Brunetta Banda

Ms. Brunetta was born and raised on the Gulf Coast in Mobile County, Alabama. In June of 2018, Ms. Brunetta, her husband, and their two children, relocated to Washington State. Ms. Brunetta received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama. Ms. Brunetta is back in school and is currently pursuing her Masters in Education. She has had extensive training in early and elementary childcare with over 14 years of experience working with children both in the school and home settings. Ms. Brunetta stated, “I realize that childcare and education are constantly changing, therefore, I am always willing to learn new things to better myself so that I can provide better services to the children in my care. I consider it a privilege and honor to support the amazing teachers and staff at Park Highland in providing your children with excellence in Early Childhood Education.”

Adamaris Huerta

Laura Engberg

Ms. Laura is new to Cedar Crest Academy. She has taught preschool for ten years. She graduated from Central Washington University and has taught preschool for ten years. Ms. Laura is currently taking classes to get her teaching certification.  She loves to do science experiments in her free time. Ms. Laura has grown up in Washington State her whole life and loves to spend my time with her family.  She loves fishing in Alaska.   

Lakshmi Nair

Ms. Lakshmi was born and raised in the southern part of India, and moved to Seattle 10 years ago. She has a degree in Computer Science and Masters in Bioinformatics and also  Initial Certification in Early Childhood Education from Bellevue College. She believes in focusing on children’s individuality and encouraging their unique capabilities to help them succeed. 
Ms. Lakshmi and her family live in Redmond. In her free time, she likes to read and try out new recipes. 

Zay Hassan

Ms. Zay is a Pre-K teaching assistant here at Park Highland. This is her second year of teaching, and she is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology and Education from Oregon State University. Before joining the Cedar Crest family, Zay taught from 2nd to 8th grade in Pakistan.  Ms. Zay says, “while teaching is familiar to me, this is definitely a different experience, but one I am excited for nonetheless! I love working with children, and I believe the work we do as educators is extremely important.”  Some of her other interests include reading, writing, poetry, art, baking, and rollerblading.  “I look forward to getting to know you all, and I can’t wait to have a fantastic year!” 

Charlean Givan

Ms. Charlean has been at Cedar Crest Academy for six years, she started as a Young- Preschool teacher, for the past four years she has been working as a Preschool teacher.  She started her work in early childhood education by working with special needs students in 2003. This is when she realized the importance of being a teacher and the lasting impact that teaching has on the students and their families.  She believes that every child has an immeasurable amount of potential and feels that it is her duty to bring this to the surface, as she strives to continue to bring out the best in her students. Ms. Charlean was born in Alabama and moved to Washington State 6 years ago.  Ms. Charlean has two children and in her spare time, she loves cooking with family and watching movies.  

Anna Rapagnani

 Anna Rapagnani is a preschool teacher and piano instructor from Montana. She has over 10 years of preschool teaching experience and has taught early childhood music and piano since 1995. She loves this age group and is dedicated to being a part of the education, health, and wellness of our children. She holds a BA from The University of Montana, and an MM with teaching certification from Stephen F. Austin State University. When she has free time, she loves to be outside, enjoys kayaking, tennis, snowboarding, and the ballet and symphony. She also enjoys reading, shopping, cooking Italian food, traveling, and spending time with her family.  

Nicole Wolfe

Ms. Nicole is  from Portland, Oregon and loves Pacific Northwest greenery. She has been working with children since she graduated high school and always have had a passion for uplifting and encouraging others around her. She owns a 2 year old chocolate Goldendoodle named Braxton who makes her smile every minute and is so grateful to be his dog mom. She loves to stay active in her free time at the gym as well as love spending time with her family and friends. She is very pleased to be a part of  Cedar Crest family

Shulan Lin

Ms. Lin grew up in Taiwan and graduated from the National Taipei University of Education. She holds a BA degree in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing an Early Childhood Education degree at Lake Washington Institution of Technology. This is Ms. Lin’s fourth school year at Cedar Crest Academy. She is an experienced teacher who has taught in elementary school, Montessori schools, and childcare centers. She likes to work with young children to create the “aha” moments with them. Ms. Lin loves spending time with her husband and their son. They like Washington’s beautiful weather and enjoy outdoor activities, especially camping and crabbing in summer. Ms. Lin’s interests are photography and Chinese calligraphy.

