Julia Pitcher

Teacher, Grade 1

Growing up on the North Shore of Vancouver, I spent my childhood enjoying all kinds of outdoor activities ranging from skiing, camping, and going on canoe trips with my family. In high school, my parents discovered Waldorf education and took me to an open-house because they thought it would be a good fit for me. I instantly felt connected and comfortable, and this began my love of Waldorf education. 

After high school, I attended Concordia University in Montreal where I got a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. Once I completed my degree I moved to Toronto and began working at a preschool for children with disabilities, and was extremely inspired by the dedicated community of teachers and parents at the school. In addition to this work, I completed my certification as a birth and postpartum doula and worked with a group of midwives to assist with the birth process and support new families in their transition into parenthood.

Although I loved moving to different cities in Canada I knew that I always wanted to settle back on the West Coast. Combining my love of children and supporting families, and reflecting on my positive experiences in educational settings, led me to begin my career as a classroom teacher. I am currently completing my Waldorf teacher training certification while I work, and could not be more excited to be joining this community and to enjoy all that Squamish has to offer. 

Elise Perreault LaRiviere

Teacher, Grades 6/7/8

I grew up in small town Québec and come from a family of caring and committed individuals – my dad was an early childhood educator and my mom was a special needs educator. My family also provided respite foster care.

At the age of 16, I began working in camps for special needs children, and daycare at 18. Since then I’ve had a wide range of career experiences after receiving a diploma in corporeal mime as well as two years of post graduate teaching and directing in London, England. I’ve lived in Germany, Finland, Yukon, England and Poland, and love travelling. I am passionate about languages and am multilingual.

I have a background in public education and have been an early childhood assistant in a Montessori program. My wide breadth of knowledge for different learning modalities and pedagogies means I bring a diverse skill set to SWS, where I’ve worked, first as an educational assistant, since 2015.

I have a fascination with human beings – what makes us who we are and how we behave. This has inspired my passion for theatre, anthropology, history, literature, and philosophy which I studied in university. I chose experience over theory with corporeal mime, a branch of physical theatre that demonstrates how to represent the different folds of a human being through the body’s expression.

It was through observing my own children that brought me to Waldorf education.

There is so much that resonates with my values in Waldorf. It embraces the whole of the human being – head, heart, and hands – and there is recognition of the many different types of intelligence. I also see connecting with the natural world, the integration of oral storytelling, handwork, and art as an integral part of the education.

And I love the strong connection I am able to establish with the children; it is one of my favourite aspects of my work. I am fascinated with understanding how they learn and think, and then develop tools with them to help them achieve their full potential, removing barriers that can get in their way. I love that I am learning new things every day from the children and from my colleagues.

Holly Lionhart

Morningstar Kindergarten Assistant

I was destined to be a Waldorf child! My mother was a Waldorf kindergarten teacher as well as a “triple belt” eurythmist, and my father worked in anthroposophical architecture.

During my school-age years, I made lifelong friends at the Vancouver Waldorf School. My first job was being a nanny for a family with two young children. Upon graduation, I studied make-up artistry in response to my desire to do hands-on creative work. I had a lucky break and got noticed by a leading artist, and mentor, who took me under her wing as her assistant on film projects. My time in the film industry was dynamic, fast-paced, and put my creative skills to good use. Being part of a collaborative team environment felt good, and each day brought something new. I also traveled extensively in distant lands during this time, including India and Peru.

After my daughter was born, we moved to Salt Spring Island and lived on an orchard property, raising chickens, and enjoying the wholesomeness of island life. During this chapter, I was drawn towards the healing arts, taking workshops and courses in different modalities, such as reiki, massage therapy, and wild crafting. It was important for me that my daughter experience Waldorf education, so when she completed her Waldorf early childhood programs on the island, we moved back to North Vancouver for her Grade One year.

In 2022, I worked at the Vancouver Waldorf School as an education assistant and as a preschool substitute. It was wonderful returning to my roots and being part of this warm and nurturing environment. I appreciate the beauty, creativity, and enrichment the Waldorf environment provides, a tool belt of qualities to take with you throughout life. I particularly enjoyed working in the kindergarten!

