½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

The K12 CLUSTER TEAM

Edie Howard

Edie graduated from CSU Sacramento with my BS Degree in Recreation and Parks. No job openings for Park Rangers so then I enrolled in the Roston Montessori Teacher Training Institute and taught in Montessori schools for ten years. 

Married and had two wonderful children. When they were both were old enough I went back to school and received my teaching license from the University of Portland. After graduation, my love for the natural world lead me to take a 2 week summer course, “Teachers on the Leading Edge”. We traveled in a school bus to the coast and then crossing back across the state to the Snake River Canyon, learning about the geology of Oregon all along the way. I just love rocks!

I live in SE Portland with my  husband Richard, son James and my Yorkie named Sansa. Our daughter, Dagnie just graduated OHSU Medical School and is now doing her residency in Tucson at the U of Arizona Medical School. 

I have been working in ½ûÂþÌìÌà since 2004 and joined the Odyssey K-1-2 team in 2012. I enjoy camping in my new trailer, crafting and quilting. I especially love working with such a wonderful community here at Odyssey.

Jill Scarbrough

Meredith Jue

Meredith grew up in Astoria, OR, graduated from the University of Arizona, and began a career in Human Resources.  While working full time and raising 2 little girls she went back to school and obtained her M.Ed.  She was hired into the substitute pool for the 2014-15 year. It was then that she was introduced to Odyssey, substituting for Ms. Wilebski while she was on her second maternity leave, working alongside Edie and Sue.  She is excited to join the team as a regular staff member!

The following year she was hired into a 2nd grade position at Astor K-8 School where she remained for 5 years until joining Odyssey.  

When she is not teaching, Meredith is busy with her family and two daughters.  She is often running her daughters to soccer or horseback riding lessons, and enjoys golf, shopping, cooking and crafting.  She recently began stand up paddle boarding and loves being near the water.  

The 345 CLUSTER TEAM

Heather Mankowski
Heather is thrilled to rejoin the Odyssey crew! A native Oregonian, Heather received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Washington, and her master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois, oh so long ago. She has worked in many educational settings and with many different populations, from teaching children in Japan, to educating adults at a farm labor camp in NE Oregon.

Heather sees herself as an educational facilitator, looking for ways to foster children’s innate spark for learning and sense of wonder. She especially enjoys Odyssey’s collaborative, team approach for students and teachers, and believes that we all learn better when we learn together.

Heather lives in SW Portland with her son, Kyoo Hyun, and her husband and best friend, Eric. Recently, she began a new chapter in her life as a parent of a college student when her daughter, Mikaela, began studies at Western Washington University last fall.

On weekends, you can find Heather on a trail in search of wildflowers, on the river kayaking, or in the barn with her beloved horse, Peaches. She loves books and great literature, and always takes time to read when she travels. In fact, you will find a copy of Jane Austen in Heather’s backpack wherever she goes.

DeDe Marron

DeDe Marron first fell in love with the Odyssey Program during the 2011-2012 school year, when she stepped in for Kate Wilebski who was on maternity leave. After that, DeDe was hooked and instantly felt connected to the students, staff, school community, and Odyssey's core values. She continued to be a "go to substitute" for our school until she was hired as a part time core support teacher to the 2nd grade team at Mary Rieke Elementary. Prior to that, DeDe had been working as a substitute teacher for ½ûÂþÌìÌà for five years. DeDe attended Portland State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts with a concentration in painting and her Masters of Education Degree. 

DeDe lives in Milwaukie with her husband, Chris, daughter, Harper, and their funny pointer-boxer mix, Stanley. On the weekends, you can find DeDe working on home improvement projects with her husband, puddle jumping with her daughter, and keeping her dog from eating all of their daughter's snacks. Together as a family, they enjoy visiting the National Parks during the summer and have a goal to visit all of them one day. 

Kate Wilebski
I joined the Odyssey family in 2008. I have taught in multiple clusters and have enjoyed growing and learning as an educator with each experience and passing year. Born and raised in Portland Or I am a true native. I attended college in Ashland, Or where I fell in love with hiking, skiing and all things outdoors. I have a wonderful family, extended family and Odyssey family. I love being a teacher. 

The 678 CLUSTER TEAM

Arthur Rich

Arthur Rich grew up in Orlando, Florida.  He is a graduate from the University of Miami and began his career in education as a 6th grade social sciences teacher in south Florida.  He moved to Portland in 2017 and has been working for ½ûÂþÌìÌà ever since.  He first joined the Odyssey 678 team mid-year in the 22/23 school year.  When he is not in the classroom, Arthur enjoys reading, hiking, watching films, attending live music and traveling with his wife Kirsten.

Kristina Rothwell

Kristina began her studies of English Literature with a minor in drama, from Middlesex University in London, where she lived for almost 10 years. Odyssey students regularly benefit greatly from her rich performance background! After returning to Portland, Kristina worked in customer service for the Hanna Anderson’s children’s clothing company and as a paralegal for a criminal defense lawyer. She returned to school in 2002 earning a Masters Degree in teaching from the University of Portland. After teaching reading and Language Arts at Kellogg Middle School for one year, Kristina worked as a sub before joining the Odyssey staff. In Summer 2019, Kristina attended the National Endowment for Humanities Summer Teacher Institute in New York City where she studied women in the American Revolution and Civil War. A fun fact is that Ms. Rothwell’s two children have both attended Odyssey’s 678.

Harmony Brinks

Harmony is from Las Vegas, Nevada, where she attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She followed in her mother's footsteps by becoming a teacher (though her mother eventually became an elementary school principal). During her undergraduate studies of math and secondary education at UNLV, she student taught in Galway, Ireland. She began her teaching career as a high school math teacher in Las Vegas, but then moved to Portland to start a life with her now-husband Judah. She came to Odyssey in 2010 to teach advanced math and then quickly became the science teacher and a literature teacher for the 678 cluster. While teaching at Odyssey, Harmony earned her Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Portland State University. In Summer 2019, Harmony attended the National Endowment for Humanities Summer Teacher Institute in Lowell, Massachusetts where she studied social movements and reform during the American Industrial Revolution. She currently lives in Southeast Portland with her husband, Judah and adorable son, Gus. She loves films, podcasts, music, traveling, and occasional crafting.

Liz Davis

Liz first became part of the Odyssey community as a parent and then eventually started teaching at Odyssey. Liz first fell in love with the Spanish language when she was an exchange student to the Canary Islands of Spain during an academic year in high school. She continued studying Spanish and Anthropology, graduating with a B.A. from Hamilton College in upstate New York and spent another academic year studying and living in Madrid, Spain. Liz moved to San Francisco after college and after exploring various careers in the private sector (where she met her husband, Shawn), she learned she wanted to work with kids so started teaching Spanish in the Bay Area while getting her teaching credential and Masters in Education in bilingual education and Spanish from the University of San Francisco. Liz and her family moved to Portland in 2015 and they all enjoy everything PNW has to offer. Liz loves to cook, read, travel and do various outdoor activities, including snowboarding, hiking, paddle boarding and learning how to wingfoil on the Columbia River.

These bios were revised in 2024