Faculty And Staff

Elisabeth Beck

Elisabeth Beck teaches eurythmy in the grades and the high school in addition to acting as the eleventh grade class sponsor. She was born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany. "Miss Elisabeth," as she is called by the students, attended the Waldorf School in Stuttgart and received her M.A. in business management and motor vehicle science from Stuttgart University. After working in business for two years, Elisabeth completed her Waldorf teacher training in Mannheim and the eurythmy education program at the Eurythmeum Dornach in Switzerland. She was the eurythmist at the Michael Bauer Schule in Stuttgart for seven years, as well as the high school class sponsor there for four years. She also taught eurythmy for five years at the Waldorf School in Heilbronn. Elisabeth has been teaching since 1990 and joined the faculty at WSOC in the fall of 2000.

 

Sandra Blanco

Sandra Blanco teaches Spanish in the high school and the middle school and serves as the ninth grade sponsor. She is from Mexico City and earned her B.A. in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and human resources from CETYS University, Mexicali, B.C. After graduating from college, Sandra guided young entrepreneurs on their path to developing their own companies. Before joining the faculty at WSOC, she taught at Saddleback Valley Unified School District in the Spanish Immersion and English as a Second Language Programs for twelve years as a teacher's assistant. Since 2002, Sandra has taught Spanish in grades 1-8 at WSOC. She is currently enrolled the in Waldorf high school teaching education program at Rudolf Steiner College of Fair Oaks, Sacramento, specializing in Spanish. Sandra's two daughters graduated from WSOC and are pursuing degrees in pre-med and civil engineering.

 

Christiane Unutzer Bohr

Christiane Unutzer Bohr teaches seventh grade as well as art history, bookbinding, screen printing, and basketry in the high school. She was born and reared in Germany, closely connected to nature and the four seasons. She holds a B.A. in arts and crafts from Iowa State University and an M.F.A. in textiles from California State University, Long Beach. She taught in the arts department at Cal State Long Beach and elementary schools in the Long Beach Unified School District. "Miss Christiane," as she is known to the children, is married and has one child at WSOC and two sons in college who are Waldorf graduates. Christiane has been teaching since 1989 and has been at WSOC since 1996, first as the handwork teacher and then taking a class in 2003.

 

Kurt Faerber

Kurt Faerber teaches eurythmy in grades 4, 6, 7 and 9 and math in grade 7. Born and raised in Southwest Germany, he completed his civil service at the Institute for Children and Youth. He studied art therapy/pedagogy at the School for the Arts in Northern Germany and completed his class teacher and eurythmy training at the Institute for Waldorf Education in Witten. Kurt toured with eurythmy ensembles throughout Germany, Egypt, and Italy for one year. He taught eurythmy to all grades at the Rudolf Steiner School near Zurich in Switzerland for 15 years and was a high school sponsor for several classes. Before joining the faculty of WSOC, he spent five years developing the eurythmy program at the Honolulu Waldorf School for kindergarten through grade 12. The students call him "Mr. Kurt."

 

Ingrid Feck

Ingrid Feck teaches math, chemistry and computer technology. She grew up in a small town in the German Alps, where anthroposophy and Steiner education were an integral part of the community. After receiving a B.S. in computer science and biochemistry from Iowa State University, she moved to California. She completed her master's in mathematics at California State University, Long Beach. During her years at the university, she worked with children in a tutoring service and as a substitute teacher. Ingrid taught math education for elementary school teachers at Cal State Long Beach for several semesters. She came to WSOC in 1992 through her four children, and worked here as a substitute and specialty teacher for several years before becoming a class teacher. Ingrid has been teaching since 1996 at WSOC.

 

Mercedes Shaffer

Mercedes Shaffer teaches black and white drawing, color theory and painting as well as calligraphy. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in art from the University of California at Berkeley where she also taught drawing, painting, and bookmaking. She is an artist who works primarily with oil on canvas and her artwork is represented by Studio Gallery in Irvine and ArtPic Gallery in North Hollywood. Her paintings have been featured in group and solo exhibitions in both Northern and Southern California and she has had the good fortune to have her art in numerous movies and television shows, such as Friends, Will & Grace, ER, The West Wing and Grey's Anatomy, to name a few.

 

Daisy Barnard

Daisy Barnard teaches high school humanities. She was born and raised in Colorado, then earned her B.A. in Religious Studies at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. In 1999 she completed her Waldorf certification at Emerson College, UK, then studied Iyengar yoga in Pune, India. Ms. Barnard has taught grades four through eight at Monterey Bay Charter School and Ocean Charter School, both Waldorf-inspired public initiatives. She has a California State Teaching Credential from Antioch University and is currently completing a Masters in Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is the proud mother of an eight year-old daughter and her interests include music, theater, reading, writing, and yoga.