Tara Performing Arts High School



	Laurel Fisher, Artistic Director Laurel received her education early from master teachers and continued at the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University. She brings a wide range of professional musical experience to Tara, both as a performer and a teacher. Her musicianship and interests span a wide range of musical forms including opera, folk music, rock 'n' roll, musicals and many kinds of choral/choir music. A trained Waldorf teacher, Laurel was chairperson of the music department and choral director in a large Waldorf school before co-founding Tara. Her ability to combine expert technical direction with enlivened, image-filled dramatic instruction and to teach singers and non-singers alike to sing with pure tone is unparalleled.
	Betsy Barricklow, Co-director Betsy, herself a Waldorf graduate, taught elementary and high school students in traditional Waldorf schools for 23 years before co-founding Tara with Laurel and Greg Fisher. Betsy has always recognized the significance of focusing on the enlivening and healing power of music and drama. Throughout her teaching years, she has been highly appreciated by parents and students for the innovative experiences she provided in music and drama. She directed high school musicals, created soul-filled school festivals and initiated and coordinated music/drama festivals for Western-area Waldorf schools. Betsy received her college education from California State University, Northridge, and her Waldorf training at Emerson College, England. In addition to her co-directing activities Betsy also teaches History through Drama, History through Music, Russian Literature and various English classes.
	Greg Fisher, Administrator Greg is an administrator, musician and professional actor. He finds that the ideals of Tara combine his love of drama, music and a meaningful approach to education. Greg is a Tara co-founder, president of the board, administrator, and teacher. He has managed a public radio station as well as a successful record company, where duties included developing the artist roster as well as record production. He has been on the board of KGNU Community Radio in Boulder and served a five-year term on the Boulder Arts Commission. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johnston College, University of Redlands, California.
	Laurie Bayless, Admissions Director As a second generation Coloradoan, Laurie graduated from Metropolitan State College in Denver with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Gerontology in 1979. She worked at the Fort Collins Senior Center from 1987-1996. In the year 2000 she went back for teacher training at Rudolf Steiner College and is half- way through her training. Presently she is working both at Shepherd Valley Waldorf School part-time as Outreach Coordinator, and at Tara in Admissions part-time.
	Patty Piper, Bookkeeper AA, accounting, Front Range Community College. Bookkeeping and tax work, 25 years. Banking industry, 10 years.
	Anne Starke, Office Person Anne moved to Boulder from Eugene, Oregon to become part of the Tara world. While attending Waldorf teaching training, she did a practicum at Tara teaching History through Art II, and she was hooked! A Waldorf student herself, Anne has a passion for learning. Her degrees and certifications include: BA in Music from California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1992; AS in Graphic Design from Lane Community College, Eugene, OR, 2003; BA #2 in Art from University of Oregon, Eugene, 2006; Certificate of completion from Waldorf Teacher Education Eugene, 2007. In addition to acting as Office Person, Anne also teaches History through Art II and History through Architecture.
	Erin Agee A Waldorf student since kindergarten, Erin graduated from Tara in 2001 as part of the first graduating class. She received a B.A. in English with an emphasis on poetry from Kalamazoo College and graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors in her department. As a sophomore at Shining Mountain she spent a semester in Spain attending the Waldorf School near Madrid, where she developed a strong base in the spoken language. Following this immersion, she continued her Spanish studies at Tara as well as in College. Since graduating she has worked for Winona LaDuke’s environmental organization on the White Earth Reservation in Northern Minnesota and now returns to teach at Tara with a strong passion for poetry, English literature and Spanish. At Tara: Spanish, English, History through Poetry, Transcendentalism.
	Benaiah Anderson At Tara: Fight Choreography.
	Tom Barricklow Tom earned a BA in political science from California State University, Northridge in 1970. He completed the Foundation studies in Waldorf teacher education at Highland Hall (later to become the Waldorf Institute of Southern California) in 1974. He worked as an electric trouble dispatcher at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power for 31 years and as a dispatcher for Boulder Special Transit for 7 years. He has an intense interest in history, particularly Civil War history. At Tara: American history and all-around helper.
	Nancy Candea At Tara: Yoga.
	Karin DiGiacomo Karin's many degrees and certifications include: M.A., psychology, University of Cologne, 1978;. Doctoral studies, University of Frankfurt, 1976; M.A., economics and sociology, University of Cologne, 1974. Certified Gestalt trainer, therapist, and child psychotherapist. Her work history includes: Professor of psychology, Boulder College, 1985-1988. Founder, board member, and trainer, Gestalt Therapy Institute, 1985-1987. Instructor, developmental psychology, Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, 1980-1985. Lecturer and instructor, economics and sociology, University of Cologne, 1974-1977. Instructor Berlitz School, Cologne, 1972-1974. At Tara: English, German, Celtic; languages chair.