Kelsey Menagh

Vinu Vijay

Vinu Vijay is very excited to continue into her 2 nd year as the Elementary Director at Cedar Crest Academy. She has been part of the Cedar Crest’s family for six years now and has had the opportunity to teach Pre-K, First, Second, and Third Grade. During her time here, she has loved getting to know all the children and appreciated working closely with so many of the parents

Vinu has an Honors in Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa, and a Master’s in Education with a focus on Instructional Leadership from the University of Washington.   She has lived in Seattle for five years now and before this, she was the Academic Head at a private school in Toronto, Canada. She was also a middle-school and high-teacher, with a focus on math and science.

Through her reflections over the years in education, she is excited to see not only how this school has grown over the years in numbers, but also in spirit and passion. As the next Elementary Director, she wishes to help this school continue flourishing and create a consistent environment in which the children can shine.

Her educational philosophy is to motivate children to be not only strong in academics, but also teach them how to be good, well-rounded members of the community. She believes that a child’s success is mainly dependent on how we can come together as a team. In order to create this team, her goal is to create an open and honest communication channel with the parents every step of the way.

Kristine Johnson

Ms. Kristine joined Cedar Crest Academy in 2019, moving from her native Oregon to Washington in the process. She previously worked as an office administrator in the fields of healthcare and tax accounting. She attended Corban University, where she received her Bachelor’s of Science in English Studies in 2002. Right after graduating college, she took a position working at a Summer Camp program as a counselor, which led her to 2 separate positions working at the Preprimary level – one as a teacher, and the other as an assistant. She continued her passion for helping children grow & learn through 2 more summers at that same camp, as well as volunteering in the Children’s Ministry at her church.

In her free time, Ms. Kristine likes to spend time with her husband and 2 cats, Isabelle & Harley. She also enjoys reading, singing, acting, watching movies, playing board games, and hanging out with family & friends

Ms.Ashley

Ashley was born in California and lived in Nevada and Michigan before settling in Washington in 2008. She started as the Director of the Preprimary Program at Cedar Crest Academy Bellewood in 2018. She has been working with children regularly since 2013 as a nanny, teacher, and Director. She is finishing her degree in Psychology with an emphasis in children and families and has studied leadership through the training programs provided by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Within Cedar Crest, she has trained under the leadership of Linda Thelin, a long-time Cedar Crest Director and Heather Carpenter, a veteran in the education field! In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her little one, cook healthy meals, run, and do Zumba!

Lindsay Mortan

Ms.Lindsay is excited to begin her fourth year with Cedar Crest Academy. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. During her studies at the UW, she chose to take a number of child development-related courses. She has long had a passion for children and for education. Throughout her high school years, Lindsay tutored early elementary school students who were struggling to learn how to read. Since that time, she has worked with children in a variety of settings and capacities. For example, she prepared and led engaging activities for children ranging in age from 3 to 10 years old in summer camp programs. She also developed curriculum and taught English to middle school and high school English language learners in an after-school program. Prior to joining Cedar Crest, she taught children ages 3 to 5 at a preschool where she also had the opportunity to develop and teach an elective phonics class. During the past school year, Lindsay taught her preschool class virtually, connecting with children in their living rooms and bedrooms, using Zoom! She is thrilled that this year she will be teaching students in person, again.

In her free time, Lindsay can often be found at a library, searching for good books to share with her students, as well as picking up a few for herself. She loves to read and desires to spark an early love of reading in her students. Lindsay’s other activities include learning new languages, participating in small groups through her church, and volunteering at an adoption center for homeless cats. Over Summer Break, she began learning how to kayak and explored watercolor painting. Lindsay enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her two Ragdoll kitties, Lassi and Latte.

Charlotte Ross-Lyons

This school year will be Charlotte’s true first year with Cedar Crest, she started in April of 2021 assisting with Pre-K distant learning. Charlotte has been working with children in a variety of settings for 7 years including as a nanny, childcare employee, summer camp counselor, and pre-k teacher, instilling a love for learning and working with children early on in life. She graduated with her BA in Human Development and an Early Childhood Education certificate in December 2020 from Washington State University. Her favorite thing about working with preschool age students is that physical and academic growth happens before your eyes, it is so magical to see how far students come from day one of school until the end of the year. Charlotte lives in Seattle where in her free time she enjoys reading, going for walks in local parks and trails, checking out breweries, and playing golf.

