25 May CSCS Leadership Transition
Dear Cottonwood School Community,
I am writing to share that after 15 wonderful years at Cottonwood, I will be departing at the end of this school year.
My time here has been filled with immense joy, growth, learning, and love. From starting as a CSCS parent to becoming a substitute teacher, and eventually taking on the role of kindergarten teacher, those early years nurtured both me and my family. Later, serving as the Academic Director and then Executive Director, I have cherished nearly every moment.
Together, we have navigated numerous milestones. We developed programs such as Adventure Play, Animal Families, Adopt-a-Place, and Plant Teachings. We built a strong place-based school that is admired nationwide, with over 150 fieldwork experiences just this year! We proudly ushered in our new name, stayed resilient through the pandemic, and stood united during times of protest. We built cherished traditions like the annual school musical, all-school meetings, and for a while, the parent band, enriching the lives of our students and strengthening our community bonds.
I am grateful for the support, collaboration, and dedication of each one of you. Your commitment to our students and school has been inspiring, and it has been an honor to work alongside such a passionate and caring community.
As I prepare for this next chapter, I carry with me countless memories and a sense of accomplishment. Cottonwood School will always hold a special place in my heart, and I look forward to seeing its continued growth and success.
Thank you for the incredible journey.
With gratitude,
Amanda
Dear Cottonwood Community,
On behalf of the Cottonwood Board of Directors, we want to wish Amanda McAdoo all the best in her next adventures. During her tenure, Amanda has been the driving force behind so many of our school’s achievements and cherished moments and she’s worked tirelessly to advance our mission, enhance our programs, and build an intentional community among teachers, staff and families. This will be revered and is a huge part of what makes Cottonwood so special and loved by us all!
Building on the strong foundation Amanda helped build, we remain excited about the future and direction of this school. The board met with staff earlier today to share our strategic plan with them first. We are thrilled to announce that Aviva McClure will serve as Interim Principal and the organization’s Executive Director for the 2024-2025 school year. We are honored that Aviva will serve in a development and bridge-building role to help retain critical knowledge and operational stability for the school to carry on its mission and values for years to come.
Our administrative hiring committee is also nearing the end of the interview process for a new Academic Director to directly support our teachers and staff next year. We are excited about the well-qualified candidates currently under consideration, and how their backgrounds support both the strengths and needs at Cottonwood. We look forward to the new Academic Director becoming an excellent long-term partner with our community.
The board, Amanda, Aviva, and the exceptional Cottonwood staff are committed to ensure that the remainder of the school year continues without interruption and will work to make this transition as seamless as possible. Change is a part of the living process and we honor the place in our hearts and our minds where this process affects us in our community together. We rely on the teachings our children share with us and the wisdom of our place. It is a time for the flexibility the Willow teaches and also an exciting new time to make use of the wisdom of the Alder as we engage in new ways of building this community and nurturing it all while protecting the wellspring, our Cottonwood students.
The Wild Strawberry teaches us to embrace the gifts of the moment, which includes gathering joy, celebrating, cultivating optimism, and reflecting; we are both grateful for the legacy Amanda leaves behind and the new exciting adventures ahead for The Cottonwood School! Please join us in expressing our heartfelt gratitude to Amanda for her many years of service and incredible contributions to our community! We will be hosting a special farewell event to celebrate her achievements and provide an opportunity for personal goodbyes–stay tuned for details!
Thank you, to you, the Cottonwood Community, for all of your trust, unwavering support, and understanding as we transition through these changes.
Yours In Community,
Cottonwood Board of Directors
Mari Van Sickle, Kyle Roy, Jonathan Moore, Jill Charno, Matthew Claudel, Alicia Moody and Julia Jarrett
My name is Sam Lloyd. I grew up in California and studied at UC Berkeley for my undergraduate degree, I majored in Economics at Berkeley then earned my Master’s in Education at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. I began my teaching career in Oakland, working with 4th and 5th graders for five school years, and about eight years ago, I moved to Portland with my wife and two daughters. Since then, I’ve been teaching middle school math in local private schools.
Growing up in an organic farming intentional community in upstate New York meant spending most of my childhood exploring and learning from the environment around me. After my family moved here to Portland when I was in middle school, my love for learning from the land continued, and while at Cleveland High School I was a regular Outdoor School volunteer. This was a formative experience, and propelled me to pursue teaching science in middle school.
My name is Matthew Gaffney, call me Gaff! I have spent my IT career up to this point doing EdTech and it has been such a rewarding experience. Blending the worlds of technology and education has been a joy to do so far. I strive to make our student’s learning experience the best it can be, and alway try to leave a situation better than I found it. In my free time, I love to go to concerts, explore the wonderful nature of the PNW, and play with my Goldendoodle, Simon. I think every single day is an opportunity to learn something new, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds at Cottonwood. Have the best day 🙂
Stephen Pham (he/him) is an educator, equity strategist, and nonprofit management consultant who works with social impact organizations to refine their strategy, strengthen their DEI lens, and build organizational capacity to achieve equity-driven impact. He partners with organizations across a wide range of stages and issue areas, including research organizations, housing innovation hubs, community foundations, and education nonprofits. Before starting his consulting practice, Stephen was a DEI and nonprofit management leader, supporting sector-wide efforts to scale equity-centered instructional and organizational practices. Stephen’s 12+ years of experience include heading nonprofit operations, talent, and culture at The Learning Accelerator, leading the national innovation strategy for Rocketship Public Schools, serving as a Blended Learning Master Teacher for BetterLesson, and teaching 5th-grade STEM in East San José.
