Staff Directory

Administrative/Supporting Staff	Early Childhood Program
Elementary School	Middle School
High School	NSRF
Rhino's	Development

Administrative/Supporting Staff

Barb Bonchek Building Coordinator (bbonchek@gmail.com) I started Harmony School with Roc in 1974. Although my background was not in education, my parents always encouraged me to become a contributing member of society and have a positive influence in our community. The experience of seeing what Harmony has become is a most gratifying outcome of our dreams. Roc and I are especially proud of our daughter, Fern, who graduated from Harmony. We attribute her ability to become a self-directed learner and have the strength to pursue her dreams to both her family support and her Harmony School experience. She is now the director of PALS (People and Animals Learning Services, http://www.palstherapy.org), a successful therapeutic horseback-riding program in Bloomington where I also work as a volunteer instructor. More>>

Steve (Roc) Bonchek Executive Director Harmony Education Center (harmony@indiana.edu) Steve is a founder of Harmony School. He has served as a director of Harmony School since its founding in 1974. He has been serving as Executive Director of Harmony School Education Center since its founding in 1990. More>>

Leslie Cracraft Main Office (lcracraft@harmonyschool.org)

Libby Gwynn Assistant Director (libby@harmonyschool.org) Libby Gwynn was born in England and, though she has lived in the US since she was 23, she still feels a strong connection to the UK and Ireland where she spent every summer of her childhood. Traveling is in her genes; by the time she left England she had already explored Europe quite thoroughly and survived a 9-month adventure driving overland to Nepal and back. Bloomington has been her home since 1977; for most of that time Harmony has been an important part of her life as she has worked here since 1984. More>>

Early Childhood Program

Tim Byers Teacher (tjbyers@harmonyschool.org) Tim Byers teaches in the Early Childhood Program. He started teaching at Harmony in the fall of 1999. Tim has a BA in aquaculture, an MS in zoology, a Ph.D. in biology, and an elementary teaching certificate with a Kindergarten endorsement. More>>

Linda Lewis Teacher (lindalew@hotmail.com) Linda Lewis started Harmony School's Early Childhood Program in 1993. Her favorite thing about teaching at Harmony is the strong feeling of community she shares with her coworkers, students, and the parents of her students. She believes the supportive environment makes it possible for teachers as well as students to do their best and feel good about themselves. More>>

Elementary School

Jo Banks 3rd & 4th grade teacher I've been teaching for 27 years and have a BS in elementary Education from Indiana University. I believe in low student-teacher ratios, lots of choices for kids, developing a close, personal relationship with each student and making learning as meaningful and exciting as possible. More>>

Jeremy Goodrich 3rd and 4th Grade Teacher (jegoodri@gmail.com) Jeremy partners with Jo Banks in the 3rd and 4th grade classroom. He is slightly less of a veteran having begun his Harmony voyage in 2005. Previous to teaching here, he filled the role of art teacher in two Vermont schools, and piloted the Harmony/VISTA project in another. His interests include participating in artistic adventures, playing with his baby, gardening, and staring at the classroom fish tank.

Kathy Boone 5th and 6th Grade Teacher (kathylboone@hotmail.com) Raised in the countryside, my favorite memories of childhood are riding quarter horses in fields, forests, and show arenas of the Midwest. I left horses behind when I went to college at Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington. I began my undergraduate career with a scholarship in the business school, although it wasn't long before the poetry and prose of the English Department lured me toward a BA in literature. More>>

Claudio Buchwald 1st and 2nd Grade Teacher (claudio@harmonyschool.org) Claudio Buchwald, host of Hora Latina, lived his first ten years in Lima, Peru, and since then has done stints of life in Washington DC, the greater Boston area, Ithaca NY, DC again, and for eleven years now, Bloomington. He teaches first and second grade at Harmony School, DJ's Latin parties at the Second Story, and plays old-time fiddle with The Monks. Some people like his cooking.

Scott Evans (scottev@harmonyschool.org) Scott Evans is in his sixth year of teaching at Harmony School. He teaches math and science in the fifth and sixth grade program. As well as teaching, Scott has served as the Elementary Coordinator for the past four years. Scott received his undergraduate degree in Natural Resources-Environmental Interpretation from Ball State University. After moving to Bloomington in 1992, he returned to school to get certified as a science teacher. He attended Indiana University for graduate work to see this goal met. Scott enjoys spending time with his wife Justine, playing with his two year old daughter Reed and walking in the woods with his dogs Eva and Esther. His hobbies include observing and recording birds, playing/recording music, hiking/camping, role-playing games and sports.

Michele Mattoon On Sabbatical Serving as Training Director for the National School Reform Faculty (michelemattoon@comcast.net) Michele Mattoon spent much of her childhood moving every 2-3 years. She has lived in many places in the U.S., as well as a three and a half year stint in Ghana, Africa. Michele attended Indiana University where she received her BS in elementary education. Afterwards she taught in New Zealand under the Overseas Teaching program at I.U. After returning to the U.S. in 1983, Michele began teaching at Harmony School. Besides trying to instill children with a love of learning, Michele has co-created a conflict resolution program for the elementary school and has directed an all elementary play for the past three years. Michele loves storytelling, reading, scuba diving and traveling. Along with her partner, Claudio Buchwald, she was award the Hoosier Educator Award and the Dorothy Johnson Award for Excellence in Education of Young Children.

