About WSB
2024-2025 School YearEstablished in 1997, the Waldorf School of Bend offers a holistic, developmentally appropriate education to children from preschool through 8th grade in beautiful Bend, Oregon.
We are passionate about providing a unique learning environment for our students that will allow them to thrive and flourish in today’s ever-changing world. We help our students grow into socially conscientious, independent thinkers who care about humanity and the natural environment, and who have the skills of resilience, flexibility, and strength of character. Our future depends on educating children who can adapt to these changing times.
By integrating the arts with academics, we provide a joyful curriculum that is rich in hands-on, experiential learning. Our youngest students are warmly nurtured and supported by caring teachers and a research-supported play-based learning environment, so that they can grow up to become confident, secure and capable. Whether performing a theater monologue, conducting a chemistry experiment, or knitting a hat, our older grades students are exposed to a variety of learning modalities that allows each child to discover their gifts and passion.
Welcome to the Waldorf School of Bend – a place to grow, thrive, and find purpose.
Meet the Faculty
The remarkable teachers at WSB are dedicated, creative, experienced, and joyful! Their unified goal is to nourish the genuine love of learning within each child. Our classroom faculty stay with their students for several years, which creates a deep and meaningful teacher-student relationship. The faculty of WSB hold advanced training in childhood education and the Waldorf approach. Our teachers also play an important role in our school’s governance. Learn more about each of our classroom and specialty faculty!
Early Childhood
Ms. Crystal
Early Childhood Teacher
Ms. Crystal received a bachelor’s degree with a minor in Child Development and Business Management and attended Sound Circle Center for her Waldorf certification. Ms. Crystal has been an early childhood teacher for the past twelve years and has worked at various preschools in California and Oregon. She loves the beauty that nature gives and shares that beauty with the children. Since becoming a Waldorf teacher, Ms. Crystal enjoys creating puppets most and bringing the puppets to life through her stories. She strives to continue growing every day to become the whole teacher your child needs.
Ms. Janie
Early Childhood Teacher
Janie grew up on a ranch in Santa Cruz, CA where she spent most of her younger years exploring nature. Janie attended Mountain School Elementary, a school that helped foster her appreciation of the arts and love of nature. Always being a helper to younger cousins, She developed a passion for working with young children. While attending college at CSU Monterey Bay, she took a job as a Nanny and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies with a Minor in Child Development. After graduating college she moved to Bend with her husband and three Labs. Janie has worked at different Childcare centers over the years and recently as a Teacher in an Infant/Toddler Program at Bend High. Janie now has a 10 year old son that shares the same passion of loving and living in nature. In her spare time Janie enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, camping, watching her son play in soccer games and spending time with family.
Ms. Rachel
Early Childhood Teacher
Ms. Erin
Early Childhood Teacher
Ms. Cecilia
Early Childhood Teacher
Over the past two school seasons Ms. Cecilia has enjoyed being a part of the Early Childhood team here at WSB. Her training is in early childhood education and after having her own children, she began working specifically in Waldorf schools and Waldorf-inspired cooperative programs where she felt most aligned as both a teacher and parent. Her aim is to always nurture the spirit of the children with warmth and by example as they imagine, explore and wonder while we all cultivate care and grow into ourselves!
Ms. Cyndi
Early Childhood Program Director and Teacher
Cyndi grew up in the Midwest and Colorado, where she spent most of her young life exploring the world around her. From an early age, she loved being outside and she spent as much time as she could wandering through ravines and hiking in the mountains with her grandparents.
During high school and then in college, Cyndi worked in Early Child Care, first as an assistant and then as a lead teacher. After attending Colorado State University and graduating with both a B.A. and a B.S., Cyndi spent a year traveling through South America. She fell deeper in love with the mountains by spending weeks at a time in the backcountry. During this stint, she spent many months living out of her tent and volunteering on organic farms, eventually landing on a farm where they spoke about living soil and the farm as a living organism. Thus began her introduction to Biodynamic farming and the work of Rudolf Steiner.
