Sonja joined SELS as the Physical Education teacher in 2019, but has been a part of the school community since 2012 when her son joined the Kinder Crew. Her daughter joined the following year.

Raised in Sebastopol, CA Sonja attended UC Santa Barbara and became deeply involved in the university outdoor program. After graduating with a BS in Communication Studies, she stayed on as UCSB Adventure Program’s Assistant Director, and continued her summer work guiding whitewater rafting, backpacking and sea kayaking trips. Sonja went on to earn her MS in Recreation Administration and Management from UNC, Chapel Hill. There she was introduced to therapeutic recreation, and spent the next 10 years working in the field of adapted and accessible outdoor recreation for adults and youth with disabilities. 

“While some PE programs are super focused on sports-related skills, I take the approach that physical education is about helping students discover joy and confidence in their movement – be it a favorite sport, trail running, dancing or whatever! My goal is to introduce our studennts to many different and wonderful ways to active in their bodies. Being physically active creates a strong and healthy body but just as importantly, it helps build a healthy and resilient mind and spirit. Exercising has been my best tool for dealing with bad days and the strong emotions that go with them, like stress, anger, frustration, sadness, and disappointment. Getting out and moving helps flush those hard emotions out of our bodies allowing us to see our situation from different, more positive perspectives. And movement is FUN!”  

When not at school, Sonja and her family find joy in paddling rivers, backpacking trails, surfing swells and traveling the world. Sonja is also a Level 1 Crossfit instructor coaching local area Crossfit classes for teens.