Faculty

Rith Dok – Pre-K and Kindergarten Teacher
Rith Dok’s energy perfectly matches that of his lively little students. His constant smile and ready laugh quickly wins their (and their parents’) trust. Mr. Dok graduated from Pacific Union College in northern California with a degree in social work. For the next four years he worked with children and families in group homes and therapeutic boarding schools. He then turned to education, teaching high school special ed in a self-contained unit for three years. This is his first year teaching pre-K and kindergarten. He has already proved himself more than equal to the task.

Sara Willard – 1st-2nd
Ms. Sara, our dynamic 1st-2nd grade teacher, has a fascination with the outdoors and will either bring it inside (plants, birds and other little living things reside in the classroom) or take her students outside to discover the marvels of nature. Environmentalism and teaching children to care about their world is important to her. Ms. Sara also cares deeply about teaching good life skills to her students. She loves making kids feel comfortable in the classroom. Because reading skills impact every other subject and because of her own painful memories of having “the lowest reading level and much difficulty with learning” as a student, she takes extra measures to help struggling readers, the ones who “feel afraid they aren’t as smart as everybody else.” It matters to her to build confidence in all of her students.

Cindy McCaw –3rd-4th
Prepare for adventure whenever you step into Ms. McCaw’s classroom. Her room’s awesome décor and overall theme for the year will take you to a different time and place, providing experiential learning in unusual settings. The creative Ms. McCaw loves to make topics of study “come to life” and also takes a special interest in connecting students with their local community through avenues such as community service activities, sign language, and skills that prove useful in the community in which they live. It is important to Ms. McCaw that her classroom be a safe place for all. She desires to help her students learn to be good, moral citizens, to learn to help others, and to succeed at whatever they do.

Linda McLennan – Aide, Handbell director
The moment you come into contact with Mrs. McLennan, you sense her ability to make everything around her feel peaceful and beautiful. As Mr. Kendall’s aide, she keeps all the students’ paperwork in order. As handbell director, she helps each handbell student—whether beginner or seasoned musician—to feel confident of being capable to produce beautiful music. Providing after school care to the children whose rides come well past dismissal, she uses the time to get acquainted with those children, to find ways to help them develop either an interest or a skill or just to use their energies in healthy ways.