Rising Tide School/ Staff
Wendy Yunker
In a previous chapter of my life, I taught for a total of six years in public school at the middle and high school levels in the subjects of science and math. It was that experience coupled with the birth of my first son that spurred me into looking for a new educational paradigm. When I came across Free At Last by Daniel Greenberg, I knew then that I wanted my son to experience a Sudbury school.
In my life’s current chapter I am thrilled to be actualizing my six year old dream, working at a Sudbury School. I love working with Abbe, Ben, Polly and Sam. I love Olympia. I love being mama to Quinn and Alder and partner to Jon. I love being creative and surrounding myself with beauty. Some of my current creative passions are gardening, batiking, sewing, needle felting and drawing.
Abbe Vogels
Rising Tide School would have been a great place for me when I was growing up because I love to learn and I am always interested in a million different things. I have been involved in education since I was a senior in high school when I became an intern educator at The Environmental Schools in Saco, Maine. I have a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor ME. During my college years, I pursued my passion for sailing tall ships and taught sail training and environmental education to children and adults aboard the tall ships Ocean Star, Californian, Lady Washington, and Adventuress. When I became pregnant with my first child, I moved ashore and worked as a paraeducator with developmentally delayed teens. I realized when my daughter Azalea was born that children need no teaching to unfold into incredible human beings with their own interests and way of going about life. I delight in this unfolding and I am excited to be a part of this learning community, learning with and from your children.
Polly Ceccanti
My own experiences with private, public, and alternative schools left me disenchanted with traditional schooling and education. In high school, I spent much of my time researching alternatives. I happened upon the Sudbury model, and realized it just “made sense”. I spent a month at The Clearwater School in Seattle, and knew for sure that this was the right thing.
Since then, I have moved to Olympia to attend The Evergreen State College. I love reading and looking at books (especially “children’s books”), maps, trees, and making all kinds of art.
Ben Lucal
Hi. I am Ben.
I started out in public school as a happy, outgoing 5 year-old in a suburb just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. However, despite or because of my social and curious nature, as I grew, my experience in public school darkened. I became increasingly frustrated with being asked to do work that had no meaning to me, that I wasn't interested in. "Why did someone else get to decide what I would do all day for all those years?" I asked. The people there were nice, but public school was boring and it was causing a constant battle at home over schoolwork. Out of desperation, my family and I began to look for other options. Fortunately for us, we found the Sudbury Valley School, where I went to school from age 14 to 18. Sudbury Valley School gave me the space to find myself, my rhythm, my interests. This gift is profound. We don't need to wait until we are older to find our passions, to engage with learning. At Rising Tide School, like Sudbury Valley, kids will have the time, space and freedom to learn on their own terms. I am heartened and excited to help bring the gift of Sudbury Schooling to Olympia.
Ben currently attends The Evergreen State College, plays musical instruments, and rides a bicycle in Olympia, WA.
Staff
Crew
Sam Gray
Sam is currently a student at The Evergreen State College. He has worked with children in a variety of settings including day camps, overnight camps, and daycare centers. He has taught music to children of all ages; both in a classroom setting, while working for Temple DeHirsch Sinai in Seattle, and one-on-one through private instruction. Throughout his experiences on both sides of the student/teacher relationship, Sam has felt that the traditional style of education does not serve the student. As he has learned more about the Sudbury theory of education, he has come to believe that the best approach to education is to allow the student the freedom to learn when and how they choose, in a community that respects them as people. Sam has experience to share (if asked) in music, computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, cooking, and board games (and much more!) and is dedicated to expanding his experience both in depth and breadth. He is committed to the philosophy, values, and community of Rising Tide School and is honored to work with such a passionate and able team.