We enjoyed visiting Squamish for camping and weekend adventures. I liked the idea of a smaller school community and heard great things about the faculty. A new door was opening for us. Now we call Squamish home, and I’m looking forward to deepening our roots and getting to know the lovely children in the kindergarten class! 

Koeun Buck

Teacher, Huckleberry Preschool

I grew up in Seoul, South Korea, and I was fortunate to have loving and dedicated parents who spent a lot of time taking me and my brother into nature when we were little. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, I began a career as a kindergarten teacher and have taught in Japan and Germany for the past 13 years.

I met my husband, who is from BC, while teaching in Japan. After travelling and exploring so many beautiful places in the world, we have decided to live closer to our Canadian family. Our love for the mountains brought us to Nelson, and then beautiful Squamish. 

My time teaching in Germany for eight years gave me a lot of ideas that are connected to the Waldorf education. With a group of 17 children of mixed age, I believed that education had to take into account the physical, behavioural, emotional, cognitive, social and spiritual aspects of each child and encourage them to use their imagination for learning. I also felt passionately about taking them outside and connecting with nature every day so that our children learned to be more attentive to the world around them.

I feel fortunate to have joined SWS where every day I encounter children, parents and teachers who bring new joys and ideas for growth. When I am not at school, I love snowboarding, split boarding, hiking and camping with my husband.

Katherine Fawcett

Music Teacher

I’m a musician, writer, outdoor enthusiast, star-gazer and mother who recently moved to Squamish from Pemberton.

A violin and choir teacher at Whistler Waldorf School for the past nine years, I specialize in inspiring young musicians with a wide range of musical styles within the Waldorf framework. Music is also my passion outside of school – I teach private piano lessons, am a founding member of the Sea to Sky Orchestra, and continue my own violin studies under the mentorship of Yuko Iwanaga. I enjoy attending bluegrass camps and festivals throughout the year.

My two children have been Waldorf students since their early years 2017. My son, Jack, was part of the second ever graduating class at Whistler Waldorf School.

Christine Martin

Principal & Grade 2/3 teacher

I was raised in Montreal and Toronto and attended University of Western Ontario, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in human relations and social organizations, and psychology in 1988 with honours. After 16 months traveling and working in South Pacific, Asia and Europe, I began a career with Warner-Lambert in Vancouver. I met my husband James and we had two daughters, Mikayla and Shondra.

While I was home with the girls, I read about Waldorf education and became very inspired. In 2000, I joined a small group of parents to create our dream of a Waldorf school in Squamish. That fall, I enrolled in the Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher training program through the West Coast Institute of Anthroposophy and subsequently received my independent school teaching certificate from the Ministry of Education. Morning Star Kindergarten was opened in 2002 and the school has grown every year since. When I am not doing school work I love to spend time with family, ski and mountain bike.

Callie Harvey

Education Assistant

Growing up in Australia with two adventurous parents, we explored the country camping on beaches and in deserts. When we were at home on the east coast, I’d spend my time surfing, fishing, and going to cafés with friends.

Once I completed high school, I came to Canada on a working holiday visa to volunteer on a dogsledding ranch in Ontario before working in a café in Lake Louise, Alberta. After two years I returned to Australia to study a Bachelor of International Relations in Brisbane.

In 2019 I completed my undergraduate and moved back to Canada to be with my Canadian partner in Toronto. I knew that Toronto would be a temporary home as I always wanted to move to BC to live in the mountains. With little convincing, this is what we did in 2020. We’ve been living in Squamish since early 2022, spending our free time skiing, hiking, biking, camping, and playing tennis.

It wasn’t until late 2022 that I realized I wanted to move into the education industry as I love working with children. Eager to start working in the field, I began volunteering at Squamish Waldorf School as a Classroom Assistant in March 2023. In early July 2023, I started a Master of Teaching (Elementary) program to one day lead a class of my own. The SWS community has been so welcoming, and getting to know the students and teachers has been the highlight of my career transition. I look forward to more experiences like these while working at SWS as an Educational Assistant.

