Arts

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Christine Schultz

Tap teacher
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Christine Schultz

Tap teacher

Christine Schultz is a fourth-generation Portlander who graduated from Western Oregon University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a double minor in music and dance. She has a passion for tap dancing, and she has been teaching in the Portland area for almost 10 years. Christine has also been a choreographer for West Linn High School since 2015. As a performing artist, she has been in productions at Lakewood Theater Company, Broadway Rose, and Pixiedust Productions. In her spare time, she enjoys playing music with her husband Sam and spending time at the Oregon coast. joined Northwest Academy as the tap teacher in 2020.

cschultz@nwacademy.org
David Berkson

MS English
MS Theatre
HS Theatre
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David Berkson

MS English
MS Theatre
HS Theatre

DAVID BERKSON is the author of several plays, including The Penguins of Ithaca and War Paint: A Story of Family Life. David lived in the Bay Area for many years where he was Education Director of Marin Shakespeare Company, and Camp Director of Bay Area Shakespeare Camps. David’s professional acting credits include two stints with the national hit Shear Madness, Feste in Twelfth Night, and Jerry in Profile Theatre’s 2002 production of The Zoo Story. David has been with Northwest Academy since 2004.

dberkson@nwacademy.org
David Schonfeld

HS English/Humanities
HS Liberal Arts
Spanish
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David Schonfeld

HS English/Humanities
HS Liberal Arts
Spanish

David Schonfeld received B.A.s in Journalism and Spanish from Penn State University, where he was awarded the Eddie Nichols Award for Short Fiction and the Linda Martelli Award in Journalism, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. David has taught classes in both public and private school settings. He studied at the University of Alicante while in high school and has led numerous trips with high school students to Argentina. David’s writing has appeared on Tiny Mix Tapes and The Daily Collegian. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Spectrum Culture, an online magazine that covers music, film, books, and food.

dschonfeld@nwacademy.org
Erin Shannon

MS Dance
HS Dance
HS Yoga/Fitness
HS Musical Theatre
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Erin Shannon

MS Dance
HS Dance
HS Yoga/Fitness
HS Musical Theatre

ERIN SHANNON holds a B.F.A. in dance from Oklahoma City University and has been teaching theatre dance, tap, jazz, lyrical dance, and ballet for over 18 years. As a professional dancer, Erin has performed with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Broadway Rose Theatre Company, Lakewood Theatre Company, Pixie Dust Productions, TriptheDark dance company and many others. Choreography credits include numerous productions with professional Portland theatre companies, high school, and college productions. Erin was featured on Oregon Art Beat for her choreography, and won the Portland Area Music Theatre Award for Best Choreography in 2009. She is a regular teaching artist with Staged! Conservatory and Spotlight Theatre Camps. Erin is also certified to teach Hatha yoga. In the spring, Erin directs Dynamo and Esprit as part of NWA’s Arts Week. She has been with Northwest Academy since 2009.

eshannon@nwacademy.org
Jada Pierce

HS English/Humanities
HS Liberal Arts

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Jada Pierce

HS English/Humanities
HS Liberal Arts

JADA PIERCE has taught secondary and collegiate levels for the past ten years. She taught in Baltimore, MD, for three years with Teach for America and completed coursework at Johns Hopkins to become certified in secondary education. She earned an M.F.A. in poetry at the University of Oregon, where she taught poetry and composition courses. She taught English and journalism at Jesuit High School. Jada has been with Northwest Academy since 2008.

jpierce@nwacademy.org
Kate Legere

MS Visual Art
MS Learning Lab
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Kate Legere

MS Visual Art
MS Learning Lab

KATE LEGERE earned her B.F.A. from Alfred University in New York. While volunteering with the Peace Corps on a small island in the Republic of Kiribati in the Central Pacific, she fell in love with teaching and felt called to return to education. Kate later went on to study Art Education at the Moore College of Art. Her teaching career spanned Philadelphia to Brussels, where she taught at The International School of Belgium for five years, eventually choosing to relocate to Portland. Kate has been with Northwest Academy since 2016.

klegere@nwacademy.org
Kelli Pennington

Black & White photography
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Kelli Pennington

Black & White photography

KELLI PENNINGTON is a photographer, educator, and curator living in Portland, Oregon. An avid traveler and observer, Kelli teaches photography with lessons rooted in the belief that as we frame a photograph, so too can we frame the relationship that we have to our own existence. With the tools of perception and perspective to inform the elements, we choose to include or exclude in our images, stories, and personal narratives.