Chris (he/him) has been interested in birds and wildlife since he was a child. Chris grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where he first started to make observations of the natural world. He received a BS in Zoology from The Evergreen State College where he was able to get hands-on experience in ornithology, marine mammalogy, and tropical ecology. Upon graduating Chris worked for Audubon South Carolina where he participated in ongoing prothonotary warbler studies and led kayak and canoe tours through a swamp. Realizing the importance of science communication and education, he would go on to receive his Masters in Environmental Education from Western Washington University. After graduating, he spent three years as an Interpretive Park Ranger with the National Park Service, working at North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, and Saguaro National Park.
As an artist and educator, I believe the foundational tools for learning and engaging in creativity are play and humor. I look forward to putting this into practice as the art teacher at Cottonwood School.
Contact Paola: 
e is Krystle. I found my love of working with children in 2012 when I was hired for a temporary position in a preschool classroom. Since then, I have worked with children of all ages within the daycare setting until 2017 when I was hired for my first job as a behavior coach. I spent a little over 3 years working with school-age students, mostly within the school setting. I moved on in 2021 when I moved to Oregon and prior to joining Cottonwood, I worked as a Behavior Specialist for City View Charter School in Hillsboro. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Teaching from Western Governor’s University. I am also currently in the process of re-enrolling at WGU to go back for my Master’s degree.
Hello! I am Daniel McArthur– I joined Cottonwood community in 2024 as Middle School Humanities teacher. I’m a passionate educator with a love for history and writing. I’ve been lucky enough to work with students in a wide range of settings, from an all-girls Catholic school to a homeless youth resource center to public high schools in Detroit, Michigan. In my roles, I’ve seen my students do amazing things when compassionate teaching meets high-expectations. I am originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, where I developed a deep love for mountains and lakes. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy reading, running, and hanging out with my cats. I am always looking for a new book or park recommendation. Let me know if you have any suggestions!
Cayla first joined our school community in 2023 as the before and after school Site Director. Then in 2024 as the 2/3 Teacher Assistant and is thrilled to step into her new role as a Co-Teacher in the 2/3 classroom. During her time at Cottonwood, she has deeply valued building meaningful connections with the students and Cottonwood community. Cayla is passionate about place-based education and creating an environment where all children can thrive and be supported.
I’m Abby Manzano, and I’ve loved getting to know our wonderful 2nd and 3rd graders as a co-teacher and I’m thrilled to be back at Cottonwood as a 2/3 classroom teacher!
For over 25 years Laura has been serving youth and their families as a transformational leader, curriculum writer, trainer, educator, and advocate. She brings diverse experience working across sectors in schools, non-profits, athletics, mental health, and community based organizations. Lovingly committed to a growth mindset and educating the whole child and loves working with a team of creative teachers, committed families, and inspiring students at Cottonwood.
Born in Japan, Yuri came to the U.S. to study recreation and play, inspired by a deep passion for community, place-making, and experiential learning. She brings a rich background in organizing hands-on 
My introduction to this wonderful school was as a parent back in 2009. My child grew up and now is a college student. The mission of CSCS has always been dear to my heart, and I returned in January 2022 to work in the school office.
Kristin is Cottonwood’s School Counselor where she supports student social emotional learning, academic engagement and access, and mental health and well-being at school. She is invested in integrating social emotional learning and wellness across our curriculum at Cottonwood. By teaching students to connect with themselves, each other, the wider community and the earth, we can build a more equitable world.
Sara was born and raised in Montana where she grew and nurtured her love and curiosity of learning from and about the natural world with the guidance of her parents and her community. She moved to Oregon in 2007 and attended Pacific University where she earned a BA in Environmental Studies. She left undergrad feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world, and sought out education as a way to foster empathy, critical thinking and creativity in the next generation. Post college, she worked on a ranch in Montana, rode her bicycle across the country and traveled to far away places just like her childhood story hero, Miss Rumphius. She spent some years working in various educational settings such as the Bird Alliance of Oregon, and then decided to pursue her graduate degree in Education at Portland State.
Liza joined the Cottonwood staff in 2018 as the full-time special education teacher. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and a dual Master’s degree in Reading & Special Education from the University of Michigan. Liza grew up in a large family in the Northeast that included a special needs sibling. Before getting her masters, she worked in administrative positions at schools in Boston and Southeastern Michigan. After grad school, she and her husband relocated to the Northwest for access to all of the outdoor activities in the Cascades and Oregon coast. In Portland, she has taught special education at Beaverton High School, Peninsula Elementary and Portland Village School. She is thrilled to be at Cottonwood where she appreciates the close knit community of staff & students along with the school’s place based education mission. In her free time, Liza enjoys spending time with her family in the mountains or at the coast, buzzing around in her EV, and enjoying the many great coffee houses in the Northwest.
McLean is thrilled to return to Cottonwood this year in a new role, as the P.E. Teacher/Specials and Middle School Teacher Assistant, after spending the past year traveling through New Zealand and Indonesia. He began his journey at Cottonwood in the fall of 2019 as a student teacher in one of the 4/5 classrooms, later stepping into the role of Middle School Humanities teacher, where he taught for four years. McLean brings a passion for integrating music, storytelling, theater, play, and outdoor learning into his teaching, and he’s excited to weave these elements into his new position! Outside the classroom, you’ll find him camping, playing music, gardening, watching and playing sports, and exploring the world.
Kimberley spent ten years teaching preschool through third grade at Trillium Charter School and has spent the years since teaching grades K through 2nd. 
Amanda, a longtime educator and leader in Oregon’s public charter school community, returns to The Cottonwood School of Civics and Science. She believes passionately in teaching youth to care about their community through hands-on learning, so they have the tools and enthusiasm to become active and informed citizens.