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Laura McNeill
4th Grade Humanities
4th Grade Advisor
Bachelor of Science - Cal Poly SLO
Master of Arts Education - USF
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Jaime Dada
5th Humanities
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
Master of Education, UC Davis
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Jaime has been teaching for over ten years, and has previously taught third grade and fourth grade science and history at SCDS, middle school all subjects for Vallejo Unified School District, and kindergarten at Apple Blossom Elementary. Jaime holds a Master of Education from UC Davis and a Multiple Subject Credential and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with an emphasis in Children's Literature from Sonoma State University. Jaime's favorite thing about teaching is making friendships with her students.
On the weekends, you'll find Jaime reading a great book, gardening, or cooking. Her daughter is a member of the Class of 2025 at SCDS and her son is a member of the Class of 2027.
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Nikki Thomas
Humanities Department Chair
6th Grade Humanities
Bachelor of Arts, University of California Los Angeles
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Nikki began her teaching career as a high school math teacher in Switzerland, but it didn’t take long for her to realize that her true passion was teaching humanities. She joined the SCDS community in 2007. She has traveled extensively through Asia to explore different avenues in education. She enjoys teaching history and learning with the students how the events and people of the past have shaped the world that we live in today. Nikki loves working with burgeoning middle-schoolers and finds them endlessly creative, innovative, and full of life.
Nikki is a classically trained yoga teacher and spends most of her spare time mountain and road cycling in gorgeous Sonoma County.
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Marri Bayour
7th Humanities
Bachelor of Arts, Loyola University Chicago
Master of Education, Loyola University Chicago
Marri previously worked at Sacred Heart Schools Chicago as a seventh grade humanities teacher and also taught overseas at The Al Dhabianiah School for Girls and The Ibn Sina School for Boys. Marri loves to bring the world into her classroom, helping students learn about cultures that are different from their own. She shares that her greatest joy as a teacher is providing opportunities for her students to see the world from a different perspective. As she and her family have gotten to know SCDS, Marri states that our community has been more warm and welcoming than she could have ever imagined, and is heartened to be part of a school whose mission so closely aligns with her own personal philosophy. She is delighted to be part of our Humanities department and enjoys collaborating with colleagues who she says are talented, friendly, and always have students’ best interests in mind. Outside of school, Marri enjoys hiking our regional parks, practicing yoga, reading, and just recently learned how to knit.
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Abby Lake
8th Grade Humanities
Head Volleyball Coach
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Abby is a veteran SCDS humanities teacher, having taught the course at the 6th and 7th grade levels for several years before stepping into her role as our 8th grade humanities teacher. While obtaining her teaching credential at Sonoma State University, Abby was acknowledged as an outstanding student teacher and awarded the F. George Elliot Scholarship in recognition of this honor. She has taught middle school since 2009 and loves finding innovative ways to bring learning to life in her humanities classroom.
As one of SCDS’s athletic coaches, Abby loves sharing her passion for volleyball with our students. She is also an avid reader who enjoys reading the latest and greatest YA titles and eagerly recommends them to her students. Additionally, Abby brings her love of video production to SCDS and can often be found filming around campus and piecing together highlight reels of our athletics and academic programs. Abby will never turn down a slice of pie or an opportunity to play volleyball, and she can often be found walking her two beloved rescue dogs or playing board games with her husband and son.
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Amy Baer
Library and Media Specialist
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Amy is excited to take on the Library and Media role this year, supporting reading, writing, and research skills across the grade levels. Amy is a wordsmith with a deep interest in reading and a zeal for playing Scrabble. Amy’s favorite thing about teaching is watching students transition into independent learners, yet witnessing their youthful excitement and curiosity for learning. Her experiences with children, both personally and professionally, give her the confidence to guide students in a fun and engaging way.
Amy lives in Windsor with her husband and children. Her oldest son, Robbie, is an SCDS alum ('03), and her daughter Madi follows in mom’s footsteps with her passions for reading and soccer. Twins Gracie and Garrett keep up with the family on the soccer field, bike riding, playing games, and swimming.
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Cindy Rodenbaugh
4th, 5th, & 6th Grade Science
Robotics Team Coach
Bachelor of Science, Texas Woman’s University
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Cindy Rodenbaugh is the youngest of five children and grew up in a small town approximately twenty miles north of Dallas. She attended Texas Woman’s University (TWU) for a degree in physical education with a biology minor. Cindy’s teaching career began many years ago at McNair Elementary, a public school in her home state of Texas where she taught physical education to general education students as well as deaf, multi-handicapped, and emotionally disturbed students. After two and a half years at McNair, she and her partner relocated to San Jose, California.
Once in San Jose, Cindy began teaching at The Harker School. During her first year there, she taught physical education, coached volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, and track and field. After completing her first year she was asked to develop the lower school science program. Cindy spent the next eight years teaching science as well as serving as the lower school science department chair and the assistant department chair for the middle school science program.
