Coming Full Circle: Six Alumni Return as Teachers and Staff
- Debbie Woo
- Sep 23
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 24
This edition of our Alumni Profile is extra special – we’re featuring Marin Horizon School students who ventured out into the world and have returned as teachers and staff. We feel so fortunate to have them back in our community to steward the legacy they helped create, and to help us innovate for an even brighter future.
Many of these individuals you know very well, but we’re excited to introduce you to some new faces, too. Here are our six featured alumni:
Alex Kallweit, Class of 2013, joined us a year ago as an Assistant Toddler Teacher. You can find them supporting Eva and Cheng in the Toddler Garden at our main campus. They say, “One thing I really love is getting to be a part of cultivating the individuality and voice of our youngest students and being a part of their early growth and development.”
Jesse Pearson, Class of 1988, has been teaching at Marin Horizon for 12 years. He currently serves as our Seventh and Eighth Grade Language Arts teacher and High School Placement Counselor, and previously led our Outdoor and Experiential Education program. His daughter Emmaline was a member of the MHS Class of 2021, and his daughter Nora is now a fourth grader at Marin Horizon. When asked what he enjoyed most about teaching at Marin Horizon, Jesse responded: “I love when a kid discovers that they can do hard things. Sometimes this happens in the classroom. Sometimes it happens on an outdoor ed trip. When a student discovers that there is more value in doing what's hard than in doing what comes easily, I know that they're ready for life after Marin Horizon. Witnessing those transformations is very gratifying.”
Stevie Lee, Class of 2004, is also a long-time Marin Horizon teacher. He joined MHSin 2014 as a Primary Classroom Assistant Teacher, and four years ago he transitioned to his role as PE Teacher to our Lower School students. He also coaches our Middle School athletics teams alongside Coach Joel. Says Stevie, “I never really left MHS since my four younger sisters attended MHS and the youngest didn't graduate until 2014, and my dad has also worked at MHS since 1999.”
Lizzie Key, Class of 2001, has been with us for ten years in a variety of administrative roles, and for the last five years has served as our Director of Enrollment Management. Her two-year-old son Silas continues the tradition by joining the Toddler Garden classroom this year!
When asked what she loves about her role, Lizzie replied, “The kids! This will be the first year that children I knew as Toddlers will be graduating. Seeing how much they have changed and grown over the years is incredible, and makes me that much more excited for the journey my Toddler son is embarking on.”
Jackson Westbrook, Class of 2014, is our new Second Grade Associate Teacher, and he joined us last year to teach a Middle School computer programming class. He describes returning to Marin Horizon this way, “Honestly it feels like coming home. Many of the teachers that I had learned so much from as an elementary and middle schooler are now my coworkers. To be able to see the faces of figures I idolized from my childhood is incredible.”
Sarah Janoff-Brinn, Class of 1999, joins us this year as a School Counselor. In her role, Sarah supports the social and emotional growth of students, helping them build friendships, manage feelings, and solve problems. She also works closely with teachers and families to ensure students feel safe and confident, and serves as a valuable resource for parents who have questions or need guidance on supporting their child’s well-being. She described how it feels to return to Marin Horizon this way, “It feels both new and familiar in the most wonderful way! The warmth I felt as a student is still very much a part of Marin Horizon and even though I graduated many years ago, it still feels like home.”
Here’s a full Q&A with this amazing group of alumni
Where did you go after Marin Horizon, and how did you make your way back to us?
Jesse: I attended Urban High School in SF, and then attended UC Santa Cruz. I studied film theory and production. I worked in the film industry in LA after college and then as a copywriter in San Francisco. I pivoted to real estate before finding my way back to MHS.
Stevie: For high school I went to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco. For college I had the opportunity to play football so I started at College of Marin and Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. I got my degree in Sports Management. I returned to MHS in 2014 as an Assistant Teacher in the Primary Program.
Lizzie: I attended Marin Academy High School, and then went to Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, where I earned a BA in Environmental Humanities. After college, I stayed in Washington for a few years and found myself in retail management, where I built early experience in leading teams and navigating complex challenges. When I returned to California, I reconnected with Marin Horizon and soon stepped into the Admissions Associate role. From there, I took on the Director of Marketing and Communications position before moving into my current role as Director of Enrollment Management, which I’ve now held for four years.
Alex: I went to high school at The Bay School of San Francisco and then attended Mount Holyoke College. I majored in Critical Social Thought as a way to focus on various social justice issues, concentrating a lot of my studies in gender studies and latina/o/x studies.
