Heidi graduated from Western Washington State College in 1975, having studied home economics, early childhood and elementary education. She also spent 15 months in Teacher Corps and studied counseling and parent education at the University of Oregon. Before coming to the Bellingham Cooperative School in 1986, Heidi worked in Day Treatment at Catholic Community Services for 10 years, worked with the Lynden Home-Based Education program of Head Start, taught Parent Education at Bellingham Technical College for a dozen years, and taught 5th grade at Happy Valley Elementary School. She took over as Director and kindergarten/early elementary teacher at Belligham Cooperative School in 1994.

The school is a family affair. Heidi's daughter Alicia attended BCS through 6th grade and now directs the before and after school program at BCS. Heidi's husband Gerry Alford taught at the Co-op School in 1981. He recently retired after 37 years with the Bellingham School District and now works at BCS part time. The Alfords share a commitment to life-long learning, demonstrated by reading and attending workshops and lectures whenever possible. Heidi enjoys arts and crafts, coffee with friends and travel.

Michael has been working with preschoolers since 1984. He originally trained as an elementary school teacher at Sacramento State University, where he worked with young children at the university childcare center. He went on to work with preschool-aged children in a variety of settings, including private day care and a Spanish-speaking preschool for children of migrant farm workers. Before coming to BCS, Michael taught preschoolers at Head Start for 15 years.

“What excites me about working with preschoolers is their enthusiasm for simple ideas and activities,” Michael says. “Blowing bubbles in the rain or taking a walk to the grocery store to buy fruit are just as good as anything else you could think of.” Having trained in the Montessori, Reggio-Emilia, Project Approach and High Scope approaches to preschool, he is delighted to be working in a school where the primary focus is on the children themselves. “I like the fact that BCS is child-centered,” he says, “so I don't have to spend my time on paperwork or fitting the class into a curriculum. All my time can be spent focusing on the children, what each child needs and how we can make this environment best for that child and for the group.”

Music and art are integral to Michael's life and his approach to teaching. He loves to play the guitar and sing, and he enjoys a wide variety of art and music styles. He also enjoys walking, writing, and reading across a broad range of subjects. Michael has been married since 1985, and has three homeschooled children. His youngest attended BCS as a middle schooler and is currently enrolled in the Running Start program at Whatcom Community College.

Lissa grew up in Bellingham and attended Evergreen College, where she received a BA in Environmental Studies. While at college, she studied in France for a semester at the University of Montpelier. After graduating, Lissa taught environmental education to 5th and 6th graders at Camp Orkila on Orcas Island. Later she moved to Portland, teaching at the French–American International School (a French language immersion school) for two years.

In June 2004, Lissa moved back to Bellingham and gained her teaching certification from Western Washington University. She worked as a substitute teacher in the Bellingham public school system before joining BCS as the intermediate class teacher in 2006. She took a sabbatical in 2007 following the birth of her daughter Cecelia, and returned to BCS in 2009. “I love the freedom I have at BCS to follow the children's interests,” says Lissa, “and how creative I can be with the curriculum.” In her spare time, Lissa enjoys gardening, playing the cello, and playing the electric bass.

Jesse grew up in Maine and attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, graduating with a BA in Russian and Eastern European Studies. After college, he spent a few years traveling around the country, working as an environmental educator, wilderness trip leader, and substitute teacher. In September of 2002 he entered the teacher apprenticeship program hosted by the Arbor School in Tualatin, OR, and spent the next two years working in a 2nd and 3rd grade class and studying education. After graduating from that program, Jesse moved to Bellingham with his wife Lissa.

Jesse first joined the Bellingham Cooperative School staff in September 2004 as director of the BCS after-school program. He became the BCS middle school teacher in 2005. Jesse enjoys reading, hiking and playing the guitar.

Robin's first exposure to Spanish was in the fifth grade, when she and her class had six months of Spanish lessons. This early experience awakened her interest in Spanish language and culture, and has made her aware of the value of early exposure to languages. She studied Spanish in high school, and when she was twenty she lived for a year with a Costa Rican family in a small town in the Costa Rican countryside. On returning to Bellingham, Robin continued her Spanish studies at Whatcom Community College.

Robin first began teaching Spanish at Larrabee Elementary School, where she taught for five years. She began teaching at Bellingham Cooperative School in 2001. Robin now teaches Spanish to all the BCS classes from preschool through middle school. She particularly enjoys teaching the small classes at the Co-op School, and having the freedom to follow the kids' interests in organizing the curriculum. In addition to speaking and teaching Spanish, Robin also enjoys Spanish music and dance.

Kathy has a BA in Elementary Education from Western Washington University, and has worked as a teacher in Whatcom and Skagit counties. She began working at BCS in 1997, when her children were attending, first as a substitute and then as a teacher. “I felt welcomed and comfortable at BCS as soon as I arrived,” she says. “I was attracted from the beginning to the hands-on learning approach and the way each child is considered as an individual; their learning starts from where they are. I like seeing kids getting what they need, rather than just being slotted into a curriculum.”

Kathy's husband, Dennis Gudmundsen, is a commercial fisherman, and they have a second home in Haines, Alaska where they spend every summer with their children, enjoying hiking, fishing, boating, seeing wildlife, and watching the northern lights.

Alicia started attending BCS when she was nine months old, when her mother Heidi began working there. She was “the Co-op School baby” until she was old enough to enter the preschool, and she continued attending BCS throughout her elementary years. After graduating from high school, Alicia spent a year working as a nanny and traveling to several countries. She then spent two years at Whatcom Community College, two years at the The Evergreen State College, and one year working full time at BCS.

Alicia first began working at BCS as a classroom volunteer at the age of 12, later becoming an instructional assistant and now director of the before and after school program. She also directed the American Girls summer camp for several years, most recently in 2009. Her passions are music, traveling and children, and she also loves snowboarding, mountain biking and kayaking.