Teagan Wu
My name is Teagan Wu and I grew up in Freeport Maine where I attended Maine Coast Waldorf school from kindergarten through twelfth grade. My experiences both as a student and as a teacher at Waldorf schools has inspired in me a love for learning and working with others in close knit communities. My passion for gardening, cooking, and working with young people deepened through studying Human Ecology with an emphasis in sustainable agriculture and education at College of the Atlantic. I feel passionate about contributing to new forms of education that provide nurturing, supportive, and transformative experiences to young people. I envision weaving together my work in the healing arts into teaching with the intention of providing space for people to reconnect to their own source, vitality, and potential.
Jessica Gebhardt
Jessica Gebhardt has been working with children for over 25 years. She is deeply interested in supporting the needs of young children and families in facing the complex challenges of the world today. She is a trained Waldorf Teacher, has a Master’s Degree in Education, and a BFA in sculpture from Portland School of Art. Jessica has taught in community settings, after school programs, at Waldorf Schools and now directs a small socially active preschool/kindergarten and parent/teacher education community organization called the Heartfelt School. She helped to establish the Heartfelt School in 2012. Jessica enjoys gardening, swimming, singing, storytelling, painting, crafting, and being in nature. She values being a part of a purposeful, socially minded community, and is honored to be partnering with parents, educators, and folks throughout the community in their many roles to co-create and transform education to better meet the needs of the many cultures and people in Maine.
Paul Gebhardt
Paul Gebhardt: Paul Gebhardt is an interdisciplinary artist, educator and arts administrator from Portland, Maine. Currently Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Maine College of Art, Paul’s focus is on researching, practicing and teaching creative approaches to organizational engagement and social practice. Paul has studied at the Gestalt International Study Center Training, received his BFA in sculpture from the Portland School of Art and his MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College.
Jennifer Chace
I live in Freeport, Maine with my husband, Jason, and I spend most of time working on this project, developing SHARE to facilitate neighborhood mutual aid while supporting local tiny food businesses, and starting (with my daughter Fiona) a coaching service for families with adolescents in chronic pain. Transforming the system of public education from the inside out is what I intend to do as a part of this team. Waldorf educator, school leader, project manager, mentor, organizer, art therapist, volunteer, mother, wife, daughter, friend, artist, marketing professional, and dog mom are all titles I’ve used or been given. B.A. Art, Mount Holyoke College; M.Ed., Antioch New England University; Transdisciplinary Therapeutic Arts, Tobias School for Art and Therapy in East Grinstead, UK; ¾ of the way through the Certificate in School Management and Leadership, HBS / HGSE.
Megu Hirayama
Hello! I reside where it is now referred to as Portland, Maine, but an area originally called Machigonne, in the Wabanaki Territory (Dawnland) by the Native peoples here. I was born and raised in Japan, but a combination of New England beauty, Stephen King, and a curiosity for North Eastern U.S. (and college) drew me to Maine, which ended up becoming my home for much of the last two decades. Listening to people’s stories have and continue to fascinate me, whether it be an epic life journey or a momentary tale, interweaving into overlapping frameworks of perspectives and insights that continue to expand my appreciation for this deep, wide world/universe+. Among many things, I have the privilege of being: a stay-at-home parent (child attending the Heartfelt School); a student in the field of somatics; a member of amazing communities; and here.