Middle School

Marty Belcher Middle School Liberal Arts/Yearbook (mbelcher53@hotmail.com) Marty was born in Gary Indiana, and graduated from Indiana University having studied history and English.  He received a Masters's Degree in Education in 1980, and began teaching at Harmony in 1978 as a 5th & 6th grade language arts teacher.  He made the transition to Middle School 10 years later and currently focuses on both language arts & social studies.  "Publishing student work has been a fundamental part of my curriculum, with over 60 publications to date."

Kelli Debikey Middle School Math/Science (mskrieger2000@yahoo.com) I am a country girl at heart from Shelbyville, Indiana. From there I moved to Bloomington to go to school at IU. I have discovered that Bloomington is the town for me and that Harmony is the school for me. You can find me tucked away in my little computer corner working on lesson plans and loving every moment. I am a devout gardener, euchre player, and just love to have an overall good time with life.

Ursina Hastings-Heinz Middle School Science/Math/Art (uheinz@sbcglobal.net) Ursina Hastings-Heinz teaches Science and Art and integrates the two often, in classes such as: “Out of the Earth – into the Fire”, “From Pinhole to Digital”, and “Color and Light”. She spent time doing research and living with the Lacandones in the rainforest in Chiapas, is a native of Switzerland and was amazed when Amish in northern Indiana spoke her mother tongue. Ursina holds a BFA from Indiana University and lives in Bloomfield with her husband and daughter.

High School

Jon Cracraft High School (jcracraft@harmonyschool.org) Jon grew up in Indianapolis. He studied Anthropology and Biology at Macalester College and went on to graduate studies in Philosophy of Science at Virginia Tech. Since then he has worked as a librarian, a neurobiology technician, and a commercial archaeologist. In 2003 Jon moved to Bloomington and began volunteering at Harmony while completing a BA in mathematics at IU. After a year of teaching in Massachusetts, Jon has returned to Bloomington and is happy to again be apart of the Harmony community. Jon's Harmony High School Pages

Tom Hastings High School Liberal Arts (coupcoupdad@sbcglobal.net) Thomas Hastings has been teaching secondary language arts and archetypal psychology since l978. He holds a BA in mythogenics from Antioch (1973) and is working on a MS in counseling at IU His newest book of poetry, Crop Circle Secrets, will be available from Muse Rules Press in 2003. He practices and teaches magic for all ages.

Sallyann Murphey High School Social Studies/High School Coordinator (smurphsj@gmail.com) Sallyann, who holds a BA (Hons) in Politics and Modern History, is the history, politics and media studies teacher at the High School. She started her career as a journalist and later shifted to writing books. She has published five books and is currently directing her talents to Harmony's new Internet news magazine - The Zeen. More>>

Emily Sprowls High School (emilysprowls@harmonyschool.org) I moved here from Connecticut, and am so happy to be in a place where there are lots of bicycle lanes, caves, and young people that know how to be individuals. Before coming to Harmony, I taught science at a traditional college-prep school where my students and I hiked ancient lava “mountains,” swam miles, dug soil pits and waded through pond scum. I also love to knit and to get out on the water in my kayak, and I do as much yoga as I can find time for. More>>

Paul Swanson High School (pswanson@harmonyschool.org) Paul has been involved with Harmony since 2005, and began teaching in the high school full time in 2007. A man of many interests, he teaches history, ethics, comedy, music, music history, and cultural arts from around the world. Although he was born in Boston, Paul has lived as far a field as Ghana, India, Nepal, and Brazil. For now, though, he is happy to call Bloomington, and Harmony school, his home.

NSRF

Dave Lehman NSRF Interim Director (davelehman@mac.com)

Rhino's
Brad Wilhelm Rhino’s Director (rhinosdirector@ameritech.net) www.rhinosyouthcenter.org Brad Wilhelm has been the Director of Rhino's Youth Center for 10 years. He has only 10% hearing in his right ear.

Dave B Rhino’s (rhinosbooking@gmail.com)

Development
A. Scott Hutchinson Director of Development (hutchinson@harmonyschool.org) Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Scott moved to Indianapolis before he started school. He grew up in Plainfield, Indiana and Creve Coeur, Missouri before attending Indiana University. He majored in English and economics. Some local residents may remember his work as director of the Bloomington Volunteer Action Center or as the provider of training and technical assistance to communities addressing housing and homelessness issues through the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development. During the seven years before coming to the Harmony Education Center, he was the development officer and then director of membership for Phi Delta Kappa International, a worldwide association for educators. He lives with his wife Margaret in a funky tri-level house in the woods with two cats, a hedgehog, and a tank full of guppies. He enjoys exercising, writing, and computer games.