Volunteer

There are many opportunities to volunteer within the Orcas Montessori School Community! For up-to-date information on how you can be involved, please visit the volunteering section on our Parents Page. The school board is also an excellent volunteer opportunity. Meet our current board members here…

Board Members

Tara Linnes

Tara was born and raised on Orcas Island. She graduated in 2002 and moved to Santa Cruz, CA and lived there for a couple of years, then moved back to WA to attend Edmonds CC and study Horticulture. In 2005 Revan was born and Noah and Tara took over the Skate Shop and ran that for a few years. Currently she works at the Orcas Hotel, and care takes a vacation home. In her free time she loves hiking, gardening, and working on her family property.  She and her family hope to have small sustainable farm someday with food and plants for sale.
Tara says “I feel very grateful for the quality of education Revan is receiving from the Orcas Montessori School and am glad to have this opportunity to serve on the board. It has been really great to learn more about the school and the program.”

Angela Saxe, Board President

Angela Saxe moved to Orcas Island from Vancouver, WA, in 2003, when she married her husband, Andy. Angela works as a full-time mom and a part-time freelance marketing communications and technical writer. She holds a B.A. in Literature and Writing from Whitworth College. She became intrigued with the Orcas Montessori School after observing a friend’s child thrive as a student and now is enjoying watching her own son explore and learn in a fun and nurturing environment. She feels privileged to be involved with the Orcas Montessori School Board and is excited about the profound effect the school continues to have on our Orcas Island children.

Jessica Kruger

Jessica is a 2004 graduate of Western Washington University with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Dance. After graduation, Jessica was the Dance Program Coordinator, the Artistic
Director and choreographer for Western’s K-5 creative movement outreach program DanceMakers, the production manager for program concerts, and the festival coordinator for ACDF Northwest. Jessica moved to Orcas Island in 2008 with her family, and now runs a sailing charter business with husband Karl and daughter Dagny.  Jessica is thrilled to see the excitement and enjoyment Dagny is experiencing as a second year Montessori student.

Mike Douglas, Treasurer

Mike came to Orcas Island from the Bush School in Seattle to direct Four Winds Camp, where he and Sharon Douglas raised their family of three youngsters.  He has served on several Orcas boards, among them the Orcas School District and Children’s House.  Mike’s interest in the Orcas Montessori School stems from the quality of his granddaughter’s experience at OMS, and from his daughter’s teaching of Montessori classes in the Seattle Public Schools. Mike say, “The combination of creative instruction and the hands on approach to learning is so important in early school experiences.  The Orcas Montessori School has established itself as a real asset to our island educational community.”

Past board members