Executive Director:

Jim Fanning has over 30 years experience in the education field. He has served as teacher, Principal and Curriculum Director. Jim brings approximately 10 years of classroom teaching experience, combined with 20 years of administrative leadership experience. Additionally Jim's experience designing, supporting and teaching the study of community and place in a project based learning environment will be an asset to deepening MRA's school culture.

jfanning@mra-k8.com

K/1st Grade:

Allison Carman hails from Eugene and is proud to be a native Oregonian. After attending college on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, and studying abroad in London, England, Allison graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Utah. After enjoying several years of climbing and skiing in the Wasatch Mountains, while working for an occupational and environmental health research center at The University of Utah, Allison headed back to Oregon where she received her MAT degree in early childhood, elementary and middle level education from Western Oregon University.

Allison spent two years teaching in a 2/3 blended class at the Arbor School of Arts and Sciences, substituting in the Lake Oswego and West-Linn/Wilsonville School Districts, as well as at Oregon Episcopal School. Allison has always loved school- first as a student, and now as teacher.  She is passionate about instilling a genuine love for learning and a special sense of belonging and place at Molalla River Academy in each of her students.  Allison is looking forward to continuing her thesis work which confronted negative math attitudes and low confidence. She has special interest in helping students build a solid mathematical foundation in order to be confidant math thinkers and learners. 

Other free time pursuits that Allison enjoys include lap swimming, playing the cello, thrift store shopping, collage, writing letters, traveling, and relaxing at Black Butte Ranch.

acarman@mra-k8.com

K/1st Grade:

Sunshine Cudaback is proud to have lived in Molalla since 2000 and loves the natural beauty of this area.  She worked with students in the Molalla area for 3 years before joining MRA in 2009 and loves having the opportunity to teach the community she lives in. 
 
Sunshine received her teaching degree from PSU in 2006 with a focus on psychology and ESL teaching strategies that help support linguistically and culturally diverse students. Other educational experiences include 4 years of working in the ESD Life Enrichment Education Program with students who have moderate to severe learning and physical disabilities. She has also served as a student mentor during Outdoor School Programs.
 
Sunshine loves children's literature and enjoys sharing this passion with her students.  She draws from many wonderful picture books to inspire writing and other literacy skills.  She makes an effort to bring social skills and community building into the learning environment so children learn to support each other and build lasting happy relationships.  She hopes to instill a love of learning by showing that learning doesn't have to be work, it can be fun!  Her hobbies are painting, cooking, gardening, beading, wire working, camping and spending time at the coast. 

scudaback@mra-k8.com

2nd/3rd grade:

Laurel Glasmire moved to Portland to attend Lewis & Clark College after 18 sun-filled years of life in Sacramento, CA. She fell in love with the beauty, rain and community found in Oregon and decided to stay.  During college, Laurel lived in Florence, Italy and studied history.After graduating, Laurel had a two-year teaching apprenticeship at Arbor School of Arts and Sciences in Tualatin, OR where she worked in a 2nd and 3rd grade classroom while working towards her Masters of Arts in Teaching from Western Oregon University.  

Laurel's teaching passions include helping her students find the joy and excitement in learning, encouraging children to be self-reliant and ingenious problem solvers in all areas of school, developing her students' ability to empathize with those around them, and sharing her love of art, music and dance with her students.  Both in the classroom and out, Laurel loves experimenting with new recipes, listening and dancing to dixieland jazz, reading books aloud, singing and playing the piano, and making gifts for friends and family. Laurel brings a passion for building character and community, as well as her dancing shoes, to the Molalla River Academy.

lglasmire@mra-k8.com

2nd/3rd grade:

Beth Breiten grew up in South Africa, New Hampshire and California, and came to Portland 20 years ago to attend Lewis and Clark College. She fell in love with the area and knew that she had finally found her home. She has remained in Oregon ever since, and her love for the location motivated her sister, mother, grandmother, and father all to move to Oregon.

Beth has worked in several industries and traveled to Asia and Europe numerous times. Several years ago, she volunteered in a friendʼs classroom and helped mentor students one on one with their reading and writing. Working with the students felt natural to Beth and this led her to decide to enroll in graduate school. Beth attended Lewis and Clark once again, this time to receive her Masters in Teaching. While attending school she worked in a third grade classroom in the West Linn-Wilsonville school district, and upon graduation she took a job working in a Kindergarten classroom at the Oregon Episcopal School. These positions were instrumental in informing her that what she loves to do most is teach children and the age of the child does not matter.

