Meet the team of teachers and staff that work at Market Square Education.
Administrative Staff
Bob Hagin
Founder & Executive Director
Starting a private school after 27-years in public education is not a typical venture, but neither are the professional experiences of Bob Hagin. He has taught in traditional classrooms in grades 1-9, alternative education in grades 1-12, a secondary summer school principal for seven years, and a superintendent and a teacher of a one-room-school district in Eastern Washington. Bob is currently a doctoral student at Northeastern University, earned a BA in Education, M.Ed in school administration from Western Washington University.
Each experience challenges Bob to address the needs of students and the system. In 2008, he founded Northwest Liberty School. Amidst a state budgetary cutback that impacted school districts, Bob’s response was to continue to offer some of the same services that were being eliminated from public high schools like online courses, curricular choices, and additional support.
Bob’s hard work and entrepreneurship continues to guide him. His experience and current studies lead him to believe and develop more choice in curriculum, additional interest-based learning opportunities, and utilizing the agility and flexibility of private education. “I have the passion of a beginning educator, the experience of a veteran teacher, and the freedom create solutions. Why would I ever retire?”
Outside Market Square Education and being a student again, he and his wife enjoy their family and friends, Whidbey Island, cycling, and travel.
Jennifer Cihak
Jen relocated to the Pacific Northwest from the Midwest in the spring of 2012 with her family. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Prior to moving she spent 13 years as a certified chemical dependency counselor working with people who have co-occurring disorders. She’s been with Northwest Liberty School since the fall of 2013.
Jen is married and has two daughters in high school and a dog. In her free time, Jen enjoys outdoor activities including camping and hiking. She also enjoys reading a wide variety of books and trying new recipes. Jen has been actively involved in the PTO/PTF organizations at both of her daughter’s schools.
Andrea Wallace
Andrea is a dedicated Office Manager with many years of experience in the education field. She enjoys using her skills to facilitate organizational growth and contribute to positive relationships with partner organizations, students and parents. She is passionate about the educational choice and flexibility needed to meet students’ needs and to see them reach their full potential. Andrea is excited to bring her skills to Market Square Education to support their mission to provide quality educational solutions.
Andrea, her husband Matt, and children are longtime PNW residents. As a family, they love exploring nature, reading and crafting together. Andrea and Matt are also experienced advocates for the foster/adopt community as well as the special needs community.
Teachers
Tim Brousseau
Tim retired from Northshore School District at the end of the 2018 school year after teaching for 38 years. He was born in Spokane, WA. He has a BA in English from University of Washington. He has a Masters of Education in Curriculum & Instruction from University of Washington. Tim resides in Edmonds. He has two grown children. For fun, Tim enjoys reading sci-fy.
Michele Taylor
Michele Taylor has worked off and on with Market Square Education. She is a teacher advocate and a social studies teacher. She received her degree from Western Washington University. She has taught for twelve years. Michele has a cat named Ziva and if she were to give her younger self a word of advice it would be that learning is never done, it is a lifetime goal.
Michele loves the team atmosphere at MSE but most of all, loves working with the students.
Breanna Clouse
Math Teacher
Jillian Lacey
French and Science Teacher
Jillian Lacey graduated from Walla Walla University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French and Biology Minor. After completing her Masters in Teaching at Northwest University in Kirkland, WA, she currently teaches French to 8th and 9th graders and Life Science to 7th graders in the Northshore School District and teaches French through the Apex online program at Northwest Liberty School.
She enjoys reading, traveling, food, and anything mentally stimulating. She is married and owns a cat and a dog named Willow and Ivy, respectively.
Celeste Yeisley
Math Teacher
Celeste will be teaching at Lynnwood High next year, she has been teaching for 13 years, with the last 5 being in WA on the east side. Prior to moving to Washington, Celeste taught 8 years in Mesa, Arizona at Skyline High School. She has experience teaching a wide variety of high school and middle school math courses. She resides in Bothell, and spends her free time reading, hosting dinners with friends, hiking, or just spending quiet time with her husband and their pets.
