Elementary Faculty
Krista’s interest in riding started when her grandfather brought her to see his racehorses at the age of 4. Since then she has had a variety of riding experience. She rode at Shadow Hills Riding School for twelve years competing in hunter jumpers and eventing. At age 14 she bought her first horse, Stella, who is currently being used in the OVS riding program.…
Candace Delbo has 27 years of experience working with children and music in the Ojai Valley. It began at a time when there were no choral programs at local public schools. Candace initiated after-school choral programs at several school sites. In addition to singing professionally, she has been vocal director for many Ojai Art Center productions, winning the prestigious Four Star Theater Award for Best Music Direction for “The Sound of Music” and “Fiddler On the Roof.” Voted by the Rotary Club in 2010 an Ojai Living Treasure, Candace’s passion for helping others “find their voice” and creating performance opportunities for youth has not waned.…
After immersing herself in the Montessori School philosophy as a parent and teacher, Dana became Ojai Valley School’s first pre-kindergarten teacher in 1991. After eleven years, Dana moved into the Kindergarten classroom, where she remains today. Her on-going education includes studying the latest research in child development and participating in early childhood education forums. Dana is an active member of National Association for the Education of Young Children, and she attends many conferences and workshops.…
From a young age, Hadley English wanted to be a teacher. Spending time in her mother’s classroom as a child ignited her love for the profession; once she got to college, her time as a tennis instructor solidified her career path.
Hadley attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she played tennis and earned a Bachelor’s degree in English.…
Nicole has spent most of her life at Ojai Valley School as either a student, assistant, summer camp instructor or first grade teacher. Nicole first arrived at Ojai Valley School during her primary years. Her father is Gary Gartrell, Interim Head of Lower Campus, and her mother is Linda Gartrell, Pre-K teacher. Her brother and two sisters have also worked on campus in some capacity over the years.…
After graduating from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Spanish, Michele launched her teaching career as a bilingual teacher in Watsonville, California, for two years before moving to the Santa Cruz Mountains, where she taught first grade for 12 years. She also served as a member of the school’s leadership team and as a liaison to bilingual families.…
Darcie earned her undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara in liberal studies with emphasis in history, anthropology, religious studies and sociology. She has a teaching credential from the Montessori World Institute and holds an associate degree in childhood development. A native to California, she taught at the local Montessori School in Ojai for ten years before coming to Ojai Valley School in 1989.…
Carol taught elementary school in England before joining OVS in 1982. Initially teaching fifth grade, she has also taught third grade and second grade and served as the Coordinator of the Elementary Division. In 1990, Carol assumed the role of librarian for the Van Patten Library at Lower Campus. She provides story-time for the younger children and teaches library skills to the Elementary students.…
Sarah began teaching at OVS in the primary program in 1998. She taught the youngest Spuds, the Tator Tots, for many years until the birth of her second child. After a few years of part-time work at OVS, she returned to full time, moving on to the Elementary Division where she assists with several classes.…
Ryan teaches woodshop to students in grades PK-8 and serves as the fine arts coordinator at the Lower Campus. Born and raised in the Ojai Valley, Ryan brings local knowledge of the environment into the classroom. His parents were both long-term faculty members at OVS, so his experience at the school is deeply rooted throughout his entire life.…
Angela’s love for the outdoors led her to obtain a degree in Forestry from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She enjoyed her Outdoor Education courses and wanted to teach young children about natural resources and how to take care of them, so she earned a Clear Multiple Subject CLAD teaching credential from California Lutheran University.…
Born in the United Kingdom, Emily Miller grew up riding her pony around the English countryside. She went on to become a member of the UK Pony Club and started competing in show jumping, dressage and cross-country. Horse riding, and animals have been her main passion and inspiration in life. After achieving her A-Levels she decided to take a year out, and went to Australia for a few months.…
Christel Rogero has lived in Ojai for more than 25 years and worked in education since 2007. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology, Sociology and History, and a minor in English Literature from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she graduated with Honors. Additionally, Christel is Lindamood Bell trained. She is experienced in teaching intervention lessons and developing lesson plans tailored for each individual student — as well as gently redirecting students’ energy into productive tasks.…
Born in England, Andy Street began playing music as a young child; by the age of 12, he was composing and performing professionally. Andy received his formal education in music at Cambridge University, where he earned his M.A. in musical composition at Emmanuel College. He studied piano with Gordon Green and Doreen Clemes of the Royal Academy of Music in London.…
Marcia Rodriguez Thacher was born and raised in Mexico and earned her B.S. in Finance from the University at Guadalajara, Mexico. Marcia’s career in business took her all over the U.S. and Mexico, including many years spent working for Eastman Kodak in Mexico. After starting her own family, Marcia decided that teaching is the best way to have a professional career while being able to raise her children.…
Dustin Vail grew up in Ojai and always knew he wanted to be a teacher. After graduating from Nordhoff High School, he attended Humboldt State University and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Geography with minors in Cultural Studies and Wildlife Conservation. Soon after, he received his Foreign Language Certificate.
Dustin then spent eight months in Fuzhou, China, teaching English.…
Shandon Woll is the Athletic Coordinator on Lower Campus. She has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Physical Education, years of experience working with children, and a passion for wellness and disease prevention. Having the opportunity to impact children and create fun habits is what excites her most about this role.
She leads by example through healthy lifestyle choices and her zeal for health and physical activity is infectious.…