Hannah Burns

Ms.Hannah is excited to begin her first-year teaching at Cedar Crest Academy. As a native Texan, Hannah moved to Washington State in 2020. She knew from a young age that she was meant to be a teacher by watching her mom in her classroom. Throughout her life, she has spent time helping out in her church’s nursery, babysitting, nannying, and helping out in her mom’s class. The last 2-3 years she has spent working as a preschool teacher. She works hard to develop a connection with the children to make sure they reach their full potential. Hannah is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family including her two dogs, Reeses and Scooter. Ms.Hannah is looking forward to her first-year teaching at Cedar Crest Academy.

Navjeet Kaur

Navjeet was born in Punjab, India and came to the United States when she was five years old. What inspired Navjeet to become an educator was the language barrier she encountered as a child. Nurturing children and supporting them is one of her first priorities to help them reach their full potential. She has nine years of experience working with children and this will be her third year at Cedar Crest Academy. Navjeet has earned her double Bachelors in Sociology and Psychology with American Literature Arts in Education at the University of Washington. During her free time, Navjeet enjoys going on hikes, baking, spending time with her family and her dog Romeo. Navjeet is working towards earning her master’s degree in education to give children the best education she possibly can. Navjeet looks forward to working at Cedar Crest Academy and making wonderful memories with students and sta

Rima Tobias

This is Ms. Rima’s third year at Cedar Crest Academy. She received her bachelor’s degree in Early Child Education Studies from Eastern Washington University. Ms. Rima has always been interested in being a teacher since she was a child and has been volunteering and working with children for the past eight years. She believes children not only bring a different perspective and unique experience into everyday life for her, but they also help enrich the learning experience and can teach us just as much as we can teach them. She also likes to sew, draw, paint, and make small crafts out of felting, clay, or Perler beads in her free time. When it comes to doing her part for the environment, you can rest assured she wastes not when it comes to recycled arts and crafts!

Rosalba Vizcarra

Ms.Rosy loves working with children and her priority is to make them feel secure and loved. She has been working at Cedar Crest Academy for seven years and it will be her fifth year teaching this year. She is excited about this new school year and what this school year will bring. Rosy looks forward to working very hard to help children learn and reach their full potential during the current circumstances. Ms.Rosy was born in Mexico and was nine years old when she migrated to the United States of America with her family. She has been married to her husband, Gabriel, for 13 years and has two beautiful daughters, Elisama and Zoe, who will be attending third and fourth grade. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and reading. Ms. Rosy obtained her Associate degree in Early Childhood Education at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. Rosy is passionate about helping others and making everybody feel special.

Navid Haddad

Ms. Navid has been working in the field of education for over 10 years. She started her work in Tehran, Iran as a high school physical education teacher and has since then moved to Bellevue to work in early childhood education for the last 8 years. She has worked with numerous diverse groups and individuals, making sure each child feels special, valued, and welcomed. She is looking forward to helping children succeed and grow in their social, emotional, and academic skills. She is very excited to start at Cedar Crest Academy and help support her students and their individuality grow. Ms.Navid has earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in teaching/physical education. Outside of teaching, she enjoys bike riding, knitting, hiking, and spending time with her family. Ms.Navid is passionate and is looking forward to making memories and meaningful experiences with the children, staff, and families.

Beverly Nevarez

This will be Beverly’s fourth year at Cedar Crest Academy. Her work with children began after volunteering to work around kids of different ages with disabilities in high school and knew she had to pursue a career with children. She enjoys being the preprimary support teacher as she gets to bounce around each classroom and get to know each child. In particular she loves to help children express their creativity through arts and crafts. Ms. Beverly currently holds her initial certificate and plans to continue pursuing her education. Outside of work she loves spending time with her family, friends and her cat Pluto. She enjoys watching movies, going shopping, traveling and finding new things to bake.

Kari Stancin

From a very young age, Ms. Kari has known she always wanted to be a teacher, in helping students learn new things.  She has led many volunteered childhood development programs for about twenty years and continues to work with children from ages three to nine years old.  She finds enjoyment in going above and beyond to help her: students, coworkers, friends, and family to secede academically and personally in their goals. Ms. Kari has graduated with honors from the University of Montana-Western with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Elementary Education.

