living with mentally handicapped children. Their first child was born and Waldorf education became a real practice for their own child as well. Naoki trained as a Waldorf teacher at the Waldorf Institute in New York State. The Hiratas then moved back to Japan and Naoki worked for a Waldorf approach kindergarten as a kindergarten teacher. In 1992 Naoki and his family moved to Seattle and SWS, where Naoki has been teaching Japanese ever since. He loves sharing his language and culture with American students.

Mari Riksheim: Handwork Assistant

Mari Riksheim co-owns a day spa in Kirkland and has been a licensed massage therapist for two decades. She has been a real estate agent for the past several years, and is in her second year of Waldorf teacher training at Sound Circle Center. She is married, has a daughter at SWS, and enjoys yoga, massage, walking, going to the beach, boating and spending time with family and friends.

Tiffany Towles: Handwork Teacher

Mrs. Towles received a B.A. from the University of Washington in Costume Design in 2000. She pursued her sewing and design skills through her Organic Cotton Clothing business. Tiffany taught sewing to children for a few years while raising her daughter Harmony. In 2004 she began her Waldorf teacher training with the Amethyst Class at Sound Circle Center. During this time Tiffany was the Handwork Assistant at Seattle Waldorf School bringing much of her own creativity into the classroom. In June of 2007 Tiffany graduated from the teacher training and accepted the position as the Handwork Teacher at SWS. Tiffany is delighted to share her creative gifts with the students.

Anya Chrysler: Folk Dance Teacher, Grades 1 – 3, and Eurythmy Piano Accompanist

Anya was born in Moscow, Russia and attended a special music school for eight years. She graduated from the Pedagogical College of Music in Moscow and then earned a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting after five years study at the Institute of Culture in Moscow. She taught public school music in Grades 1 through 10, taught an Early Childhood Music program at various preschools for children between three and seven years old, and worked with college students to prepare musical theatrical productions of dance and song. Anya moved to the United States in 1992 and began working at Seattle Waldorf School as the Eurhythmy accompanist the following year in 1993. In 2006 her role expanded to include teaching folk dance. In addition, Anya has a private piano studio and also works in several Russian-speaking preschools teaching dance, singing, and music. Anya has a passion for Iyengar Yoga and has completed a two-year Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training program.

Bonnie Freundlich: Eurythmy Teacher

Bonnie Freundlich has a B.A. in English Literature from Kenyon College, an M.A. in Creative Arts Therapy from Hahnemann University, and a Eurythmy Diploma from the Eurythmeum Stuttgart. She has taught Eurythmy at Whidbey Island Waldorf School for eight years, at Seattle Waldorf School for two years on a part-time basis, and this past year at the Santa Fe Waldorf School. Bonnie has also taught adult courses and has performed extensively.

Elaine Klansnic: Physical Education Teacher

Elaine was born in Barstow, California, in the Mohave Desert. She was raised in Everett, Washington, where, as a tomboy, she was the fastest runner. She attended Everett Community College, and received her B.A. from Central Washington State College in Secondary Education, majoring in PE and minoring in Recreation. She has completed a five-year training in Spatial Dynamics. Her daughter and her son graduated from SWS. Mrs. Klansnic has been named “the nicest person in the world” by our students.

Michael Kline: Practical Arts Teacher

Michael was born near Philadelphia, PA, and spent most of his school years in a suburb of St. Paul, MN. He studied art there, in Duluth, MN, and finally Madison, WI, where he earned a B.S. in Art degree in 1985. It was in France, at the monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, that Michael met and married his wife, Geraldine. Together, they moved to Stourbridge, England, where he completed a Waldorf class teacher training course. Later, he pioneered the Practical Arts program for grades six through twelve at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, NY, and taught a variety of main lessons in grades six through nine over eight years, including a five-month period at the Vancouver, B.C. Waldorf School in 2004. The Klines moved to Seattle in 2006 where, along with teaching, Michael continues to develop his work as a visual artist.

Iris Kulasic: Art Teacher, Grade 7 & 8, and Selected Grade 8 Blocks

Iris was born in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She spent a carefree childhood exploring the town streets, parks and alleys, and befriending other children, stray cats and dogs. The sudden outbreak of war turned the whole family into refugees and the unstoppable current of that time brought her to Croatia. Iris, 15 years old, tried to attend high school, but was turned away. She accepted an offer from a US peace-promoting organization and came to Chestnut Ridge, NY, where she lived with an American host family, and attended and graduated from the Green Meadow Waldorf School. Later, she graduated from Brown University with a double major in History of Art and Visual Art. She then worked as an assistant to the Bosnian Ambassador to the UN, and after a few years decided to focus on education. While studying for her masters in Education and Pedagogy, she taught for three years in a Bronx public school. Looking for further challenges, Iris then taught for a year in Philadelphia, then returned to New York to teach Art in a Chinatown public school. After arriving in Seattle, she pursued her longtime wish to learn the ways of a Waldorf teacher at Sound Circle Center and the Seattle Waldorf School. She teaches art and select morning lesson blocks at the grade school.

