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Paraprofessional Sandy Cahill < Back Paraprofessional Sandy graduated from Lehigh University in 2016, with a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and a certification in Special Education. While earning her degree, Sandy returned to the outside workforce after spending several years at home raising her two children. Sandy has worked in various educational roles including: Head Start Teacher, PreK-Counts Teacher, Substitute Teacher, Paraprofessional, 1-on-1 for a student with autism, and Title I Aide. Sandy flourishes in environments where creativity can flow freely, this is what led her to work in preschool classrooms and also drew her to explore alternative teaching modalities, where learning includes more than academic achievement. As a parent, Sandy saw how music and artistic expression enriched each of her childrens’ lives in important and different ways, providing opportunities for learning, growth, exploration, expression, and community. In her free time, Sandy enjoys spending time in nature. One of her favorite places to visit is the Lehigh Valley Nature Preserve where you may see her hiking with her husband and their dog Muffie, sitting on a camp chair in the shallow creek, or watching the sunset. scahill@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Strings Teacher Seval Kanik < Back Strings Teacher Seval Kanik grew up experiencing a variety of musical opportunities in the West Irondequoit Public School District and the Rochester, New York community before earning her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Ithaca College. While at Ithaca Ms. Kanik developed knowledge and appreciation for playing a variety of instruments including strings, winds, percussion, piano, guitar, and voice, all of which she continues to nurture today. Ms. Kanik enjoys performing in a variety of community groups including the Valley Community Orchestra on cello and the Macungie Band on tenor saxophone. Since 2010 she has held a variety of teaching jobs in the field of instrumental music before finding her community in 2022 as the strings teacher at Circle of Seasons. Since coming to COS, she has learned how well her teaching philosophies align with Waldorf methods: allowing every student the opportunity to play an instrument and explore their own musical ideas while developing their skills. She looks forward to working with the wonderful staff at COS and continuing her education by exploring more Waldorf pedagogy and finishing her Master's Degree in Special Education from Lehigh University. When not teaching or making music, Ms. Kanik enjoys cuddling with her two cats (Gustav and Bartok), playing with her dog (Kitap), playing ultimate frisbee, challenging others to a variety of games, and completing puzzles. skanik@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Fiber Arts Assistant Emma Simms < Back Fiber Arts Assistant esimms@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Fiber Arts Teacher Scott Mitsching < Back Fiber Arts Teacher Scott Mitsching gained his Masters in elementary education with a focus on Waldorf education at Antioch University of New England and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed Waldorf teacher training through the Center for Anthroposophy. Scott has taught for the past 3 years in a variety of settings including as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia where he taught at a rural High School in the Amhara region. In Ethiopia, Scott had many opportunities to learn local crafts such as basket weaving and cotton spinning. Following the Peace Corps, he became an English teacher in the port city of Haiphong in Vietnam. It was in Vietnam that Scott learned how to dye with Indigo from a Hmong community near Sapa. Most recently Scott was an intern at the Anchorage Waldorf school in Alaska where he enjoyed connecting with nature and viewing the Northern lights. Scott brings with him a love and appreciation for all things fiber art. He is a proficient knitter, crocheter, and felter most recently he has become interested in natural dyeing and hand sewing. He continues to pursue further education through the Kairos Institute with a focus on creative speech development and further fiber arts education at the Fiber Craft Studio. He is an active member of the Anthroposophical society in America. When Scott is not in the classroom, he can be found keeping busy with a current knitting project and spending time with his pet Angora rabbit. He also enjoys taking care of his plant collection and garden. Scott has a love for travel and the outdoors and continues to plan new adventures whenever he has the opportunity. smitsching@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Intervention Teacher Ariel Sly < Back Intervention Teacher Ariel found her love for children young. She started working in a daycare as a toddler classroom teacher while she was still in high school. She continued working in childcare while furthering her degree, with a focus on Elementary Education and American Sign Language. Eventually, she helped open a new childcare center and became the Director. After running the center for a few years, she realized she missed working closely with the children. She became a TSS and worked one-on-one with students with disabilities. Although she loved this career path, she needed a more steady schedule. Ariel found her love for children young. She