Ms. Kari was born in Colorado and moved to Montana when she was young. A few years ago, her family moved to Washington state.  When she is not in the classroom you will find her continued dedication in learning new skills and techniques, reading books, cooking, traveling, and scrapbooking in her free time.

Candice Metzger

Audra Foster

Mrs. Audra graduated with a degree in Business Management from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. She began teaching at the age of 13 at her local dance studio. At this young age, she developed her passion for teaching and working with children. She taught dance after school throughout high school and college. After graduating from college, she taught and managed a competitive dance company of dancers ranging from the age of 5 to 18. Recently, Audra moved to Washington and joined the Cedar Crest Academy family. She hopes to encourage all students, help them to learn their own unique strengths, and how to apply them to both their academics and their community.

Terra Enns

Mrs. Enns joined the Cedar Crest Academy family in January 2018 and is excited to begin her 3 rd year teaching on the First Grade team. Mrs. Enns received her Bachelors’s in Ethics and Human Behavior from the University of Washington and went on to get her Masters in Teaching with a K-8 endorsement in 2005. Mrs. Enns has taught a variety of ages from toddlers up to middle school including 1-year teaching 6th grade and 2 years teaching 7th grade Language Arts, Social Studies, and Creative Communications. Mrs. Enns has been married to her husband for almost 16 years and has three wonderful children, Maya who is one, Callie who is 8 years old and Ethan who is 14. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her two dogs, Milo a yellow lab, and Obi a mix of everything. She also enjoys traveling with her family, spending time on the water, hiking, reading, listening to music, watching football, and spending time with friends and family. Mrs. Enns’ love of learning began when she was a child. Both of her parents were teachers so she grew up in a classroom and knew from a very young age that teaching was all she wanted to do. Mrs. Enns believes that each child learns in their own way and teaching to individualized strengths is essential for future success. Mrs. Enns is excited to continue her journey here at Cedar Crest Academy and is looking forward to sharing her love of learning with students and staff!

Linda Ream

Ms. Ream joined the Cedar Crest Academy staff in the summer of 2016. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities for Teaching at Seattle University. After several months teaching in Zambia, and working with children diagnosed with Autism, she returned to school at Seattle University earning a Master’s in Teaching with a K-8 Washington State certification in 2015. Ms. Ream has taught as a student teacher in the Seattle School District, and as a 2nd-grade teacher in the Highline School district. In her spare time, she enjoys eating delicious Indian food, finding cute coffee shops, playing soccer, and gardening. She enjoys reading, and often finds fun books at Half-Price Books to share with her Kindergartners. She loves using games and songs to engage students and enhance their learning!

Randi Williams

Ms.Williams is very excited to join the staff at Cedar Crest. She has been an educator for 25 years, and have taught first and second grade for 20 years. Randi graduated from the University of Washington and received an M.Ed from Western Washington University. Being in the classroom and helping students to be their best each day is one of her favorite things to do! She also enjoys reading, traveling, going to the gym, and spending time with family and friends.

Julianne Rivas

Julianne has been teaching since 2014 upon earning her BA in Education from Golden State Baptist College in Santa Clara, CA. Julianne returned to Washington in 2015 and joined the Cedar Crest family the following year. She is excited to begin her fifth year teaching on the Second Grade team. She has worked with children of all ages in different capacities since she was fourteen and has continued her love for children into education. She couldn’t be happier teaching at Cedar Crest Academy, building its community and helping students grow not just academically, but in all areas. She firmly believes in setting an early foundation in students to be a kind, responsible, and independent person. Julianne and her husband have two sons, Edwin and Emmett, and two dogs, Duster and Archibald. When away from the classroom, she loves to watch movies, enjoy coffee, and spend any moment she can with her family.

