Our Team
Our Team of educators and administrators are fiercely dedicated to the education of children in our community. Wild River was born from devoted teachers and parents, and our team is as strong as they come because of it. We would love for you to meet our wonderful team who truly live to their fullest versions of themselves to better serve the children of our region!
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
Interim Head of School
Abra Derbis
Abra Derbis serves as Head of School at Tahoe Truckee Waldorf, bringing over twelve years of independent school leadership and more than two decades of experience guiding mission-driven organizations. She comes to TTW from Sunfield Education Association in Washington State - a combined Waldorf school, biodynamic farm, and community education organization - where she served as Executive Director and, earlier, as Administrative Director and Operations Manager.
Deeply committed to Waldorf education and Anthroposophy, Abra brings a strong track record in organizational health, faculty development, and leading communities through transition with care and clarity. Her service on the Anthroposophical Society of America's Finance Committee and with the Micha-el Teacher Training Institute reflects the depth of her commitment to the movement.
Admissions Manager
Alex Ball
Alexandra Ball is serving the Tahoe Truckee Waldorf community in the role of Admissions and Enrollment Manager after serving a term on the Friends of Tahoe Truckee Waldorf Board. A parent of 3 children from Little Gems of the Sierra Preschool through 4th grade at Wild River School, and herself an alumna of the Seattle Waldorf School, she and her husband Conor believe deeply in the power of a Waldorf education and feel honored to be able to give this education to their own children while bringing the benefits of a Waldorf community to our region as a whole.
Having spent her career in not-for-profit organizations and higher education, most notably in college admissions at the University of San Diego for nearly a decade, Alex feels a deep purpose in and dedication to bringing the TTW community to it’s full potential.
EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS
ASPEN CLASS - TK/K LEAD
TEACHER
Soma Miller
Soma Miller is a Waldorf Kindergarten teacher. She guides children through an experiential rhythm of the day, and offers a curriculum that meets the development of children age 4-6. Soma has been an inquisitive student of the Waldorf Pedagogy as well as Biodynamics since 2008. She completed her Waldorf Teacher training summer of 2023, and loves to swim, hike, and wildcraft in the local hills, mountains and riverbanks with her two children. Teaching Kindergarten makes use of her strengths as a homemaker, textile artist, and designer. She is grateful for the opportunity to join the vibrant Wild River community as both a teacher and parent.
ASPEN CLASS - TK/K ASSISTANT TEACHER
Jaimee Baldwin
Jaimee Baldwin serves as an assistant teacher in our TK/K program, where she has been a steady, beloved presence for many years. Reliable, warm, and endlessly caring, Jaimee brings deep familiarity with our youngest learners and the gentle rhythms of early childhood at Wild River.
She is also a wonderful baker, often sharing something fresh from her oven and adding a touch of homemade warmth to classroom life. Jaimee's dependability and nurturing spirit make her a cherished part of the TK/K team and the wider Wild River community.
GRADES TEACHERS
BLACK BEAR CLASS - 1ST/2ND GRADE
Tailor Pollak
Tailor Pollack teaches our 1/2 grade class, the Black Bears. She is continuing her accredited Waldorf teacher training through Gradalis and comes to the role with hands-on Waldorf classroom experience, most recently as a Lead Preschool Teacher at Nevada Sage Waldorf School in Reno. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art and Humanities from Sierra Nevada College and brings more than a decade of creative teaching across the Tahoe region.
An artist, illustrator, and longtime practitioner of circus and aerial arts, Tailor has taught movement, balance, and playful discipline to young people for years — qualities that resonate naturally with Waldorf education's emphasis on developing the whole child in body, mind, and spirit. Her illustration work includes a published field guide to California wildflowers, a reflection of her deep immersion in the natural world.
Grounded in sustainability, healing arts, and a genuine love of the outdoors, Tailor brings a spirit of wonder and adventure to the classroom, inviting children to explore, take healthy risks, and find their footing both literally and figuratively.
FLYING SQUIRREL CLASS
5TH/6TH GRADE
Kate Panawek
Kate Panawek teaches our 5/6 grade class, bringing deep roots at Tahoe Truckee Waldorf to her work in the classroom. A founding board member of the school, Kate previously served as our Director of Finance and Operations, giving her an unusually complete understanding of the community she now teaches within - its history, its values, and its families.
