Port Orchard

Rebekah studied at Seattle Pacific University and has been working with children for 16 years in a wide variety of settings.  Most recently she created and directed an outdoor after school program in California that prioritized free play outdoors and fostered a meaningful connection between children and nature.  She is a certified Washington State Naturalist as well as a Stream, Forest and Beach Naturalist in Kitsap County.  Rebekah grew up on a ranch near Mount Rainier and is passionate about passing on the positive impacts of extended free play outdoors that she benefitted from as a child.  

Rebekah cares deeply about children receiving respect and basic trust to initiate and explore at their own pace.  Supporting children in problem solving and seeing them enjoy mastery of their own actions has been an incredibly rewarding part of her career and motherhood!  Magnolia’s philosophy was a perfect match for her own and Rebekah is thrilled to join a team of like-minded people and share Magnolia with her 3 year old.  

In her free time Rebekah loves being with family, creative writing, camping, exploring low tide, and community building in her neighborhood. She lives in Port Orchard with her husband and son.

Tom has a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition and Culinary Arts, and received Birth Doula training from Bastyr University. They have volunteered with Open Arms Perinatal Services as a pre/postnatal Doula, serving marginalized birth parents in the Seattle area. Tom has also worked as a volunteer cook at Operation Sack Lunch, serving Seattle’s homeless community.

As a child (and adult), Tom spent most of their time outside in the woods exploring, playing, imagining, dreaming and learning. As a queer/trans, gender non-conforming, birth-parent, Tom Crowley-Thomas has a passion for fostering equitable learning spaces and empowering students.

Currently, Tom is working on a degree in Psychology/Social Work and believes social emotional learning is paramount during formative Pre-K years. Making this connection to the land is foundational. In their free time, Tom loves to make up songs for their child, read poetry, ride their Vespa, play music with their band and spend time in the garden.

Katie’s (she/her) roots lie right here in the PNW! She was born and raised on Whidbey Island and followed her dad’s footsteps by joining the Navy as an Information Systems Technician-Reservist in 2014. Hoping to be more involved with her two kids, Jordan & Eden, Katie separated from the Navy after 9 years and continued as a Certified Nurses Assistant while her high-school-sweetheart husband, Mike, is active duty here in Bangor, WA.

Katie found Magnolia when her son was 2.5 years old. After a family tour where she got to see and experience verbal mapping first hand, her son was signed up the next day. Katie fell in love with the philosophy of Magnolia and started as a substitute in September 2023 and was promoted to a regular teaching position in 2024. Katie is now considering a complete career shift from Nursing to Early Childhood Education and is researching degrees and programs at local colleges.

Katie spends most of her time pretending to be dinosaurs with her son, but on rare occasions can be found reading, singing karaoke with friends, or exploring different parks with her family.