Audrey Hoffner

Audrey attended Seattle Pacific University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in European Studies with an emphasis in Spanish. She also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree with an endorsement in Elementary Education from Seattle Pacific University. Audrey currently holds a K- 8 Washington state teaching certificate. Audrey has a vast variety of teaching experiences. She has worked with Bricks 4 Kidz where she instructed school-aged children, kindergarten through seventh grade. She also worked at KidsQuest Children’s Museum where she emphasized the importance of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). These experiences have enabled Audrey to teach students with a hands on learning approach, providing children the opportunity to learn through exploration and experimentation. She strives to help each child reach their fullest potential by facilitating their efforts to learn and grow as individuals. In her free time Audrey loves hiking, biking, swimming, and playing soccer. She is currently a certified lifeguard and is First Aid/ CPR/ AED certified by the American Red Cross. Audrey also enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets. She has a Russian Blue cat named Tommy and a dog named Jasmine

Travis Sturm

This is Mr. Sturm’s ninth year teaching elementary school, and 11th year teaching overall. He has also taught Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language for a couple of local colleges. He has helped 132 people get their GED and or High School Diploma’s through college programs as well. Mr. Sturm loves teaching in all areas of education. He has a Masters Degree in Education and has earned his National Board Certification, which only 3 percent of a teacher in the U.S. have done. His Bachelors is a double degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. He loves learning from my students on a daily basis. He enjoys traveling, and so far his favorite areas are Mexico City, South Korea, and the Caribbean. He loves working out, doing Zumba 3 times a week along with weight training. He has three cats, Simone, Basil, and Daikon. He is now looking forward to his first year at Cedar Crest Academy!

Nathanael Fatula

Nathanael graduated from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas with a BFA in Art and a BS in Teaching. While in college he took a year off to travel to Africa to work as a volunteer teacher at the Village of Hope Orphanage. Upon moving to the Seattle area in 2013 he worked a special education teacher for 3 years. He also volunteers in King County Juvenile Detention Center as a mentor and teacher. Over the years of various teaching experience, Nathanael has learned how to teach from different cultural perspectives and differentiate learning to meet the needs of each individual student. Nathanael hopes to never stop learning, traveling, and serving children from all walks of life. To recharge he loves camping, backpacking, road-tripping, and cooking for his friends!

Joshua Carpenter

Mr. Carpenter graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College in 2010 as an Associate of Theology. Since 2009 he has been involved with practical and academic Christian ministry opportunities that served both his local congregation and community. From 2010-2012 he worked as a youth pastor of both middle school and high school aged students at Calvary Chapel Monroe. From 2014-2016 he worked as an adjunct faculty member at the Calvary Chapel Bible College Seattle campus with an emphasis on Biblical & Theological exposition. He was also responsible for the development, implementation, evaluation, and further improvement of a unique practical service curriculum that sought to help the community through student led cohorts. In addition to this he was the primary instructor for Calvary Chapel Bible College Seattle’s Introduction to Christian Apologetics course teaching Theology based lectures.
From 2014-2018 he was a lead Pre-K teacher at the Cedar Crest Academy Kirkland campus and also worked as the campus office administrator from 2019-2020. Currently he is happy to be joining the team at the Cedar Crest Academy Bellewood campus working as a support staff and substitute teacher for the Elementary program.

Divya Nair

Ms. Divya joined the Cedar Crest family as our Technology teacher in November 2018. She is a Computer Science engineer by background who has served in the industry, developing and supporting large-scale software platforms for a diverse clientele of large financial corporations for 3+ years. She is adept in web technologies, programming languages and various productivity tools and was also the lead instructor for topics such as data structures, algorithms and fundamentals of programming for a leading IT consulting firm in the past. In her current role, Ms. Divya will be working with children in grades K-5 to instill a tech-savvy approach to everyday problem solving, relating STEM concepts to real-life application of technology. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her husband and two lovely boys, playing badminton, and dancing in and choreographing shows for her local community.

Heather Shappell

This is Heather’s first year as Director of Cedar Crest Academy’s Kirkland campus. She has considered this school her home for over a decade now. Heather started at the Kirkland Campus in 2008 shortly after the school opened. It’s been an incredible journey growing from a floater, to preschool teacher, to creating the preschool curriculum and training new teachers as the Curriculum Supervisor. Heather has been dedicated to growing professionally while facilitating Cedar Crest’s growth by thinking of the school in its entirety and cultivating ideas that will impact our entire community. This new role will allow her the opportunity to further develop professionally while making a positive impact on all students, parents, and staff.

Although Heather will miss the classroom that she spent over ten years in, the special student-teacher bonds, and all of the fun that she was able to have in class each day, she is excited to spread her wings beyond the walls of the yellow room and impact the building as a whole in a very meaningful way!

