Roaring Mouse was founded by Lassie Webster, who envisioned a place where all people could learn about the joy, freedom and power of embracing the creative spirit.  A cornerstone of our philosophy is the link between creativity and play. Our studio provides connected art and play areas which allow for a free flow of ideas, from play to art, and art to play. Through creative exploration, we encourage our students to follow their thoughts and curiosities into other forms of expression, and to experiment with combining ideas in new ways.

At Roaring Mouse, we respect and understand different learning styles, and support the unique process and growth of each student. Our mission is to provide opportunities to develop self confidence and awareness through artistic and creative experiences, and to enhance communication and understanding between people. All of the teachers at Roaring Mouse are committed to giving our students the best chance to discover and develop their own creative potential and to find ways to share those gifts with the world.


Staff


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Lassie Webster, Founder and Director

Lassie has devoted her life to working with people of all ages in the creative arts. In addition to developing and leading several programs in Seattle and California, Lassie has acted as a consultant to parents, teachers, counselors, and school districts for her expertise in the arts and social emotional development. Lassie received her training at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, where she studied with Anna Deveare Smith. She went on to study the visual arts, music, dance, and childhood development, and has her B.A. in Arts and Literature from Antioch University. She taught an arts- and social-emotional development-based kindergarten program in the Seattle Public Schools for 19 years, and opened Roaring Mouse Creative Arts Studio in 1997.


Jessica Lord, Program Director and Teacher

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Jessica is an early childhood educator with over 15 years experience working with diverse populations of young children and families. Her Reggio-inspired classes are always child-centered, with a strong emphasis on the creative process, child development and, of course, good old-fashioned silly fun! In addition to art, Jessica also teaches Nurturing Pathways® Creative Dance and hosts Pop-Up Adventure Playgrounds in the community. She lives in Broadview with her husband and two young children.


Deidre Behrend, Birthday Party Coordinator and Teacher

Deidre is originally from the mid-west and first joined Roaring Mouse as an intern the summer of 2014 after which she left to finish her B.S in Human Development and Family Studies at UW-Madison. Since then she's found her way back to Roaring Mouse several times, first as a preschool teacher and now as our Birthday Party Coordinator and Mouse Play House teacher. Deidre has dedicated her life to serving families from working as a preschool teacher, swim teacher and art teacher to working as a behavioral therapist and childbirth educator. She is now pursuing her Masters in Couples and Family Therapy at Antioch. As a teacher Deidre is passionate about creating little moments of wonder and connection for people of all ages. In her free time Deidre loves traveling and has been to 21 countries and counting! While she's home in Seattle she can be found drawing, painting, baking and hiking.


Lisa Berman, Preschool Teacher

Lisa grew up in a small town in the Adirondack Mountain region of upstate New York. She completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and Masters of Science in Education in Buffalo, NY and began her elementary education teaching career there. She moved to Seattle with her husband in 2006 and continued teaching at the elementary level. Lisa took some time off from teaching to stay home with her young children and participated in several years of co-op preschool, where she developed a passion for working with younger learners. She returned to the classroom as a teaching assistant at Thornton Creek Elementary, which both of her children attend. She worked first in a K/1 split class, and more recently in a Pre-K class in the Seattle Preschool Program. Lisa loves working with preschoolers because they are curious, have an enthusiasm for learning and exploring new ideas, and are immensely creative. She enjoys helping the children develop their social-emotional skills and express themselves, learn about each other and the world around them, and build their sense of self through imaginative play, experimentation with various materials and perspectives, and having some good, plain, messy fun. In her free time, Lisa enjoys hiking, camping, and generally having outdoor adventures with her family and their dog. She also enjoys getting messy and creative with her two daughters, reading, attempting to be a backyard gardener, and spending quality time with family and friends.


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Sayuri Fujiwara, Art Teacher

Sayuri’s love for art started long before she can remember.  Her favorite thing to draw as a child was the seed-head of a dandelion.  Since then, Sayuri graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in Studio Art.  She was also a long time Art Docent for Sacajawea Elementary School, and sent the seeds of her childhood dandelion doodles to bloom in the utmost beauty for others.  She really takes great pleasure in teaching and creating art with young people who are ready to explore their own creative possibilities. Of course, Sayuri relishes all forms of art but admits that print making and abstract expressionism painting are at the top of the list.


Andrea Ichikawa, Administrative Coordinator & Preschool Teacher

Andrea is a local theatre arts educator, specializing in Creative Drama. She studied Theatre, with an emphasis in Educational Drama, at Western Washington University. Following graduation she joined the Education team at Seattle Children’s Theatre, where she stayed for 14 years, working with students ages 3 to adult in schools, libraries, and museums around the Puget Sound. Andrea is a Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab graduate. She values being a life-long learner and sees every class as a chance to learn and grow from each other.


Tracy Melary, Preschool Teacher

Tracy has been a resident of Washington for most of her life, with the exception of a three year move abroad to The Netherlands. She graduated from Western Washington University with a bachelors of arts degree in political science and a minor in psychology. She has worked with young children, primarily as a nanny but also in the classroom setting, for the last twenty-four years. Tracy loves to see the world through young children and their imaginations. She is constantly amazed and inspired by how much she can learn from kids in the classroom on a daily basis. In her spare time Tracy enjoys, running, reading and exploring the outdoors with her family. She lives in the neighborhood with her daughter, husband and cat.