In the classroom, Beth observes her students to gain insight about what interests them. This helps her build a curriculum that takes each pupil into consideration. She knows that children donʼt all learn in the same way or at the same rate. Children learn through sensory experiences in classrooms that are appealing, orderly, bright, open and inviting, with material and equipment that is easily accessible. Anything that supports the learning process has a place in Bethʼs classroom. The children Beth teaches are responsible for cleaning up after themselves as she feels this helps them gain a sense of competence that builds their self esteem.

Beth takes the time to allow her students to make their own decisions about what they will do and how and when they will do it. This gives her time to observe them and help them one on one, but never to do their work for them just because it is easier and faster. She believes in investing the time and energy to teach children how to do things themselves.

You wonʼt find short, close-ended periods of time in Bethʼs classroom. She wants students to be able to take as long as they need to finish a project without feeling pushed or rushed. This means the classroom schedule, rather than being strict, is flexible and sometimes spontaneous! What happens in Bethʼs classroom is not about doing things a certain way but about meeting the needs of every single one of her students. Come in anytime and take a look at what is going on.

bbreiten@mra-k8.com

www.wix.com/bbreiten/middle10

4th/5th grade:

Cassie Righter was born and raised in Montana.  She moved to Oregon from the “Big Sky State” after completing her BA in Psychology at Carroll College in Helena, MT.  Shortly after moving to Oregon she completed her MAT at Pacific University while also working at Hillsboro High School.

After finishing her student teaching in First and Sixth grade at Witch Hazel Elementary School in Hillsboro, Cassie worked in the Hillsboro School District as a substitute teacher while she completed her Reading Endorsement through Pacific University.  After finishing her coursework Cassie spent one year teaching pre-school at Valley Catholic Early Learning School. 

As an avid reader herself Cassie is looking forward to sharing her love of reading with her students. She is excited to work with students and guide them toward becoming life-long learners and thoughtful community members. 

In her free time Cassie enjoys running, hiking, camping, reading, making jewelry, and spending time with her family and friends. 

www.wix.com/cassierighter/mrsrightersclass

crighter@mra-k8.com

4th/5th grade:

Mary Jeanne Sheveland grew up in Canby, Oregon, and lives in Canby with her husband, Rob, and their three children, Madeline (13), Josie (11), and Sean (9). They have a Golden Retriever named Brandy, a cat named Cali, and two rabbits, Rascal and Pepper.

Mary Jeanne earned a BA in Speech Communication from Portland State University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from George Fox University.

Her girls are in 4H and they just finished a successful week at the Clackamas County Fair with their market hogs. Her son is playing fall baseball after enjoying his first attempt at baseball last spring.

One of Mary Jeanne's favorite things to do is work in her yard and garden.  "I love to use things I’ve grown in my yard in my cooking. It is so gratifying to cook delicious meals for my family and friends using things right out of my back yard."

Mary Jeanne believes in the philosophy of learning here at MRA. She loved school as a kid, and can’t wait to share her love for learning with all my students and their families.  She is currently building a classroom library, and is excited to get reading with her class. She hopes to incorporate service learning, and gardening into my classroom curriculum this year.

mjsheveland@mra-k8.com

6th/7th/8th grade:

Derek Oldham grew up outside of Salem, OR before attending Lewis and Clark College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Teaching.  Since then he has taught in schools in Portland, Salem, and the United Kingdom.  Since childhood Derek has always been drawn to stories; stories of the past, places, and people. As a teacher he look forward to exploring these stories with his students in the various disciplines of the humanities.  Derek's goals as an educator are to foster critical thinking and develop empathy while providing an engaging and meaningful learning experience.

Derek also enjoy running and biking, hanging out with his dog and cat, traveling with his wife, and trying new board games.

doldham@mra-k8.com

6th/7th/8th grade:

Emily Allen Nilsen has a BA with Honors in Elementary Education from Graceland University.

enilsen@mra-k8.com

6th/7th/8th grade:

Brandon Workentin grew up in the small town of Blaine, WA. He moved to Nampa, Idaho to attend Northwest Nazarene University, and ended up also attending Boise State University. He graduated with a BA in Math and English Education from NNU in 2008. He taught for two years in Idaho, and recently moved to Molalla to begin his first year at MRA.

Mr. Workentin’s wife, Danalyn, is an Occupational Therapist for Molalla River School District, who also works at MRA. In his spare time, he likes to camp, read, coach basketball, and spend time with his wife and boys: Max, 12 years old; Chris, three years old; and Trey, three months old.

bworkentin@mra-k8.com

Art:

Tony Deland is a dedicated artist and a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Kenya '05-'07). He completed his Masters in Art Teaching upon his return from the Peace Corps where he fell in love with education. Tony believes in a student centered art room where students can learn to think and act independently, critically and most importantly, creatively.

You can find more about his educational philosophy, read some of his writing and find out what is happening in class at his web site, http://www.criticalcreative.net.

Tdeland@mra-k8.com