Andrea Losh - Director

Andrea is the Director of the Harvard Avenue School program. Andrea is a Seattle native. After graduating from Seattle Preparatory School Andrea attended Santa Clara University where she obtained her Bachelors Degree in English Literature and also studied studio art. She then taught preschool in a Portola Valley, California program while attending the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California for her Masters of Early Childhood Education and Montessori Teaching Certification. Andrea has taught various preschool philosophies and methodologies. Andrea was the Director of a California preschool program before moving home to Seattle to open Harvard Avenue School.

Andrea acts as a substitute teacher as needed in the toddler, preschool and pre-kindergarten classrooms as well as assisting in special classes that are offered at the school. Andrea opened Harvard Avenue School in winter 2003. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Chris, and their three children.

Barb Haag is our Head Kindergarten Teacher. Barb is certified in Early Childhood Education, she has spent the last 22 years teaching Preschool through Kindergarten in the greater Seattle area.

Ms Barb's classroom reflects the strong influence of many great teaching philosophies. Her Project Approach philosophy reflects the influence of Italy 's Reggio Emilia. Her development of work time strongly reflects Maria Montessori, and she uses Howard Gradner's 8 intelligences to teach to her student's multiple learning styles. Parents love coming to visit Barbara's classroom because it is a wonderland of their children's current studies and art projects. Every wall in the classroom displays the enthusiasm of Barb's students and everyone who visits the class can see what all the excitement is about!

Andrea Wallner - Capitol Hill Pre-Kindergarten

Andrea Wallner is the lead teacher in the Pre-K program. She was born and raised in the Seattle area. Andrea attended CWU's teaching program, receiving a double Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education. She later obtained her Masters Degree in Curriculum Development & Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Andrea has also had extensive training in special education, gifted & talented learners.

Andrea W. has enjoyed teaching children for the past fifteen years. Much of her experience has been in a multi-age K-3 program, teaching in the Kitsap Peninsula area. She and her family returned to the Seattle area to become part of the Harvard Avenue School community. Andrea began teaching at Harvard Avenue School in fall 2003.

Daniel Royer -Capitol Hill Pre-kindergarten/French & Music Specialist

Daniel teaches in the Pre-K program and also teaches music and French throughout our community. Having spent his first 25 years in Quebec where French was his first language, he teaches French to both the Pre-K and Preschool programs on a weekly basis. He received a Bachelors degree in Mass Communication and Law from Carleton University and spent several years working at a Seattle-based newspaper before coming to the Harvard Avenue School. Daniel is the father of two children Maxence and Pablo, both graduates of our preschool/pre-kindergarten programs. Daniel has worked in our school since fall 2006

Chiyona Dang - Capitol Hill Pre-kindergarten/Music Specialist

Chiyona is an assistant teacher in the Capitol Hill pre-kindergarten program. An experienced early childhood educator, Chiyona especially enjoys preparing and supervising art projects with the students. Prior to working at Harvard Avenue School Chiyona was a piano teacher for the Move Over Mozart program and now offers private piano lessons to children three to twelve years old. Chiyona is one of our on-staff music specialists; she sometimes gives music and rhythm lessons to the preschool and pre-kindergarten students. Chiyona has a BA from the University of Washington; she has worked at Harvard Avenue School since fall 2003.

Rachel Pollard - Capitol Hill PreSchool

Rachel is an assistant in the Capitol Hill preschool classroom. Rachel came to us in fall of 2008. She is working towards a BA degree in early childhood development, and has extensive nanny experience (six years) working with a family of five young children (including twins from age newborn to 3 years old).

Sonia is a co-teacher in our Madison Valley pre-kindergarten class and also a yoga teacher at that facility. As a teacher, Sonia believes that the finest educators not only share their knowledge and experiences, but also provoke their students to question, challenge and explore a variety of possibilities within the coursework. The role of the student is not to just receive information but a role in which an active contribution is of value; it is important for a teacher to realize that this contribution can come in many different ways depending on how the student learns and receives material.

