KATHRYN BELCHER
Board of Directors & Volunteer
Whether at home, Saint Louis Sudbury School, or work, Kathryn can be found reading, experimenting, and asking questions. Her passion is to facilitate deeply respectful human environments. Enter the Sudbury model where life is education and education is life, where students and adults are all humans, and the pursuit of happiness isn't a "nice to have" but a given. Kathryn views volunteering as a gift she receives each week. She hopes to pay this gift forward by nudging industry towards democratic communities, who prioritize humans and our world. Childhood debates with her father, Student Government, music and the arts, industrial engineering, Lean manufacturing, foster care resourcing, and consciously parenting two Sudbury students - these and many other life experiences have shaped Kathryn. She's grateful to continue being shaped by the Sudbury community.
TIA BRASS
Volunteer
Bio coming soon.
PAUL GASCHLER
Board of Directors
I spent much of my time in school frustrated with questions of “why?”: Why are we doing these assignments? What do these grades mean? Out of frustration, I would figure out the bare minimum it took to get a “B” so I could put my efforts towards something more interesting. Meanwhile, inevitably something would inspire me to dive deeply, most especially music theory and harmony beginning in middle school. I then attended Concordia University Nebraska for music education. Again I wrestled with questions of “why” in regards to education practices. While there, I also felt the personal conviction to become a pastor, and then attended another 4 more years of school at Concordia Theological Seminary, not without more questions of “why?”! From there, I served as a pastor in Greenwood, Indiana (near Indianapolis) from 2019-2023. During this time I worked with parents concerned about both public and private education options during and after COVID restrictions. We explored various models of education, including the option to start our own homeschool group, to free up our children with more time for play. In 2023, I accepted a call to serve as associate pastor and community chaplain at Holy Cross Lutheran Church here in St. Louis. While helping work in Intersect Arts Center, I had the opportunity to learn more and interact with Sudbury. I am deeply inspired by this school, enjoy interacting with the students most days of the week, and am honored to serve on their board now and support the school’s future.
jennifer lin
Staff & Board of Directors
Jennifer is a parent of a Saint Louis Sudbury School student, a staff member, and president of the board of directors. Jennifer enjoys being available to offer help and support for Sudbury students and adults, to share her interests, and to guide Sudbury’s admissions, human resources, operations, marketing, fundraising, community outreach, and finances. Every day at Sudbury, Jennifer loves seeing the students of all ages helping each other, advocating for themselves and friends, developing creativity and a world view, teaching the adults (the best!), and living life. Jennifer is also a freelance photographer and nonprofit consultant specializing in marketing and fundraising. Most recently she managed Metro Theater Company’s digital marketing and social media where she created, implemented, and assessed digital communication strategies to develop and achieve the organization’s earned and contributed revenue goals; strengthened public visibility; initiated new partnerships in the community; and grew the organization’s digital presence locally and nationally. Jennifer has 25+ years of marketing, public relations, photography, and fundraising experience with nonprofit organizations including Metro Theater Company, the Missouri Chamber Music Festival, Saint Louis Sudbury School, the Carolina Chamber Music Festival, the Sacramento Opera, the Washington Performing Arts Society, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art-Chicago. Jennifer’s freelance photography clients include Metro Theater Company, Missouri Chamber Music Festival, Treats Unleashed, Bread and Roses, Pure Barre, Gateway Center for Performing Arts, St. Louis independent schools, Chamber Project of Saint Louis, The 442s, families, and artists. She received her BA in English and Music: Piano Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MA in Arts Management from American University in Washington, DC. Jennifer is a parent resource for St. Louis region families who have children who are PDAers, an autistic profile also known as Pervasive Drive for Autonomy or Pathological Demand Avoidance. She lives in St. Louis in a multi-generational and neurodiverse household. She continues to study ballet virtually with Maryland Youth Ballet and is passionate about reading and listening to podcasts about the Sudbury school model, democratic schools, PDA, autism, anything by Peter Gray and Naomi Fisher, and Self-Directed Education.
SALLY LONGENDYKE
Volunteer
Bio coming soon.
MAX OSBORN
Volunteer
Max spent much of his school years not feeling heard or seen, being labeled as learning disabled and a “troublemaker” without having the tools, trust, or resources to find his way. It wasn’t until he attended an alternative school in Northern California that integrated wilderness experiences with innovative classroom work that was more focused on building relationships among their small community rather than grades, that he began to see how learning really was a part of who he was. Once an avid skateboarder and snowboarder, Max now prefers more chill activities like drawing, painting, history, vegetable gardening, and walks. In addition to volunteering at Saint Louis Sudbury School, he is a dedicated volunteer at The Little Bit Foundation.
TOM OSBORN
Board of Directors
Bio coming soon.
BOBBY SKAGGS
Staff
Bio coming soon.
CHARITY STONE
Volunteer
I grew up in a homeschooling family back in the early days of the homeschooling movement. I've been married to my husband, Brad, for 25 years, and we have lived in the City of St. Louis for 17 of those years with our children. My children have taught me more than any class or textbook ever did, and I have loved learning along with them. Together, we have explored culinary arts, sustainable backyard gardening, the responsibility of raising many household pets, and much more. We have puzzled over math problems, hypothesized over "why?" questions, investigated language structure, and discovered many favorite read-aloud books. I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner. I will never be an expert at anything, because there will always be so much more to learn. I love the Sudbury model of learning, because there is so much time to discover, try new things, and dive deep into areas of greatest interest. I also feel that Sudbury's democratic government and justice practices allow a great opportunity to develop empathy and other social skills. Since all children are unique, I am thrilled that Sudbury exists as a refreshing option to traditional classroom learning.
HARRY TAUSSIG
Staff
Hi, I’m Harry. Before I got this job, I was trying to figure out how I could spend my time being paid to be a supportive adult in a playful community. I was looking for jobs where I could work with adults who saw the intelligence of their emotions, followed their sense of joy, and deeply trusted themselves. Then I realized that these qualities were much more common in children. In the past, I’ve been a camp counselor, a suicide hotline volunteer, a non-profit event coordinator and an emotional awareness coach. I studied Computer Science in college but never worked in it after seeing how much the people working where I interned didn’t want to be there. I find that kids have an authenticity and honesty that consistently makes me uncomfortable, and I’m excited to learn from that discomfort. When a kid unashamedly asks me for something, I’m faced with the discomfort of saying no when I want to. When a kid is making me uncomfortable by being loud, I’m faced with my discomfort around unashamedly asking for what I want. I’m excited to see and feel the thousands of tiny ways I’ve subtly stopped myself from being myself by being around these kids’ authenticity. I see this job as part of my path in discovering who I am and becoming more and more unconditionally loving. Outside of this job, I enjoy swing dancing, drumming, playing board games, playing basketball, meditating, reading political philosophy, and talking with my friends. The best way to get to know more about me is watching this video of me telling a story about my experience as a camp counselor, or reading this blog post about it.
BRITNI WIGE
Board of Directors
Britni Wige is a mom to an almost 10 year old and is super passionate about Saint Louis Sudbury School, self-directed learning, and unschooling. Her other passions include Conscious Parenting, the environment, and human transformation. She's been with Saint Louis Sudbury School from the very beginning, first serving as a Founding Board Member, Tuition Clerk, and Founding Staff Member, then as Board Treasurer and Tuition Clerk. Last December she stepped down from her position to concentrate on her business. She's been an unwavering fan of the school and feels so honored and grateful to once again serve the Saint Louis Sudbury community.