BFPP '21-'22 Staff

Hello, I am Kate Baehr, the proud principal of BFPP! This summer we kind of stayed home most of the time, but did have one adventure at Twin Lakes. Here is a shot of my family (husband Steve, stepdaughter Emma and son Ben) and our dog Ilo (E-Low, Finnish for Joy) at the beach from last year.

I enjoy reading, rowing crew on Lake Whatcom, watching cheesy movies and playing games with my family. One of my hobbies is collecting heart rocks and making rainbows with rocks at the beach.

This year I am especially excited about all of the new families that we are getting to know and our continued relationships with the returning families. I love my job!! Email Kate

What I get the most joy from these days is through watching and helping my children figure out what gives them joy. So you could say I’m a joy seeker in others. I have two delightful (most of the time) middle school aged kids, two high energy dogs, and a husband whose thoughtfulness spills over in all he does. I like to dive deep into projects, learn as much as I can, and move onto new things kind of like a tornado. Lately I have fallen in love again with sourdough and trying to make everything as healthy as possible and from scratch. My daughter shares my love of water and we have found a body of water to dive into almost every day this summer. I find the outdoors sooth my mind from the busy world around me and gives me space to think. Email Marci

Hello! I’m Tricia BeCraft, I am excited to be here at BFPP this year! I’ve been with the Bellingham School District since 2019 working in the private schools as a Special Education Liaison.

A bit more about me, I’m a Bellinghamster, born and raised. I am so appreciative of this town and the amazing communities within it!

I love being outside on a trail or swinging in a hammock in my yard. What I love most of all is the thrill of raising three of my own wonderfully unique children… I have a high school senior, a 4th grader and a Kindergartener… there is never a dull moment! Life is a wild adventure… so let's go!

Email Tricia

Hi, my name is Jackie Brown. I am overjoyed to become a part of BFPP. Over my 30 year career I have had the opportunity of working in the Bellingham School District, Ireland, Northern India, and Tribal Schools. However, no matter where on the map, I have discovered that students of all ages learn best when they feel agency over their own learning. The thrill of watching a child ignite when they make new discoveries and uncover their passions never grows old.

Like many, being in the natural world fills my soul. I love any activity that involves getting sweaty and being outside! Most recently my partner Robbie and I have discovered bikepacking which is a fantastic way of combining backpacking and biking. When not on my bike I can be seen gardening, kayaking, volunteering in the community, and (before covid at least) cooking huge feasts for my friends. My adult son, now 28, lives in LA and works in the film industry. I look forward to meeting all of you! Email Jackie

Hello! I’m Caroll, administrative assistant at BFPP. I am the mom of Justin, Annie, Dane and Kevin. I am also the grandmother of 10 amazing humans. This year my daughter purchased a home in Oak Harbor and we spent a lot of time there helping with the inside painting. I have enjoyed reading, building puzzles and gardening this summer. I am trying to find joy in the way school is now and hope for amazing things this year.

Email Caroll

Hello BFPP community. I am excited to be supporting this program this year. My name is Lisa Christensen. I have been a librarian in the Bellingham school district for 15 years. I am mainly based out of Lowell Elementary but will be supporting the BFPP and Options HS program as well this year. My husband and I enjoy “Glamping” in our 25’ Motorhome. The last two years we have stayed close to home traveling within Washington state only. I have two adult sons, and two small canine fur-babies. I love sharing great books with kids, and teaching students to be effective users and producers of information and ideas. Email Lisa

Hi my name is Teacher Jim. I’m starting my 6th year with BFPP 😊 and this will be my 26th year of teaching. I live in downtown Lynden with my family. I have a few kids and only one lives at home. I enjoy a good walk early in the morning (like at 5:30a.m.!), baking, and just relaxing on the back patio. Email Jim

Hello! My name is Peggy Gallegos. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I have been living in Bellingham for the past 6 years. I have 2 loving daughters (Natalia and Daniella), 2 wacky cats (Casper and Belle), and 2 zany mice (Bailey and June). My daughters and I love to ski, hike, travel (especially to new places) and try new foods. Currently our favorite foods are Sushi and Mexican 😊

