Lower School Teacher Bear Pause Profiles

Third grade teacher Samara Estroff takes daily walks in the woods. She is often accompanied by her dog, who listens but doesn’t always obey.

Ariana Hussain is the Lower School teacher librarian. When she’s not playing games or reading with her children, she’s blogging about Muslim representation in children’s and young adult literature and planning their family’s next getaway to somewhere with delicious cuisine. 

First grade teacher Petra Johnson loves early mornings and late nights (with a nap nestled in between) and playing fetch with her dog Bindi.

Jennifer Kalika, Lower School strings teacher, was the same age as many of her students when she realized she wanted to be a musician.

Erica Ryan, Lower School Spanish teacher, loves to eat mangoes, wishes banana clips would come back into fashion and cut a pineapple into bite-size pieces in record time.

Erica Ryan, Lower School Spanish teacher, loves to eat mangoes, wishes banana clips would come back into fashion and can cut a pineapple into bite-size pieces in record time.

Second grade teacher Lori Thoraldson’s favorite Blake lunch is the Indian butter chicken, but if she could have an endless supply of anything it would be…

You may see Claudia Urbina at the Blake salad bar when she’s not outside walking or swimming.