Mentor Bios
The Vashon Green School Mentors
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Dana Schuerholz
Dana Schuerholz, B.S. Syracuse University, founded the Homestead School in 2007. In 2016, to embody an eight year evolution of an alternative educational model, Homestead became the Vashon Green School. The new name reflects her passion for sustainable, progressive, ground breaking educational opportunities. Dana's myriad experiences with education, community organizing, social activism, photojournalism (in the US and in Latin America), organic agriculture, permaculture and parenting bring her to this work. She has taught in public and private schools from primary to college level. She was an artist-in-residence in Seattle Public Schools for 8 years, specializing in media literacy. A life learner, she embraces the challenges and joys of mentoring and believes that a foundation in the arts and deep understanding of the natural world nurtures a life guided by one’s soul.
Amy Mercer
With over eight years of dedicated experience as a specialist on learning differences and as a practicing interventionist, Amy offers a wealth of knowledge, which makes her an excellent diagnostician and resource for creative solutions. Amy’s dedication to her students inspires her to a continual pursuit of, and extensive reading on, the most current brain research as it relates to learning and knowledge acquisition.
Amy received her training as a Certified Dyslexia Specialist from Susan Barton and is an expert on the Barton System for Reading and Spelling. She has also been trained to use Lindamood-Bell's LiPS program for phonemic awareness. Both curriculum are research proven dyslexia intervention programs.
Using her understanding of learning differences, Amy also provides remediation for difficulties with math and writing skills. Interventions are highly individual and use an array of multisensory, techniques.
She received her B.A. in psychology from Argosy University in 2006 with an emphasis on Sociolinguistics.