INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM
Middle School Team
Jennifer Adkins, Lead Teacher
Meet Ms. Adkins, a proud Texas native who holds a BA in English from The University of Texas Pan American. With 15 years devoted to teaching, she decided to pursue her passion for nature and relocated to Washington. Here, she has fully embraced the breathtaking scenery of the mountains, towering trees, and majestic whales. Ms. Adkins was drawn to the Catalyst team by their unwavering commitment to providing a rigorous education tailored to the unique needs of each child.
During her leisure time, she finds joy in hiking and embarking on adventures with her loyal companion, Lady, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Together, they explore the natural wonders that Washington has to offer, reveling in the beauty of the outdoors.
Jander Cline, Teaching Fellow
Jander, hailing from Vancouver, Washington, is thrilled to embark on his journey with the Catalyst team as a Teaching Fellow this year! His path led him to Walla Walla, Washington, where he spent the last five years, initially as a college basketball player at Walla Walla Community College. Later, in 2022, he transitioned to Whitman College to continue his basketball career at the NCAA Division 3 level while completing his studies. Recently, he proudly graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is eager to transition into a career in education.
From a young age, Jander has harbored a passion for teaching and is dedicated to guiding students towards realizing their aspirations and uncovering their boundless potential. Joining the Catalyst community aligns perfectly with his mission to contribute to an equitable and enriching educational environment for all Catalyst students.
When he's not in the classroom, Jander can be found on the basketball court, indulging in pickup games with friends and fellow enthusiasts. He finds immense joy in coaching and helping others discover the pleasures of recreational sports. Despite the weather, he carves out time to immerse himself in Washington's natural beauty through walks, hikes, and camping trips. While he has tales of his own adventures, Jander is always eager to lend an ear and listen to the stories of others.
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Bri Crawford, Lead Teacher
Bri Crawford is delighted to rejoin Catalyst Public School as an 8th-grade Math teacher for the 2024-2025 school year. With a comprehensive background in both special and general education, she brings a wealth of experience from her time in Bremerton schools.
Bri has been dedicated to education since 2015, beginning her career by fostering independence among scholars in the classroom. She subsequently worked with small groups to enhance their reading and math skills. In 2021, after earning her Master of Arts in Teaching, Bri taught students nationwide through Stride Learning Solutions, where she implemented meaningful changes to increase connection opportunities for scholars.
Following her experience as a substitute teacher for the Bremerton School District, Bri undertook a pivotal role as the Education Specialist for 4th and 5th grades at Catalyst Public School. In this capacity, she collaborated with teachers and scholars to improve accessibility to the general education curriculum, ensuring that diverse student needs were met and goals achieved.
Now, as an 8th-grade Math teacher, Bri is committed to building strong relationships with students and colleagues, fostering a supportive environment for everyone’s success. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys trivia, kayaking, dancing with her husband, and spending quality time with their teenage boys and their dog, Bashful.
Sarah Daly, Lead Teacher
Mrs. Daly is originally from Buffalo, NY and grew up in Phoenix, AZ. She joined the United States Navy at 19 years old and traveled the world. This is where she developed a love for serving others and her country. She enjoyed interacting with people from various cultures, witnessing their beautiful landscapes, and eating their delicious food. Mrs. Daly received her bachelor’s degree in communications, from Arizona State University and is currently working towards her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. After graduating college, she followed her husband to his hometown of Houston, TX. This is where she uncovered her calling to teach. Mrs. Daly has taught in Texas for four years and coached middle school softball. She has a passion for teaching and helping students achieve their goals.
When Mrs. Daly is not at school, she is enjoying the outdoors with her husband, son, and two dogs. Mrs. Daly loves playing sports and participates in local recreation leagues with her friends. This will be Mrs. Daly’s first year living in Washington and she is very excited for all the new adventures to come. She also cannot wait to explore the multitude of coffee shops the state has to offer. Most importantly, she is thrilled to work at a school like Catalyst, where teacher and staff are dedicated to providing the very best education to all students.
Renee Hammel, Teaching Fellow
Born and raised in Iowa, Ms. Hammel's association with the Navy community brought her to Bremerton in 2005. This affiliation has taken her and her family around the world including Guam, Virginia, and Japan before returning to the Bremerton area in 2020.
After completing her Culinary Arts degree she held the position of Catering Coordinator at Olympic College. While in this position, Ms. Hammel successfully applied for and was awarded multiple grants allowing the program to maximize the efficiency of services provided by the catering staff. While not working Ms. Hammel enjoys spending time with her two children and husband performing outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and kayaking.
Ms. Hammel is excited to begin her teaching journey as a member of the Catalyst community. Here she is looking forward to instilling a sense of belonging and empowerment to its scholars. She is motivated to share her culinary knowledge to lead these scholars into making wise food-based decisions as well as teaching the skills they need to know to become independent in their own kitchens.
Cathryn Larson - Lead Teacher
Cathryn was born in Bremerton and grew up in Bellingham, WA. She attended Western Washington University, where she earned her Bachelors in German Language Arts. Through her undergraduate studies, she fell in love with learning and travel; she has studied abroad in Germany, gone on safari through Tanzania and Kenya, cruised the Panama Canal, explored Mexico and Switzerland as a Girl Scout, and has enjoyed the blessings of being able to travel the world.
