Amanda Hill | Lead Administrator

Amanda (she/they) grew up in the California Bay Area, but has been most at home amongst the trees and water of the PNW since 2006. A lifelong educator, Amanda has taught students from ages 2 to 70. With almost 20 years of administrative experience across K-5 and college, she has taught and led in arts and nature focused independent schools. Amanda views leadership as a chance to serve and uplift students, families, and teachers. She believes passionately in the power of social justice principles and hands-on learning to prepare children to be joyful change-makers in our world.

Melissa Lang Lytle | Admissions and Enrollment Coordinator

Melissa (she/her) is originally from San Diego, but loves living in Seattle. Melissa has a strong background in art and handwork, as well as social justice advocacy. She takes pride in her having worked in the past as a patient advocate supporting mental health patients and domestic violence survivors in upholding their rights. Melissa came to Bright Water Waldorf through her passion for Waldorf Education with her children. Outside of work Melissa enjoys wool felting and working with natural fibers, as well as discovering the beauty of the Pacific Northwest with her three children and husband.

Sohroosh Hashemi | Business Manager

Sohroosh (he/him) grew up in Southwest Washington in the warmth of a large extended family. He moved to Seattle almost twenty years ago to study Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington. Since graduating from the UW, Sohroosh has worked in managerial and leadership roles at growing companies and nonprofit organizations spanning food manufacturing, children’s media, and food justice. He is a parent to three kids–two of whom are Bright Water students. Sohroosh enjoys baking, learning new crafts, and reading.

Louise Greer | Early Childhood Afternoon Teacher

Louise first entered Bright Water when she was three years old, just as the school moved to Capitol Hill. The beauty and wonder that filled the next eleven years taught her that surely she'd be back in some form sooner or later. After graduating from Seattle Waldorf High School, she had the opportunity to work and study at the birthplace of Waldorf education in Stuttgart, Germany, before returning to the Pacific Northwest with fresh eyes. In Bellingham, she taught at Whatcom Hiils Waldorf School while earning a B.A in Creative Writing, and completed her Waldorf Early Childhood teacher training through Sound Circle Center.

Audrey Porad-Brand | Preschool Assistant Teacher, Sunflowers class

Audrey was born and raised in Seattle. She spent her formative years at Bright Water Waldorf as a student. She graduated from Summit Sierra high school, and is now now pursuing an electrical apprenticeship.

Audrey is so excited to return to the Bright Water community as a member of the early childhood staff! 

In her free time, you will find Audrey surrounded by friends, knitting a sweater, traveling the world or cooking yummy food.

TRISH BONDURANT | Teacher, combined Grades 1/2/3 | Woodwork

Trish was born in Montana and grew up in Colorado. She attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and Rudolf Steiner College in California before starting at Bright Water Waldorf in 2004. She was a main lesson class teacher for 17 years before becoming a subject teacher. She has toured 10 countries by bicycle and recently fell in love with a dog. She now has a 75-pound mixed Pyrenees puppy who keeps her on her toes. She is passionate about empowering children to create things with tools.

Skye Chamberlain | Teacher, Combined Grades 4/5

Skye Chamberlain was born and raised within the sound of the waves on the shores of Lake Michigan. She earned her undergraduate degree at University of Michigan, and in University of Wisconsin’s year abroad program through which she studied story-telling traditions in the Himalayas and met her husband Ramesh, an Indian national, in Kathmandu, Nepal. Their two grown daughters are also Waldorf graduates. Ms Chamberlain loves swimming, yoga, walking and wild places. She also loves telling stories to children and watching their eyes light up. Ms Chamberlain is a graduate of Sound Circle Teacher Training and one of the founding teachers of Bright Water Waldorf School.

Beth Simpson | Teacher, Combined Grades 6/7/8

Beth grew up in a very small town with a population of ~ 4,000 people during her youth. The town is in the tri-state area of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, and has a very strong German influence. She graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington, with a double major in Spanish and Linguistics. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s Degree and her Ph.D. coursework in Spanish Linguistics. With a love of language and people, Beth has lived in Peru and Spain, and she has run study abroad and Spanish teacher-training programs in Mexico. Beth has two children of her own who have graduated from BWWS.

