Our
Team

LOWER GRADES TEACHER

Ms. Brooke was born and raised in the Midwest and has devoted her life to creating and educating. Brooke studied illustration, design, graphic design, writing, and fine art at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Since then, she has found work in all kinds of areas farming, baking, nannying, and art. Since being welcomed into the Tamarack community, Brooke has found pure joy and passion in education. 

In her free time Brooke can be found somewhere out in the back country, exploring all that nature has to offer. Brooke is an herbalist, forager, and a mushroom grower. She has a love for music, art, and community and she can’t wait to see where Tamarack takes her.

LOWER GRADES TEACHER

LaVondra ‘Lava’ Ham is a dedicated and passionate educator. Ms. Ham was an Elementary and Preschool educator for over 20 years in Pennsylvania and South Carolina. She also helps to enrich youth through teaching theatre arts, yoga, and mindfulness practices. She relocated to Milwaukee to attain her graduate degree in English and recently achieved this dream. She is looking forward to discovering more about Milwaukee, especially the arts and poetry events. Ms. Ham is excited to be be part of the Tamarack Waldorf School Community!

LOWER GRADES TEACHER

Ms. Hodna was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, and has lived and worked on three continents. She holds a BFA in Art Education and taught elementary art at the Milwaukee French Immersion School before coming to Tamarack.

Hodna also holds an MFA in Comparative Literature - Translation and an MA in Francophone World Studies and has worked as an editor, literary translator, and university lecturer in France and Morocco.

In her spare time, Hodna enjoys reading, hosting friends, gardening, and biking to the beach. Hodna draws inspiration from the motto artist Corita Kent borrowed from the Balinese: We have no art. We try to do everything as well as we can.

LOWER GRADES TEACHER

Lina Chambers Lipkin is a teaching artist whose background is rooted in drama, theatre, and the creative arts. Ms. Lina is passionate about creating learning environments specifically for young people that respect and respond to the values and needs of the individual learner to develop empathy and a sense of wonder about the world around them. She has spent time as a professional actor, a preschool teacher, and most recently as the Education Director of a children’s theatre in Louisville, KY. Ms. Lina attended the University of Texas at Austin where she earned an MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities. She has had the pleasure of using arts-based teaching strategies in classrooms throughout Idaho, Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and South Australia; as well as virtually in the U.S., and Cairo, Egypt. Ms. Lina lives on Milwaukee’s East Side with her husband and two daughters.

LOWER GRADES TEACHER

Mr. Garrett grew up in New Orleans and developed an appreciation for theater, the arts, and his fellow human beings. This has fostered a deep sense of compassion and learning that he is delighted to cultivate in others, especially in children and their families. Mr. Garrett enjoys nature, learning and philosophy, reading, and music. He has a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and is pursuing an MA in Education from (Mount Mary University), and a Waldorf Teacher Certification from the Great Lakes Waldorf Institute.

“Each child carries a hope that is nurtured in Waldorf education. This childhood hope shapes the development of that child, as well as the community of children in the classroom and the school, continuing ever outward to carry this hope into the world. It is this hope that impels the child to discover what it means to be human in their individuality and to be a part of a community.”

LOWER GRADES ASSISTANT

Ms. Flora is so excited to be a part of the Tamarack team. She is a Milwaukee native and loves traveling with her partner to explore unique museums and attractions; their favorites include the Precious Moments Chapel in Missouri, Funeral History Museum in Texas and House on the Rock in Wisconsin. Flora takes deep pride in being the cool aunt to her niece and nephews and is always first in line to help when they need costumes made. Recently she has been teaching herself how to make chainmail. Flora loves to learn, often filling her spare time with movies and reading, preferring things that really make her think. 

Flora’s constant curiosity is a large part of what drew her to Waldorf education; she deeply resonates with how much children are encouraged to wonder.

