1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th Grade
Megan Malkassian | 1st Grade Teacher
Ms. Malkassian completed her BA in Sociology while working full time and parenting two young children. She earned her MA in Education through Alliant University while simultaneously completing the coursework to obtain her CA Multiple Subject teaching credential. Ms. Malkassian has trained in The Art of Teaching the Waldorf Grades for several years.
Prior to coming to Woodland Star, she spent many years working with preschool-aged children, utilizing her sociology experience while working with severely traumatized youth at an intensive residential treatment and specialty mental health services center for mentally ill youth. Before becoming a class teacher at Woodland Star, Megan served as a teaching assistant while she was completing her college coursework. Ms. Malkassian is English–Spanish bilingual. Outside of school, Ms. Malkassian enjoys reading, gardening, drawing, and handwork.
Taylor Noll | 2nd Grade Teacher
Ms. Noll holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from San Francisco State University, an Associate’s degree in Child Development, and a Waldorf Teaching Certificate from Antioch University. With over fifteen years of classroom experience and extensive training in learning support and foundational literacy, Ms. Noll is passionate about creating inclusive, arts-integrated classrooms and implementing strategies that support the diverse needs of every student.
Raised in Los Angeles, Ms. Noll began her teaching path working with underserved youth in the LA area, focusing on initiatives to bridge the early literacy gap. She found Waldorf education at the Pasadena Waldorf School, where she taught early childhood before completing her Waldorf training and transitioning to the grades. Most recently, she taught at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School, and she is delighted to expand her work to the vibrant community in the North Bay.
Outside of the classroom, Ms. Noll enjoys hiking with her daughter and their dog, Jupiter, and attending local art exhibits and live theater performances around the Bay Area. She is an avid textile artist who spends her free time quilting, sewing, and needle-felting. Ms. Noll looks forward to bringing her experience, creativity, and love for community to her students and families in the coming school year.
Lukas Snyder | 3rd Grade Teacher
Luke Snyder holds a Clear K–8 Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with CLAD and a Single Subject Physical Education Credential, along with an AMS Upper Elementary Montessori Certificate from the San Francisco Bay Area Montessori Teacher Training Center. He earned his B.A. in Geography with Honors from CSU Chico and holds a Permaculture Design Certificate from the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center.
Mr. Snyder brings over two decades of hands-on, child-centered experience across public and private schools, from kindergarten through high school. He most recently served as Lead Guide for the Upper Elementary community at River Montessori Charter School in Petaluma, and has worked at numerous schools throughout the area. His whole-child approach to teaching aligns closely with Waldorf philosophies, with a shared belief that children learn best through experience, creative work, and a close relationship with the natural world.
Mr. Snyder’s particular strengths lie in experiential and outdoor learning, classroom community-building, social-emotional learning, and fostering a sense of wonder in the world around us. He lives in Santa Rosa with his family and, outside of school, can often be found gardening, foraging, beekeeping, behind a camera, on a mountain bike, or slowly making peace with a ukulele.
Logann Gavey | 4th Grade Teacher
Logann Gavey possesses a BA in Liberal Studies from Ferrum College in Virginia and has obtained her CA Multiple Subject Teaching Credential through the North Coast School of Education in Sonoma County. With expertise in Medieval Literature, theater, and children’s music, Logann brings over 20 years of teaching experience across both private and public educational sectors. She, along with her dog Lark, is honored to become part of the Woodland Star Public Waldorf community, collaborating with esteemed colleagues and families. Logann has dedicated her career to education, driven by a desire to engage in meaningful experiences of wonder and curiosity alongside her students. In her reflective moments, she often contemplates the profound joy of witnessing the developmental journey of young minds.
Logann resides in Petaluma and is actively engaged in a variety of interests, including attending live music events, creating art, gardening, and spending quality time with her dogs and family.
Brenna Lyons | 5th Grade Teacher
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.
Erica Behler | 6th Grade Teacher
Erica holds an Associate’s Degree in Psychology from Monterey Peninsula College, a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies from CSU Monterey Bay, and a Master’s in Education along with a Multi-Subject Teaching Credential from Sonoma State University. She has taught a wide range of subjects including language arts, math, science, history, and the arts, and brings a strong commitment to differentiated, student-centered, and whole-child education.
Ms.Behler has spent the past five years teaching at a Waldorf-inspired charter school, where she guided a class from fifth through eighth grade and then looped back down to teach fifth grade again. She is a compassionate, creative educator who prioritizes building meaningful relationships with her students and fostering a classroom environment rooted in care, curiosity, and a love of learning.
Inspired by her California upbringing exploring coastlines, forests, mountains, and deserts, Erica strives to cultivate ecological awareness and a deep connection to nature in her students.
As a seventh-generation Sonoma County native, Erica feels deeply connected to the community she now returns to as a sixth grade teacher at Woodland Star Charter. Her connection to the school site is especially meaningful, as her grandfather attended Dunbar School many years ago. Outside the classroom, she enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors, gardening, traveling with her dog Nola, and hanging out with her cat, Keak da Sneaks.
Austin Dunn | 7th Grade Teacher
Austin Dunn is a Sonoma native whose love of learning was first nurtured at Woodland Star where he attended from kindergarten through eighth grade. He went on to earn both his BA in English Literature and his MA in English Literary Criticism from Sonoma State University. Austin taught English composition at Sonoma State University, where he enjoyed helping students develop their writing, analytical thinking, and confidence as communicators.
During his time at Sonoma State, he also worked with the Learning and Academic Resource Center, supporting students in strengthening their literacy and academic writing. As President of the English Student Association, he created and led literacy programs that connected the university with the broader Sonoma County community. His experience spans learners of all ages, and he is passionate about helping every student discover their unique voice while fostering
curiosity, creativity, and independent thinking.
As both a former Woodland Star student and an educator, Austin values learning environments that cultivate meaningful relationships and inspire a lifelong love of learning. He believes education should encourage students to think deeply, express themselves authentically, and approach the world with curiosity and compassion. Outside the classroom, Austin enjoys reading, gardening, playing guitar, and exploring the beautiful trails of Sonoma County with his dog, Goblin.
Joelynn Lee | 8th Grade Teacher
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.