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Returning to Bremerton in 2017 to care for family, Cathryn entered the world of public education. While she worked as a paraeducator, she went back to school to earn her Masters in Teaching Multilingual Learners from Moreland University. She most recently taught first grade, and is looking forward to joining the Catalyst school family.
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When she’s not teaching, Cathryn enjoys spending time with her husband and two pets, Ruth the dog and Lucky the cat. She can be found walking the neighborhood and playing at Manette Park, with her nose in a good book, or planning her next adventure.
April Lindvold, Lead Teacher
Ms. Lindvold is originally from North Carolina but calls Washington home.
After graduating high school, she joined the United States Navy, where she got to travel the world, learn history, experience different cultures, and met her husband.
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She graduated from Old Dominion University with her Bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies. Prior to Catalyst she has worked as a 3 rd grade teacher, music teacher, and worked as asubstitute teacher.
Outside of school, she plays taxi driver to her three kiddos: 16, 14, and 8. She takes them to Scouts, swim lessons, and school activities. She also has a small zoo in her house consisting of 2 dogs, 2 cats, a bearded dragon, and a guinea pig.
Her hobbies include spending time with her family, traveling, playing Minecraft, and snugglingup with a great book.
Matthew Moran, Lead Teacher
Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Mr. Moran packed up his family and made the drive to Bremerton, Washington, just to be at Catalyst. Graduating from the University of Delaware, he worked as a Behavior Specialist and worked with students to create behavior plans and performed positive interventions. He then transitioned into teaching middle school Social Studies and Leadership programs.
He then made the leap into the world of Summer Camp at the Siegel Jewish Community Center, making the outdoors his classroom as he programmed activities for ages five to fifteen. In 2020 he began teaching at the Widener Partnership Charter School virtually, focusing on Science and Social Emotional Learning. During this time he began his Master's Program at Widener University, graduating in 2023 with a Masters of Education in Instructional Technology.
He enjoys writing in his spare time, as well as playing table top games like Dungeons and Dragons and Powered by the Apocalypse. Since moving to Washington, he has gone on adventures with his wife Megan and his son Asher. He'll gladly talk to any student about their favorite anime, their philosophy of life, or their favorite art movement.
Sara O’Neill - Lead Teacher
Sara is from Colorado and is someone who is making her dream of living in the Pacific Northwest come true by joining the Catalyst team. She studied English at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado and has taught elementary and middle school for the last 6 years.
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Sara enjoys cooking, music, baking (pies and anything loaf related are my favorites), hiking, painting and hanging out with my two cats Roman and Pollo.
Alexandria Pacifico, Lead Teacher
Ms. Pacifico recently moved to the area and was born and raised in Colorado. She earned her BA in English and history and her MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver. She has taught 6th grade English for 3 years in Denver and previous to that, taught English in Japan. She was also a preschool teacher throughout college. As a typical Colorado native, she enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, snowshoeing . . . all things outdoors! She also enjoys spending time with her dog and watching hockey. Ms. Pacifico is drawn to Catalyst because of the commitment to equity, closing gaps, and high quality academic and social and emotional instruction.
Miranda Schryver, Teaching Fellow
Miranda was born and raised in Washington and recently moved to Bremerton from the Olympic Peninsula. She has previously worked in public schools and is very excited to join the Catalyst family! In her free time she enjoys being outside, hanging out with her family and pets, and seeking the sunshine. She love to travel, her soul is the most quiet at the beach and in the mountains. She can't wait to meet everyone!
Keith Viridian, Lead Teacher
Mr. Viridian was born and raised in Southern California in a city on the outskirts of Los Angeles County. Mr. Viridian and his fiancée decided to move to Washington and came across this lovely school. We were both very fortunate to be hired and he is thrilled to be able to teach at Catalyst alongside her. His journey into the classroom was long, but he finally felt that he was right where he belongs.
From first grade, all the way until his senior year of high school Mr. Bañuelos was in Cub Scouts then promoted to Boy Scouts of America where he received the highest honor of Eagle Scout. All throughout high school, he participated in sports such as Wrestling, Tennis, Cross Country, and Track and Field. During his senior year, his team won the State Championship for Division 3 in 2010.
After high school, Mr. Viridian attended Cerritos Community College taking courses in various subjects, not only to find a passion, but to educate himself and become a well-rounded person. While doing this he joined a band and played at places such as the House of Blues in Hollywood and the Whiskey a Go Go. He started coaching Cross Country and Track and Field a couple of years after the band separated. A few years later he transferred to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and received my Bachelor of Arts in Education Sciences.
Following graduation, Mr. Viridian worked at a middle school until he received my acceptance letter to Pepperdine University for their Masters of Arts in Teaching Program. He taught in a first and fifth grade classroom and would later be hired as a first/second grade combo teacher. Now he is excited to start the next chapter of my life in Washington with my fiancée at Catalyst.