Alejandro (Alex) Zahajko
Spanish Teacher
Señor Alejandro Zahajko began at Northwest Liberty School in 2015. He currently teaches at Bothell High and has been in the Northshore School District since 1996. Alejandro has taught all levels of Spanish including University of Washington Spanish 201 College in the High School. Spanish is his first language due to his parents being raised in South America, his mother in Argentina, and his father in Brazil. Alejandro is passionate about teaching and firmly believes in teaching with passion, energy, and entertainment. He also believes that all students can be successful if they are willing to open their mind to it.
Alejandro played soccer and studied at the University of Washington. He has traveled extensively through Mexico, South America, and Europe. Alejandro has also coached soccer locally at Bothell High School, FC Alliance, and is the director of Cougar Soccer Camp in the summer. Alejandro has been married since 1997 and has 3 children. They enjoy sports, traveling, and summers together. Alejandro also loves to read, cook and follow sports.
Karen Molenaar-Terrell
English Teacher
Karen Molenaar-Terrell joined Market Square Education in August of 2019. She earned a bachelor's degree in History/Education from Washington State University and a master's degree in Literacy in the Content Areas from Walden University. From 1992-2012, Karen served as a high school teacher in traditional and alternative schools around the Mount Vernon area. When she retired in 2021, Market Square Education coaxed her back to teaching.
As a literary craftsperson and with her love for language, Karen teaches English. She finds great joy in spending one-on-one time with her students. Their conversations are rich. Learning is enjoyable, and students gain skills and confidence. They experience her deep care and thank her for the help, support, and feedback on their work.
Karen also actively enjoys photographing the great outdoors (editorial note: she is a professional and outstanding!), reading, and writing, and to prove her diversity of accomplishments, she summited Mt. Rainer, Hood, Adams, Baker, and the act of living a great life.
Bob Fitzgerald
Bob Fitzgerald "Fitz" is a more recent addition to MSE. He teaches high school science and likes everything about his job. He received his degree from Montana State University and has taught for about fifty years. He enjoys his cocker spaniels – Lucy and Gracie and would tell his younger self, discipline is everything!
Lynn White
Greg Whitmore
Greg earned a Bachelor of Science at Central Washington University and Masters Degree in Exercise & Sport Science from the University of Arizona. He is completing my 30th year as a health and Fitness teacher at Lind-Ritzville High School in Ritzville, WA. He also is the head football coach and Athletic Director at Lind-Ritzville. Greg enjoys everything outdoors and especially backpacking, mt. biking, snow shoeing and cross-country skiing.
Dave Nelson
Dave Nelson has lived in the Pacific Northwest for most of his life; his work history has taken him outdoors again and again. With an academic focus on Earth Science and Biology—including an emphasis on math and meteorology—he has accumulated over a dozen years of classroom experience in middle and high schools in the Puget Sound area. When he wasn’t teaching, Dave managed a forest camp and conference center for many years; he was involved in food service, housekeeping, maintenance, water and septic systems, and forest management in addition to facilitating all the ways in which humans were interacting with the environment (and each other) when they visited as guests at the center.
Part of Dave’s life has been his urge to act on his innate curiosity about the natural world and about how things work. He has served as a wildlife tour guide at Northwest Trek, as a driver and guide in Alaska and Yukon Territory, and various stints in food service, construction, automotive repair, and even as a baggage handler at SeaTac airport. But Dave’s one great passion that has sustained him his entire adult life has been the environment, from his academic and professional work to his flourishing “pandemic garden.” He looks forward to each new day with an eye on both his plants and his students, with an eye toward helping each one to blossom.
Katie White
Katie has worked in education for 12 years, and received her Master's Degree in Education from SPU. She has lived in four states and three countries, and taught in most of them. Her teaching experience includes all aspects of the humanities as well as life coaching to all age groups. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, art, video games, and D&D. If she could give advice to her younger self, it would be that it's okay to slow down and enjoy life sometimes.
Support Staff
Chloe Lawrence
Chloe graduated high school through MSE in 2020 while living in France, and has since become a student at the University of Washington where she is pursuing a B.S. in bioengineering with a minor in anthropology.
She is passionate about providing academic and personal support to students and has been doing so for years through various avenues, including tutoring peers in math, physics, chemistry, and English in high school and teaching French children the basics of English through POP English Creations.
Chloe provides support for a variety of courses such as French, astronomy, math, chemistry, physics, English, history, programming, and more.
Find a complete list of all of the courses where you can find these teachers here.