New Teaching Staff - Spring 2015
By Kate
For the start of the new semester, we welcomed two new teachers to Westside. I asked them a few questions and below are their responses.
Hayley Sayre
What is your teaching position at Westside?I am the instructional assistant in Jana's third grade classroom.
Where were you previously working before coming here?
Before working at Westside, I was a lead teacher at a couple different preschools in Bellingham and Seattle. Most recently, I worked at the Spring Street Early Learning Center in downtown Seattle.
What are you most excited about Westside?
I can't wait to get to know everyone! Everyone I've met - students, teachers, and parents - have all been so welcoming, and I'm very happy to be joining such a wonderful community.
What are other hobbies or activities you like to do outside of school?
My favorite hobbies are playing the ukulele, reading, and hiking. My wife and I like to spend our weekends exploring parks around the city, and backpacking at Mt. Rainier! I'm especially interested in plant biology, and learning everything I can about the trees and wildflowers in the Pacific Northwest.
Candace O'Leary
What is your teaching position at Westside? I am the Visual Arts Teacher for grades 2-8 at Westside School.
Where were you previously working before coming here?
Before working here at Westside, I was teaching Middle School at Billings Middle School in Greenlake. Prior to that I taught art in Detroit, MI.
What are you most excited about Westside?
What I am looking forward to most at Westside is getting to know all of the students and other teachers. I am very excited about working with everyone on bringing more art into the school and hopefully working towards creating an even stronger arts program!
What are other hobbies or activities you like to do outside of school?
Outside of school I love spending time with my family, my boyfriend, two dogs, cat and a turtle named Shel Silverstein. We love taking walks around our neighborhood and enjoy visiting the local bakery on Sunday Mornings to get a fresh pastry. We also love going to antique shops and salvage yards trying to find pieces of history that we can bring into our house. In addition, I love exploring everything creative like drawing, decorating and sewing.