Jenna Wakershauser

Ms. Jenna is thrilled to start her first school year with Cedar Crest as the Office Administrator. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and has worked with children at the Boys & Girls Club for two years in Wisconsin before relocating to Seattle. She worked with children from diverse backgrounds and enjoyed learning from them and their families. Jenna enjoys exploring the area, sewing, and spending time with her cat, Wick. She can’t wait to meet all the new families and looks forward to working with you this school year.

Ashwini Gupte

Ashwini graduated with a Master’s in Zoology and a Master’s in Business Management from Mumbai University in India. After relocating to Seattle, she volunteered and worked in a Montessori School for 3 years and had an opportunity to work with children of ages from 2 to 6 years. Ashwini is excited to start her sixth year at CCA and to have an opportunity to invest in your child’s education & early development this school year! She believes learning should be fun and interactive for children and that each child is unique and capable of learning and succeeding. When Ms. Ashwini isn’t at school, she loves spending time with her husband and 13-year-old son. Some of her hobbies are spending time with friends, traveling, hiking, reading, and cooking.

Evelyn Mullins

Ms. Evelyn graduated with an Associate in Early Childhood Education from Bellevue College. While going to school, she worked for the college in their parent education program for 15 years.  When her daughter started college, Evelyn came to work at Cedar Crest Academy.  After her daughter’s graduation, she took a break and then recently returned to Cedar Crest Academy where she has worked a total of three years.  One as a preschool teacher, one as a pre-k teacher and one as a kindergarten assistant. She believes learning should be fun and hands-on for preschool children.  She enjoys incorporating nature into her lesson plans. When Evelyn isn’t at school, she loves spending time with her husband and dog, Ginger. Some of her hobbies are buying and drinking different tea, reading, and traveling

Katie Farrel

Ms. Katie is very excited to start her second year teaching preschool at Cedar Crest Academy! Ms. Katie graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Washington. She has spent time after finishing college working with children and adolescents and is passionate about helping children understand their emotions and mental health. Ms. Katie loves arts and crafts, music, puzzles, and games. When she is not at work, she is often at the dog park with her puppy, rock climbing, exploring new restaurants, and doing art. Ms. Katie is excited to make this year the best, and can’t wait to meet you!

Nithya Balasubramanian

Ms. Nithya was born and bought up in India and relocated to Washington in 2006. She completed her Associate degree in Early childhood education in 2018 and Nursing Assistant certification in 2010 from Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Kirkland, WA. She also has a MS in Microbiology from India. Nithya has always had a passion for teaching and wanted to pursue her interest while watching her little one grow, and by helping her learn. She has over five years of experience working with young children (18 months-6-year old’s) and their families in a childcare setting from diverse backgrounds at ELC, LWTech and in a Montessori setting. She has prior experience working with school age children in India. Nithya has an active lifestyle and loves to cook, shop, listen to books/music, hike/walks, pencil draws, swims, and love spending time with her daughter who will be entering third grade this year. Nithya believes that learning never ends and it’s a lifelong process and experience is the best teacher

Daisey Lewis

Ms. Daisey has been working with children for a little over 10 years in a variety of ways, including a Montessori preschool that she truly loved in San Diego and she is excited to start her second year with CCA! Daisey is very passionate about child development, supporting children with disabilities, and finding new teaching styles. She received her AS in Early Childhood Education in 2017 and is currently enrolled in Early Education classes at LWTech. Daisey plans on transferring to WGU to receive a BS in Education with a specialization in Special Education. Daisey loves to learn, and she hopes to pass that love for knowledge onto her students. Some other things she loves besides school are reading, rock climbing, playing video games, and spending time (now virtually) with her family back home in California! She looks forward to getting to know each of you and partnering together to ensure your child has a fantastic year full of love, growth, and a love for learning!

Cesily Greene

Ms. Cesily has been teaching for 22 years in the Early Childhood field. She holds a Child Development Associates and is currently working towards a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education/Special Education online through Grand Canyon University. Her personal philosophy is that children learn best when they are having fun and are interested and engaged. She plans on teaching so the students are learning and having fun. Cesily joined the Cedar Crest Team in June 2021 and is looking forward to the school year and getting to know all of the kiddos and families. Cesily moved to Washington about 5 years ago from Southern California and currently resides in Woodinville. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 9 year old son, Nathan. They like to find hikes and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Washington

Judy Sangder

Ms. Judy has been with Cedar Crest Academy for 10 years. She began her teaching career in early childhood in 1992. Judy started her work with children as a cook and soon realized that she wanted to be a teacher and her journey in early childhood education began.  She holds an ECE and CDA certificate. Judy has been married for forty years.  Together with her husband Todd, they have two grown children, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and three awesome grandchildren. In her free time, she loves to walk the beach, read mysteries, craft with glass and rocks, solve puzzles and play games. Judy enjoys music, playing the drums, and going to church. She is excited to work in a field that she loves and with people who have a heart for children and education.

