What Our Teachers Appreciate About The Carden School of Santa Cruz

Our small, caring community

Our focus on values and character development

The foundational curriculum that builds through the grades

Individual attention that meets the needs of each student

Our reading of classic literature French, Latin, Chess, Drama, Music, Art and P.E.

The broad and deep Language Arts curriculum

Our emphasis on critical thinking skills

Teachers trained in the Carden teaching method

After school care and enrichment activities

Our supportive and involved parent body

Our focus on listening and comprehension skills

Our attempt to maintain the innocence of childhood

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Kristin Rao Co-Founder Academic Advisor	Kristin Rao has had over 25 years of experience in the classroom. She has taught students in all the grade levels from Pre-Kindergarten through the Eighth Grade. Having graduated from a Carden School herself, Mrs. Rao went on to open her own Carden School in the Silicon Valley. She ran the school successfully until merging it with the Carden School in Santa Clara. Mrs. Rao is now the President and Vice Principal at the Carden School in Santa Clara. Under her care, the school has grown and held firmly to the principles on which it was founded. She is also an officer of the Carden Educational Foundation, based in Connecticut.
Marcia McManus Co-Founder Advisor	Marcia McManus founded the Carden School in Santa Clara in 1973. Prior to founding the school, she was the head administrator at the St. Andrews School in Santa Clara. Mrs. McManus has worked tirelessly to bring the Carden method of education to as many children as possible in the Silicon Valley. Students travel from Gilroy and Menlo Park to attend the school she founded and administered for many years. The success of her efforts are reflected in the 450 students enrolled in the school and the waiting lists standing for every grade level. Mrs. McManus currently acts as an advisor to the Santa Clara and Santa Cruz schools. She also serves as Vice President of the Carden Educational Foundation, based in Connecticut.
Haydi Danielson Co-Founder Director	Haydi Danielson attended Viewpoint, a Carden School in Calabasas, California as a student in elementary and junior high school. She went on to earn her BA in Geography from UCLA and two Master's degrees from Yale University, in Public and Private Management and in Forest Science. For fifteen years, Mrs. Danielson made her career in the field of natural resource management, primarily in urban forestry. She has participated in making public policy related to California's urban forest management, and has worked as a high level manager in the wholesale plant growing business. When her children reached school age, she was unable to find a school that met her high standards for elementary education. In 1998, Mrs. Danielson redirected her professional efforts and co-founded the Carden School of Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz. She has acted as Director of the Santa Cruz school since 1999.
Mrs. Lalanne Assistant Director	Mrs. Lalanne has been teaching young children since 1993. She brings to our Carden school extensive experience in working with children from the ages of three to six. Having worked in private schools all of her career, she is embraces the high standards for excellence that we have at Carden. Mrs. Lalanne earned her B.A. in Italian Studies from Santa Clara University, spending a year in Florence along the way. She speaks French and Italian nearly fluently. Mrs. Lalanne is passionate about gardening and loves to go to college basketball games with her family. She also loves to cook, run, ski and travel. She lives in Aptos with her husband and two sons.
Jessica Eymann Office Manager	Mrs. Eymann comes to us from Kennolyn Camps, where she worked as the Office Manager and Registrar. Prior to joining Kennolyn, she ran her own wedding planning business for two years. She also worked at the Watsonville Cooperative Preschool, when her boys were small. Mrs. Eymann grew up in the Santa Cruz area, attended Watsonville High School, Cabrillo College, where she studied nursing, and Chico State University, where she studied English Literature. Mrs. Eymann is here at Carden to support students, teachers and parents in every way from applying bandages to publishing the newsletter. She lives in Aptos with her husband and two boys.
Sarah Trost Kindergarten Co-teacher	Ms. Trost has worked her quiet magic with young children in preschool and kindergarten for over 15 years. First in camp settings, teaching music, dance and art, Ms. Trost moved into the position of master teacher at a Santa Cruz area preschool, then kindergarten teacher at Carden. Ms. Trost is the proud mother of young Austin, who is loved by us all here at Carden. She enjoys the outdoors, music and dance.
Andrea Seliskar Kindergarten Aide	This year I will be helping Ms. Trost in the kindergarten. I have spent many years working with young children both at the preschool and kindergarten level. I really enjoy watching the children grow and blossom during their kindergarten year.
Cassia Laffin Teacher, First Grade	Mrs. Laffin teaches our First Grade class with joy and enthusiasm. Having earned her California teaching credential from Bethany College, she has worked at Gateway School, MacQuiddy Elementary School and Twin Lakes Christian School, and has acted as President of the Soquel Co-op Nursery School. She loves to paint on canvas, play guitar, garden and bike. She lives high on the ridge in Soquel with her husband and two children.
Donna Newman Teacher, Third Grade	Mrs. Newman brings a love of history, science, reading and writing to her third grade classroom. Having grown up in the San Jose area, she earned her B.A. in Political Science from San Jose State University and her Master of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix. Mrs. Newman worked in the computer software business for many years, and is now fully committed to her second career as a teacher. She has taught students from Kindergarten through the sixth grade, and enjoys every grade for a different reason. Mrs. Newman lives in Capitola, she enjoys golfing, gardening, and reading.
