Teachers & Staff
General Education Teachers | Subject Teachers | Student Support Staff | Homeschool Teachers | Administration
Classroom Teachers & Assistants
The Waldorf model includes class teachers in grades 1-8 looping with their students for more than one year. Some teachers stay with their classes all eight years, some are middle school experts, some are early elementary experts. Kindergarten teachers are stable in their self-contained classrooms, continuing as kinder teachers year after year.
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Special Subject Teachers
Subject teachers specialize in areas of expertise and have the vantage point of teaching many classes, with some teaching all 1-8 students in the school.
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Student Support Staff
Our social-emotional and behavioral support staff includes our dean of students, our school counselor, and our school social worker. Our academic interventionists provide specialized support for students needing small group help in reading and mathematics. Special education teachers support students who qualify for special education. Our gifted and talented teacher provides support for students qualifying for advanced learning plans. Our paraprofessionals and assistants provide further support for students.
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Homeschool Teachers
Homeschool teachers provide supplemental programming for students who are primarily educated in the home environment. We have an in-person homeschool program – the Village Homeschool. We also have an online homeschool program – the Frontier Homeschool.
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Executive Leadership Team
Lauren Artino
Director of Student Services
With over 20 years of teaching experience in the field of Special Education, Lauren has a passion for creating quality programming opportunities for students in special programs. Lauren is an Ohio native and graduated from Ashland University with a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education in 2001. Her background includes teaching elementary and secondary students in Ohio, New Mexico, and Colorado. She was recognized as the Charter School Educator of the Year in 2019 and went on to participate in Relay Graduate School’s Special Education Leadership Academy the following year. Lauren remains committed to serving the students, staff, and families of Mountain Song and fostering a school culture that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. When not working, she enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her family.
Lauren Artino
Interim Director of Education
Shannon Lang has been with Mountain Song since it opened in 2013. Born in Ohio, Shannon received her BS in Elementary Education from Ashland University. She taught several grades in public mainstream education for 12 years before learning about, exploring, and eventually coming to Waldorf education. With help from Mountain Song, Shannon received her Waldorf teacher certification from Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, CA through participation in their Hybrid program. She also chose to tackle the extra hours of study offered by RSC in pursuit of earning her MA in Education with a concentration in Waldorf Education, compiling a capstone project titled A Waldorf Teacher's Approach to Educating with Love: Incorporating the Five Love Languages into Pedagogy.
As a Grades Class Teacher, Shannon helped carry several classes through their 1st–5th, 4th–5th, and 1st grade years. In the 2021–2022 school year, she became the Frontier Online Homeschool Enrichment Teacher. She later expanded her leadership by teaching two Village In-Person Homeschool Enrichment classes and serving as Homeschool Coordinator during the 2024–2025 school year. Shannon now serves as Mountain Song's Interim Director of Education, bringing with her years of classroom experience, instructional leadership, and a deep commitment to Waldorf education. She says she loves being a Waldorf educator because of the relationship-based approach to education. Shannon enjoys swimming, taking neighborhood walks, being by water whenever the chance arises, listening to live music, and, most importantly, spending quality time with her family and friends.
Dr. Dani Lindo
Assistant Director of Education
Shannon Lang has been with Mountain Song since it opened in 2013. Born in Ohio, Shannon received her BS in Elementary Education from Ashland University. She taught several grades in public mainstream education for 12 years before learning about, exploring, and eventually coming to Waldorf education. With help from Mountain Song, Shannon received her Waldorf teacher certification from Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, CA through participation in their Hybrid program. She also chose to tackle the extra hours of study offered by RSC in pursuit of earning her MA in Education with a concentration in Waldorf Education, compiling a capstone project titled A Waldorf Teacher's Approach to Educating with Love: Incorporating the Five Love Languages into Pedagogy.
