Lindsay Johnson
Antioch University Santa Barbara Graduate Education and Credentialing program alumna Lindsay Johnson and Cooperating Teachers Brandon Sportel and Laura Donner have been recognized recently for their professional accomplishments.
Lindsay Johnson, who earned her M.Ed. at AUSB in 2014 after finishing her inquiry project on “Sustaining School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms in Santa Barbara County Schools,” recently was named Executive Director at Explore Ecology, an organization that originated with the Art From Scrap program and now offers environmental education programs that combine science and art. Explore Ecology will hold a Grand Re-Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 13 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. where Lindsay will share her vision for the direction of the organization. Click here for more details on the ceremony. The Santa Barbara Independent recently ran a profile on Lindsay and her work.
Brandon Sportel is a Cooperating Teacher who works with Education Specialist teacher candidates at AUSB and teaches at Canalino Elementary School in Carpinteria. Brandon recently was honored as the Educator of the Year for the Carpinteria Unified School District. Jamie Persoon, principal at Canalino, was thrilled at Brandon’s award. “In Brandon fashion, he accepted his award while giving much credit to his six instructional assistants, who were in attendance for the event: Laura, Lillian, Catherine, Kalani, Hannah, and Beth,” Jamie wrote in an email to Marianne D’Emidio-Caston, chair of AUSB’s Education program.
Finally, Laura Donner, an adjunct faculty at AUSB and also a Cooperating Teacher with the program, has been named Principal at Santa Barbara Charter School. Laura has worked at SBCS since 1995, where she strives to teach developmentally appropriate curriculum that is student-centered and brain-based. Laura also teaches Mediation and Conflict Resolution in the Schools and Classroom Organization: Theory and Practice at AUSB.