Alex Hwong

Mr. Alex grew up in Beijing, China. Having gone to an international school, he knows the importance of accepting different cultures and respecting them. Alex received his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Seattle University. He realized his passion for teaching when he began teaching his younger cousins and friends and loves to see when the light bulb clicks in their minds. This is Alex’s ninth year at Cedar Crest. Mr. Alex loves to play board games with his friends and family. He also enjoys taking walks to catch Pokémon with a bubble tea in hand.

Sonia Bali

This is Ms. Sonia’s fourth year with Cedar Crest Academy and she loves being a part of this wonderful family. Ms. Sonia worked as a lead preschool teacher at a school in Issaquah, Washington before coming to Cedar Crest Academy. She holds a Master’s Degree in English from Vidyasagar University in India. She also has a Washington State ECE Initial Certificate from Bellevue College. Prior to coming to the States, she had a career in sales & marketing for four years. Her first few years in the United States, she worked in an administrative position and then moved into the teaching profession. She chose this profession because she connects very easily with the children, and it just really clicked. To her, it feels like her calling, as it just comes so effortlessly when she works with them. She is a part of a family of four. Sourish, her husband, Syon, her son, and her dog, Sozo. make up their complete family. They live in Klahanie where Syon, age 14, attends the 9th grade at the local high school. In her spare time, she loves gardening, listening to good music and cooking. Her teaching begins with making the children comfortable in the learning process. She looks forward to working with you and your child and getting to know him/her during this academic school year.

Tracey Carpenter

Ms.Tracey is very excited to be returning to Cedar Crest Academy for her fifth-year teaching Kindergarten. She earned her BA in Business Administration from Western Washington University and a Masters in Teaching from City University. She holds a professional teaching certificate with a K- 8th grade endorsement. She has been teaching for over 17 years in public and private school settings. She has taught a range of students from Kindergarten to twelfth grade. Ms.Tracey loves teaching and enjoys observing students make new discoveries and connections while learning new concepts and ideas. She considers herself a life-long learner by continuously taking classes to benefit her students in their learning. When she isn’t at school, Tracey loves spending time with her family, reading, and traveling whenever she can.

Camila Gamarra

Ms. Camila was born and raised in Colombia, South America. She graduated college with a degree in Textiles. Upon coming to the United States in 1999, she has worked as a nanny and a Spanish tutor. In addition, she volunteered at Puesta Del Sol, Spanish Immersion School, in the Bellevue School District. Camila has a son, Sergio, who is studying Architecture at WSU, and a dog named Simba. Simba is a four-year-old Jack Russell Terrier-Chihuahua mix and is wildly adored by her family. Camila loves working with children and believes in the positive enforcement approach. She feels very lucky to be a part of Cedar Crest Academy .

Rhianna Deschner

Ms. Deschner just graduated from the University of Washington with her Master’s in Teaching from the University of Washington elementary teacher preparation program after receiving her bachelor’s in Early Childhood and Family Studies. She taught kindergarten as a student teacher in the Seattle School District and has worked as a daycare teacher and volunteered in classrooms with K-5 students for a few years. It has been her dream to be a teacher since she was in kindergarten herself and she is inspired and motivated each day from the unique and meaningful connections she can build with her students. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and trying new recipes, painting and crafting, and playing with her little kitten named Fig.

Linda Thelin

Linda grew up in Northern Ireland and went to University in Stirling, Scotland where she received a B.Sc. Hons in Psychology. She is married with two boys, now in their 20’s. She initially worked as a Social worker for adults with learning disabilities and then having completed a management certification went on to manage a Drop-In Center for the Elderly in England. When she and her family immigrated to the USA in 2003 she worked as a teacher for preschoolers with Autism in LWSD for 5 years and subsequently as a Prek lead at Timberlake Christian Preschool for 3 years. She started working for Cedar Crest Academy in 2014 first as a Preschool teacher and then a year later as Director – a job she loves! Linda is currently working on her Washington State Certificate for Early Childhood Education.

