Big Rock Sudbury School

The Staff
Our staff is made up of people remarkable for the depth and breadth of their expertise and for their faith in the ability of each child to learn according to his or her own style and timetable. The current staff to student ratio is 1 to 6. This allows the students to have access to a phenomenal variety of skills and experience. Please be introduced to our staff (in alphabetical order):
	Al Mayberry has spent the past 22 years designing, implementing and teaching classes that are based upon student interest. All of these classes have been hands-on project based with handtool woodshop and engineering labs where students design and construct independent study projects. Typically students design projects like birdhouses, dollbeds, rubberband powered paddleboats and older students may make furniture or even a rowboat. Al has designed, built, taught and/or directed similar programs in the following schools: Marin Primary and Middle School (K-8), Ross School (K-8); The Planet, Mill Valley (K-8); Marin Country Day (K-8); Mill ValMiddle School (5-8); Lagunitas Public School (K-8); St. Patrick's School (K-8); St. Hilary's School (K-8); Town School for Boys (K-8) Current Projects: Video documentary of Jefferson County Open School; Developing the Integrated Subjects Projects Lab, K-8, at Marin Primary and Middle School; Developing a Marin Sudbury School to enhance the experience of childhood in Marin
	Angela Sevin comes to us as an experienced Sudbury staff member. She completed a masters program in experiential education through Mankato State University in Minnesota. This exploration of study led her to take an active role as both a founder and staff member at Diablo Valley School also a Sudbury Valley modeled democratic school. She has helped create Big Rock Sudbury School as a community for the children to learn in a creative and meaningful way. Under her leadership, as our acting Judicial Clerk, the students have developed a culture of a community of working together for the good of all of the members. Her passion for fine arts and crafts has been contagious with the staff and younger kids. Sewing, paper making, origami, stamp art, drawing, reading, tutoring academic subjects are all activities that you will find the children engaged in with her. Her soft-spoken manner and her reserve tends to hide her love for the outdoors, but having climbed Mt Denali she truly has outdoor experiences to share with all of us. Her love for the outdoors and people is reflected in her recent work as a volunteer cross-country ski guide with Environmental Traveling Companions, providing access to wilderness for people of all abilities.
	Brian King has spent his career as an advocate of free education. Although he attended public school his instructors allowed him incredible freedom to pursue his own goals. Reading books such as Summerhill and Foxfire while in high school helped him set his sights on education as a career and served as a model for the freedom he provides in his classroom. He earned a B. A. in Industrial Arts (Long Beach CSU) and later a M. S. in Agriculture (Cal Poly Pomona) and holds California Teaching credentials in industrial, technical and agricultural education. Brian has divided his career between engineering and fabrication in industry, and teaching. He has taught 7th - 12th grades in technology, heavy equipment operation, construction, agricultural sciences, biology, math, and leadership. Most of his teaching has been spent teaching Computer Aided Drafting and Direct Digital Control programming and engineering at the college level and in industry. He runs his classes so the students have the freedom to follow their own goals. Brian has established partnerships with the National Parks on several projects for his students. He and his wife RaeLinne have homeschooled two of their children and have tutored for other homeschoolers including setting up an archery program for a homeschooling group. His interests have included but are not limited to research diving, mountaineering, flight, archery, woodworking, blacksmithing, and historical reenactments. Most of his free time is spent on his small diversified farm where he continues studies in appropriate technologies and sustainable food production.
	Coby Smolens began writing about schools and education in the sixties. His career spans two continents and a double handful of pursuits: Attended The Experimental College at SUNY at Stonybrook, graduated Philadelphia Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has created or co-created several for-profit and non-profit businesses and organizations, including The Community Information Network, a non-profit environmental education organization. He is a musician, entrepreneur and father. He’s also been, like his father before him, a tradesman and mentor, teaching apprentices in every field he’s ever worked in, including: sailing, building renovation, mechanics, theater, video archiving and computer operation, to name a few.
	Margit Pirsch was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, where she earned her BA in Special Education. She worked in this field for several years. Besides working with younger children she worked with juvenile offenders but grew dissatisfied with the institutional methods commonly in use at the time. She decided to give herself some time to explore, traveling through Europe, and North and South America. She settled in California in 1985, where she started her own Playgroup. Based on intuitively held ideas about the value of freedom & self-determination in education, her groups gained a tremendous reputation were widely in demand and booked years in advance. She married and raised a daughter during the 18 years she operated her Playgroup, then – inspired by the challenges of living with a teenager of her own – began looking for a way to use her early training with older kids. She joined the widely renowned Huckleberry Youth Program (HYP) at the Nine Grove Lane facility in San Anselmo in December 2002, where she continues as a part-time counselor. The facility offers help for teens and parents in crisis. "I have always worked w/children of all ages and through my extensive travels have seen myself migrate toward children wherever I go. They are food for my soul. We constantly inspire each other to learn and grow. Kids need a lot of space and freedom to grow to their full potential. I love the Sudbury Environment – it gives us all the opportunity to laugh, learn and play!"
	Markus Breyer grew up in Hamburg, Germany, where he was involved in numerous very successful entrepreneurial activities, including running his own software business for four years. He studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Technical University of Hamburg and obtained his Masters summa cum laude in 1998. During and following his graduation, he lived for two years in Kazan, Russia, where he studied and worked as a teacher at the Technical University. In 1999, Markus moved to California with his wife Dilyara to begin a career in the video games industry. Most recently he created WikiPik, a novel review and ranking web site. Being a driven and creative person, Markus has always been at odds with the rigid traditional education system. Before knowing about the Sudbury model, he wrote a comprehensive paper on how his dream school was to look like, only to discover that the education of his dreams existed - at Sudbury Valley School.
	Randy Sue Collins is a native Californian, born and raised in Novato. She is a professional artist, writer, vision coach, and art instructor. Randy is the Art Specialist at Kenwood Elementary School and also teaches private art classes to children of all ages as well as adult painting. She has developed an award winning children's how-to-draw DVD program Art Adventures with Randy Sue. Randy also teaches Vision Board workshops where she guides people in turning their dreams into reality. A wife and mother of two Big Rock Sudbury School students, Randy believes that all people have a specific life's purpose and the self-discovery of that purpose should be left to the individual, no matter what age, to uncover on their own and in their own time. This is why she is so passionate about Sudbury Schools, where this process is allowed to take place, every day, all day long.
	Walter Hoffman began his energetic life in La Jolla, CA and learned to be a prolific beach comber. From there he moved to Tiburon, CA and continued his career as a young boy collecting everything under the sun. As he got older he realized he would have to start becoming more serious about making a living and decided the Arts would be his passion and received a associates in Arts degree from College of Marin. After many ceramics items and a plethora of paintings, he went to work in construction. After building a home with friends in Stinson Beach, it was time for a big change and Walter decided to see the world at the tender age of 31. Off he went for 5 years with a backpack to New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Asia, Africa, Turkey, Europe and back home. He has a son Ben who has been homeschooled by Paula and him since second grade and has been with Big Rock Sudbury for one year. Canoeing, surfing, hiking, biking, traveling and Big Rock Sudbury School are Walter's passions now.

"The university is made not of bricks and mortar but the people inside."