started working in a daycare as a toddler classroom teacher while she was still in high school. She continued working in childcare while furthering her degree, with a focus on Elementary Education and American Sign Language. Eventually, she helped open a new childcare center and became the Director. After running the center for a few years, she realized she missed working closely with the children. She became a TSS and worked one-on-one with students with disabilities. Although she loved this career path, she needed a more steady schedule. Ariel found COS and knew it was perfect for her. She loves the Waldorf approach to learning and preserving childhood. Nature, Art, and Music are big parts of her life, so she knew this school was the perfect fit to continue her love for teaching. She started as a paraprofessional and moved into the Intervention Teacher position where she can closely work with students to help them excel! In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Another passion of hers is making music. She is a lead singer and acoustic guitar player who finds that making music helps her to decompress. Other hobbies she enjoys are hiking, kayaking, gardening, macrame, and painting/drawing. asly@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Dean of Students (5-8) Kate Elias Dean of Students (5-8) < Back Kate Elias graduated from Kutztown University with a BA in Psychology. Her passion is working with children. She has been both a preschool teacher and TSS worker and has worked with children in various capacities for over a decade. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the beach, watching movies and spending as much times as she can with her friends and family. kelias@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Sixth Grade Class Teacher KellyAnn Purugganan < Back Sixth Grade Class Teacher kpurugganan@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Fourth Grade Class Teacher Alexis Smith < Back Fourth Grade Class Teacher asmith@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Special Education Teacher Kaitlyn Pearson < Back Special Education Teacher Kaitlyn graduated from Millersville University with a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education Social Studies. Her desire to work with children has always been present, but her passion for teaching began when she volunteered in her cousin’s special education classroom in the eleventh grade. She played a very active role in college organizations and was a member of Best Buddies, which is a world known organization who fosters friendships between students with and without intellectual disabilities. In her free time she enjoys learning guitar, reading, hiking, watching hockey games, cooking, and spending time with family as well as friends. She is so glad to officially work for a school where the development and care of students is the number one priority. kpearson@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Executive Assistant Erin Orben Executive Assistant < Back Erin earned a BS in Psychology with an English Minor from The University of Scranton and an M.Ed. in School Counseling from Lehigh University. Throughout her graduate years and into her school counseling tenure, Erin worked as a TSS and Mobile Therapist, supporting young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their family members. She worked in local school districts as a counselor, mostly at the middle school level, where she loved wearing many hats in that dynamic role. She left full-time education after having her first child, and stayed home with her kids while working various part-time jobs. These included outpatient therapy, customer service, and working as a virtual office assistant. It was in these years as a new parent that she learned about COS, and was thrilled when her first child was able to enroll for Kindergarten. Since then, Erin and her family moved to an organic farm in Kutztown and she now has two children who proudly attend COS. She was very excited for the opportunity to combine her various professional experiences into a new role as the Executive Assistant at this amazing school. Outside of work and school, Erin and her family enjoy being outside, growing vegetables, hiking on their property, and reading. eorben@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Administrative Coordinator Kim McFarland Administrative Coordinator < Back Kim entered the workforce after attending Kutztown University. Kim moved to Florida and worked as an Executive Assistant at American Media, Inc. She also started a non-profit organization with a friend teaching children the importance of ocean/beach pollution prevention. After moving back to Pennsylvania, Kim worked for ARCH of Lehigh Valley for several years supporting families of children with Autism. Wanting to continue her desire to work in the presence of children, her most recent endeavor for the past several years has been supporting local charter schools in an administrative position. Kim is grateful and excited to be a part of Circle of Seasons as the Office Manager. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, nature, and spending all other time with her husband, two sons, and their new puppy, Oliver. kmcfarland@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

First Grade Class Teacher Taylor Freyer < Back First Grade Class Teacher tfreyer@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >