INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM
Elementary Team
Ms. Allen attends Evergreen State College Tacoma and loves reading, art, science, math, music, and all things creative! Ms. Allen is looking forward to being a part of the Catalyst community.
Sierra Amodei, Lead Teacher
Ms. Amodei is delighted to join the Catalyst Public Schools team as a 4th grade Lead Teacher. Ms. Amodei grew up in the Pacific Northwest, dreaming of traveling and living abroad. She obtained her Bachelors of Visual and Communication Arts from Franklin College Switzerland and spent four years traveling and exploring.
In the last 14 years, Ms. Amodei has pursued certification in copy editing at University of Washington and received her Masters in Teaching from Northwest University. She is grateful for the many opportunities she has had to volunteer and work with children from daycares to marginalized students abroad and families of domestic violence. Most recently, Miss Amodei has worked as a substitute teacher for Bremerton School District and Special Education paraeducator for 4th and 5th graders.
Ms. Amodei spends her time plotting new adventures and embarking on those adventures whenever she has the time. Also along for the ride are her two boys, Nino (6) and Alyosha (3) and one crazy pup, Callie.
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Carrie Buxton, Lead Teacher
Ms. Buxton is so happy to be joining the team at Catalyst!
Born and raised for almost all of her teen years, in Anchorage, Alaska, she is not stranger to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest! She moved to the mid-west as a teen, it is here where she finished high school and began her college career. During her college career, she took a break and focused on a service mission for a year and half where she had the pleasure of providing assistance and love to others in a new community, which rooted her love of serving others.
Her favorite past time is spending time with family and watching a good movie.
With a college degree n Public Relations, she found her joy in teaching when her youngest was struggling in reading in Kindergarten. After doing some research and finding a curriculum that would help her daughter, she began learning about various teaching approaches that would allow her help teach her daughter to read. By the end of Kindergarten, her daughter was reading at a first grade level. This sparked an interest and love for teaching, where she would then begin the journey of getting a Masters in Elementary Education.
Since then, her journey and love of teaching has grown! She has enjoyed 12 plus years of teaching in a classroom and with multiple grade levels! She is excited to continue her joy in teaching with the scholars at Catalyst.
Her family includes a wonderful husband of 22 years and two children, Harrison and Kennedy who both attend college. And-do not forget about their fur child- Kylo Ren- the cat!
She looks forward to working at Catalyst and meeting all of the wonderful teachers, scholars and families that make Catalyst great!
Marlon Davison, Teaching Fellow
Mr. Davison is a teacher with a love for history, learning, and helping kids discover their curiosity. A military brat, he has called Germany, South Korea, and Japan home before settling back in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Political Science and has also served as an Education Volunteer in the Peace Corps, experiences that shaped his passion for teaching and connecting with students from all walks of life.​
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Mr. Davison has taught both second and fourth grade and believes in creating a classroom where every student feels seen, heard, and excited to explore new ideas. Outside of school, you can usually find him playing volleyball or tennis, thinking about the next lesson that will make history come alive, or finding ways to bring a little fun and creativity into learning.
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He is dedicated to helping students grow academically, socially, and personally, and he loves nothing more than seeing their “aha!” moments in the classroom.
Brandee Haynes, Lead Teacher
Ms. Haynes is a Bremerton High School graduate who has worked in the education field for more than 15 years, working first in early education before receiving a Bachelor's Degree in elementary education. She continues to build deep roots in this community as she plans to work towards her Master’s Degree.
Ms. Haynes is excited to continue to work with a team that is as dedicated to the education and advancement of all children. Inspiring the next generation and being a witness to their endless capabilities is her goal.