Tara Manjunath Teacher, Fourth Grade	Mrs. Manjunath brings a love of children and learning to her fourth grade classroom. Her first experiences as a teacher being at the piano bench and a preschool room, Mrs. Manjunath earned her B.A. in History at UCSC and her Masters in Education at National University. She is certified to teach Positive Discipline Parenting Skills and Positive Discipline in the Classroom. Mrs. Manjunath is an accomplished pianist, trombonist, flautist and vocalist, and enjoys writing, photography, swimming and mothering her two young boys.
Cheryl DiGrazia Teacher, Sixth Grade	Cheryl DiGrazia joined our Carden school community in the fall of 2004, when her two children entered our first and third grade classes. Having just returned from living in France for a year, the DiGrazia family brought a joie de vivre and love of learning with them. Mrs. DiGrazia, who is working towards her Master of Arts degree in Education, was a substitute at our school throughout the 2004-2005 school year. This year will be her first year with her own classroom. Mrs. DiGrazia lives in Aptos with her husband and two children, and enjoys gardening, cooking, clothing design, and entertaining.
Mark Sharea Teacher, Eighth Grade Humanities	Mr. Sharea has worked with students from Kindergarten through high school as a tutor, teacher and counselor. He earned his BA in Public Law and Journalism from Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo. Mr. Sharea fell in love with California on a childhood trip out west with his family. He moved to Santa Cruz in late 2005, and is enjoying the year ‘round sun and surf. Mr. Sharea played baseball and basketball in high school, and loves to read in his spare time.
Brett Hagerman Teacher, Jr. High Math and Science	Hello! My name is Brett Hagerman. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. I majored in Biology and minored in Environmental Studies. My college education is complimented by teaching experiences ranging from teaching sophomore Biology in a public school system to being an outdoor science instructor at two different institutes. I am an individual who enjoys adventure and broadening my horizons. In my free time, I swim, bike, run, surf, play various sports, read, write, listen to music and continue to seek out the beauty in life. Teaching enables me to share my passion for learning and assist young people in finding the richness life has to offer.
Irina Silva Teacher, Art	Irina Silva is a native of Italy. She graduated with her International Baccalaureat, with a concentration in Painting and Art History, from the Instituto Statale d'Arte in Rome. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bennington College in Bennington, Vermonth, and her Master of Fine Arts, with a concentration in Painting, from Hunter College in New York. She has been studying education since 2003, and began teaching art in the classroom in 2004. She has exhibited her artwork at galleries, studios and universities from New York to Spain, and Italy to Santa Cruz.
Gjon Feinstein Teacher, Chess	Gjon Feinstein is a U.S. National Chess Master and offers formal chess instruction in several public and private schools in Santa Cruz County. He has organized county-wide and inter-school chess tournaments in which he encourages his students to participate. Gjon has been playing chess since 1972 and teaching since 1995. He uses a building block approach to the teaching of chess, teaching with patience and consistency. Gjon wants to share with his young students the idea that the more you know about chess, the more you realize how much there is to learn. Chess mirrors life in this respect. We are thrilled that Gjon is part of our faculty, bringing the wonderful game of chess to our students. We are the first school in Santa Cruz County to offer chess during school hours. Chess is a valuable tool for developing critical thinking skills and the ability to visualize. The game demands forethought, logic, math skills, and fosters creative thinking.
Sherri Alejandro Teacher, Drama	Sherri Alejandro has been involved in theater and dance since she was a child. In 2002, when she brought her daughter Ysabella to our school, she began putting her talents to work through our Great Pumpkin Day, Talent Shows and school plays. In the spring of 2004, Mrs. Alejandro produced and directed the wonderful performance of Peter Pan at our Carden school.
Kirsten Wimp Teacher, French	Kirsten Wimp has taught French at our Carden school since 2002. Through a mosaic of lessons, games, songs, conversation and literature, Madame Wimp exposes her students to the magic of foreign language and culture. Madame Wimp earned her B.A. in Language Studies at UC Santa Cruz, majoring in French. She spent a quarter abroad in Nimes, France. Madame also speaks Spanish and German.
Colin Hannon Teacher, Music	Colin Hannon has been teaching music to children and adults since 2000. He is an accomplished classical pianist, and enjoys music of all kinds. Mr. Hannon earned his Master of Arts in Music and his Bachelor of Arts in Music with honors from University of California at Santa Cruz. Mr. Hannon teaches music in classroom settings and to private students. He provides his students with a well-rounded foundation in music theory, music history and practice.
Joshua Hathaway Teacher, Physical Education and After School Care provider	Joshua Hathaway has been an athlete all of his life. Since 2002, he has been inspiring students at Carden to develop the athletes and sportsmen inside of themselves. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz, Mr. Hathaway has participated in sports ranging from volleyball to kayaking, and continues to enjoy a lot of physical activity in his time off. Mr. Hathaway has taught swimming, kayaking and surfing to children. We are happy to help him to realize his dream of being an elementary school teacher.