Faculty & Staff

…as the middle school chorus teacher. Her journey with Waldorf Education began when her first child began attending MVWS’ parent/toddler class, fully immersing herself in the years since in learning all she can about Waldorf. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music and owned and operated a Waldorf-inspired early childhood music enrichment program as well as working as a freelance vocalist and chorus teacher. This is Francesca’s third year as the lead teacher of the Parent/Child programs and fifth year as MVWS’s chorus teacher. When she isn’t teaching Francesca enjoys hiking and camping with her family, traveling, making music, making things with her hands and growing food.

…sensory spaces for younger children to explore the world. After her first child was born, Marisa opened her home to lactating parents, offering a comfortable safe place for them to chat about the difficulties that can arise in the breastfeeding relationship, along the spectrum of growth from newborns to full term nurslings. Marisa loved holding space for parents, and even more so enjoyed watching the children who attended these inclusive gatherings, playing and exploring organically. Evolving from a Lactation Educator, she then felt called to join her mentors as an All Birth Doula, or Birth Assistant. She completed an advanced course on Ancient Postpartum healing, and dedicated time focusing her efforts on healing the birth mother and lifting up the whole family, while ensuring all siblings are adjusting well to their new family dynamic. Marisa held baby-sign read-alongs, and taught baby sign language to local parenting groups. Gently guiding her own children during the vital early childhood years, these experiences have prepared Marisa in many ways to fall into the role of Parent Toddler Assistantship. As a full-time Mum, and Parent at Maple Village, Marisa is inspired by the magic and wonder of Waldorf Early Childhood Education. Creating rhythm and simplistic beauty in her home, she has witnessed how this way of life can truly transform families for the better. Marisa believes that growth is infinite and children are the best teachers. She looks forward to further growth and deeper learning in the years to come.

 …values everywhere, not just in Waldorf settings. In 2016 she expanded her focus to include parent coaching, consulting, and home visits to support the creation of organized spaces for families and children as well as leading storytelling workshops for parents and teachers. With her background in Child Development and Family and Child Therapy, she has the opportunity to work in a variety of settings including schools, hospitals, family homes, counseling centers, and clinics. Lately, she has felt especially drawn to the art of storytelling and writing. She is delighted to be at Maple Village and to work with the Larkspur Class.

In wanting to expand her craft, she pursued a Master’s degree in teaching in elementary education. Her friends encouraged her to look into Waldorf Education since her interest was in integrating the arts into teaching. When she attended a showcase for teacher training in Kentucky, she immediately recognized the value and importance of Waldorf Education. As she finished her Master’s program, she began attending Waldorf workshops that eventually led to a teacher training program. 

Although she integrated Waldorf Education into her public school classroom, she decided she wanted more freedom within the curriculum so she decided to fully commit to the work of a Waldorf class teacher. She found her first class of spirited children with a vibrant love of learning at the Brooklyn Waldorf School and took them from 1st – 5th grade. From imaginative stories from diverse backgrounds, to active math lessons involving thousands of acorns that were ultimately turned into pancakes, to class plays in three different languages, to constructing an igloo, she has cherished every year for different reasons. While she was sad to leave the Brooklyn Waldorf School after five years, she is ready for the next adventure and looks forward to getting to know and work with all the families of the Redbud class.

…and is currently enrolled at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California, where she is on a journey to receive her Waldorf Teaching certification. For the past three years, she has served the Maple Village community with her wisdom, love, laughter, and dedication. She has worn many hats, and taken on various roles and is now excitedly taking on the position as the Second Grade Practice Lesson Co-Teacher. As with most of her life experiences, Jewel serendipitously fell into the Waldorf community. Jewel believes that living with a keen sense of self-awareness, and walking through the journey of life with an open heart and a sound mind has the potential to lead you to the most magical and soul-rewarding places. After traveling up and down the coast – living in an old hunting lodge at the top of a mountain in Darby, Montana for a stint, then making her way to the heart of the international district of Seattle, Washington – Jewel found that she was ready to return back to Long Beach to grow roots. She was hoping to water these roots by finding a way to make a living by following her passions, utilizing her natural born gifts, and refining her mind, heart, and hands through mental, soulful, and skillful expansion. As it was written in the soul of Jewel’s journey through this lifetime, she stumbled into the doors of Maple Village as if guided by cosmic wind. Three years later, its pedagogy speaks to her moral compass and wishes for educational reformation even more with the encroachment of her fourth year held warmly by the Maple Village community. Jewel looks forward to amplifying the love and support that we all wish to provide this year’s rising second graders as they walk through this human experience, as well as the future generations and keepers of our Earth.

…from California State University of Long Beach. He was an Emergency Medical Technician before realizing his destiny as a Waldorf teacher and completing his Waldorf Teacher Training at The Waldorf Institute of Southern California. Basil did his practicum at Maple Village, and he began his teaching at our school in the Kindergarten.

…which ignited her interest in Waldorf Education. After High School, she studied at the Vrije Pedagogische Academy (Steiner Teacher Training College) in Zeist, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. She then moved to the US and began her career as a Waldorf teacher in Pasadena.Over the past 30 years she has contributed to the growth of many schools. She has carried two classes all the way through the grades and finished various classes through eighth grade. Paola likes to travel, camp, hike, read and make jewelry. She plays guitar, writes songs and enjoys singing. She also has a great appreciation for nutrition and cooking.

…holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and a Waldorf Completion Certificate from the Waldorf Institute of Southern California (WISC) in Northridge, California. Ania has taught grades one through five as a class teacher and grades one through eight as a handwork teacher at the Pasadena Waldorf School, and grades five through twelve as an art specialist at the Waldorf School of Orange County. In addition to class teaching the Shady Trees combined class at Maple Village, she also enjoys contributing to Waldorf teacher education in handwork, drawing, clay modeling and painting at WISC, and clay modeling in the adult education program at the Waldorf School of Orange County. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, and a former resident of the state of Virginia, she lives in Arcadia with her husband, Bill, and her teenage daughter, Tierra. Ania enjoys sharing the richness of the Waldorf grades curriculum with her class families, self-governance of Maple Village Waldorf School with her colleagues, and participating in the community life of the school.

…practicing, performing, and, in many other ways, enjoying the gift that music is to us. Growing up she was incredibly fortunate to have some amazing music teachers; people who taught her how much music can enliven and enrich the life of a child. Through them she learned how to appreciate the nuances and heights to which music can take us; the joy music can bring, and even the challenges, which, inevitably, made me a stronger and better person. When her daughter was in second grade Carol discovered Waldorf Education and immediately realized that she could be a Waldorf teacher! She received her teaching diploma at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, CA., and for the past thirty years has taught in Waldorf schools in California and Pennsylvania, where she has also mentored other teachers and helped to develop and implement strong and vibrant music programs. As a music teacher it is her goal to bring to all her students the same love of and wonder at music that she experienced growing up. When Carol is not teaching she is blessed to spend time with her family, enjoy sailing with friends, and curling up with a good book.

…as a professor of Piano and Theory. In 1985 she discovered the Waldorf philosophy and began teaching Spanish at Highland Hall Waldorf school and throughout the Los Angeles County. After doing that for seven years, Iris returned to Argentina and opened a children’s program that focused on music and arts and crafts as well as teaching music at several schools. In 2001 she returned to California and to the Waldorf schools and has since been engaged in using music to teach Spanish to children and adults in various settings, from private classes to public and private schools in Orange County. Iris enjoys reading, crafting and knitting and her passions are her 3 grandchildren.

…in England. She graduated with a B.A. in Communications from PSU and headed to NYC to work in television. After working on Late Night with David Letterman and a few other productions, Andi made her way to Philadelphia to work on Trading Spaces, A Dating Story, and a slew of other TLC shows. Life led Andi up the east coast to Boston to work in advertising production where she met her now, wife, Carissa, an advertising guru, and wicked awesome human.

After spending a few years in Boston, the couple headed west to Los Angeles to work, play and relish in their new love for avocados, live comedy, and saying things like, “I’m stuck in traffic on the 405.” After a successful career in production, Andi was ready to start a family. When their first daughter was born and the preschool search began, Andi toured a Waldorf school and was immediately drawn to the Whole Child approach. Upon relocating to Long Beach and enrolling in the Parent/Tot program at Maple Village, she quickly realized she had found a group of like-minded parents who were making very conscious choices for their children. She also saw people from all walks of life – there was more diversity in that little class than she saw in her entire childhood. The people, the stories and songs, the warmth drew her in and upon reading more about Steiner and the Waldorf pedagogy, she knew this was the right place for her family.  

Over the years, Andi has become quite involved in MVWS, serving as Room Parent, a member of the Fundraising and JEDITR Committees, chairing the Gala Committee numerous times, and most recently as Treasurer on the Board of Trustees. The skills honed in her thirteen years of engaging and directing talent, staying on time and on budget, and problem-solving on the fly have proven useful as she has helped guide the school, including the challenges faced during the pandemic. Now, with two kids enrolled at Maple Village and ready to reenter the workforce, Andi steps into the role of Interim Director of Operations with the tentpole values of empathy, transparency, efficiency, and efficacy. 

Dedicated and passionate, Andi brings creative and logistical ideas that make a difference, engages others, and helps find resolution, all while preparing yet another allergy-free snack for her two daughters.

…about the Waldorf philosophy and approach to education and completed the Foundation Studies course at WSOC. She is passionate about Waldorf and Maple Village in particular. From the very beginning, she felt the “heart” of this school and she has brought her various experiences and skills to nearly every volunteer committee to help support that “heart”. One of her biggest volunteer commitments has been Chair/Co-chair for the school’s annual Cultural Harvest Faire. With a Design background, she has worked for major companies as well as start-ups. Working with new companies gave her the chance to be involved in every aspect from concept to production, to marketing and building the brand. After becoming a mother, her design interest shifted to baby needs. She designed and patented a baby carrier and started her first business, bibiJun. As she was introduced to Waldorf and its handwork, she was drawn to needle felting, as it allowed her to reconnect with her artistic side. She teamed up with fellow parent, and now MVWS teacher, Francesca Prepois to created needle felted artwork and started her 2nd business, Mirth Designs. Through her own businesses, she has learned how to brand oneself to attract and keep the perfect customers. She is thrilled to use this knowledge and leverage her design background to attract potential families to Maple Village Waldorf School.

…the travel bug bit her and she went off to Scotland to do a year abroad. She has a BA in psychology from the University of Redlands and a Masters in I/O and Business Psychology from University College London. After graduating and returning stateside, Mia knew that she wanted to start a career within the academic field, and when the opportunity was extended to come to Maple Village she jumped at the chance to return to her “roots”! In her free time, Mia enjoys curling up with a good book, painting, hanging with her two dogs, baking up some delicious treats to cure her sweet tooth, and traveling to new and exciting places. Mia is very excited to be joining such a wonderful community at Maple Village and to be back and actively part of the Waldorf family!