Administrative Staff
Peter Bonoff, Operations Director
I have been working in the Hilltop office since Spring of 2008. Here at the Center I am responsible for making maintaining the facilities and physical environment so the teachers can focus on provide the best care and education. I handle the in house accounting duties and manage most all of the money issues at the school. The best part of my job is getting to help out in classrooms and see the amazing work with the teachers and kids.
I have an array of experience as an educator but this is my first opportunity working with pre-school age! One of my first jobs was working as a outdoor education leader for 4th graders. I taught P.E. classes at Western Washington University while completing my degree in Environmental Policy. I also facilitated workshops in Northern Thailand on forest restoration and common resource management. Prior to moving to Seattle, I lived on San Juan Island where I coached high school lacrosse and managed a kayak-tour guiding company. Stop by the office if you are planning a trip to the Islands I LOVE to chat about my favorite places or the reproductive cycle of kelp!
When I am not at work you can usually find me playing outside somewhere near my home in Ballard. Year round I play soccer, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee and tennis. If you see me limping around the office or icing a wrist you’ll know why. I have always been a outdoors adict and feel most comfortable out of the city hiking, kayaking or skiing. My latest gardening project is trying to convert our tiny townhouse yard into a vegetable producing oasis.
Sarah Felstiner, HR and Enrollment Coordinator
I taught four-and five-year-olds in the Sunlight Room at Hilltop from 1995 to 2004. Now I work part-time in the Hilltop office, doing important tasks like paying the bills and accompanying children to the bathroom! I love my office job because it calls on my natural disposition to create organizational systems and attend to details. Also, I get to visit in the classrooms all the time, and interact with children, teachers, and families in all of Hilltop’s classrooms.
I’ve been teaching young children since I was 16, and I’ve never had a job outside the field of early childhood education. As an undergraduate at Yale University, I studied child psychology and played the flute in two bands and three orchestras. I went on to get a master’s degree in human development from Pacific Oaks College, where I specialized in educational administration. I’ve published several articles about child-centered teaching practices, and led workshops for other educators at conferences and through the Hilltop Training Institute.
My work with kids and families has been profoundly influenced by my visit to and study of the schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The educators in Reggio Emilia have built a city-wide program of schools for young children which truly honors the competence and creativity of each child. As a teacher, I strive to include song and laughter in every day with children. I love designing and caring for beautiful, functional classroom environments, and facilitating and documenting children’s exploration of their own questions and pursuits. I’ve tried to bring some of this same playfulness, thoughtfulness, and aesthetic care to my work in Hilltop’s office.
When I’m not at Hilltop, you can probably find me swimming, doing Pilates, playing the flute, or relaxing with my husband, Scobie, and my cat, Shadow. I perform with an amateur woodwind quintet called the Ballard Breeze, and spend a piece of each summer at intensive chamber music workshops. I love baking cookies and pies, reading mystery novels, watching TV, and island-hopping in Scobie’s cute yellow airplane. My absolute favorite food (except for ice cream) is bagels with cream cheese and hot sauce. Try it, you’ll like it!