Brenda Calmo Pablo, Small Group Instructor
Ms. Calmo Pablo is excited to join Catalyst Public Schools. Born in Guatemala, she moved to the U.S. at age five and was the first in her family to pursue higher education. Learning English while adjusting to a new culture was challenging, but she persevered and graduated from Bremerton High School and the Running Start program with honors.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Spanish from Western Washington University in 2025. She speaks English, Spanish, and Mam (Mayan language), and will begin the University of Washington’s U-ACT teaching certification program in Autumn 2025.
With a passion for education and leadership, Ms. Calmo Pablo aims to one day guide and inspire an entire school community. Outside of work, she enjoys running, hiking, swimming, kayaking, and being outdoors. She has completed several self-paced half marathons and is currently training for her second official race. She also enjoys volunteering and giving back to her community.
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She is excited to join Catalyst because she believes in its mission and looks forward to supporting and uplifting students and families.
Marva Jones, Teaching Fellow
Ms. Jones was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio but has lived in the Pacific Northwest for many years. Ms. Jones began her career teaching students in grades 3-6 in Cleveland. Since then Ms. Jones has worked as an educator with Kitsap Community Resources, the Suquamish Tribe and the Embassy Education Center. She holds both an Associate's degree and her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms. Jones is happily married is the mother of 4 children.
Andrea Nix, Lead Teacher
Mrs. Nix is originally from Chicago, Illinois and moved to DFW, Texas when she was 10. She attended the University of North Texas where she received her bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary Studies Early Childhood - 6th grade with an emphasis in English as a Second Language.
She enjoyed teaching 1st grade in Charleston, SC. before marrying her best friend and moved to Guam for three years. She and her husband are excited to settle down in Bremerton and explore the PNW. Mrs. Nix is beyond excited to join the Catalyst family!
Maddison Paulus, Lead Teacher
Ms. Paulus is a dedicated educator who grew up in Seattle, WA. Because of her passions for human rights, equity, and writing, Ms. Paulus studied international affairs, journalism, and Arabic at George Washington University in Washington D.C. During her time in college Ms. Paulus discovered that applying her passions to education is her true calling. After graduating, she moved back home to Seattle to be close to her family and pursue a career in education. She is currently a student in the U-ACT program at the University of Washington.
Ms. Paulus began working with scholars when she was 15 years old at a child development center in Seattle. Since then, Ms. Paulus has grown in her teaching through roles at elementary schools in Washington, D.C., and Federal Way, WA. Ms. Paulus’ favorite part of teaching is learning from her scholars. She enjoys art, writing, camping, and swimming in her free time.
Tonirenee Payne, Teaching Fellow
Ms. Payne has called Bremerton her home since she was 10 years old. Her father brought the family here from Sacramento, California when her father served in the Navy. She is a mother of a 10 year old boy and has worked as a caregiver in memory care for the elderly for 9 years. Being a mom and a caregiver has taught her that nurturing is a huge part of what makes her happy. She is grateful and excited to have joined the team and is determined to spread her light and nurturing spirit here at Catalyst!
Maribel Pelayo, Small Group Instructor
Ms. Pelayo is excited to become a part of the Catalysts team this spring. Ms. Pelayo was born in Los Alamitos, California and raised in Jalisco, Mexico. At the age of 17, she moved to Bremerton, Washington, where she graduated from Bremerton High School and embarked her quest as a Multilingual Language Bilingual Paraprofessional in 2019. During the past 5 years, Maribel has been supporting Multilingual Language Learners to help them become proficient in English. Currently, she is enrolled in an education program through Grand Canyon University where she hopes to graduate as an educator with Emphasis in English as a Second Language.
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She is thrilled to continue supporting students at Catalysts Public Schools while fostering a positive environment where all students can reach their highest potential and grow as an educator who can provide innovative learning experiences to her scholars. During her free time, she enjoys fishing, spending time with her boyfriend and connecting with her relatives from Mexico.
Amber Randolph, Small Group Instructor
From early on, Ms. Randolph knew she wanted to be a teacher. In high school, she was selected to be a student ambassador to the New Jersey Future Educator’s Association. In this role, she dove into the challenges of virtual learning for elementary aged students during the pandemic. In 2021, she was selected to moderate the Student and New Teacher panel at the New Jersey Educator’s Association conference.