This is my first year working at the Bellingham Public Schools, I previously worked for the Burlington School District. I am enjoying getting to know the teachers and staff at the Family Partnership Program and love the culture and ambiance they have created. I look forward to going to work every day! Email Peggy

Wow, I am so excited to be able to teach at BFPP! I spent fourteen years teaching elementary in Lynden Public Schools before teaching ten years at Lowell Elementary in Bellingham. I love to teach science and look forward to working on cool hands-on activities and experiments. I enjoy spending time kayaking in Bellingham Bay, playing pickleball, and scuba diving in the PNW. I am also the proud parent of two sons, ages 19 and 22. I look forward to meeting you soon! Email Jeff

Hi! I’m Stephanie Korn and it’s my privilege to be an administrator here at BFPP. I am also an administrator at Wade King Elementary, so you will find me here in the afternoons. I had the opportunity to fall in love with the program, staff and families in our FPP by joining this team last November. This is my 15th year as an administrator for Bellingham Public Schools. I started as the principal at Alderwood Elementary, then was a Director of Teaching and Learning, and am excited this year to move back to program level leadership and work more closely with specific school communities again.

I’m also the mom of a 15 year old sophomore. My son goes to Sehome and also works at Mount Baker Ski area in the winter where we spend a lot of our time during the ski season. During the summer, we love to hike, kayak, paddle board and camp. And all year, I love to run!

This summer, I took a road trip to San Francisco and got to be there the day my first niece was born. I LOVE being an aunt! I also travelled to Vermont in late August for my sister’s wedding. It was beautiful and so nice to see my extended family again after a long wait! Another highlight this summer was when the staff from the Family Partnership Program went out for a nighttime paddle and got to play in the phosphorescence in the water. What a magical and fun evening we all had together! Email Stephanie

Hello and Welcome to BFPP! This is my 6th year with the program passionately individualizing learning. My inner child shines teaching experiential place-based classes from my passions with energetic play, curious possibilities, and reflection targeting social emotional learning. Over the years these ‘learning by doing’ classes have incorporated nature, science, math, literacy, mountain bikes, hiking, tinkering, technology and more generating various forms of student-centered expression. At rest, you’ll find me at home quiet with a crossword puzzle, searching for the next dog I want to adopt, wildly cooking without a recipe, or scheming a weekend adventure in the mountains. I look forward to meeting and sharing stories with you all! Email Randy

I'm Carol, aka Maestra. I've been super fortunate to have been a part of BFPP since 2nd semester of the very first year, when I came on as a guest Spanish teacher. Since then I've added theater, dance, and other humanities classes to my offerings. I absolutely love my job and the opportunity to work with families. I have two older kids (18 and 20 now, wow!) who still live with me and share food, laughter and love. This year I am beginning a Master's Program in Humanities and Creativity, and I can't wait to share what I'm learning with our community. Email Carol

Hiya! I’m Erin, a longtime teacher and parent with BFPP. I have two boys ages 14 and 12 and one dog named Baxi Rootbeer. My current passions are big forests, wild foraging, refinishing furniture, and canning tomato sauces and salsas. Two great books I read last summer are: Overstory and The Boy Kings of Texas. I also love the author Brian Doyle. And after 20 years of teaching experience, this year I look forward to learning all new things about online teaching and feeling the vigor and exhaustion of a new teacher. And I SO look forward to connecting with our giant community! Email Erin

Bonjour! I'm Teacher Piper.

