Staff
The adults at the Clearwater School are called staff, distinguishing the role they play from the role of traditional teachers and emphasizing that at Clearwater, everyone learns from each other. Staff members are elected annually by School Meeting, where each student and each staff member has an equal vote in the running of the school. Staff strive to empower students with control of their own education, providing information and support when asked, but not intruding into students’ choices unless it is to ensure safety. Staff members wear many hats and fill many roles, working as mentors and role models, coaches and artists, groundskeepers and technicians, leaders and listeners, facilitators and administrators, and many other roles.
Stephanie Sarantos
Stephanie has always had a passionate interest in human development and education that led her to pursue eclectic careers working with children—as an oncology nurse, improvisational dance instructor and a parent. She has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with specializations in child temperament, cognitive and social development and statistical analysis. Her interest in the Sudbury model was inspired in equal parts through her studies of education and through watching three-year-old children play imaginary games for hours, days, and weeks on end. Her faith in the model has grown in proportion to seeing those children and many other students grow into adulthood. She was involved with the original Clearwater founding group and has worked at the school ever since.
Stephanie’s official duties include many tasks: administration, book keeping, communications, bandaging wounds, enrolling new students, educating and supporting parents and sometimes teaching classes. She loves her job and feels incredibly privileged to count so many amazing children as friends. In her spare time she especially enjoys learning new things and staying active with distance running, and soccer. The pursuit of something brand new profoundly informs her work at Clearwater. Through her own learning curve, she discovers first hand, the value of failures and plateaus in the process of seeking mastery.
Bryer Newlin
Bryer has worked in community-based education and youth empowerment for over a decade both as a youth and as an adult. They love asking and answering questions about how our bodies, minds, and souls learn, unlearn, and thrive, which led them to their self-designed major: “Queering Education Through Social Justice, Creative Expression, and Somatic Psychology”. At Clearwater they love to listen to student's passions, help problem-solve, and support them in materializing their ideas. Bryer's skills and interests include: music and songwriting, herbalism, creative writing, zine making, trauma studies and psychology, community organizing and event planning, and queer history and theory. In their free time, they like to watch sports anime, because it makes them feel like they can do anything.
Evan Spong
Bio Coming Soon!
Administrative Staff
Gabriel Klein
Gabriel is a Clearwater graduate whose experience as a student deeply informs his role as staff. He has been working as a freelance theater artist since he was in school, had a brief stint managing technical education and design for a local educational theater program as the Youth Design Director, and worked at an online Magic: The Gathering retailer before coming to work at Clearwater. He also works as a library page. His other interests include acting, directing, stage management, and theatrical design; video games, board games, card games, tabletop RPGs, and game design; technical writing and editing; challenging gender roles; intersectionality; Shakespeare; and long walks. He is also always interested in learning more about language, visual art, educational philosophy, and creative writing. His favorite movie is Coco and he thinks the world needs more hope. One of his proudest achievements is originating the role of Riley in the amazing play The Kid Who Could Fly. He wants you to know that Sudbury education has been responsible for all the magic in his life.
Kendra Petersen
Kendra has an extensive background in customer service and administrative work. She has worked for Puget Sound Bank, Seattle Telco Credit Union (now Sound Credit Union), and most recently as an administrative assistant at Microsoft in the Windows Group. She has also spent countless hours volunteering in the Mukilteo School District at the elementary, middle school, and high school level focusing on helping struggling young readers, chaperoning field trips, working with the PTA as an Art Docent, and doing mock interviews with high school students in the Life Sciences classes. She enjoys taking on the staff’s various administrative tasks, which allows them more time with the students.
Her interests include: reading science fiction/dystopian novels, photography, backyard gardening, hiking, jewelry making, and environmental causes, including being a member of the Litterati (picking up and tracking litter).
Groundskeeper Staff
Tamara Wood
Bio coming soon!