Sonia began teaching for us in fall 2006 and quickly became a favorite among the staff and children due to her calm presence, her talent for yoga instruction, and fantastic creative story telling. As a teacher of creative movement Sonia finds that improvisation through art and storytelling allows the children to feel a closer experience to the feeling of transformation. This sense is important because this transformational growth surrounds them in the environment and in our their own developmental stages, and connects the children to the world around them.

Originally from Alaska, Sonia has been an educator for many years both in Anchorage and Philadelphia. She has taught extensively in early childhood, as well as classes in both creative movement and ballet. She is a trained dancer, performer and has studied yoga for the past 12 years. Sonia has her BA degree, and pursues a dance and acting career when she is not instructing the children at Harvard Avenue School.

Piper Carling - Art Specialist - Capitol Hill and Madison Valley

Piper Carling is a former preschool teacher of ours, having taught in our Capitol Hill and Madison Valley classrooms. Having obtained her Masters Degree in Art education from Seattle University in recent years, Piper now acts as a weekly art specialist and also offers after school art enrichment programs. Piper is dedicated to the art enrichment for our students. Piper has taught art for many years and is also currently employed by Coyote Central, a local art based after school program for middle school aged students. Piper's extensive experience teaching includes many quality Seattle schools including The Lakeside School. Piper has worked with Harvard Avenue School since fall 2004.

Kirsten Camp - Admissions Director

Kirsten Camp is very excited to be Harvard Avenue School's new Director of Admissions. Kirsten graduated from Brown University with a degree in Educational Studies and holds a Masters in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College in New York. A native New Yorker, she spent nine years working at The Chapin School in Manhattan, seven as a Kindergarten teacher and two as the Director of Lower School Admissions. Kirsten's two daughters have attended Harvard Avenue; one is currently in Kindergarten at Seattle Country Day School and loved every minute of her three years at Harvard Avenue School, while the other has just started in the Capitol Hill Preschool program after a year in our Toddler Program.

Shallon Bawden - Capitol Hill Lead Preschool Teacher

Shallon Bawden has been the lead preschool teacher on Capital Hill since March of 2008. She uses an integrative and thematic approach to lesson planning that balances students' mind, body and emotions. In being aware of every child's needs, she teaches student how to be independent while still remaining cheerful and nurturing. In general, many activities in Shallon's classroom may integrate one or more of 'The Arts' with reading, writing, and math which also include movement activities based off of Anne Green-Gilbert's Brain Gym.

Shallon attended EWU's teacher education program and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a Reading focus and an endorsement in Visual Arts. She is also a graduate of Lesley University's Master of Arts Degree in Curriculum and Instruction: Creative Arts in Learning. Shallon has taught a wide variety of students of all ages, including students with special needs and gifted & talented learners. Immediately before moving to Seattle in 2008, she taught Kindergarten in Port Angeles School District as well as created an exciting and dynamic learning program as a long term sub in a developmentally-delayed preschool. During her schooling, she worked five years in Eastern Washington University's on-campus preschool, which integrated the latest in teaching techniques which still proves student success and well-being.

Lauren Thomas - Capitol Hill Preschool

Maria Esquivel - Madison Valley Preschool

Claire Chanard - Madison Park Toddler

Claire Chanard will be Harvard Avenue School’s new head toddler teacher in Madison Park  this coming school year. She has both personal and professional experience in working with toddlers and preschool aged children.  Before becoming a mother four years ago, she worked as an au pair in Italy, Germany and Seattle. She has been a teacher of pottery, art, cooking, guitar and French for the past several years at two renowned summer camps in the San Juan Islands. A recent graduate of The Evergreen State College with a BA, she is currently a student of non-violent communication and is working actively to train young people in resolving their conflicts peacefully. This year, she intends to use her background in Spanish and French to introduce children to these two languages. Claire is a joy to be around and a welcome addition to our excellent staff at Harvard Avenue School.

Shelly McGrew - Madison Valley Pre-kindergarten