Lower-elementary teacher Eric Bear was born in Southern California, where he attended CSUF and earned a degree in psychology. He also attended several psychology-related courses at Lewis and Clark College before turning his attention to teaching (which seemed less stuffy than psychology) and a master’s in teaching from Pacific University. He enjoys East Asian and Indian food and confesses to being an avid DIY guy who loves woodworking. Eric’s favorite school subject is history. He began working at Ridgeline in 2002.

Office manager Kayla Bergfeld has worked at Ridgeline since August 2004 and has been a part of the Ridgeline community since February 2002. She has three children who have been students at Ridgeline, including two graduates. Kayla enjoys people, crafts, and the outdoors. 

Emily Burton has been a Montessori lower-elementary teacher for seven years. She joined Ridgeline in 2007 after teaching at a private school in Massachusetts. Emily received her Montessori diploma from the Association Montessori Internationale. She also has a strong scientific background. She majored in geology at Carleton College and has a master's degree in environmental toxicology from the University of Wisconsin. Sharing science and nature with the children is one of her passions. Emily's interest in Montessori started early, since she was a Montessori child from preschool until third grade. She especially enjoys seeing how much children learn and grow during their three years in the lower-elementary classroom.

Reading-support assistant Carmen Coleman was raised right here in Eugene, Oregon, and has been part of the Ridgeline community since 2002. Always a strong children's advocate, Carmen has adopted three of her four children through the state's department of human services. The Ridgeline community benefits from Carmen’s skills at supporting students with reading, providing Tier III intervention, and supporting our IIPM team.

Middle-school instructional assistant Carrie Culliton grew up in California, spent a few years in Washington, and moved to Eugene in 1992. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon in art and a psychology and was a Ridgeline upper-elementary instructional assistant before moving to middle school. Carrie has volunteered at Willamette Wildlife Rescue and SASS, and her professional life has included graphic design, arts and crafts, and cooking. She has three girls and three boys in her care, and her pets include rabbits, cats, dogs, chickens, and fish. In her free time she enjoys spinning, knitting, felting, quilting, jewelry making, cooking, ceramics, swimming, dancing, walking, and playing volleyball. She also spends a good chunk of time grocery shopping, cooking, and helping her high-school kids with their abundance of homework.

Sharon Dursi is happy to have recently joined Ridgeline as a Teacher on Special Assignment. Sharon was born in Connecticut and attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in fine arts and creative writing. She worked as an artist, showing work in Philadelphia, before she moved “out west” and was struck with the desire to teach. She earned  a master’s degree in teaching and has since studied education; written curricula; and taught math, visual arts, philosophy, and language arts. Sharon enjoys meditation, yoga, stand-up comedy, and anything else that inspires her senses of humor and wonder. 

Upper-elementary teacher Faith Echele attended a Montessori school as a child in Indiana and is a graduate of the Great Books program at St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM. She spent time working for AmericCorps after college and helped create a round-table radio program for middle schoolers. Faith pursued further studies in education, completing her Montessori elementary-teacher training and earning an M.A. in education from Loyola College. Her interest in transcendental meditation led her to earn an additional M.A. in vedic science. After ten years of Montessori teaching, Faith joined the Ridgeline staff in 2010. She reports feeling a kinship with the students on a profound level, sharing a passion for learning and developing one’s greatest potential. Her vision is to inspire and collaborate with the students to create a more peaceful, compassionate world.

Kindergarten co-teacher Diana Fitzer holds an Oregon teaching license for preschool through eighth grade. She is a graduate of Pacific University, and her Montessori training spans birth to age nine. She has been teaching in Montessori classrooms since 1991, and she's been at Ridgeline since 2004. She and Paula Naas co-teach the kindergarten class.

Cynthia Friedman has been Ridgeline’s school community coordinator since fall 2006. Before working at Ridgeline, she stayed home with her kids, who are now Ridgeline students. Before that, Cynthia was a festival coordinator at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, in southern New Jersey, an artist-in-residence at Artpark, in Lewiston, NY, and a museum educator at the University of Oregon Art Museum. When she's not coordinating volunteers, Cynthia enjoys reading, writing, knitting, sewing, and painting things purple. Cynthia has a B.F.A. and an M.A. in arts & administration from the University of Oregon.

Upper-elementary instructional assistant Emily Kintigh was born and raised in the Eugene area. She graduated from college with a degree in English and is an artist, knitter, and aspiring children’s book author/illustrator. Emily is a self-proclaimed bookworm, and she often joins in with the students during silent reading time. She joined the Ridgeline community in 2007 and currently represents the classified staff on Ridgeline’s site council. 

Middle-school teacher Jon Labrousse is an Oregon-certified teacher with a B.A. in English from Oregon State University and an M.Ed. in educational leadership from the University of Oregon. In addition to his six years of experience teaching in Eugene middle schools and high schools, Jon taught English for two years in Japan and South Korea and spent seven years in leadership positions at the University of Oregon. He's a published, award-winning poet and a regular on the poetry slam circuit. The bicycle is his favorite invention.

Azusa McMullen hails from Japan and has lived in Eugene for 13 years with her husband and three daughters. She has worked as an instructional assistant in Cheri’s class since 2005. She likes to share origami, cooking, and crafts with the class, and she teaches a bit of Japanese. When she’s not at school, Azusa enjoys bhangra dancing and bicycling. 

Adriene Phillips is proud to have been with Ridgeline since 2000 and has worked as an instructional assistant with both upper-elementary and lower-elementary students. She’s currently working in Eric’s classroom. What Adrienne appreciates most about her job is the friendships she has formed with students and teachers over the years. 

Executive Director Chrystell Reed joined Ridgeline in 2001. Chrystell was awarded a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration, and she earned her Montessori administrator certification from the Houston Montessori Center. Chrystell's children have attended Ridgeline since kindergarten and are currently in upper elementary and middle school. She enjoys knitting, gardening, watching her daughter jump horses, listening to her son play the acoustic guitar, and the love and support of her husband. 

Cheri Spies has been a teacher for more than 25 years. She has AMS Montessori certification in early childhood and lower elementary. She also holds a state teaching credential in elementary education with endorsements in early childhood special education and reading instruction. Cheri’s family includes two sons, Tony and Jameson, and her husband, Cliff. During her free time, she enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, and dance. Cheri has been at Ridgeline since the school opened, in 2000. 

Upper-el teacher Sarah Walden comes from Maine and has earned degrees in English and education. One day she realized that she had spent enough of her life shoveling snow in little towns in Maine and realized that if she lived in a bigger town in the Willamette Valley, then she wouldn’t have to shovel anymore. She shipped herself across the country and began working at Ridgeline, first as an instructional assistant, and later as upper-elementary teacher.