FACULTY & STAFF

Ashley Kayser Early Childhood Lead Teacher

Ashley is a devoted mother of four children, aged 23, 10, 8, and 6. Her three youngest children have been attending Singing Cedars School for the past three years. Ashley has been involved with Singing Cedars School in various capacities over the last 15 years. She served on the school board from 2021 to 2023 and has recently rejoined as a board member.

Professionally, Ashley is a Massage Therapist and Bodyworker, specializing in pregnancy and hospice care. She is also a Birth Doula. In addition to her work in wellness, she has an extensive background in the restaurant industry, including owning and operating Ashley's Café & Coffee, a beloved local spot in Fairfield.

In 2022, Ashley completed several courses through Lifeways, a Waldorf-based training program, and she continues to pursue additional courses out of her passion for this educational philosophy and lifestyle.

As an Early Childhood Lead Teacher, Ashley is dedicated to creating a nurturing and enriching environment for young children, fostering experiences that will benefit them throughout their lives.

Virginia Van Auken, Early Childhood Assistant Teacher

Growing up, Virginia attended Maharishi School, and spent her time riding, caring for, and learning with her young horse, Mocha. Her love for helping people and animals in meaningful ways, being active outdoors in all weather, and simple fun runs deep. 

Virginia brings a well-versed background working with children as a licensed Speech Therapist for the past 13 years in local and surrounding school districts and in her own private practice. She holds an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Northern Iowa, and a B.A. in Art and Psychology from Earlham College in Indiana.

Although not wearing the speech therapist hat now as much as before, with all three of her children attending Singing Cedars, Virginia also wanted to be at the school using her knowledge, skills, and creativity in both familiar and new ways to help support children in the new Early Childhood class!

In her personal time, Virginia especially enjoys outdoor physical activities such as gravel biking, running, nature walks near water, and Crossfit. She loves seasonal crafts and handmade decoration, small DIY and organizational projects, tracking “quotable quotes" from overheard dialogue (especially funny ones), word games, nature art, food art, music, photo and video documentation of life's simple joys and adventures, and writing.

Madeline Starling, Early Childhood Lead Teacher

Born and raised in New Jersey, Madeline was fascinated by music and movement, studying voice, flute and piano, gymnastics and spending many enjoyable hours hiking, climbing and fishing in the outdoors.  At Rutgers University she was originally enrolled in a BS in Environmental Science, however she found herself more fascinated by linguistic, anthropological and creative courses.  After two years, she took a break from her university studies to find a more balanced form of education.  Along the way, she completed online courses in natural and holisitic medicine, a 600-hour program in massage therapy, and put two years of apprentice-work at organic and biodynamic farms around the country.  At the end of this sabbatical, after writing a song on her guitar in her yurt, she asked herself what she cared most about: at the top of her list, was children and the great potential they represent.

From there, Madeline finished her BA in Elementary Education at MIU.  Here in Fairfield she met her husband Chad and gave birth to their four beautiful children.  She has previous experience working with children in group movement classes, private music lessons, daycares and school after cares, teaching English online, working as a one-on-one paraprofessional in an elementary school, and teaching 3rd grade.

Heather Perleberg, Early Childhood Assistant Teacher

Photo and bio coming soon...

Raven Garland, Grades Program Lead Teacher

Photo and bio coming soon...

Erin Adams, Grades Program Lead Teacher

Erin grew up in the town of Fairfield where her love for nature and art, including camping, hiking, swimming, watercolor, drawing, and crafting were strongly supported. After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in elementary school education, she became a public school educator teaching art. Throughout the next 10 years Erin taught other areas of elementary education, including 4th and 5th grade and supporting fellow teachers with curriculum and instruction.

As her own child grew closer to school age, Erin began exploring more holistic approaches to education. In her own words, she shares, “My family loves and values imagination, nature, and the arts and I wanted to be able to incorporate this into my daughter’s schooling and my own teaching. When I found Singing Cedars I knew that this was exactly the community I had been searching for.”

Martha Mullenneaux Sperry, Grades Program Lead Teacher

With a background in art education, child development and wellness, her teaching experiences began many moons ago. In New York she taught in a private art school, a Montessori School and an outdoor summer camp, and upon moving to Fairfield began private classes in her home. Upon moving to Oregon her passion for teaching a nature-based program was fulfilled at a charter school on 40 acres. Having returned to the midwest, Martha is expressing her love of children by teaching at a school she would have been thrilled to attend. "It is very inspiring to give the children a beautiful balance of subjects in such a nurturing environment."

Ashley Goodwin, Development Director

Photo and bio coming soon...

Angelina Hart, School Administrator & Early Childhood Director

Photo and bio coming soon...