Shaleena Latendresse

Ms. Shaleena has been working with children for 9 years and is very excited to start at Cedar Crest Academy.  Ms. Shaleena started her career by working with infants and toddlers. She has her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Edmonds Community College, but is interested in pursuing her education by getting her Bachelor’s Degree in Education.

Ms. Shaleena grew up in Washington but moved to Texas after being adopted. In her downtime she likes to spend time with her husband Josh and her kitty Lilly. Ms. Shaleena also enjoys watching sporting events and her favorites are the Seahawks and the Mariners. She also loves to spend time reading and writing poetry in her downtime.

Brieanna Fricks

Ms. Keri

Ms. Keri was born and raised in Washington, growing up in Bothell/Woodinville area. Although she is not a fan of cold weather, she is a big coffee lover! Ms. Keri graduated from Central Washington University in 2008, receiving her Elementary Education Degree and has been teaching ever since in both private and public schools. She has taught across grades from Preschool to 3rd Grade. Ms. Keri joined our Cedar Crest Academy family in 2013.

She loves teaching Preschool and the unpredictability of each day keeps her on her toes. Ms. Keri is the Lead Preschool Teacher for the Redmond campus and works closely with the curriculum and fellow teachers across all four campuses.

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Keri loves to travel the world and experience new adventures. She is a risk taker and enjoys the thrill of trying something new! Ms. Keri is very family orientated and loves spending time being social. She is also an animal lover and shares her home with 2 cats, Piccadilly and Winston.

Sowmya Rajesh

Talibah Adeeba

Ms. Talibah was born in the Brava Island of the Cape Verdi Islands. She left there when she was 3 and her family moved to Cape Cod Massachuttes. She loves the warm weather, but not the humid weather of the East Coast. Her family relocated to Seattle when she was 15. She has taught preschool age children as far away as Africa and on both the East and West Coast. This year marks her 31st year of teaching. She has owned her own in-home preschool that she ran while she homeschooled 3 of her 4 children. She has recently gone back to school to earn her BA in education and would like to become a curriculum specialist in the future. Ms. Talibah joined the Cedar Crest team last year and is excited for her second year here in the Purple room.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her grown children and her 10 grandchildren. She is a crafter at heart and loves to make fairy houses, paper doll clothes, and cooking. She also is in the process of writing a fantasy book for young adults. Teaching children makes her happy and she looks forward to learning from the children as well. She is excited for a wonderful year ahead.

Akhila Yasmeen

Alyce Partch

Ms. Alyce holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis on Children and Education. Ms. Alyce has over 20 years of experience teaching and has taken many childhood development courses throughout her career. These experiences include Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten, Preschool Director, Homeschool Co-op Teacher and Homeschool Educator.

Ms. Alyce has two high school aged children, Meghan and Noah.  Ms. Alyce enjoys hiking, biking, the beach, photography, music, reading, laughing, collecting vinyl and spending time with her kids.  She believes it is important to teach children a love of learning from an early age. Ms. Alyce joined the Cedar Crest family in 2015 and is looking forward to a great school year!

Sarah Rogers

Sarah was born and raised in Washington State. She has worked with children for over twenty years. Her education background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Education with a K-8 teacher certification. She knew she wanted to be a teacher as a child when she always pretended to be a teacher.

Sarah has worked as a Preschool teacher and a Pre-K teacher for seven years, driven a school bus, and worked with before and after school-age children for seven years. She was also a nanny for thirteen years for one family. This is Sarah’s fourth year at Cedar Crest Academy. While not at Cedar Crest Academy, Sarah enjoys watching sports (Go Seahawks!), going to the beach, riding bicycles, knitting, and watching or going to the movies.

Hannah Brownlow

Hannah has lived in 3 different states – Louisiana, Alaska, and Washington – but grew up in Moses Lake, Washington. She attended Central Washington University in beautiful Ellensburg, Washington. This is where she had the opportunity to earn her B.A. in Elementary Education. Hannah is now married with two rambunctious and lovable boys. She began her teaching career in her hometown of Moses Lake as a 4^th grade teacher. She has had the opportunity to work with a different grade-levels as well as participated in summer school. She is an avid nature lover and enjoys time with her family.