After returning to the United States, Cyndi found a Biodynamic farm in Fort Collins, CO to trade time for vegetables. While working full time, she eventually went from a working farm member to a farm apprentice and eventually into co-management. During this time, she often had opportunities to utilize her early childhood experience with children who came to the farm for their farming block in Waldorf Schools. After her mentors began their transition into retirement, she landed a job as the Biodynamic Program Director at the Rudolf Steiner College (RSC), where she trained apprentices, taught Biodynamic classes, managed RSC’s Biodynamic farm production, and instructed neuro-diverse young adults in Animal Husbandry and farming.
In 2018, Biodynamic farming brought Cyndi to Central Oregon to work for a Herbal Supplement company specializing in organic and Biodynamic medicinal plants. Falling deeply in love with the Cascades and the culture of Central Oregon, she felt inspired to re-enliven her passion for teaching the next generation of stewards of the Earth.
In her free time she can be found consulting for farms wanting to convert to Biodynamics, driving giant tractors, gardening, camping, hiking, rock climbing and caring for animals. She loves Nature, Children, Animals and composting!
Ms. Maddi
Early Childhood Teacher
Born and raised in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, Maddi was always intertwined with the environment. From a young age she took a fascination with animals and horses which got her outside in 4-H club.
Her next greatest hobby and love was photography and film making. Her grandpa always had his camcorder out when they went on National Park road trips, and she absolutely admired watching old videos of her family on the television. The nostalgic feeling that she got from watching memories on the television ignited a fire. This passion carried her into university, where she spent her bachelors at SOU, studying Emerging Media and Digital Arts. She had a desire to see more of the world, so she spent her junior year in Australia studying Sustainability and Environmental Action. This magical time was spent traveling all over the Eastern Coast of Australia and Tasmania, fostering and deepening her relationship to the earth. She blended her two loves of being outside and photography and designated her Independent Study thesis on how connection to nature breeds a sustainable future – through the avenue of photography and interviews of 7 different clients.
From Australia, she got the travel bug and once graduated from SOU, she spent 6 weeks in Chile working at an eco-resort on a work/trade. When she returned back, she decided to move to Bend, Oregon because of the natural environment and spent 1.5 years there until the pandemic hit. She then moved back to Southern Oregon to teach Art at an Outdoor School for the last two years. She is looking forward to continuing her love for art and environment-based education as she joins WSB! Maddi also enjoys practicing and teaching yoga, hiking, road trips, and photography.
Ms. Taryn
Early Childhood Teacher
Taryn was raised in beautiful Bend Oregon, where she knew from a very young age that she had a passion for education and a love for children. She’s spent most of her professional life in the classroom and has also received her degree in psychology. Now as a mother of two, education has become even more personal and she understands just how important it is to lead with compassion, empathy, respect and understanding. During Taryn’s free time, she enjoys being with her family, running, reading, snowboarding and photography.
Lower Grades
Mr. Miro
Grades Teacher
Miro Frankzerda grew up in Western Oregon, surrounded by lush forests and inspirational artists of all kinds.
After graduating with a B.A. in Biopsychology, he spent three years teaching around the world highlighted by contracts in Thailand and Ecuador. He has a calm and steady demeanor that is paired with a deep investment in the education of children.
Miro has a love of nature that he integrates into his educational approach. He recently worked with New Vision Wilderness Therapy, which is an incredibly rigorous program providing a physically and emotionally safe place for adolescents and young adults in the context of the outdoors.
Ms. Casey
Grades Teacher
Hi, my name is Casey Jane Duffy. I grew up on Wappo and Miwok land in Northern California. The redwood, oak trees and ocean served as an ample playground for me as a child. My parents, through their life example as career educators of special needs children and adults, instilled a love of social work within me. From the age of five I partook in Taekwondo, which taught me dedication, discipline, and perseverance. Living in such an abundant agricultural valley, I was introduced to Biodynamic farming as a young adult and fell in love with Steiner’s teachings.