LOWER GRADES ASSISTANT

Megan Whitney grew up in the north woods up north where she developed a love of birdwatching, camping, and thrifting. She attended UW- Milwaukee twice, first studying art history and history. She has spent time working in galleries, and loves curating art shows. She later studied film and film history and loves supporting local film makers and Milwaukee Film. Megan coaches baseball and helps run a Peacemakers camp where she has met many students from Tamarack.

LOWER GRADES ASSISTANT

Ms. Molly fell in love with substituting in the classrooms, and specifically found she enjoyed the beautiful, healing energy of Waldorf kindergarten. She is looking to pursue a secondary degree in education in the coming years. In her free time, Molly enjoys spending time outdoors, crocheting, reading, baking, and spending time with her loved ones.

She has a BA Graphic Design, minor in Sociology, Spanish language certificate from St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI.

HANDWORK ASSISTANT, LOWER GRADES

Ms. Emily received her degree is hospitality & tourism at Roosevelt University in Chicago, minoring in special event planning. She is an alumni of Tamarack and now has the pleasure to send her two girls here. She also had the pleasure of being taught by Ms. Duncan many years ago, creating a true full circle moment.

“I am grateful to join the Waldorf community as an Assistant in Handwork, where I can support children in developing creativity, patience, and confidence through the art of working with their hands. I hope to encourage each child’s unique expression while helping foster reverence for beauty, rhythm, and purposeful work.”

HANDWORK ASSISTANT, UPPER GRADES

Stephanie grew up in the Lake Country area. She graduated from UW-Madison with a BS in Human Development and Family Studies. Since graduation Stephanie has been a preschool teacher, the leader of a parent education group, a doula, a stay-at-home mom to her three children, owner and head seamstress of a boutique toy store, and the leader of the Tamarack parent group. She also served on the Tamarack Finance Committee for seven years.

Stephanie has always loved quiet crafts and hobbies. She learned embroider, cross stitch, and crochet from her mother; machine sew in high school; knit after her first son was born, and is honing her woodworking skills now. She enjoys reading science fiction, is probably the only staff member at Tamarack who does not love nature, and her most favorite thing in the world is napping.

SPANISH TEACHER, UPPER GRADES

Ms. Pilar grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and came to the United States in 2000. As a child, her family moved every two years due to her father’s military career. This contributed to her love of traveling, meeting different kinds of people, and her fascination with Anthropology, Geography, and languages. Pilar completed her degree in Los Angeles and later moved to Wisconsin. When not traveling, Pilar enjoys hiking with Ruby (her 3-year-old German Shepherd ), camping, knitting, swimming, and playing with her two young children. Her oldest attends Tamarack and has been delighted with his Waldorf education. Pilar loves teaching Spanish to all of the grades and to showing them the richness of Latin American and Spanish cultures. She has a BA in Anthropology and Geography, and is bilingual in English and Spanish, and has an interpretation and translation certification.

MUSIC TEACHER, LOWER / UPPER GRADES

Mr. Fisher grew up in Sheboygan, WI. As a child, he played sports, read books, and made a lot of music with family and friends. He attended UW-La Crosse and earned his BS - Music Education degree, where he developed an affinity for hiking and ballroom dancing. Immediately after graduating, Adam moved to Milwaukee to attend UW-Milwaukee and earn a Master's in Music in Trumpet Performance. He fell in love with the city, and has happily made it his home. In addition to Mr. Fisher's work at Tamarack, he also teaches trumpet lessons, both at the Wisconsin Conservatory and in his home, and plays trumpet in local orchestras and theaters. Away from music, he enjoys spending time in his garden, baking bread, woodworking and carpentry.

EXTENDED CARE COORDINATOR

Ms. Summer grew up in Wisconsin and has lived in Milwaukee for the past 10 years where she has worked as a server, organic farmer and house remodeler. In her free time, she enjoys playing a variety of musical instruments, traveling, and expanding her knowledge on herbalism. Her love of nature, philosophy, and children has drawn her to Waldorf education, and she is finding her time here to be very rewarding. Ms. Summer is currently completing her bachelor's in sociology.

EXTENDED CARE ASSISTANT