Robert Murphy: Strings, Grades 4 – 8, and Middle School Choir Teacher

Robert T. Murphy began violin studies with Piotr Swic in his hometown of Columbia, SC. He received his B.M. in performance at the Dana School of Music in Youngstown, OH and his M.M. in violin pedagogy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on a McNair Fellowship. Mr. Murphy studied violin with John Wilcox, Myron Kartman, Bernard Zink, Ilana Setapen, and chamber music with Stefan Kartman and Michael Gelfand. He studied orchestral conducting with Margery Deutsch and string pedagogy with Darcey Drexler and Robert Gillespie. He has played in masterclasses for Jamie Laredo, Dorothy Delay, and the Cleveland Duo. Mr. Murphy has performed in orchestras such as the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Festival City Symphony Orchestra, Youngstown Symphony, Ashtabula Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, etc. He has also performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Hootie and Blowfish, Crystal Gayle, Al Jarreau, and others. Mr. Murphy has attended festivals such as the Spoleto Music Festival USA, the Brevard Music Festival, the Mid-America Chamber Music Institute, and the Milwaukee Chamber Music Festival. He has taught middle school and high school orchestra and digital music at Whitefish Bay Schools in Wisconsin, and was also on the violin staff of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. He is thrilled to be working with the beautiful hearts and minds at the Seattle Waldorf School.

Tom Varner: Band Teacher, Grades 6 – 8

Tom Varner earned a B.M. from the New England Conservatory and a M.A. at the City College of New York. He is internationally known as one of the top living pioneers of jazz on the French horn, as a great all-around horn player, and as an inventive, witty, and passionate composer for his different ensembles, with thirteen CDs released under his own name. Tom won the 2000 Jazz Composers Alliance Composition Award, has toured all over the world, and played on over 70 CDs, with Jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Steve Lacy, John Zorn, Bobby Previte, and Jim McNeely. Tom also wrote the soundtrack for the feature film Saints and Sinners. After living in New York City for 26 years, Tom moved to Seattle in the fall of 2005. Since then, he has enjoyed teaching private students, as well as classes at Cornish School of the Arts and the Lakeside School. He has appeared as both bandleader and sideman with numerous artists at the Vancouver, Earshot, and Bumbershoot festivals, the Seattle Art Museum, and at Tula's and other clubs. Tom is married to a Seattle native, has two great kids, and is excited to be teaching at the Seattle Waldorf School!

Michael Rice: Educational Support – Therapeutic Teacher

Michael grew up in Wisconsin, and graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Michael worked as a carpenter for a number of years, then completed his Waldorf Teacher Training at Sunbridge College in Spring Valley, New York. He then returned to Wisconsin, and taught a class from Grade 1 through 8 at the Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School.During this time, Michael completed the Remedial Teacher Training program from the Association for a Healing Education, and began part time support work in the school in addition to his Class Teacher role. He then moved to the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, developed an Educational Support program there, and graduated a class from Grades 6 through 8. Michael loves to play music, run-bike-swim, and go on dates with his wife Kristen.

Andrea Marquardt-Preiss: Curative Eurythmy Teacher

Andrea was born and raised in the Black Forest, in south Germany. Her passion for movement, dance and people have guided her on a path of learning and teaching that continues to fascinate and inspire her. Starting out as a physical therapist in Germany, she worked for 12 years in the fields of Neurology and Orthopedics, especially with children.

During this time, Andrea discovered the Feldenkrais Method, a holistic approach to movement and learning on all levels, and Eurythmy, which unites movement, poetry and music. Andrea worked as a Feldenkrais Practitioner and Eurythmist in her private practice near Munich, Germany, and taught Eurythmy in a Therapeuticum and in private Kindergartens, where she witnessed the healing effect of Eurythmy on children and adults. In 2008, Andrea moved to Seattle with her family, where she recently finished her training as Eurythmy Therapist, and now works with children at SWS. In addition, Andrea utilizes Feldenkrais and Eurythmy Therapy in her private practice with people of all ages. Andrea performs with a local Eurythmy troupe, loves hiking, being in nature with her family, and the great variety of music in Seattle.