I’ve always loved working with young children and I developed my passion for early childhood education while working at The Bay Area Discovery Museum. I worked as an early childhood educator in a classroom setting for a year in Seattle, before moving back to the Bay Area and becoming an Assistant Teacher in the Toddler Garden classroom in 2024. This is my second year teaching here.
Jackson: I attended Redwood High School and Parsons School for Design in NYC and found a passion for computer science and video game design, which I majored in during college.
During college, I cooked and worked in the service industry, and recently I worked at The Junction here in Mill Valley where I may have served you. I started at MHS a year and a half ago, designing and teaching a game design elective to the middle schoolers. I taught students how to use industry-standard software in order to create fun interactive experiences.
Sarah: I attended Marin Academy and then I received a BA in Philosophy and Educational Studies from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. I moved to New York City and started working for a non-profit organization running after school programs focusing on literacy in Brooklyn and in the South Bronx. I loved working with children and I eventually transitioned to a socio-therapist role in a therapeutic foster care program in the Bronx where I supported foster families and children in the foster care system. I then returned to graduate school completing a Master's Degree in Social Work, focusing on clinical work with children, youth, and families, at Columbia University. After moving back to California, I worked as a clinician at a mental health clinic in San Francisco, and then as a therapist as the school counselor at Marin Academy before going to private practice full time in 2023. When I heard that Marin Horizon was looking to hire a part-time school counselor, I knew I had to apply! I'm so thrilled to be back.
What did/does it feel like to return to our school as a teacher/staff?
Jesse: Despite the fact that the school is no longer in the same place and that 99% of the faces are new, the school feels familiar. There's something in the DNA of this place. The passion for the outdoors, the commitment to preserving childhood, the gifted teachers, and the belief in the innate curiosity and intelligence of children are all alive and well at MHS. Those are the things I remember about the school from my time here as a student.
Lizzie: I was impressed, but not surprised, at how quickly my teachers pivoted to treating me as a colleague rather than a student. It truly felt seamless and is a reflection of how dynamic our faculty are. My Kindergarten teacher (Kathleen) didn't blink an eye when I asked her for parenting advice, which was a bit of a surreal moment! It was also amazing to see all the work they put in behind the scenes and how much they really truly care about their students.
Alex: It felt so welcoming to come back to the Marin Horizon community and to work alongside so many amazing educators, many of whom were formerly my teachers. Everyone here is so genuinely kind and supportive. It’s such a wonderful community to get to return to.
What is a favorite memory from your time as a student at MHS?
Stevie: Hard to choose with so many memories, from going undefeated in flag football, to Earth Day potlucks, to making the haunted house each Halloween during middle school, or Camp Gualala trips from 1st-5th grade. At Gualala, getting to jump off the big rock into the river, walking across the old wooden swinging bridge, and building a zip line to fall into the river were all highlights.
Sarah: I have so many memories in and out of the classroom, but I vividly remember celebrating Earth Day as a school and how taking care of the environment and our earth was instilled in me at an early age. I also loved the outdoor education component of Marin Horizon, from rock climbing as a way to teach math, overnight trips to Camp Gualala, and learning about water conservation by visiting a local creek. And all of my wonderful teachers!
Lizzie: Giving my graduation speech was an incredible experience. I had never spoken in front of that many people before, and looking out over the crowd and seeing so many people who cared about me and what I had to say was an amazing feeling. I still have my graduation dress and would love to take it for a spin again, maybe at the Spring Party!
Jackson: There are a lot of experiences that I really cherish from my time at Marin Horizon, stories I tell to this day. If I had to pick one it would be constructing and participating in a sweat lodge at camp Redwood Glen with the legendary Joel Booth and the rest of my class. Speaking about our community and huddling close to the ground to escape the heat was one of the most transformative and profound experiences I've had in my life.
What do you enjoy most about working at MHS?
Jackson: I love the community that I get the opportunity to see every day. I know that word comes up a lot when talking about MHS but I believe that only speaks to its truth. You get the sense that everyone has your best interest in mind and understanding and empathy are consistent undertones of the everyday routine.
Sarah: I love working with the students, the little ones all the way up to the eighth graders. I feel so lucky to be a part of such a dynamic, passionate, and dedicated faculty and staff who deeply care about their students.
Alex: I love the warm, supportive community at MHS. I feel so inspired coming to work everyday with a team of such dedicated teachers who are so passionate about and care so much about teaching and supporting our students. One thing I really love is getting to be a part of cultivating the individuality and voice of our youngest students and being a part of their early growth and development.