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

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

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

Jack Ciolli

Education Assistant Coordinator and MS Activities Director

JACK CIOLLI is an artist with a B.F.A. in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He works with middle school students as an Education Assistant. He also teaches Drawing for Comics after school, bringing his experience as a freelance artist to students in the classroom. Jack has been with Northwest Academy since 2015.

jciolli@nwacademy.org

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.

Kelli Pennington

Black & White photography

Kelli returned to Northwest Academy in August 2019

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

MARK LIGHTHISER

mlighthiser@nwacademy.org

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

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