Our Staff

Corey
Schwarz

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Claire
Brewer

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Nicki
Torres

Bio Coming Soon

Shannon Holliway

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Sarah
Shogren

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Mike
Jandl

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Mariesa
Genzale

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Hannah
Tankerley

Bio Coming Soon

Anne
Wiseman

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Jessie Jo
Gray

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Liz
Conlon

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Eric
Ankrim

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Danielle
Koval

COREY SCHWARZ

OWNER & PROGRAM DIRECTOR

BIO COMING SOON!

Clarie Brewer

Little Stars Preschool Director

My name is Claire Brewer and I’m thrilled and honored to be the Director of Little Stars Preschool in Snoqualmie. During my time at this very special school, from teaching on the Ridge, to teaching through the pandemic in my backyard, to opening our downtown campus, I have had the privilege to watch our students learn, grow, build confidence, stretch their curiosity and make personal connections to the rich diversity of life here in the Snoqualmie Valley.

I live in a little old house in downtown Snoqualmie with my husband, our two weird and wonderful sons and the two greatest dogs on the planet. I love reading, birdwatching, gardening, art, woodworking and collecting agates and jaspers in our backyard creek and beyond. I love melding my training as an art educator, my passion as a child-centered early childhood specialist, and my fascination with our natural world to support and enhance the growth of your child, support their innate wonder, and foster a sense of connection and stewardship of our planet.

I look forward to learning and exploring alongside your children at Little Stars Preschool!

SHANNON HOLLIWAY

PRESCHOOL TEACHER

Hometown: Issaquah, Washington
Most Memorable Teaching Moment: Some of my most memorable teaching experiences are observing and engaging with students and seeing new ideas happen which are not planned.
My Journey to Teaching: My greatest accomplishment in life has been raising my three amazing children. I have spent many hours in their classrooms volunteering and working with teachers. My volunteer work over the years has consistently led me to caring for children. Working with children brings me great joy and I love to watch them grow.
My Mission: I am committed to providing my students a welcoming, happy, safe, and supportive environment. I want my students to know that they can achieve anything that they put their mind to. I will help my students to become independent thinkers and develop a love for learning. I will encourage them to try new and exciting things and give them a solid foundation to build on.

SARAH SHOGREN

PRESCHOOL TEACHER

Hometown: Libby, MT
Most Memorable Teaching Moment: My most memorable teaching moment is not one specific event, but it is all the times I’ve seen the light bulb turn on for a student. All the “ah ha” moments!
My Journey to Teaching: I just always knew that’s what I wanted to do. :)
My Mission: To create an environment that is student-centered, self-guided and rich with experimental learning in a relationship-driven environment.

MIKE JANDL

Most Memorable Teaching Moment: I worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor in high school, and it was in the pool where I discovered the joy of helping people see their own potential.

My Journey to Teaching: I’ve been working with kids since high school. Thru the years I have volunteered at daycare centers, as sports coaches, and teaching children how grow food at a Farm. Outside of volunteering with children I’ve had many roles, from a diesel mechanic in the Marine Corps to designing and teaching Financial Systems at large corporations. No matter where my journey has taken me, I’ve found that my passion for teaching others is what motives me and it is what I enjoy most about all my roles.

My Mission: My mission is to create a classroom community based on cooperative learning and kindness. It is also very important to me that I support each of the students in their own learning journeys. I want to make learning fun so that every student of mine has a positive relationship with school. I enjoy feeding their curiosities while they discover for themselves. My favorite way to do this is teaching kids about nature and getting outside to experience our surroundings. I have a strong passion for gardening that provides so many opportunities to notice things that are right under our noses.

MARIESA GENZALE

ACTING, CHOREOGRAPHY, COSTUME DESIGN

Mariesa is an actor, choreographer, and costume designer who is thrilled to join the Little Stars family! After spending her early childhood as a ballet dancer, she fell in love with musicals and began performing at several youth theatre’s around Washington. She then attended Marymount Manhattan College and received her BFA in Musical Theatre Performance. Her performing credits include working with Reboot Theatre Company, SecondStory Repertory, Bainbridge Performing Arts, and Sound Theatre Company. Mariesa comes from a big family and has always loved kids. She worked as a nanny throughout college, and always imagined she’d one day be a teacher. She loves sharing the magic of theatre with her students, and knows how healing and beautiful it can be!

ANN WISEMAN

I ventured to the beautiful Pacific Northwest from Maine in 2014. It was then I realized how much bigger everything is on the left coast. An avid hiker, trail runner, backcountry skier and angler, I instantly fell in love with the Snoqualmie Valley and everything the area has to offer. I’ve been in the educational field for 20 years, 16 of those years were spent in a developmental and behavioral program with students ranging in age from preschool to high school. My passion is designing and implementing programs that meet individual needs while providing a foundation of emotional and social support. One of my many goals is to provide an environment to children that offers creativity, ensures safety, and room to grow and flourish in a self directed environment. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Therapeutic Recreation with an additional abundance of Early Childhood credits and began my Masters degree in Special Education. On the weekends and when the days are longer, you’ll find me with my golden retriever, Owen, either on the trail soaking up the smell of the cedar and fir trees or on the river casting flies trying to catch rainbows and small mouth bass. I consider it a privilege to provide support and nurturing to your child, thank you for trusting in me.

JESSIE JO GRAY

Hi, my name is Jessie and I am thrilled to begin teaching at Little Stars! My journey to teaching began after I graduated with a degree in Advertising (stick with me). I began doing post-production and social media work for a National Geographic photographer in my hometown whose main focus was on conservation. Mother Nature is my one true love, so after being introduced to the possibility of working in the field of my dreams I dropped everything and went back to school to get a degree in Conservation Biology.

I graduated (again) and began working at a Nature Center which happened to house a fantastic nature preschool. I’ve always loved working with children, so when they offered me a teaching position I jumped on it. The combination of my two passions, nature and guiding young minds toward discovery, felt absolutely miraculous and it wasn't long before I knew I had found my calling. Every time I see the sparkle of wonder in the eyes of a child learning something for the first time I am reminded of that feeling and of how lucky I am to witness those moments every single day.

I am passionate about fostering a child-led, experience-based, developmentally nourishing learning environment where little minds are free to expand and every day feels miraculous.

ELIZABETH CONLON

I have lived in Snoqualmie Valley my entire life and have always loved working with kids. I started babysitting as a 7th grader and helped with summer camps at Big Star. I then got the amazing opportunity to work at Little Stars Preschool. It is such a great experience being able to work with the amazing teachers here at Little Stars. I am so grateful to learn new teaching methods and strategies from them every single day. As a running start student I love being able to work at such an amazing place that is giving me firsthand experience in a career I might want to pursue. I always think back to the times I was really little playing “school” with my sisters and how fun I thought teaching was. I would have never thought I would be teaching preschoolers as a high school student. A moment at Little Stars that will always stick with me was seeing a student who had the hardest time leaving their grownups in the morning at the beginning of the year and then 8 months later was upset about leaving school! It’s so phenomenal seeing the growth in students in just one year. I hope to inspire students and continue working with the teachers here at Little Stars and see where it takes me!