Stephanie Hunt | Core Curriculum Teacher (Grades 3 & 8) | Math & Science Support

An Alabama native, Stephanie (she/her) holds a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art and Teacher Education from Middlebury College and a Master’s in Education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She enjoyed many years creating museum exhibits, educational programs, and artist residencies that explored the intersection of art, science, and technology. Stephanie then followed Waldorf indications as she homeschooled her own children for over a decade. She is currently completing her Waldorf grades teacher training with Sound Circle Center for Arts and Anthroposophy.

Robyn AndersEn | Hand work Teacher | Middle School Math & Science Support | Grade School Support

Robyn is an alumni parent, mother of BWWS 2014 graduates Catherine and Christine. Robyn is a Sound Circle Teacher Training graduate, with a background in the sciences and mathematics, who worked for more than 20 years at Fred Hutchinson before shifting gears to become an educator. She has most recently been working with students age 3 to 14 at Seattle Waldorf School. Ms. Anderson is also a trained Aikido sensei!

Hiromi Yonemoto | Japanese Teacher

Hiromi was born and raised in Japan. While attending the University of Japan, she wrote a thesis about alternative education as she has always believed that education is the key to making the world a better place/ a place where there is no war. Having grown up in Hiroshima where all the children take "Peace education", a commitment of no war, the idea of changing the world for the better is an important one to her.

In 2003, Hiromi moved to the United States and attended the Rudolf Steiner College in California, completing her Waldorf teacher training and joining Bright Water Waldorf School in 2005. When she is not teaching, she loves to spend time on the farm with her family and friends.

Sarah Liane Foster | Movement & Circus Arts Teacher

Sarah Liane Foster has been teaching circus, movement, and theatre to folks of all ages since 2004 and has been teaching at Bright Water since November of 2017.

She has her BA from Brown University, trained in movement theatre and clown at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, and studied and practiced movement theatre pedagogy at the Helikos International School of Theatre Creation.

Based in Portland, Oregon for many years, Sarah taught Circus Arts classes and camps at Portland Waldorf School and Cedarwood Waldorf School.

Jonah byrne | Strings, Orchestra & BAnd Teacher

Jonah Byrne has been playing violin for over 30 years, teaching, performing, recording, and composing in a wide variety of styles. He started playing the violin at age six when his mother inherited an old violin from her great uncle and wanted to keep a family tradition alive. Jonah grew up taking lessons and playing in school orchestras, youth orchestras and string quartets throughout his young life. He studied music composition at University of Colorado, and has been active in the Seattle music scene since moving here 15 years ago. In that time he has been a DJ at Seattle’s eclectic Hollow Earth Radio, played fiddle and violin in country bands, experimental bands, indie bands, post-rock bands, and more.

Kmo Stevens | Aikido Teacher

Kmo (pronounced, kay-moe, short for Kelly Morgan) (they/she) is honored to join the Brightwater faculty, and to offer aikido to the students. Kmo has been training at Aikido Seattle since 2023 and assisting with the kids program there since 2025. They are keenly interested in an aikido practice that allows us to carry aiki principles with us off the mat while welcoming the wholeness of who and how we are on the mat. Their training is informed by their work as a somatics practitioner, in which we work through the body to make the lives we long for more possible. Kmo has been deeply shaped by poetry, Monty Python, and many many miles in the saddle of a bicycle.

Photo credit: Holly Stevens

Jesse Christensen | Grades 1-8 After School Teacher

Jesse grew up in a musical family with theatrical parents who encouraged singing, puppetry, and stage performance throughout her childhood. She always leaned into creative, artistic and crafty hobbies. After High School, she spent six years as a Character Entertainer: Jesse performed princess, fairy, and swimming mermaid characters at parties, zoos, aquariums and children’s hospitals around the country. Through the experience of leading hundreds of special events and meeting so many special little ones along the way, Jesse developed a passion for connecting with kids and went on to be a