Mr. Gebeau; Senora Catalina; and Ms. Nelson

Dear Member of The Waldorf School of Santa Barbara Community,

We write to appreciate Spanish teacher Senora Catalina and Second Grade teacher Mr. Gebeau, both of whom are leaving after this academic year. We also write to share the news that the wonderful Ms. Nelson will be taking over Mr. Gebeau's class.

Senora Catalina is moving to Miami to be with family. Eventually Catalina plans on returning to her native country of Bolivia to open a Waldorf school with her sister. We will miss Senora Catalina's gentle, warm connection with the children. (How the students basked in her presence, sitting on her lap or eagerly holding her hand!) We will also miss her vital, always-smiling son Tao. While she is sad to leave, Senora Catalina is eager to create a Waldorf school in a country where there are no Waldorf schools. She tells us:

My heart is full of gratitude for each member of the WSSB community -- for my students, their families, and my fellow staff. As we depart from Santa Barbara, I take with me the joy we have shared, the lessons I have learned, and the connections we have made. We could not fathom leaving saying "¡adiós!" but instead "¡hasta pronto!"
Con amor,
Señora Catalina

After more than twenty years of teaching and eight years of teaching at WSSB, Jason Gebeau is pulling up stakes to pursue music and change. "It isn't just a job," Mr. Gebeau says of his work at WSSB. "It's much bigger than that." Indeed, it is. To see Mr. Gebeau in action is to see someone "in the flow state." Full of energy, unwaveringly attentive, liftingly lyrical, Mr. Gebeau is an inspired teacher, the genuine article. And a teacher of fatherly kindness and care. Mr. Gebeau says he will miss the children and parents; our "friendly, welcoming community"; and the sense of deep, grounding purpose. He also says he's ready to "reinvent" himself and pursue music with more focus.

We thank you Senora Catalina and Mr. Gebeau for your beautiful work. And we send you our love as you depart.

Finally, we are pleased Ms. Nelson will be rejoining the ranks more fully come Fall, taking over Mr. Gebeau's wonderful class. Heather Nelson has been teaching for over 20 years. She studied Environmental Science at the University of California at Berkeley and began her teaching career as an outdoor educator in Northern California. After moving to Santa Barbara in 2006, Ms. Nelson received her Masters of Education from Antioch University and trained at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California. Ms. Nelson has been a beloved member of our WSSB faculty for many years now, recently graduating a class. Welcome back, Ms. Nelson!

In gratitude,
The WSSB Admin Team

PS The poem of the day is by D.H. Lawrence:

Thought

Thought, I love thought.
But not the juggling and twisting of already existent ideas.
I despise that self-important game.
Thought is the welling up of unknown life into consciousness,
Thought is the testing of statements on the touchstone of consciousness,
Thought is gazing onto the face of life, and reading what can be read,
Thought is pondering over experience, and coming to conclusion.
Thought is not a trick, or an exercise, or a set of dodges,
Thought is a man in his wholeness, wholly attending.