After graduating high school, and attending a local community college, I worked as a farmer, birth doula, elder caregiver, and eventually gave birth to a daughter of my own, Sophia. We moved to Mount Shasta in 2014 and befriended an elder Waldorf teacher who gave me valuable insights into the Waldorf pedagogy.
In 2015, we moved to Portland, Oregon where I became a preschool teacher and continued to educate myself and take classes on Waldorf pedagogy.
In 2020 my family and I welcomed my son Orson, and in 2022 we relocated to Bend. We were so thankful to find Ms. Jessica through a friend’s recommendation, and eventually found our way to Waldorf School of Bend. In the fall of 2023 we enrolled my son in the early education program at Waldorf School of Bend, and I began teaching second grade!
In my spare time outside of school I enjoy spending time with my children and partner Nick, hiking, cooking and baking, singing, dancing, making herbal medicines, gardening, and taking on many other creative endeavors.
I am grateful to live in beautiful Bend, Oregon on the lands of the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Northern Paiute people, and to be a member of the fantastic faculty here at Waldorf School of Bend!
Ms. Julia
Grades Teacher
Growing up in a farming family, in the mountains of Salzburg, Austria, I was fortunate to attend Kindergarten through 12th grade at the Salzburg Waldorf School.
My Waldorf experience certainly laid the foundation for my love of kids, nature, animals and the arts. I told my teacher in 5th grade that I was going to be a teacher when I grew up and decided after 12th grade to go study at Paedagogische Akademie Salzburg to become a teacher.
During a visit to Sisters, OR in 2001, I met the father of our son and moved to Portland, OR in 2003. Since then I worked myself up from an assistant instructor to the Director of a horseback riding school, French Hill Farm, which combined my love for horses with kids and teaching. After 8 years at French Hill Farm, I started my own horseback riding school and led that for 10 successful years.
Becoming a mother had me start working for Kozy Kids enrichment center as a preschool teacher. Family brought me to Central OR in 2020 and since then I call Redmond my home.
That brings me to this beautiful place, the Bend Waldorf School, which feels like home already.
Ms. Jessica
Grades Teacher
Junior High
Mr. Kris
Grades Teacher
Subject Teachers
Ms. Becky
Grades Teacher
Becky has over four years teaching experience in early childhood and fiber arts. She loves supporting her students in fiber arts journeys. To help them grow and feel pride, creativity and the knowledge they can do hard things. In her free time, Becky is an avid tea drinker and book lover, she also loves reenergizing in nature.
Ms. Susan
Grades Teacher
Susan moved West from Virginia to teach high school English and Native Culture for The High Country School, a traveling, academic outdoor school. From this, she developed as a professional storyteller, learning to tell Native American Coyote Stories from many experiences with Native elders research in anthropological and linguistic texts. From a Nez Perce friend, Susan learned to speak a bit of Shahaptin, a Plateau Native language.
Today her performances included traditional stories from many cultures. Past venues for her performances, keynotes and workshops (The Passionate Fact: Storytelling Science) include: Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh, Australian botanical gardens, National Geographic Society, SF Jazz, the Oregon Symphony and the National Park Service.
Although she learned to read late, she is the author of four books and six recordings. Her love of language lead her to Eurythmy training. She holds a B.A. cum laude and a Masters of English from the University of Virginia. She holds a Eurythmy diploma from Rudolf Steiner College after also studying at Eurythmy Spring Valley.
Ms. Carla
Grades Teacher
Carla Delfino was born in Buenos Aires, and grew up in Neuquen, Patagonia Argentina. She moved to the USA at 18 to study Marine Science and Biology at the University of Miami.
She then moved to Alaska to work in the Marine Sciences department at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. After almost four years in Alaska, and a year of travel, Carla worked in Hawaii for Dolphin Quest as an educator, teaching kids about the fascinating ocean world. She also worked as a field biologist doing research at the base of Mauna Loa.