An avid crafter and knitter, Kate carries the patience, focus, and handwork sensibility of a maker into her teaching - qualities that align naturally with the Waldorf emphasis on skilled, purposeful work of the hands. Her steady presence and long commitment to the school make her a trusted guide for students in the heart of their grade-school years.
BOBCAT CLASS - 3RD/4TH GRADE
Madison Conarro
Maddie is originally from a small mountain town west of Colorado Springs called Manitou Springs. After she finished her undergraduate degree in Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University, she moved to Truckee to work for the local trail crew. She quickly fell in love with Truckee-Tahoe and knew it was where she wanted to put down roots.
She has spent time working in educational settings, from tutoring high school math, leading bug camps with young children to teaching ecology to blind and disabled students. She knew that teaching was a passion of hers.
To formalize her teaching experience, Maddie moved to McCall, Idaho, where she earned her Master's degree in Environmental Education and Science Communication. After many hours of teaching in the sunshine and the chilly winter, she left Idaho with a new degree. She believes it is her duty as a teacher to ignite a love for learning and insatiable curiosity in students.
DRAGONFLY CLASS - 7TH GRADE
Loren Trux
​Loren Trux currently teaches seventh grade at Wild River and has experience teaching middle and high school mathematics and science, as well as other elementary grades. A graduate of California State University, Chico, and trained in Waldorf education at Rudolf Steiner College, Loren brings both academic expertise and his Waldorf practice to the classroom and the community.
Outside of teaching, Loren is an accomplished blacksmith, a craft that embodies the hands-on, experiential learning approach that informs our educational philosophy. This unique combination of traditional teaching and artisan craftsmanship helps Loren inspire students to explore STEM and skills subjects with curiosity and modeling.
SINGLE-SUBJECT SPECIALTY TEACHERS
BLACK BEAR ASSISTANT TEACHER
Anna Scott
Anna Scott serves as assistant teacher for our 1/2 grade class. Deeply rooted in our community as the parent of two Wild River students, Anna knows the school from the inside and brings warmth, steadiness, and genuine care to her work with our youngest grade-schoolers.
A licensed massage therapist, Anna carries a natural attentiveness to the body, well-being, and the whole person into the classroom. Her nurturing presence and hands-on sensibility help children feel safe, seen, and ready to learn, making her a valued support to the 1/2 grade team.
SPANISH LANGUAGE
Gio Ortega
Giovanni Ortega was born and raised in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. At the age of 18, he moved to Mexico in the beautiful "Altas Montañas" in Veracruz and fell in love with nature: from the snowy mountains in the USA to the sugar cane fields in Mexico. He studied Tourism and hospitality at the "Universidad Tenológica del Centro de Veracruz', receiving a Bachelor's degree.
Giovanni has 10 years of experience working with youth.
He has enjoyed being an English teacher in Mexico and as a camp counselor for summer camps, sharing his passion and love for nature with kids.
Now he enjoys sharing Mexican Culture and Spanish with our Wild River community.
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MOVEMENT, GAMES & GARDENING
June Quichocho
June Quichocho teaches Movement, Games, and Gardening at Tahoe Truckee Waldorf. His teaching grows out of years spent instructing outdoor sports to young people of every skill level - as a climbing coach for youth recreation and competition teams, a snowboard instructor, a ropes course guide, and a river guide. He brings a natural gift for building confidence, athleticism, and teamwork in the children he mentors.
Equally at home tending the land, June has worked as a co-instructor at VILDA Nature, a Truckee outdoor school where he taught children to identify native plants and wildlife, craft tools from natural materials, and find their way in the forest. His experience also includes ecosystem restoration work in state and national parks and three years living and working on organic farms, caring for livestock, gardens, and harvests.
Grounded in a deep connection to the natural world, June invites children into movement, play, and hands-on stewardship of the earth.
VIOLIN
Julie Mellon
Julie is a professional violinist, and teacher based in Truckee.
She started playing the violin at age 4 and later earned her Bachelor's of Music in violin performance, with an emphasis in Suzuki pedagogy, at the Hartt School of Music, where she studied with Linda Fiore.
Julie plays classical vioin with the String Beings and Trio Viva, as well as rock, jazz, and fiddle in the southern rock band Southern Comfort, often sharing guitar leads on electric fiddle. She’s also first violin in the swing band Sven and the Masterful Orchestra.
She brings her expertise and mastery to the children of Wild River many times a week, and with a string academy after school.