Category: admin

Shannon Harris grew up in Shoshone, Idaho, and graduated from Shoshone High School. After college, she returned to her hometown and began working in the administrative office for the Shoshone School District. She and her husband, Mark, raised two daughters who also graduated from Shoshone High.

Shannon and Mark now live in Gooding, Idaho. Mark has been a self-employed farrier for many years. Their oldest daughter is a Speech-Language Pathologist for the Gooding School District, and their youngest is a high school English teacher in the Shoshone School District. Shannon and her oldest daughter also operate a greenhouse where they raise heirloom vegetables organically. Gardening is a large part of her life, and she balances it with a rigorous work schedule and spending time with her grandchildren, ages 5 to 15.

She is excited to be part of the Syringa Mountain School community.

Fun Fact: Throughout their school years, Shannon and her entire family were active in sports and rodeo, which took them on many special adventures. Today, that spirit of activity and adventure continues as she follows her grandchildren in their many sports and extracurricular activities—where they also maintain high academic honors.

Mr. Daniel was raised in Texas and rural southern Idaho. He attended the College of Southern Idaho (CSI), where he began his academic journey majoring in Computer Engineering. Over the years, he has held a wide range of jobs—from website programming and call center tech support to working as a Level 2 Quality Assurance Tester for a game company in Southern California.

Today, Daniel serves as the Technology/Operations Coordinator at Syringa Mountain School. He keeps all things technical running smoothly, supports front office operations, and assists students with typing, literacy, and math. Known as a bit of a math wizard, Daniel also helps support our ALEKS program as needed, providing students with guidance and troubleshooting.

If you or your child has had an issue with a device at Syringa, chances are Daniel has fixed it—or is fixing it right now.

Friendly reminder: Don’t mistreat your Chromebooks!

Fun Facts about Mr. Daniel:
•He graduated valedictorian and scored a perfect 36 on his Science ACT.
•He is passionate about his grizzly beard!

Mrs. Christi is proud to be starting her fourth year as the leader of Syringa Mountain School. She has lived in the Wood River Valley for 20 years and is the mother of four boys—two of whom have graduated, with the other two currently in high school. Christi was first introduced to the Waldorf method when she enrolled one of her sons at Syringa, sparking a deep connection to the school’s philosophy.

She has been part of the Syringa community since 2016, when her youngest son began Kindergarten and just recently graduated from 8th grade. Three of her four sons have graduated from Syringa and gone on to thrive in high school and beyond—something Christi credits to the strong foundation and whole-child approach that Syringa provided.

Over the past nine years, Christi has worn many hats—supporting everything from Special Education compliance and Federal Programs to school operations. She has also served as a Special Education Director and classroom teacher. Even now, as school leader, she continues to pitch in and support many of these roles as needed, reflecting her deep commitment to the school’s success.

Christi dedicated many years to raising her family before returning to the workforce. Her strong organizational skills and commitment to process have helped create a supportive environment where teachers and students can thrive.

She holds an AAS in Administrative Assistance/Office Management, a BA in Applied Management, Special Education teaching certification, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership, which she completed in May 2022 while working full-time. Christi has also completed over 40 hours of Waldorf training and remains deeply committed to Syringa’s mission as a Waldorf-inspired public charter school.

As with many charter schools, Christi wears many hats. In addition to serving as Principal, she also functions as the Superintendent and Charter Administrator—leading everything from academic oversight and staff support to operations, compliance, and school culture. It’s a dynamic role that blends vision, leadership, and a little bit of magic to keep everything moving forward.to operations, compliance, and school culture. It’s a dynamic role that blends vision, leadership, and a little bit of magic to keep everything moving forward.

Fun Fact: Christi has a strong passion for sports and was a coach for many years at Wood River High School, where she continues to volunteer when time allows. She specializes in coaching hurdles and pole vault—events in which she also competed at a high level herself.

Mrs. Funk assists with policy and bylaw preparation for board review and provides remote administrative support to the principal and leadership team as needed.

A native Idahoan, Kristin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Boise State University and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Idaho. She spent 12 years teaching in the Twin Falls School District and has also developed curriculum and taught undergraduate math, reading, and basic computer courses at the College of Southern Idaho.

Her journey into Waldorf education began when her children attended The Mountain School, which inspired her to learn more about the Waldorf philosophy. When The Mountain School transitioned from a private school to Syringa Mountain School, Kristin was actively involved in supporting the new charter and enrolled her children as part of Syringa’s founding group of students. To further support the school and its mission, she later became a classroom teacher at Syringa. Today, she continues to integrate Waldorf principles into her work as an educator in Arizona, while proudly supporting Syringa remotely.

Fun Fact: Kristin taught at Syringa Mountain School for five years, working with a spirited “band of kids,” and now lives in sunny Arizona.