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This passion for education and children continued through Ms. Randolph's collegiate career. She began working for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Charlotte, North Carolina. In this role, she recognized the importance of compassion and community. In 2024, she finished her Bachelor’s degree in History with dual minors in Community-Based Learning and Social Sciences. This experience promoted her love of teaching through her various field placements in local schools and her coursework in community behaviors, sociology, and social work. Advocacy, philanthropy, and equity have always been at the forefront of her mind. In her last undergraduate semester, she participated in a service-learning project with the Rock Hill Schools Foundation’s program “Back the Pack”. This program discretely provides meals to students on weekends.. Ms. Randolph and her group mates packed hundreds of meals and provided enough funding to feed thirteen students for the entire school year.
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Since graduation, Ms. Randolph has worked at the Ronald McDonald House of Seattle and enjoyed the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She is extremely excited to join the Catalyst team, grow professionally, and continue to make an impact on children’s lives. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, spending time with family, going on hikes, cheering on the Philadelphia Eagles, and painting.
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Alana Santos, Lead Teacher
Ms. Santos is excited to be joining the Catalyst ‘ohana (family). She hopes to inspire, empower, and celebrate each scholar’s growth.
Ms. Santos was born and raised in Hawaii and she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, majoring in Family Resources. Teaching isn’t just her job, it’s her passion and calling. Ms. Santos has spent her entire career working in the early childhood education field in both public and private school settings.
In 2019 Ms. Santos moved to Washington state with her husband, their 2 daughters, and their chihuahua terrier pup. With her family by her side, they enjoy camping and going to T-Mobile stadium to watch Mariners baseball.
Traci Siasat, Lead Teacher
Ms. Siasat received her elementary certification from Central Washington University in 2007. Previously, Ms. Siasat worked with autistic children and adults, as well as substituting in schools all around Kitsap.
Ms. Siasat has lived in Washington all her life and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. In her free time she likes to travel and camp with her son. They love to visit full of science and history. Ms. Siasat also loves all things geology, especially rocks. On the weekends, you will find her rockhounding on the beach.
Ms. Siasat is passionate about inclusivity and making sure all scholars have found their place amongst their peers.
Julianna Speer, Teaching Fellow
Ms. Speer will be one of our first grade teachers this year! She joins us from Tampa, Florida where she worked as the school librarian for an Independent PK3-12th school. She has previous experience in the academia and at the City of Tampa. Ms. Speer has a Masters in Library Science from the University of South Florida and a Bachelors in history from Florida College.
Katherine Viridian, Lead Teacher
Ms. Size is from a small surfing community in Southern California called Hermosa Beach where she spent most of my childhood. After graduating high school she went to Santa Monica Community College before transferring to California State University at Long Beach. It was there where she was exposed to what it really meant to be an authentic educator.
Ms. Size graduated with her BA in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Human and Child Development in 2019 and subsequently earned her Masters in Teaching from Pepperdine University.
After graduating from Pepperdine, she moved to Phoenix where she has been teaching for the last two years. Leaving that group of students was one of the hardest things she has done, but she cannot wait for new experiences in Washington.
When she is not at work she loves reading, creating, spending time with family, going on adventures, cooking and persistently and unsuccessfully trying to annoy her fiancé.
Taiylor Walters, Lead Teacher
Ms. Walters graduated from the University of Washington Tacoma in 2021 with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology as well as two minors focused in education.
She plans to continue through her Master’s degree and receive her teaching certification starting in August 2021. During her free time she likes to sit down with a good book, typically in the Young Adult genre, or watch one of the many Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. She is excited to be working with all of the Catalyst scholars and getting to know each and every one of them!
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Note: Some staff are not listed on the website based upon their preferences.