Jonathan Mvududu
Interim Board President
Read MoreTrista Bamer
“Everywhere is walking distance, if you have the time.” Trista Bamer grew up in Washington state, wandered around Europe for a long while after college, settled in Seattle, and has been living the life of a responsible adult ever since. Her family (two very cool kids, one happy husband, one anxious little dog) live just…
Read MoreThom Britton
Look closely at the present you are creating; it should look like the future you are dreaming. Alice Walker If Thom Britton could choose one person to have a long meal with (alive or dead), it’d be Arthur Brooks (Musician, Author, Professor, Thought Leader). Born and raised in the Midwest, but a proud Seattleite…
Read MoreDaisy Gilman
PSCS volunteer and friend, Daisy Gilman, was introduced to PSCS through staff member Scobie Puchtler in 2013. She has been a friend, volunteer, committee member, and served on the Board of Trustees for two terms. “Kindness and compassion” as an approach to PSCS’ philosophy is what draws Daisy to PSCS. Spending time with students and staff is her favorite way to volunteer.
Besides facilitating classes such as Coffee Grows on Trees, and Handwritten Thank You Notes, Daisy also chaperoned students on overnight snowshoeing trips at Mt. Rainier with past-staff member and friend, Chrissy Wakeling.
Daisy calls classical music her “live blood” and started piano lessons again after many years of hiatus. “If I were exiled for life on an island, please at least give me a piano and both books of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier.”
Besides music, Daisy loves to travel, golf, spend time with friends, eat delicious food, and bake bread and pies from scratch. In the fall and winter months, she delegates Sundays for football and faithfully dons her cape for the Seahawks (yes, she really has a Seahawks cape). Daisy now lives in Port Orchard with her husband, Ken.
“As I continue to mature, I have a deep appreciation that my life is about being playful, with intermittent moments of seriousness; not the other way around. I work hard to live my philosophy.”
Alex Cho Snyder
Alex Cho Snyder’s teaching style is a perfect match for PSCS.
“He definitely knows what he’s talking about,” says Arthur Hill, a student in Alex’s computer game programming class. “When he gets into something he’s passionate about, you can really tell.”
In this way, Alex fits right in at PSCS. The goal of the school’s volunteer program is to connect students with talented people of high character who are excited by what they do.
Read MoreDr. Tae
Dr. Tae earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois. His talk “Building a New Culture of Teaching and Learning” led to him being a featured speaker at TEDx EastsidePrep and a PNAIS conference. He has held faculty positions at Lake Forest College, DePaul University, and Northwestern University. In addition, he has worked in the video game industry redesigning the control system for the wireless skateboard peripheral used with Tony Hawk: SHRED.
Read MoreDeb Schaack
PSCS friend, past staff-, board- member, and volunteer, Deb Schaack, first got involved with PSCS in 1997 after completing a year of service with AmeriCorps. Deb taught at the school for nine years before becoming an entrepreneur. She ran Central Physical Therapy & Fitness, with her partner, Jutta, for many years before they both retired and moved to Port Townsend.
Identifying the highlight of her time at PSCS is not easy.
“As anybody who’s been involved with PSCS for any stretch of time will tell you, it’s very difficult to pick out just one memorable moment. It’s more like a stream of moments. A few that come to mind: sitting motionless with a couple students on a backpacking trip as we watch an obviously just-born fawn try out her legs . . . walking through freezing rain on a peace walk chanting with monks . . . working with students to create an in-school snack store.”
Read MoreDuncan Moore
Here’s how Duncan Moore, the vice president of the PSCS Board of Trustees, responded when asked to describe his involvement at PSCS:
“When I meet folks while at a PSCS event I’m often asked, ‘So, what’s your connection to PSCS? Which child is yours?’ To which I respond, ‘None of them. I don’t have children.’ So what is my connection to PSCS? Why do I serve on the board, facilitate classes, and generally hang out as much as I can? It’s because I’m secretly envious of all the kids that do get to attend PSCS. . . .
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