I live at home with my adult son Dixon and our elderly tuxedo cat Nemo. I enjoy daily walks in my neighborhood park and to the beach. Playing my mandolin and singing with my students and other friends is a special pleasure. I have a passion for all kinds of cultures and have lived in places as diverse as a remote fishing village in Southeast Alaska, the Russian Far East, and Paris, France, with many points in between. I look forward to learning about you and your cultures and passions! Email Piper

Hi. My name is Chad Nuckles-Flinn, Teacher Chad. I love teaching music and my hope is that every student learns something about being Artistic in my class that will stay with them for the rest of their life. I believe that being able to interact musically/artistically in our lives is one of the keys that makes one human. Other things I like to do are Karate, cooking, Science Fiction and hanging out with good friends, like my wife (Teacher Karen) and sons (Simon-26 and Dylan-22). It's going to be a different and great year!

Email Chad

Hi! I’m Karen Nuckles-Flinn (aka Teacher Karen) and this is my 6th year teaching at the BFPP. This summer, I spent hours outside in my garden humming to myself and to the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, squash, kale, chard, and PURPLE carrots growing there! And I spent hours watching all the wildlife like bunnies and deer and so many birds and slugs and snails and dragonflies and bees. I love to teach anything to do with singing, music and other forms of self-expression... I’m looking forward to talking, listening and creating music together on Zoom, as we come together from the comfort of our homes! Email Karen

I’m so happy to be at BFPP! I’ve been a teacher in Bellingham for 25 years and have had the joy of teaching in both elementary and middle school. I also spent many years as adjunct faculty at Western Washington University teaching my favorite subject – mathematics.

Reading, art projects, writing, walking the beautiful trails all around Bellingham with my husband and dog Charley, and spending time with my two sons and daughter fill my heart. I look forward to this year with all of you!

Email Janie

Maybe interesting facts about me…I wake up with a song in my head, usually just knowing the chorus which I sing all day.

I really love good food. I recently took up jump roping. I don’t believe in killing any living creature but I do despise flies. My dog loves to lick my feet and I don’t mind. I love to second-hand shop and half the fun is in the hunt. I wish I was a rockstar, or on Saturday Night Live, or an actor. Tight clothes are not for me. When I get nervous I make up lots of jokes in my head. My husband says I ask a lot of random questions. I wish I knew a lot about birds and nature but I can’t remember those things. Teaching is my passion. This summer I just hung out in our new home that we just built. Oh, and I love dogs. Email Sam

Hi, I'm Kristy! I started at BFPP last year and am overjoyed to be able to continue here! I was formally a teacher at Silver Beach Elementary for 26 years, teaching kindergarten and then second grade. I have lived in Bellingham since the fourth grade, and I wouldn’t rather live anywhere else! I am the mom of four kids; Blake (26), Matia (23), Emma (21) and Sophie (17). I love to spend time with my husband Gary, our kids and our friends, and our houseful of dogs and cats! We love to hike with our two golden retrievers named Captain and Maverick. I also love reading, cooking and being outside. Email Kristy

I'm very excited to be part of the BFPP Team. I come from a background where I studied Alternative Education at Antioch University, but life took me in a different direction and I have spent over 20 years as an educator in comprehensive schools. For the last 12 years have been a K-5th Reading Specialist in Bellingham Schools.

I am blessed with a fantastic family. I have a 16 year old son and a 12 year old daughter. My husband Matt works as an electrician for the City of Bellingham. We all love to explore the world, play games, watch movies, camp, and keep our cats entertained. I personally love to read fiction whenever I have the chance. I have an extreme fear of heights and an irrational fear of dams. Now you know almost all about me!

It’s interesting how life comes full circle and I am now getting this amazing opportunity to use my knowledge about alternative education. I can’t wait to meet you and walk with your family on this journey. Email Carrie

Here are the things I know and love:

Everyone is smart in their own unique way.

All humans are worthy of love and joy.

Questions are more helpful than answers.

My strong and soulful daughters, Ellie and Savanna.

My life partner and world travel companion, James.

Dancing, laughing, singing, and playing are necessary every day.

Hugs (and oh, how I miss them deeply.)

The pure and vulnerable curiosity of a child learning.

Listening to, writing about and sharing in people’s stories.

Chocolate is a food group.

We can do hard things.

Partnering with you is a gift and an honor.

Email Erica