Sequoia Falls Academy

Annie Schacher comes to us from Silverton High School where she has served three years as Drop-Out Prevention Coordinator. In this position Annie was focused on working with high school students who were struggling to engage or be successful in the traditional academic setting and students who had dropped out of Silverton High School prior to completion. Annie worked with students and families to remove social, economic, and academic barriers for students in order to allow them to continue to progress toward their life goals and academic completion. Annie received her undergraduate degree in Education from George Fox University and has continued her education by taking graduate counseling courses, becoming certified as a Trauma Informed Trainer, and is currently pursuing certification in secondary Science with a focus on the Scientific Perspective “Teaching Story-Telling Through Science”. Annie is trained in Crisis Response, Trauma-Supportive Care, ENVOY classroom management, Differentiated Instruction, and serves on the Willamette Social Emotional Learning Network. Annie has used her expertise working with social services, alternative education networks, and district staff as well as her passion for engaging the whole student to ensure future life success for SFSD students for many years including her time teaching in our K-8 Schools. Annie was born and raised in Silverton and attended Central Howell K-8. She was an active student leader at Silverton High School where she met her husband Dan. Dan and Annie have 4 children together (ages 8-13) and both remain active in community activities, volunteering in community youth outreach organizations, as well as owning 2 local, small businesses.

Michaela Straub has come back to Silver Falls School District, where she had worked at Silverton High School and completed her graduate internship with Sequoia Falls Academy and Mark Twain Elementary School. She is now serving as our School Social Worker. In this position Michaela’s focus is on connecting students and families with a variety of resources and services, both in the district and in the community, as well as providing crisis intervention and advocacy for underserved populations. Services and resources include mental health services, connection to community resources including houselessness, food insecurity and specialty referrals, substance use, and addressing other at-risk factors, as well as assessing barriers in reaching academic and overall success. Michaela is a Clinical Social Work Associate (CSWA) Licensed under the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers and working towards her Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) licensure. Michaela also holds a Preliminary School Social Worker license with TSPC. Michaela completed her undergraduate degree at Portland State University in Generalist Social Work and graduated from Portland State University in 2021 with a Master’s in Social Work. Michaela has experience in Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment and working with children and adults with Intellectual Disabilities. Since graduating Michaela has worked as a family therapist with Providence Health & Services, and as a School Social Worker. Michaela’s experience includes crisis interventions, brief interventions, person centered care, case management, care coordination, and long-term therapeutic interventions

Benson joined us in 2021 from Salem Keizer School District where he spent 18 years supporting the District as a Behavior Intervention Trainer. Benson has extensive experience working in Special Education, enacting district wide responses to Oregon legislation, and collaborating with diverse teams to find solutions to support challenging situations. He was a certified Mandt trainer, specializing in effective de-escalation strategies and management of staff and student and assessing risk and safety. Benson has a wealth of experience creating safety plans and accommodations for individuals, program planning and working as a liaison between students, staff, caregivers, and community agencies. Benson is trained in Social Emotional Learning, Positive Behavior Intervention Systems, Sexual Incident Response, STAT, and is a Crystal Apple Nominee. Benson’s education includes an Associate Degree from Chemeketa Community College, B.S. of Social Science with course work in Psychology from Portland State University, 2 years of Pastoral Leadership through the Vineyard Institute. He is currently working on his Masters in Education with a Social Studies Teaching endorsement. Benson has also coached volleyball, basketball, and baseball in our community and district and served as the Lead Pastor of East Valley Vineyard Church in Silverton for 10 years.

Natalia was born and raised in Tlaxcala Mexico. Her family migrated to the US in 1997. She graduated from McNary High school in 2007. She comes to us from her position as a Workforce Consultant for Oregon Human Development Corporation where her job duties included providing employment training opportunities to migrant and seasonal farm workers, outreach to employers for job placement, network with community leaders and advocating for emergency services for families in need. OHDC was one of many organizations allocated with CARE funds during the pandemic to help with rent and utilities and Natalia facilitated the training temporary staff and doing intake enrollments as they provided assistance for 300 households. Prior to working with OHDC, she worked as an Office Manager for an AG employer. Natalia grew up with a strong work ethic; she developed a strong sense of family values and above all, she has demonstrated a strong desire to work with underserved populations such as the farm worker/Hispanic community. Natalia is a very professional young person with a big heart to help those in need. Natalia is a mother of two beautiful daughters, Luna and Lila and presently living in Keizer, Oregon.