	Jim Heun Jim earned a BA in English from Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA in 1973 and an MEd in Computers from Lesley College, Cambridge, MA in 1984. His extensive experience includes 34 years teaching Mathematics, English, Theater, P.E. and coaching wrestling and football. At Tara: Mathematics.
	Alison McCormack Alison earned an MA in Mathematics and Statistics from Washington University in 1985. She also has an AB in Mathematics from Washington University, 1983. She has been teaching at Tara since it became a high school, and her students believe she may be the best math teacher in the world. At Tara: Mathematics; mathematics chair.
	David-Michael Monasch David-Michael earned a BFA in theatre at the University of Minnesota and received a diploma from the Academy for Eurythmic Art at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. His teaching experience includes: Antioch University Seattle; all of the Waldorf schools in Washington state; Waldorf early childhood and teacher training programs; Seattle Public Theatre. Numerous other teaching and performing experiences in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and New Zealand. He is also co-founder and co-director of Sound Circle Eurythmy, now based in Boulder, Colorado. At Tara: Movement, eurythmy.
	Glenda Monasch Glenda earned eurythmy and therapeutic eurythmy diplomas from the Goetheanum, Switzerland, in 1981. She completed the teacher training program at University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. She has been a eurythmy teacher for 25 years, and currently teaches at Shining Mountain Waldorf School in addition co-directing Sound Circle Eurythmy. At Tara: Goethe and Schiller, Parsival.
	Heidi Ogletree Heidi earned a BS in Physical Education from Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH in 1997 and an AS in Nursing from Maine Technical College, South Portland, ME in 2001. She is a specialized pediatric RN, currenly working at Longmont United Hospital. Previous experience includes travel nursing and camp nursing. At Tara: Physiology, embryology.
	Carl Plehaty Wesleyan University, 1968. AA, fine arts, Silvermine College of Art. Blacksmith, 1977-present. Engineer, Ball Aerospace, 1968-present. At Tara: Blacksmithing.

	Bill Fisher MA, PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara. BA, Stanford University. Teaching experience: Harvard School, North Hollywood; Nyakato School, Tanzania; University of California, Santa Barbara; Westlake School, Los Angeles; St. Martin's University, Lacey, Washington. Professional writer, 25 years' experience. Published author of fiction and poetry. At Tara: College application essay intensive, language arts and literature.
	Ronald Koetzsch Ronald is a gradate of Princeton University (AB in Religion) and Harvard Universities (MA and PHD) in World Religions. He is currently on the faculty of Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California. and also is the editor of "Renewal: A Journal for Waldorf Education." Ronald is also a professional standup comedian who has performed at many schools and conferences in North America and abroad. He lives in Fair Oaks with his wife Anne, also a teacher at Rudolf Steiner College. Ronald's son, Henry, is a graduate of The Waldorf School in Lexington, Massachusetts. At Tara: World Religions.
	Jim Kotz PhD, physics, Wayne State University. BS, physics, University of Michigan. Waldorf teacher training, Waldorf Institute, Los Angeles. Jim has 14 years of experience teaching physics, chemistry and math in Waldorf middle grades and high school. He contributed to the Waldorf high school curriculum research conference. He has over 20 years of experience working in advanced semiconductor electronics. He is a former editor of the Newsletter of the Society for the Evolution of Science. He is a board member of the Nature Institute. He is presently researching a Goethean approach to science. At Tara: Physics.
	Robert Mays BS, chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Certificate, Waldorf high school teacher education in the physical sciences, Center for Anthroposophy, Wilton, NH. Robert teaches chemistry and physics blocks at several Waldorf schools. He is a co-founder of the Emerson Waldorf School in North Carolina. He worked for many years as a software engineer at IBM. At Tara: Chemistry.
	Elizabeth Moran MFA , Dance with emphasis in Education Administration, University of Colorado at Boulder. BFA, Musical Theatre with emphasis in Dance , Avila University. Teaching experience: Instructor, University of Colorado at Boulder; Director of Dance and Professor of Musical Theatre, University of Northern Colorado; Director of Dance, Kansas State University; Assistant to the Headmaster, Barstow School, 1999-2006. Elizabeth recently completed her Juris Doctorate and is now an Associate at a law firm in Kansas City, MO. At Tara: Choreography, dance.
	George Russell National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow, Brandeis University and Cornell University. PhD, biology, Harvard University. AB, biology, Princeton University.Professor of biology, Adelphi University, 1977-present. Editor-in-chief Orion Magazine. At Tara: Zoology; teacher mentor, financial advisor.
	Leonore Russell MA, Adelphi University. BA, Sarah Lawrence College. Eurythmy diploma, Goetheanum, Switzerland.Adjunct professor, Waldorf teacher training, Antioch New England Graduate School. Teacher of eurythmy and English, Garden City Waldorf School, New York, 25 years. At Tara: Art history; teacher mentor, curriculum advisor. (Back to top)