Anne
Zimmermann
Anne was welcomed to the Wellspring Community in January
2008. She brings eleven years experience working with
children in both public education and nonprofit
organizations in Colorado. Anne strongly believes
that life is a journey of learning, each day presenting new
puzzles to ponder. She applauds creating a safe
environment and networked community in which younger
learners are free to test, create, and explore. Anne
delights in facilitating this discovery learning.
Anne is a Nordic skier and avid hiker and delights in
exploring the Northeast forests. She is an
accomplished xeriscape gardener and is the mother of two
teenaged children. She and her husband, Ron, have
been building a life together for more than 20 years.
Edward
Arabia-Meyer
Edward is
joining the Wellspring Community School in September 2009.
He holds a Master of Science in Elementary Education from
Sunbridge College and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology
with a Concentration in Applied Child and Family Services
from Montclair State University. Edward is certified as an
Elementary School Teacher in Grades Kindergarten through
Five. He was the founder and director of Lakeview Learning
Center and Community School, which was predominantly a
nursery school, that followed closely the ideals of Rudolf
Steiner. After five years, the school closed, after which
Edward taught students in public high school. After
relocating to Warren County, Edward worked part time at the
River Valley Waldorf School and the Harmony Township
Elementary School, while he searched for full time
employment. Edward and his family are committed to
education that focuses on the whole child, as well as on
the child’s relationship to and with the community. He
believes that education should foster the love of learning
that children inherently possess.
Edward lives in Alpha with his partner, Angela, and their
four children: Corinna (12), Elena (10), Dakota (8) and
Edison (7). He is active with his children in their after
school activities, such as: scouting, soccer, and
softball.
Darcy
Petrie
Darcy Petrie joined the Wellspring Community in Fall
2009. She holds an M.A. in Early Childhood and Family
Studies, and over the past 20 years has worked in a variety
of educational settings with children ages infant through
early elementary. Darcy taught preschool at
Bennington College Early Childhood Center in Vermont, and
was a substitute at Morning Light Preschool while her
daughters attended their Waldorf-inspired program.
While she has also worked in child care and public school
settings, she finds herself continually drawn back to the
types of environments which support her passion for
alternative, nonacademic, child-centered preschool
education. Darcy believes that young children learn
and thrive when they are allowed and encouraged to explore
their environment, their individual emergent
interests, and their place in the world with adults
providing safe parameters and gentle guidance.
Darcy lives in Bernardsville with her wonderful 9 and
12 year old daughters. She enjoys reading, knitting,
cooking, and celebrating the rhythms and cycles of our
natural world.