Elissa began her teaching career at SWS as the Preschool Teacher in 2003. After 9 years of working with “at risk” teenagers and young adults, she followed her heart back to the Kindergarten and taught at The Taos Waldorf School as Preschool Teacher and Lead Kindergarten Assistant for two years before returning to the Sandpoint Waldorf School in 2015 as The Grades Aftercare Teacher. From 2017-2019, she was The Huckleberry Kindergarten Assistant and then transitioned to The Thimbleberry Kindergarten Teacher in the spring of 2019.

Elissa graduated from Skidmore College in 1999 with a degree in Psychology, Early Childhood Education, and Studio Art.

First and foremost, Elissa enjoys spending time with her family- hiking in the mountains, sailing on Priest Lake, cross country skiing, cooking great food, and riding bicycles. She enjoys dancing, yoga, and (when not teaching) making world class wood fired pizza!

I enjoy the incredible community that Waldorf Schools create. Working around dedicated people who are committed to a high quality education is inspiring, and observing how happy the children are fills my heart.