Jennifer Hannan left the classroom 22 years ago to come to Silver Falls School District as a High School Counselor. Jennifer has spent her career in SFSD serving in the roles of Counselor, Special Student Services and Student Leadership Coordinator, Behavior Specialist, Building Principal and most recently Director of Teaching and Learning. Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s in Teaching and Social Sciences from George Fox College, her Master’s in Counseling from Oregon State University where she specialized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Social Emotional Learning Skills (SEL), and her Administrative License at Portland State University. Jennifer has pursued advanced studies in Adolescent Anxiety, Adolescent Mood Disorders, Trauma Informed Practices, Collaborative Problem Solving, Equity and Inclusion, Differentiated Instructional Strategies, Suicide Prevention and Intervention, Student Risk and Threat Assessment, and Gifted Learners. Jennifer fills Regional Leadership roles on the Willamette Student Success Advisory Board, the Willamette Social Emotional Learning Workgroup, and the Regional Alternative Education Advisory Group. In addition to serving as the Director for Sequoia Falls Academy, Jennifer continues to oversee Equity Work, Gifted Services, Counseling Services and Alternative Education Services, Student Success and High School Success Grant Management, and Crisis Response for Silver Falls School District. Jennifer makes it a daily pursuit to interrupt inequitable practices, create more validating and inclusive learning environments, and nurture the gifts, interests, and assets of all individuals. Jennifer and her Husband Mark, Principal of Albany Options High School, have 4 children aged 14-30, all having graduated from or currently attending SFSD.

Holly has 28 years of experience providing compassionate mental health services to individuals, couples and families, including over 20 years in the Silverton, Oregon community. Her holistic, strength based, person centered approach guides her practice with the belief that everyone has the capacity to change and the inner resources to learn skill sets which leads to self-awareness, personal growth, the release of trauma and the empowerment to lead a fulfilled life. Holly received her Bachelors from University of Oregon in Psychology and Biology and her Masters at Lewis and Clark in Clinical Psychology and School Counseling. Holly utilizes evidence-based therapeutic modalities including: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing, Pragmatic Experiential Therapy (PET) for Trauma and PTSD, and Critical Incident Crisis Management and use of Trauma Focused CBT for trauma debriefing. Holly specializes in (ADHD), Anger Management, Anxiety Related Behaviors, Coping Skills Training, Parent and Peer Relationships, as well as a wide range of Adolescent Mental Health issues including Depression, Self-Harm, Self-Esteem, Sleep, and Teen Violence. Holly’s experience includes serving clients in a nonprofit medical and mental health clinic, Winslow Indian Health Care Center, Marion County Children’s Mental Health, Silver Falls School District, Gresham School District and her Private Practice in Lake Oswego and Silverton. Holly regularly consults with area medical providers as a partner in medication management.

Sergio has joined Sequoia from the Department of Corrections where he served high school students in a residential placement program. There Sergio provided support for at-risk teens to gain the skills and stability necessary to be successful in a residential community rather than a correctional facility. Sergio brings additional expertise and experience as a case manager and advocate supporting community needs from the Oregon Human Development Corporation of Marion and Polk County. Sergio was born and raised in Oregon and graduated from Woodburn High School. He earned an Associate Degree at Chemeketa Community College in 2017 followed by a Bachelors of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Portland State University in 2019. Sergio is trained in non-violent Crisis Intervention(CPI), Educational and Vocational Support, Individual Problem-Solving, and Evidence-Based Skill Building. Sergio plans to continue his education with a focus on supporting the success of youth in our community. Sergio experienced life-saving support as a young person that was instrumental in guiding his path and shaping his future. He is committed to paying that forward here at Sequoia and in his future educational and professional endeavors.

Sheila comes to us from Silverton High School where she has been an English Language Arts Teacher and the Talented and Gifted Coordinator. Sheila received her Bachelor’s degree in English Language Arts and Teaching Certification from Corban University in 1993 and has been in many classrooms since as well as serving as a Linn County Juvenile Department Peer Court Coordinator. Sheila is trained in Question Persuade Refer (QPR), Talented and Gifted Learners, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resilience, A.C.E. Essentials, Differentiated Instructional Strategies and Assessment Cadre. Sheila volunteers as a Youth Outreach leader and has worked for the Detroit Ranger District in the Willamette National Forest and ODFW specifically, Minto and Marion Forks Fish Hatcheries. These programs focus on positive relationships, youth employment opportunities and training and environmental stewardship. Sheila strives to serve families with a whole person, relational focus. Sheila has thoroughly enjoyed the varied capacity in which she has worked with youth and sees Sequoia Falls as an incredible opportunity to continue to serve students in the Silver Falls School District. Sheila and her husband Steve have 3 sons, 3 of which are recent Silverton High School graduates. She enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, hiking, fishing, camping and exploring with her family and four dogs (her favorite children).