She earned her MFA from Syracuse University in 2010. A founding member of Small Talk Collective, formed in Portland, Oregon in 2015, Small Talk is comprised of six women, who explore the nature of what it means to be a visual storyteller. Kelli returned to teach at Northwest Academy in August 2019

kpennington@nwacademy.org
Kristin Van Sickle

Performing Arts Dept Chair & MS Vocal Music
MS Musical Theater
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Kristin Van Sickle

Performing Arts Dept Chair & MS Vocal Music
MS Musical Theater

Kristin Van Sickle has been a Vocal Coach, Voice Teacher, Piano Teacher, and Theater Director for over 10 years. She has a B.A. in Vocal Pedagogy from MidAmerica Nazarene University. Kristin has students that have been accepted to some of the top music schools in the country including Boston Conservatory, NYU- Tisch School of the Arts, Eastman School of Music, Carnegie Mellon, and many others. Since moving to Portland in 2013, she has music directed the shows Guys and Dolls and Shrek the Musical for Journey Theater Arts Group in addition to beginning her own private voice studio. Kristin is very excited to work with the talented students at Northwest Academy. She joined the school in 2014.

kvansickle@nwacademy.org
Lee Barbara

MS Guitar
HS Guitar
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Lee Barbara

MS Guitar
HS Guitar

LEE JAMES BARBARA has been a professional multi-instrumentalist, studio guitarist, and music educator since he graduated with both a B.A. in Music: Jazz Guitar and a B.A. in Arts and Letters from Portland State University. As a performer, Lee has shared stages with many notable acts and has performed on recordings that have achieved international recognition, but still, he’s proudest of his work as an educator. Since he began teaching guitar, piano, and percussion from his private studio in 2009, he’s worked with students of every skill level to find their genuine musical voice. Lee is honored to be a member of the thriving arts department at Northwest Academy. Lee joined the school in 2016.

lbarbara@nwacademy.org
Mark Lighthiser

HS Instrumental Music
MS Instrumental Music
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Mark Lighthiser

HS Instrumental Music
MS Instrumental Music

MARK LIGHTHISER

mlighthiser@nwacademy.org
Nathan Lucas

HS and MS Digital Media
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Nathan Lucas

HS and MS Digital Media

NATHAN LUCAS has a B.F.A. in fine arts and an M.F.A. in visual design and interactive design. He brings a rich background in art and aesthetics to his multimedia work. He was a multimedia artist and media coordinator for ImageBuilder Software and has extensive background in photographic processing. He has taught photography and computer art at the high school and college level. Nathan has been with Northwest Academy since 2001.

nlucas@nwacademy.org
Rosalind Fell

HS Dance
MS Dance
MS Musical Theater
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Rosalind Fell

HS Dance
MS Dance
MS Musical Theater

ROSALIND FELL is a graduate of The Arts Educational Schools in London, England where she trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap and musical theatre. She went on to work as a dancer and actress in theatre and television, credits include Theatre Royal Drury Lane as well as many BBC productions. Since moving to Portland in 2007 she has taught and choreographed in a variety of public and theatre schools. Her local performing credits include Lakewood Theatre Company, Bag n Baggage, and Quintessence Theatre Company. Rosalind has been with Northwest Academy since 2013.

rfell@nwacademy.org
Ryan Comandich

Tai Chi Teacher
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Ryan Comandich

Tai Chi Teacher

Ryan Comandich Ryan has a BA in Sociology / Anthropology, with music and art minors, where he focused on music and arts of different cultures. He has a second BA and MA in Spanish language and literature. Ryan teaches Spanish, Tai Chi, and has taught guitar and Javanese Gamelan music. He has taught since 2011 at elementary, high school, college and adult levels. In terms of Tai Chi, Ryan earned a black belt in 2003 from the US Wushu Center, studying under Yu Shaowen and Gao Jiamin. In 2011 he lived in Taiwan for a year, teaching English and studying Tai Chi intensively with the Kaohsiung Wushu Association. In 2014 Ryan created a simplified Chen style form for beginners, as well as converted 2 Wushu staff forms and a Tang Dynasty sword form into tai chi forms. He returned to Taiwan in 2018 to study with top push hands teachers Zhang Shujin and Zheng Qingbin (students of the legendary Chen Manqing). He has studied with top lineage-holders of Chen style Tai Chi, including at grandmaster Feng Zhiquiang’s school in Beijing, with his daughter Feng Xiufeng, with Li Zhangren in Tainan and with Chen Xiang from Beijing. Ryan joined NW Academy as the Tai Chi instructor in 2020.

