Our Teachers

Helene Hanson
Program Director and teacher, Helene Hanson, has been working in the early childhood education field since 1999, wearing many different hats, and consistently returning again and again to teaching preschool aged children. She brings her patience, wisdom and humor to her work and is deeply contented by helping children to have a first-time school experience that is warm, respectful and loving.

Katie Statman-Weil
Administrative Director and teacher, Katie Statman-Weil, has been working in education since 2000. Katie has her degree in Sociology from McGill University. Katie is proud of her work in the SF Bay Area public school system as a literacy advocate, her work as an English teacher for Latin American refugees in Mexico City and her work with mentally-ill children here in Portland as a Child and Adolescent Treatment Specialist. Katie is currently a mentor for a 15 year old girl in foster care. To Wild Lilac, Katie brings her compassion, clarity and passion for lifelong learning.

Iris House Teachers

Jessie Eller-Isaacs
Iris House teacher, Jessie Eller-Isaacs, is thrilled to be a part of the Wild Lilac family! She comes to us with a degree in education from the New School and nearly ten years of experience working with children of all ages in all kinds of different spaces. In addition to teaching pre-school, Jessie is in the beginning stages of building an interactive children’s entertainment company called Jelly Jar Productions with her partner Andy. She loves to sing and cook and play outside and is very happy she came to work at Wild Lilac!

Christina Livesay
Christina has been working with young children for as long as she can remember. Most recently, she has been the lead teacher at Blossom House Preschool. She also spends time volunteering with kids through Hands On Portland. She enjoys traveling, and has spent three years teaching English to children in Japan and Korea. Christina is looking forward to spending time with the kids and families at Wild Lilac Preschool. Christina and Helene worked as co-teachers before Wild Lilac was born and she is very excited to be working with her friend Helene again!

Amber Barrett
Daffodil House teacher Amber Barrett comes to us with five years of experience working in education, having worked with students of all ages. Amber got her start in education by teaching English as a Second Language in the Czech Republic. Bitten by the teaching bug, she's continued working with children ever since. Originally from Colorado, Amber just moved to Portland from Calgary, Alberta, and is smitten with Portland! She's looking forward to making the coming school year a positive, exciting and fun experience!

Helen Harris
Daffodil House teacher, Helen Harris, is a recent transplant to Portland. So far, she loves hiking, exploring the parks, smelling the roses, and going to the farmer’s market in this beautiful city. She has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and an undergraduate degree in History. Helen decided to pursue teaching as a profession after many years leading camping, gardening, and arts and crafts activities at a summer nature camp. She is very excited to bring her love of the natural world and passion for learning to Daffodil House.