While working at Harker, Cindy also worked part-time for Lockheed Engineering and Sciences, contracting at NASA. At NASA, she worked in the space life science division and was part of the mammalian development team. The team conducted studies on the neurological growth and development of mammals in microgravity. Cindy was fortunate to be a part of NIH-R3, STS-72 which launched some of their equipment and experiments into space on January 11, 1996, as well as Neurolab, STS-90 that launched approximately two years later.
In 2000, when Cindy’s family (partner, Cher, and daughter, Kalii) relocated to Sonoma County, Cindy began teaching 5th grade at SCDS. Cindy has had many different roles at SCDS both as a teacher and an administrator. Cindy is passionate about her family, the students she has the privilege to work with, sushi, giant redwoods, kayaking, the ocean, and orcas.
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Zack Long
Science Department Chair
7th & 8th Grade Science
Bachelor of Arts, UC Santa Cruz
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Zack Long believes he has the best job at Sonoma Country Day School. As science teacher for students in seventh and eighth grades, Zack has the tremendous opportunity to lead students through an exploration of the natural world. He sees the excitement and wonder that are the hallmarks of scientific inquiry, and he is in the enviable position of guiding young minds daily in the pursuit of answers to the questions that concern us all.
Zack’s passions in his personal life mirror those he shares with his students in the classroom. An avid musician, writer, photographer, and videographer, he challenges his students to express and document their learning with enthusiasm, creativity, and technological confidence. His students create movies, songs, photo essays, and podcasts, filling their learning with the long-lasting experiences that education is supposed to provide.
Zack shares his love of hiking and cooking with his wife Sara, son who is a member of the class of 2019 and daughter who is a member of the class of 2023.
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Aly Conway
Middle School Dean of Students
Middle School Math
Bachelor of Science, Sonoma State University
Master of Arts in Teaching, San Diego State University
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Aly Conway began teaching at Sonoma Country Day School in 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Sonoma State University, where she was a four-year member of the Women's Basketball Team and served as Team Captain. Aly participated in the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and was President during her Senior year at SSU. After college Aly worked for a start-up company in the North Bay as a data analyst and also coached basketball at Sonoma State and Cardinal Newman High School. It is through these coaching experiences that Aly discovered that her true calling is teaching. Aly returned to her alma mater to earn a Single Subject Teaching Credential while also teaching in the math department at Santa Rosa Middle School.
Aly works to bring out a love of math in all of her students. She challenges them daily to develop strong problem-solving skills as well as teamwork and critical thinking. Aly believes all students have the opportunity to succeed and that making mistakes can actually enhance the learning process when students work hard and persevere.
In her spare time Aly enjoys hiking and being outdoors. She also coaches basketball and loves the opportunity to travel with her teams during the summer.
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Kelly Gaab
Math Department Chair
Middle School Math
Bachelor of Arts, UC Santa Barbara
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Head of the math department at Sonoma Country Day School, Kelly Gaab has been teaching upper school math here since 1994. She was drawn to teaching by her desire to work with children and her passion for mathematics. Throughout her years of teaching, Kelly has discovered that math is the perfect subject for witnessing that “Ah-ha!” moment. Often math can be a source of confusion for students but with hands-on lessons, clear explanations, and use of cutting edge technology she is able to see students improve their understanding, increase their confidence, and see the beauty in mathematics. Kelly finds it truly exhilarating when math starts to make sense to the reluctant student or a student sees a window open into a whole new level of mathematics. After running with the mile club at school one day, Kelly discovered her passion for running. She feels that her running has influenced her teaching tremendously. Running was not something that came easy to Kelly but she continued to work hard and set personal goals with each run and before she knew it she had run her first marathon. Much like long distance running, she teaches her students that with the necessary discipline and practice anybody can achieve anything. Encouraging students to set personal goals, work hard to achieve them, and get coaching along the way, they will surely achieve those goals. Kelly is an active participant in the SCDS community. She is a parent of two students, an eighth-grade homeroom teacher, an outdoor education trip leader, a student council representative, the coach of the Mathcounts team, an after-school math tutor, and an assistant coach for the cross country team and the mile club.
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Jordan LaFever
Middle School Math
Bachelor of Arts - SUNY Geneseo
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Miriah Kellison
4th/5th Math
Bachelor of Arts - Claremont McKenna College
Master of Arts in Education - Claremont Graduate University
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Miriah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Claremont McKenna College and a Master of Arts in Education from Claremont Graduate University. She has over twenty-five years of teaching experience and is passionate about helping all learners become competent mathematicians. Miriah has taught grades four through seven in various educational settings in California and abroad.
When she is not working, Miriah can be found swimming with her team at the JC, traveling with her two children, working in her garden, or exploring new vegan recipes.
