ORCASCHOOL FACULTY AND STAFF BIOGRAPHIES

Lia Grippo Director

Laura Lord, Main Lesson Teacher

Sally Van Der Kar, Main Lesson & Handwork Teacher

Sally Van Der Kar has been teaching in private schools for 30 years. She first decided to become a teacher at age 9 and never wavered from that desire. She has taught pre-school through 5th grade. Her most recent teaching experiences have been teaching kindergarten at the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara, as one of the founding teachers of the school. Sally received her BA in History and Physical Education at UCSB. She also attended the University of Vienna for her junior year of college. She received her Waldorf teaching certificate from the Waldorf Institute in New York.
Sally is married and has two teenage children named Ben and Kristin. A foreign exchange student from Germany has joined their family for this school year. They live on an avocado and lemon ranch in Carpinteria among goats, chickens, cats, and dogs. Sally enjoys water sports, gardening, fiber arts and making goat cheese. Children, education, and nature are her passions.

Jon Brady, Orff Schulwerk Music Teacher

Jon Brady has been teaching music to children and adults for the past 10 years. He has studied both classical and jazz piano and has played in various small groups as well as larger big bands. He discovered his passion for teaching children music when he formed a small class with his 3 year old son and a few of his friends. After more classes began forming he realized music education was the way to go. He has since become a certified Orff Schulwerk teacher and has expanded his classroom teaching to children through the 6th grade. For more information on Orff Schulwerk and Jon Brady, visit his website at jonbradymusic.com.

Jenifer McCurry, Spanish Teacher

Jenifer McCurry came from England and has lived in Carpinteria most of her life. She taught Spanish at Midland and Dunn School, and more recently at Montessori Center School. While in the Peace Corps in Honduras in the late sixties, she developed a love for the Spanish language and a fascination for the cultures where it is spoken. She studied at UCSB and teaches ESL at Adult Ed. She has three grown children and four grandchildren. Among the things she likes to do are traveling, gardening, knitting and swimming in the ocean. Her wish is to incorporate singing and movement in her lessons, especially with the young children, and with the older students to weave in geography, stories and games.

Lisa Luckett, Fiber Arts Assistant Teacher

Lisa Luckett moved back to California in 1998 after living in Alberta, Canada, for 23 years. A love of handwork was cultivated in childhood by many creative women in her family. Her personal work has branched out into custom designs in both fashion and doll making and she has enjoyed maintaining this entrepreneurial spirit throughout the years. She is deeply inspired by the natural materials and rhythms of the earth and her children's magical sense of wonder. She looks forward to sharing this love and enthusiasm with the children as they discover the creative mysteries of their hands.