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.…
Laurie Clark was named Head of School, Lower Campus, in June 2020. Originally from California, Laurie earned her B.A. in Humanities from Fort Lewis College in Colorado. She went on to earn her M.A. in Education from Adams State College, as well as a Master Teacher Certification in Outdoor Education from Four Corners School of Outdoor Education. She also received her certificate in International School Leadership from the PTC.
Laurie has taught grades one through five. She served as the Head of Lower School at Cedar International School in British Virgin Islands, and most recently served as the Lower School Principal at Rancho Solano Prep School, a PK-12 school, in Scottsdale, Arizona.…
Ms. Margaret Cosio teaches Primary and Elementary Spanish at the Lower Campus. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and Linguistics from the University of California at Los Angeles.
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.…
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.…
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.…
Maria Macaluso teaches Kindergarten at the Lower Campus. She has previously taught Kindergarten in other schools in Ojai and Northern California. Ms. Macaluso holds undergraduate degrees from California State University, Channel Islands and a Master’s Degree in education from California State University at Chico.
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 Thacher teaches Middle School Spanish at the Lower Campus. An experienced educator who previously taught both Elementary and Middle School Spanish, she has deep roots in the OVS school culture and community. Mrs. Thacher is a native speaker who has recently completed her Master’s Degree in Teaching Spanish Language and Culture from Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca.…
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.…