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Jessica Lawson
TK-8 SEL Teacher
Bachelor of Science - Brunel University, London
Master of Science - London School of Economics
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Faye Kendall
Middle School Visual Art Teacher
Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Colorado State University
Master of Fine Arts - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Faye joins us from The Bentley School in Oakland where she taught art across grades K-8 as well as served as their Assistant Head of Lower School. Previously, she has worked as an Instructor for The California College of the Arts in Oakland, an Artist in Residence at The Oxtail Gallery and Studios in Berkeley, and as the Program Director and Teaching Artist for The Multicultural Youth Exchange in Philadelphia. Faye enjoys fly fishing and spent time honing her craft in Montana this summer.
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Galia Brieva
Middle School Spanish
Bachelor of Arts, San Francisco State
BCLAD Teaching Credential, San Francisco State
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Galia Brieva joined Sonoma Country Day Sschool in 2010 and teaches Spanish to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. She previously taught Spanish to elementary and middle school students at public and charter schools in San Francisco and Sebastopol.
Galia was born in Chile, raised in El Salvador, and finished high school and college in the United States. Galia first became interested in teaching when she was a ninth grade student in El Salvador. One of her class projects took her into small rural towns to teach people how to read and write. She found this experience extremely rewarding. Galia’s love of children and her personal experience learning English as a second language fuel her passion for teaching Spanish. She shares with students not only the importance of learning a second language but also the value of speaking with your heart.
In her free time, Galia likes to sew, knit, take Zumba classes, dance, and spend time with her family. Galia has three children, two of which of graduated from SCDS and one that will in 2020.
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Chunxiang Wang
Mandarin
Bachelor of Arts, Baotou Teachers’ College
Master of Arts, San Francisco State
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Chunxiang Wang joined SCDS in 2011 and teaches Mandarin to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Chunxiang obtained her master's degree in the United States after graduating from college in China. She has taught Mandarin in public and private schools at the elementary and middle school levels and also to adults. In China, Chunxiang was encouraged by her college English teacher to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Teaching brings her a sense of achievement and satisfaction. She loves children and has always had a passion for learning. Being able to teach every day makes her feel extremely happy and thankful.
Her interests outside of school include hiking, badminton, tennis, ping-pong, and being with friends and family.
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Rebecca Wolohan
Theater Arts
Facilities Associate
Rental Coordinator
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University
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Rebecca Wolohan teaches popular theater classes in our Extended Programs and leads the 7th/8th grade musical theater class. Rebecca is active in the local Sonoma County theater scene and has also written original plays that have been featured at SSU festivals. Rebecca also manages community rentals of our Jackson Theater and greater facility.
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Noah Parker
Athletic Director
5-8 Physical Education
Bachelor of Science, Sonoma State University
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We are thrilled to welcome Noah, who has over twenty years experience coaching and teaching, to our PE department. Most recently Noah has been a head coach for the North Coast FC Soccer Club, and also spent four years as a PE teacher and Head Coach for the Varsity Boys Soccer team at Sonoma Academy. Noah is passionate about teaching students new ideas, skills and techniques and enjoys supporting his students throughout the learning process, ultimately resulting in increased confidence and skills. Noah states that he is excited to be a part of SCDS’s cohesive staff, working together to create a quality learning environment for students. In his free time, Noah stays active running, mountain bike riding, disc golfing and playing soccer.
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Steve Pile
Middle School Music
Bachelor of Arts - University of Oregon
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Steve has taught music after school at SCDS since 2006, and many of our musicians got their start with him. Steve has also served in recent years as the band conductor and music teacher at Fitch Mountain School in Healdsburg. He co-founded the Konteh Kunda School of Music in The Gambia, and Steve’s knowledge of West African music and instruments is inspiring. Steve is an accomplished singer/songwriter in his own right, performing solo, with The Steve Pile Band and The George Harrison Memorial Orchestra, and sitting in with Phil Lesh and the Terrapin All Stars. Steve holds a BA in English Literature from The University of Oregon and has completed extensive coursework in music theory, performance, and sound engineering at The Berklee College of Music, UC Santa Cruz, and The Santa Rosa Junior College. Steve also has children at SCDS in the classes of 2028 and 2030.
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Robert Bowman
Middle School Music
Bachelor of Arts - CSU Northridge
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Katie Keefer
Learning Support Faculty
Bachelor of Science, Cal Poly SLO
Multi-Subject/Educational Specialist Credentials, SF State
Katie has been teaching as an Education Specialist since 2009 serving students in grades K-8. Katie has worked with students in all subject areas, providing one to one, small group, and whole group instruction. She is committed to supporting all students to reach their full potential and feel empowered through education.
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Shawn Cotter
Middle School Learning Support
Bachelor of Arts - University at Buffalo