As a Grades Class Teacher, Shannon helped carry several classes through their 1st–5th, 4th–5th, and 1st grade years. In the 2021–2022 school year, she became the Frontier Online Homeschool Enrichment Teacher. She later expanded her leadership by teaching two Village In-Person Homeschool Enrichment classes and serving as Homeschool Coordinator during the 2024–2025 school year. Shannon now serves as Mountain Song's Interim Director of Education, bringing with her years of classroom experience, instructional leadership, and a deep commitment to Waldorf education. She says she loves being a Waldorf educator because of the relationship-based approach to education. Shannon enjoys swimming, taking neighborhood walks, being by water whenever the chance arises, listening to live music, and, most importantly, spending quality time with her family and friends.
Brian Honeycutt
Director of Operations and Development
Brian Honeycutt brings extensive leadership experience in both the government sector and non-profit organizations. He has held key positions such as Director of Vocational Services at New Castle Learning Colorado, Director of Operations for the City and County of Broomfield, and Director of Motor Vehicles for the City and County of Broomfield. In these roles, he collaborated closely with elected officials at the city, county, and state levels, demonstrating his commitment to public service and community support. At Mountain Song Community School, Brian keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Much of his current focus is on managing the school’s $14 million BEST grant, ensuring successful execution of this major capital project to support the future of our campus. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, reflecting his strong foundation in operational management and technological expertise. He is also actively pursuing his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification as part of his ongoing professional development.
Administration
KARL JOHNSON
Pedagogical Director
Mr. Karl Johnson has been an educator for over 40 years and has taught in the Waldorf movement since 1986. He brings an absolute wealth of experience to Mountain Song. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Utah State University and his Master’s in Guidance and Counseling from Utah State University. He also holds a Waldorf Education Support Specialist Certificate from the Gradalis Institute. Mr. Johnson has been a Waldorf class teacher and music teacher for over twenty years and a Waldorf pedagogical leader, mentor, and trainer for the last decade.
An experienced adult educator, Mr. Johnson has mentored and trained hundreds of teachers at dozens of Waldorf schools including in China, Nepal, New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. He currently serves on the faculty of Gradalis Institute in Denver, and has also previously taught on the faculty for the West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy in British Columbia and in the Xian Waldorf Teacher Training Program in Xian, China. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Honing Our Craft: Pedagogy and Leadership in the Waldorf Classroom.
MARY ANN MAJOR
Registrar & Enrollment Coordinator
Mary Ann joined Mountain Song Community School as Registrar and Enrollment Coordinator in 2022. She brings over 10 years of experience in registration roles across several schools in Colorado Springs District 11. Before moving to Colorado in 2008, she served as the Media Clerk at an elementary school in Augusta, Georgia with over 600 students.
A native of North Carolina, Mary Ann holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Mary Ann saw firsthand the difference a Waldorf education can make when her daughter joined 5th grade at Mountain Song in 2021. Inspired by that experience, she is deeply committed to the Waldorf philosophy and is passionate about helping families join the only tuition-free Waldorf school in Colorado Springs.
In her free time, she enjoys sewing, reading, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with her family.
SAL PIETTE
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Originally from the Midwest, he moved to Colorado Springs about 20 years ago and has since created work for the Colorado Springs Independent, local design boutiques, and his own studio, always choosing clients that feel like a good-hearted, values-aligned fit.
Coming from a family full of teachers, he’s especially excited to help share Mountain Song’s mission with current and future families, and he loves the school’s nurturing, warm environment where children are truly seen and heard.
Sal is an artist who’s happy working in just about any medium—from acrylic and pen, to sculpture and unusual taxidermy—Sal never stops creating. When he’s not crafting stories for Mountain Song, he enjoys making art at home with his partner and two step kids, creating YouTube videos with his young nephew, and spending time with the family’s beloved (and always hungry) pets: Bueller, Magic, and Freyja.
Julian Dumont
Student Assessment and IT Coordinator
(Bio coming soon)
Ryker Nori
Kitchen Specialist
(Bio coming soon)
Health & Front Desk Assistance
KIRSTEN MEEHLEIS
Office Manager
KARA WAGNER
Admin Assistant & Meal Program Coordinator
Building and Facilities
GARY PILLARS
Director of Facilities & Safety
TIM PEDRAZA
Custodian
Susan Gonzalez
School Nurse
Nicholas Gordon
Custodian