Susan Cole O'Malley

Mrs. O'Malley is a veteran teacher with over 35 years of teaching experience. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BA in Education and earned a Masters in Special Education from Eastern Kentucky University and a MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Washington.

She enjoys reading, traveling the world and being in nature.  She brings that love of nature into her classroom.  "Gardening with nature and for the local food bank, community outreach through education, art and the love of literacy are the joys I bring to the classroom experience," says Mrs. O'Malley.

Jacklyn Whitehouse

Mrs. Jacklyn Whitehouse is a new addition to our community as of 2009. She graduated from Washington State University in May 2008 with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. In the next couple of years, she plans to continue her education by completing a Masters program in Mathematics, Counseling or Administration.

Mrs. Whitehouse loves seeing the smiles on kids' faces every morning. She knows that teachers make a difference in children's lives. "What better job is there than spending all day with 24 wonderful young people who are as excited about learning as I am?" She believes a teacher can be instrumental in helping young people learn who they are and who they would like to become. For her, teaching is the best career in the world!

Mrs. Whitehouse believes that whether it is mastering multiplication facts, drawing, or writing creative stories, all learners have incredible talents that should be shared! She is excited to be joining such an excellent learning community that is enriched by parent involvement and an enthusiastic learning team.

David Leviten
Grades Five and Six
Explorer Community School
dleviten@lwsd.org

Mr. David Leviten came to the profession of teaching with a strong science and math background. He graduated from the University of Washington with a BS in Chemical Engineering and then earned his Certificate in Elementary Education and Middle School Math and Science.

Mr. Leviten brings his love of music and the environment into his classroom.  As part of the Explorer teaching team, he was recently honored by King County as an "Earth Hero at School" for his work teaching his students how to reduce their carbon footprint through practical strategies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Leviten believes that students need to develop academic, social, emotional and organizational skills at school, and each skill is equally important. He provides his students with many opportunities for hands-on, interactive learning.  He believes that learning takes place in many different settings and environments and school should be a place where laughter and smiles should always be present.  His famous classroom "homework songs" are one of the many ways he gets his students joyfully engaged in a love of learning.

He feels fortunate to be teaching at Explorer where he feels students thrive in a multi-age environment with strong parent support.