In 2007, Carla and her husband moved back to the mainland, to be closer to family, finally settling in Bend in 2008. Since moving to Bend, Carla has worked as an educator at the Sunriver Nature Center and at the Natural Areas Association. When their daughter Rowan was two, Carla decided to become a full-time mom. Carla began teaching Spanish to pre-school aged children in 2015, and began teaching Lower Grades Spanish at the Waldorf School of Bend in 2017. Carla has been enjoying teaching in the Waldorf philosophy and actively learning more about the methods involved.
When not teaching, Carla loves to spend time with her family, traveling, hiking, skiing, canoeing, rafting, practicing martial arts and reading!
Mr. Robert
Grades Teacher
During his years at UC Santa Cruz, where he received his bachelor’s in Art History, Robert met an old man who taught Tai Chi. He was quirky and funny, and Robert was fascinated by the way he moved. Before long, Robert was completely obsessed with the martial art, and started going to Tai Chi classes four times a week.
Since then, the practice has unfolded into all areas of his life. It continues to show him the great value of movement practices on physical, mental, and spiritual levels, and it informs within him a certain love for movement. As a teacher, he tries to remember his own childhood days in PE classes. He aims to have fun and experience games with the students from their own perspective, and he believes this brings a lot of energy to the class.
Administration
Ms. Natalia
Registrar
Natalia has been a Waldorf parent embracing the ideas of Waldorf education as a basis for her family rhythms and an inspiration for five years of homeschooling with the Waldorf curriculum. Natalia has taken multiple Waldorf teacher training courses and completed a Waldorf leadership development training with Torin Finser at the Center for Anthroposophy. She is dedicated to fostering a thriving Waldorf community, where “true knowledge arises only when thinking is warmed by the heart.”
Mr. Peter
Business and Operations Manager
Peter was born and raised outside Corvallis, Oregon, spending his childhood in nature wandering the forests and fields with his three older brothers. He spent much of High School with a Waldorf Inspired tutor before moving to British Columbia to study education and philosophy in university.
After graduation, Peter worked in university student development leading human services programs in areas of houselessness, incarceration, immigration and refugee support, and other areas of community need. During this time he began volunteering in childrens and youth bereavement at a local hospice, eventually moving back to Oregon to work full time in hospice mental health support.
Peter is currently enrolled in counselor education at the Canadian School of Existential Analysis in Vancouver, BC. Existential Analysis is a therapy developed from the work of Dr. Viktor Frankl. It aims to help people freely experience the world and make authentic decisions in pursuit of a fulfilling, empowering experience of life. Peter believes strongly in the value of mental wellness and aims to bring a person-centered approach to all aspects of his life.
In his free time, Peter loves to cook, hike, garden, and spend time with his nephews. Peter’s so happy to be at the Waldorf School of Bend and is excited to help create a learning environment where young minds and those who care for them can thrive.
Board of Directors
Mr. Kyle
Board President
Kyle is a dedicated board member and the co-chair for our Parent Council group. Having grown up in the beautiful landscapes of Northern California and now residing in the vibrant community of Bend, Oregon since 2020, he deeply appreciates the value of a nurturing and enriching educational environment for our children. With a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship from Chico State University and a rich professional background that includes owning businesses, involvement in funded start-ups, and a specialization in marketing, operations, photography, videography, organizational structure, and community/culture building, Kyle is committed to contributing his expertise and passion to help cultivate a thriving, inclusive school atmosphere.
Ms. Jennifer
Treasurer
Bio coming soon.
Ms. Michelle
Board Member
Michelle was born and raised in Alaska and put down roots in Bend in 2018. Along with serving on the WSB Board, she volunteers at the school once a week supporting the early childhood program and has a child in first grade. She sees the value of a Waldorf education every day in her own daughter’s intellectual and spiritual development, playfulness and excitement about learning. When not at the school, Michelle hangs with her friends and family and works a day job. Her background in higher education administration and current work in project management informs her role on the Board — and also comes in handy when organizing playdates.