About Charter Council | Meeting Calendar | Charter Council Members
Charter Council can be contacted by email at: chartercouncil@woodlandstarschool.org
The Woodland Star Charter Council is comprised of 9 members who form the exclusive governing body of the Charter School. They are dedicated to our mission, vision, core principles, and to ensuring ongoing educational success and fiscal responsibility of the school. The Board of Directors gives final approval to all personnel, budget, and policy decisions and ensures that the school’s practices are consistent with the vision and mission of the school. Four Board members are voted in by the WS community, three are appointed by the Board and two are appointed by the WS Faculty, each serving a term of two years. Elections are held in the spring when vacancies occur. The board delegates operating of the school to the WSCS administration.
The Charter Council meets monthly on the third Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the conference room (unless the date falls on a school break.) As a public agency, the WS Charter Council must adhere to the Ralph M. Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. The law’s intent is that the actions of public commissions, boards, and councils in California be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly. (Government Code section 54950.)
Charter Council Members
Hycen Jewett | President
Hycen is a Bay Area native who grew up in Belmont, on the Peninsula. He studied Business Administration and Economics at Menlo College in Atherton and is now a small business owner and consultant. Hycen has embarked on life’s adventures with his wife, Missy Olson, for 20 years. Together, they share three daughters. Two attend Woodland Star as First and Third graders, and one is a future kindergartner. In his free time, Hycen enjoys architecture and design, gardening, and playing basketball. His sincere belief that public Waldorf education strengthens our community is one of the many reasons he is proud to be a member of the Woodland Star Charter Council.
Sharolyn Townsend | Vice President
As an active participant in the school community, serving on the auction committee, in the PA and volunteering in classrooms, I have seen firsthand how our school functions and strives towards a meaningful application of Waldorf principles while balancing the state requirements and funding needs. I understand how the community environment that we create is an essential part of the success of the school and how the decisions of the various committees and Board all work in harmony to create the incredible environment of learning that our students enjoy.
I have some experience in the Waldorf setting, having attended the Toronto Waldorf School from Kindergarten up to Grade 7 myself and know from experience the impact of a Waldorf Education from the inside out. I believe I am well suited to the requirement of a neutral and community minded, whole picture approach to viewing Woodland Star and what is best for its success based on available information, problem solving and consensus.
Joelynn Lee | Faculty Representative
Mrs. Lee earned both her BA and MA in History from Sonoma State University and is now in the later stages of her Ph.D. in the History of Health Sciences at UC San Francisco, with research focused on the history of intellectual disability in children. She completed her CA Multiple Subject Teaching Credential through the Sonoma County Office of Education and trained in The Art of Teaching the Waldorf Grades sessions. Most recently, she was a Waldorf class teacher in grades 7 and 8, completing this loop to graduation in 2025.
Mrs. Lee credits her previous travels with providing a wealth of life experience and a deep appreciation for people from diverse backgrounds. She owned and operated two in-home childcare programs serving infants through preschool-aged children and volunteered with Girl Scouts of Sonoma Valley, worked at Teen Services Sonoma, and served on the PTO and Site Council at her children’s former school. After her son joined Woodland Star, Mrs. Lee quickly became an active part of the school community, serving as a math tutor, substitute teacher, and parent volunteer. In her free time, she enjoys reading, swimming, camping, cooking, gardening, and traveling with her family.
Brenna Lyons | Faculty Representative
Brenna Lyons earned her BA at Chapman University and her CA Multiple Subject teaching credential at California State University Los Angeles. Before moving to Sonoma County to work at Woodland Star, she was a founding teacher at El Rio Community School in Los Angeles. She has attended numerous grade-level Waldorf teacher trainings and continues to work toward full Waldorf Certification.
As a credentialed teacher with public Waldorf teaching experience, her special interest is in structured literacy, arts education, and social-emotional learning. Brenna strives to support and include all learners, including neurodivergent students and students with disabilities. She has a particular interest in the ways that the nervous system relates to children’s wellbeing at school. Brenna enjoys music, art, and birdwatching, and loves to bring her passions into the classroom.
Evelyn Godinez | Parent Association Representative
Evelyn is very involved in the community and has a long history of volunteerism at Woodland Star. She enjoys being a member of the Parent Association, a class parent, a driver for field trips, and working on school yearbook pages. Evelyn works at Redwood Credit Union and has three beautiful children in 6th, 5th, and 3rd grade.
Joe Hencmann | Board Member
Joe was born and raised in Denver Colorado. He moved to Sonoma to pursue a lifelong dream of owning an ice cream shop. He has been making ice cream for over 30 years. He started scooping ice cream at 15 years old and has loved it ever since. He has the most amazing wife and best friend in life, Ramie. She is a co-owner of their two businesses, Sweet Scoops and Darling, and she continues to help and support our amazing dream. We are raising two wonderful kids, Caden and Mila. Although they look like twins they are far from it. Both have unique personalities which creates the amazing kids they are. Joe and Ramie are both very active in the community as well as in our great school, Woodland Star.
Amber Thomas | Board Member
Besides being a mother to Henry (2nd grade) and Eleanor (Morning Glory Kindergarten), I am a Senior Geologist for a renewable energy consulting firm.
At Woodland Star, I have served as Co-Class Parent for my son’s 1st and 2nd grade years, been active in the Parent Association, and regularly volunteer at school and class events, most recently with the Auction Committee. I am excited about this opportunity to further expand my involvement with the school and our amazing community in ways that will help support the ongoing success of Woodland Star. Since we began our journey at Woodland Star in 2021 (our family being new to Waldorf education), I have gotten to know the community of parents, faculty and staff and also learned so much about the Waldorf methodology and philosophy. I have enjoyed my roles as class-parent for Miss Cleary and as a volunteer with the PA and Auction Committee. Lending my abilities and time to the community is extremely rewarding for me personally and for my children who are growing up and seeing how beneficial it is when people step in to help the greater good.
I, and my husband Trevor, are so grateful to see our children happy and thriving at Woodland Star and to be a part of such a caring and genuine community. We look forward to continued opportunities to support such an incredible place. I am new to understanding how the Council serves the school, but am hopeful that I might be able to participate in ensuring that our wonderful school and community continue to thrive and grow.