Astrid Lackner

Teacher, Rainbow Preschool

I grew up in the foothills of the Austrian Alps and spent my childhood roaming the forests with my two brothers. My destiny brought me to Vancouver after I graduated from a Kindergarten pedagogy training. Throughout my 30+ year career in early childhood, I have accompanied children and their families in many ways. Among many educational adventures, I received the Waldorf teacher training certificate in 2006, completed the RIE program (Resources for Infant Educarers) in 2016 and the Pikler training (Austria) in 2021.

Through my own two daughters, I discovered the Squamish Waldorf School in 2002. With much enthusiasm and lots of help I headed the pre-school and parent/child programs. I am currently the WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America) regional representative, and teach and mentor upcoming  Waldorf teachers at the West Coast Institute for Anthroposophy. 

In my free time I join my partner in working on our biodynamic farm, growing holistic foods. My passion however, will always be with the little ones, who have so much to teach me.

Danielle Lafontaine

French Teacher

I grew up in Montreal, but a love of the mountains, rivers, and everything about nature brought me to Squamish.

During my childhood, I competed in gymnastics. When I took up coaching, I truly discovered my joy of working with children – helping them to progress and learn new skills was extremely gratifying, and started me on a path to education. 

In addition to growing up in a French immersion program my whole life, I received my Bachelor’s degree from Concordia University in French and English translation. In school, I always enjoyed participating in art, reading, writing, sports, and events. These foundations of my education led me to engage in my community by volunteering, coaching, teaching, swimming, hiking, biking, and snowboarding in my spare time.

After years of working and travelling throughout Europe, Central and South America, South Africa and New Zealand, my interest in life-long learning was solidified.

I am so inspired by Waldorf’s appreciation of the individual child. This motivates me to take the time to connect and help each student thrive in activities inside and outside the classroom, and especially in nature. 

Learning is a life-long process, and the Waldorf environment is the perfect embodiment of this philosophy. I love how SWS ignites and nurtures children’s imagination and curiosity, inspiring them to learn, inquire, explore, and grow. 

Christine Martin

Principal & Grade 2/3 teacher

I was raised in Montreal and Toronto and attended University of Western Ontario, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in human relations and social organizations, and psychology in 1988 with honours. After 16 months traveling and working in South Pacific, Asia and Europe, I began a career with Warner-Lambert in Vancouver. I met my husband James and we had two daughters, Mikayla and Shondra.

While I was home with the girls, I read about Waldorf education and became very inspired. In 2000, I joined a small group of parents to create our dream of a Waldorf school in Squamish. That fall, I enrolled in the Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher training program through the West Coast Institute of Anthroposophy and subsequently received my independent school teaching certificate from the Ministry of Education. Morning Star Kindergarten was opened in 2002 and the school has grown every year since. When I am not doing school work I love to spend time with family, ski and mountain bike.

Harriet Haines

Administrative Coordinator

Beginning life in the UK, I completed a BSc in Sport & Exercise Science and a PGCert in Professional Studies in Education (with a specialism in teaching PE). After working as a Year 4 Class Teacher in London, I went on to teach PE & performing arts across North Yorkshire for students aged 4-11.

Upon arrival to Canada, I became acquainted with Canadian schools as an Education Assistant in Banff, AB before my love for the mountains and lakes of BC brought me to Squamish. Here, I spent three years broadening my experience at an outdoor environmental & Indigenous cultural education centre. This involved teaching outdoor environmental education programs (Grades 1-12), mentoring high school students, and leading teams as the Program Coordinator.

More recently, I worked at the Whistler Waldorf School as the Pedagogical Administrator alongside teaching music and career education for students in Grades 8-12 (including coordinating the exchange, fundraising, and post-secondary planning programs).

Outside of work, I enjoy playing music (violin, guitar, ukulele) and various activities (figure skating, yoga, skiing, cold-water swimming). I am so grateful to be a part of this SWS community!