rcomandich@nwacademy.org
Sean Cain

Visual Art Department Chair
HS and MS Visual Art
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Sean Cain

Visual Art Department Chair
HS and MS Visual Art

SEAN CAIN is one of Portland’s premier artists. Educated at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Pacific Northwest College of Art, he has shown his artwork regionally since 1994 and is currently represented by the Laura Russo Gallery. His work has been reviewed in such publications as Artweek, New American Paintings, Reflex Magazine, The Oregonian, and Willamette Week. His work is in the collections of some of Portland’s leading art connoisseurs. A prolific painter, Sean is passionate about sharing his skills and knowledge with students. Sean has been with Northwest Academy since 2001.

scain@nwacademy.org
Tyler Buswell

AAH Tech Theatre
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Tyler Buswell

AAH Tech Theatre

TYLER BUSWELL is a proud drag queen, actor, and multi-disciplined visual artist. He has worked as a scenic artist/carpenter or designer for Artists Repertory Theatre, PCS at The Armory, Third Rail, Theatre Vertigo, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Chapel Theatre, Bag&Baggage, and many others. He has four Broadwayworld nominations for Outstanding Set Design and his work can be seen from here to the beautiful state of Maine where he served two years as a workshop educator, designer and technical director at Camp Manitou. This is his first year with NWA and he is thrilled to be a part of such a diverse and talented staff. joined Northwest Academy in 2019.

tbuswell@nwacademy.org
Wade Willis

Arts Coordinator
HS Vocal Music
HS Theatre
Project Theatre
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Wade Willis

Arts Coordinator
HS Vocal Music
HS Theatre
Project Theatre

WADE WILLIS has been a professional actor, singer, director, and educator for over 25 years. He has an M.A. in teaching from Pacific University and a B.S. in music from University of Oregon. The city of Beaverton honored Wade with two awards: the Outstanding Educator in the Arts Award and the Individual Diversity Award. Wade received a Drammy Award and an OTAS Award for Best Direction for Into the Woods. Wade has been with Northwest Academy since 2010.

wwillis@nwacademy.org

Arts

Arts

Christine Schultz

Christine Schultz

Tap teacher

David Berkson

David Berkson

MS English MS TheatreHS Theatre

David Schonfeld

David Schonfeld

HS English/HumanitiesHS Liberal ArtsSpanish

Erin Shannon

Erin Shannon

MS DanceHS DanceHS Yoga/FitnessHS Musical Theatre

Jada Pierce

Jada Pierce

HS English/HumanitiesHS Liberal Arts

Kate Legere

Kate Legere

MS Visual ArtMS Learning Lab

Kelli Pennington

Kelli Pennington

Black & White photography

Kristin Van Sickle

Kristin Van Sickle

Performing Arts Dept Chair & MS Vocal MusicMS Musical Theater

Lee Barbara

Lee Barbara

MS GuitarHS Guitar

Mark Lighthiser

Mark Lighthiser

HS Instrumental MusicMS Instrumental Music

Nathan Lucas

Nathan Lucas

HS and MS Digital Media

Rosalind Fell

Rosalind Fell

HS DanceMS DanceMS Musical Theater

Ryan Comandich

Ryan Comandich

Tai Chi Teacher

Sean Cain

Sean Cain

Visual Art Department ChairHS and MS Visual Art

Tyler Buswell

Tyler Buswell

AAH Tech Theatre

Wade Willis

Wade Willis

Arts CoordinatorHS Vocal MusicHS TheatreProject Theatre

Scholarships

All Students Benefit from Exposure to the Arts

College-Prep Academics

Prom

MS English
MS Theatre
HS Theatre

HS English/Humanities
HS Liberal Arts
Spanish

MS Dance
HS Dance
HS Yoga/Fitness
HS Musical Theatre

HS English/Humanities
HS Liberal Arts

MS Visual Art
MS Learning Lab

Performing Arts Dept Chair & MS Vocal Music
MS Musical Theater

MS Guitar
HS Guitar

HS Instrumental Music
MS Instrumental Music

HS Dance
MS Dance
MS Musical Theater

Visual Art Department Chair
HS and MS Visual Art

Arts Coordinator
HS Vocal Music
HS Theatre
Project Theatre