Teachers & Aides
Tasha Reveles
Tasha Reveles
Preschool Teacher
I go by Mrs. Tasha and I love anything that has to do with our natural world and being outside. I love my job, watching kids understand something new is so exciting. I am a mother of two and have been a stay at home mom up until my children started school, my family is my whole world. I believe that our children of today will become our great leaders of tomorrow with the proper guidance, encouragement and love from the adult role models in their life.
Sasha Essig
Colleen Sagaser
Colleen Sagaser
Kindergarten Teacher
My name is Colleen Sagaser. I have been married for 36 years. I have three wonderful sons and two amazing grandchildren. This is my 20th year at Cuddeback School. I am now teaching Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten. I also coach Cross Country Running every Fall. I have enjoyed every minute of my time at Cuddeback. I plan to be here for many years to come.
Tara Arreguin
Lindsi Reback
Lindsi Reback
1st Grade Teacher
My name is Lindsi Reback. I have lived in Carlotta all my life. I went all through Cuddeback School from kindergarten to eighth grade. My entire family has been very involved in this school for many years and it is such an honor to teach here for the past 18 years. I started teaching third grade and then found my home in first. I love being involved with PTO and 4H. My family and I love to travel and are avid SF Giants fans. My husband and I own Wyckoff’s Plumbing and have three amazing kids. Mikenna is a sophomore at Fortuna High School. My twin boys, Hunter and Noah are in the 6th grade. I can’t believe how fast time flies so cherish every moment. I am very blessed that Cuddeback is my forever home.
Jesi Elmore
Laurie Bravo
Laurie Bravo
2nd Grade Teacher
My name is Mrs. Bravo, wife to Lance, mother to Tyler and Mariah, and teacher of Second graders. I was born and raised in Humboldt County. I graduated from Fortuna High School and then went to College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University where I graduated with a degree in Liberal Studies Elementary Education. I have been working at Cuddeback School for ten years. I started as a Reading Intervention Teacher, taught Third grade for several years, and have been teaching Second grade for the past three years. I absolutely love teaching at Cuddeback School. I enjoy inspiring children to learn, grow, and achieve their goals!
Cassi Free
Rob Orr
Rob Orr
3rd Grade Teacher
Mr. Orr is a lifelong learner. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry, Hospitality Management, and Theology. He completed his Master of Arts degree in elementary education and is credentialed in Virginia and California. He is currently working on his Doctorate in Curriculum Development at the elementary level. He loves camping, rock and fossil collecting, hiking, cooking, and spending time with his wife and their ten children. After high school, he entered the United States Marine Corps and served in the first Gulf War. He has worked as an EMT on an ambulance, a computer technician at a Hollywood post-production facility, an information system manager at a hospital, and owned a French restaurant for ten years. He loves his students and hopes to spend many years teaching.
Berna Church
Berna Church
4th/5th Grade Teacher
I am a native of Humboldt County and have lived in the Carlotta area for about 27 years. I grew up in Ferndale on a dairy and spent a great deal of my youth working outside, participating in sports and 4-H activities. In 1985 I attended Sacramento State in their architecture/design program and worked part time as a design consultant at a design center in Fair Oaks. In 1987 I became engaged and pondered what career path to take in the land of the redwoods. I was encouraged by my three roomates, who were currently in the education program, to apply to the HSU’s teaching program. So, back up north I moved, excited to enter the world of teaching. In 1989 I started my career. I have been with the Cuddeback staff since about 1997; first subbing, then when my daughter started kindergarten I started working half time in a 4th grade at South School in Fortuna and a couple of afternoons at Cuddeback. In 1998, I had the opportunity to start job sharing with Mrs. Borges. In 2008 I went back to full time teaching. Cuddeback has been more than a teaching job, it is “family”, that grounds our community. It has been a great joy to be immersed in the unity of our school.
JJ Bardin
Cori Borges
Cori Borges
6th/7th Grade Teacher
Cori Borges joined the Cuddeback teaching staff in September 1990. She was born and raised in Humboldt County; is married and lives in Fortuna; and also has two daughters that attended Cuddeback, Fortuna High School and UCLA. She loves teaching and finds working with children very rewarding. She was awarded the Humboldt County Excellence in Teaching Award in 1994. In addition, she is a Redwood Writing Project Fellow, a Mount Vernon Fellow, and has participated in Gilder Lehrman studies at Yale University and George Washington University. Her hobbies include family history, gardening, reading and traveling.
Melissa Weitzel
Carla Basquez
Carla Basquez
8th Grade Teacher
Always having been surrounded by the Redwood Forest, I am a Humboldt native who grew up on a mountain near the Avenue of the Giants. I graduated from South Fork High School with a Music Scholarship and recognition in the Arts. I went on to obtain my Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at Sacramento State. I spent some of my education living abroad in London. When it came time to settle down with my family, I returned to Humboldt, and went on to get my Teaching Credential at HSU. I love the beauty here, and I favor the small schools for their strong sense of Community. I am thankful to be a part of the Cuddeback Family.
Geri Linari
Rebekah Glass
.jpg)
Kristen Chandler
Genevieve Espinoza
Genevieve Espinoza
Intervention Teacher
A California native, I attended high school at Fountain Valley Preparatory School in Colorado on an academic scholarship. After graduating I was accepted at University of California at Santa Cruz and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. I then traveled abroad for several months, returning to UCSC for a fifth year of study in the visual arts. Afterwards, I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, working as a practicing artist for many years. I moved back to California for my husband’s work, and as my daughter grew up and went to school, I realized I was interested in teaching. I attended Humboldt State University and earned an elementary school teaching credential as well as a credential to teach visual arts at the secondary level. My experience includes teaching Reading Intervention at Arcata Elementary School and at Stanwood A. Murphy Elementary in Scotia. As well as working part time at Cuddeback in Reading Intervention, I continue to practice art and most recently was awarded Best of Show in a juried show at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka.
gespinoza@cuddebackschool.org
Administration
Blaine Sigler
Blaine Sigler
Superintendent / Principal
Raised and educated in the local area, Mr. Sigler is a Fortuna High School and Chico State graduate. He began his teaching career at Cuddeback School in 1998. He was elevated to Superintendent/Principal in 2013 after teaching 7th & 8th grades for 15 years at Cuddeback. Blaine is proud of the family atmosphere and positive school climate at Cuddeback, and he enjoys working in a small school environment. He usually spends his vacation time in Tahoe enjoying the outdoors with his wife and two daughters.
Support Staff
Terri Dillingham
Ronda Jensen
Ronda Jensen
Excel Director
I am the mother of three grown children and the grandmother of two little girls. I owned and operated a in-home family child care center for 6 years while my children were growing. Once my youngest child entered school, I also entered the world of education. I began my journey as a member of the Scotia Union School Board, serving for nearly 11 years. In 2003 I began working at Cuddeback Elementary as a classroom instructional aide and an after school assistant through Fortuna Park and Rec. In 2007 I became the Director of the Cuddeback Expanded Learning Program (EXCEL), where I have been for the past 12 years.
rjensen@cuddebackschool.orgDarren Kanen
Chelsie Orr
Joe Timmerman
Joe Timmerman
Custodian
Student Services
