Sixth Grade

​Blythe Osner grew up in Modesto, California.  Growing up in a musical family, she began playing violin at age 3, and later progressed to vocal performance.  Following her passion for music and acting, she received a Bachelor of Humanities and Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University with a focus on vocal performance and religious studies.  After college, Blythe worked for Heifer International developing a farm based global education and service program before attending Pacific School of Religion and earning a Masters of Divinity.  She was ordained in the United Church of Christ and was a minister at the UCC in Petaluma for 10 years before moving into teaching.   She holds a teaching credential from Sonoma State University.  Her education career began in San Rafael, where she taught elementary school before moving to Live Oak Charter School to become a middle school teacher, where she can integrate her dedication to service, social justice and student growth into the classroom.  Blythe is also the mother to two almost grown children, Isaiah and Abbey.

Blythe Osner, Teacher

Seventh Grade

Jen Benedetti, Teacher

Eighth Grade

Emily Riley, Teacher

​Emily Riley was born in rural Pennsylvania and grew up in Washington State. As a child, she loved to swim and play the piano. Emily went to Colgate University in New York where she majored in Geography and Spanish. After moving to San Francisco she attended the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute and earned her M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of the Pacific. She has taught in a range of grades in a variety of independent, public, and charter schools all over the Bay Area of California and New Zealand since 2013. Emily is a brand-new mother and is currently on maternity leave. Emily adores the beach and the ocean and loves to surf, explore tide pools, and hike in the coastal redwoods.

Math

​Ms. Wigert grew up in Buffalo, NY and Aurora, CO.   She came to California for college and graduated from UC Berkeley where she met her husband, Scot, on the cycling team.  After earning her teaching credential from San Francisco State, they moved to Charlottesville, VA and both started their teaching careers. In 1998, they relocated to Petaluma.  Ms. Wigert’s children both graduated from Live Oak, and it was during their time at Live Oak that she started the middle school math program. In 2009, she earned her M. A. in Education with an emphasis in Waldorf along with many other Live Oak faculty. She believes that math should be accessible, enjoyable, and challenging for all students. Her hobbies include running, mountain biking, singing with Cinnabar Chamber Chorus, and puzzles of all sorts. She also spends summers on Lake Huron in a rustic cabin built by her grandfather in 1952. Her family makes the annual road trip to Ontario, Canada, taking in the many small towns along the way. She cherishes this time with extended family, lifelong friends, and nature at its most pristine.

Krista Wigert, Middle School Math Teacher