High School Faculty

Program founder and director, Steve is also co-founder and faculty chair at the Berkshire Waldorf High School, where he teaches history and art. Since 2000, Steve has also been a core faculty member of Sunbridge’s Elementary Teacher Education program and, from 2019-2023, was a member of the Sunbridge Board; previously, he served as associate professor and director of Sunbridge College’s MSEd program. He is also a former teacher and administrator at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School and The Waldorf School of Garden City, the high school from which he graduated. Steve has taught history of education at Teachers College, Columbia University; human development at the City University of New York; and US and world history at Berkshire Community College. Former editor of the Research Bulletin of the Research Institute for Waldorf Education, he writes, lectures, mentors teachers, and consults with Waldorf schools on teaching and administration nationwide and in various parts of the world. He is the author of The Story of Waldorf Education in the United States: Past, Present, and Future; How the Future Can Save Us: Rudolf Steiner’s Educational Work; and of the introductions to Rudolf Steiner’s Art History and What is Waldorf Education? Three Lectures.  His blog “What is Education?” may be found at ssagarin.blogspot.com. Steve holds a BA in art history and fine art from Princeton University and a PhD in history from Columbia University.

Gary is a high school math and science teacher at Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, where he has been on the faculty since 2007; he also chairs his school’s College of Teachers and is a Board trustee. Gary is also a presenter in the Teaching Sensible Science course and has taught in a number of teacher training programs and foundation studies courses. From 1993-2001, he took a class from first to eighth grade at the Denver Waldorf School, then worked as a high school science teacher at High Mowing School and a class teacher at Pine Hill Waldorf School before moving to Michigan. Gary earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado and worked as a research engineer on the NASA Space Station project before entering teaching. He completed his MEd at Antioch New England Graduate School and is an enthusiastic hiker, gardener, and musician.

Heather most recently served as the pedagogical director of the Waldorf School of Lexington. Previously she worked at The Waldorf School of San Diego for 17 years, where she taught high school humanities and graduated two eighth grade classes. She also spent time teaching at The Community School for Creative Education, a public, Waldorf-inspired charter in Oakland, CA. Heather’s interests are in diversifying Waldorf middle- and high-school curricula. A member of Alma Partners, she is passionate about supporting anti-racism through a grounding in history and biography and has a decades’ long interest in African-American culture and literature, especially attuned to Black women writers. Heather earned her Waldorf teaching certificate from Antioch New England, her BA from Sarah Lawrence College, and her MA from The University of New Hampshire, Durham. She is currently pursuing a dual master's degree at Union Theological Seminary, where she sits on the Justice and Equity Committee.

Noelle joined Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor as a high school mathematics teacher in 2017 and now enjoys teaching both mathematics and physics; she also sits on their College of Teachers. Prior to joining RSSAA, she spent time as a class teacher at the Oakland Steiner School in Rochester Hills, Michigan, as well as many years as an automotive engineer at both Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz where she focused on chassis design and development and emissions certification. Noelle received a Bachelor of Science with honors in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and a Master of Science degree in Systems Engineering from Oakland University. She completed her Waldorf grades training through the Waldorf Institute of Southeast Michigan and earned her Waldorf high school teacher education certification through CFA. Noelle is passionate about Waldorf education and enjoys collaborating with colleagues and continuously learning new things. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys hiking, climbing, wheel-throwing pottery, spending time outdoors with her family and pets, and travelling.