Our Learning Navigators
Dedicated educators and community leaders helping every child discover, grow, and thrive.
Audra Gipson
Since 2014, Audra has taught elementary general music, middle school orchestra, and middle and high school choir. For ten years, she served a K–12 school community as Music Department Head and Lead Teacher for the Related Arts Department. In these roles, she collaborated with administrators on school planning, safety initiatives, behavior management, and professional development.
As Director of the school’s private lessons program, Audra mentored emerging music educators, managed program reporting, and helped secure ongoing funding that ultimately became a permanent endowment.
Since moving to Port Angeles, Audra has found that her experience in innovative school communities has prepared her well for her work at Tidepool Prep. She is excited to share her expertise in social-emotional learning, standards-based grading, and creating rigorous, accessible learning experiences for all students.and hands-on experience. They set the tone for everything we do.
Academic Director 
Hannah Edstrom
After a decade in environmental and outdoor education, Hannah moved to the Pacific Northwest. She worked with Mount Rainier Institute and NatureBridge before earning a Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education from Western Governors University.
Since then, Hannah has worked in public schools in Port Angeles and Sequim, serving students in grades K–12. Her experience includes teaching 8th-grade U.S. History, developing curriculum, and supporting students in K–2 life skills programs as both a teacher and paraeducator. Most recently, she was lead teacher for second and third grade at Five Acre School.
At the heart of Hannah’s work is a commitment to helping students develop a sense of place, meaningful community connections, and a lasting appreciation for the natural world. Through hands-on, project-based learning, she combines academic rigor with curiosity, critical thinking, and student interests to help learners grow in confidence and capability.
Lead Teacher K- 5
Preschool Director/Lead TeacherNikki Stewart
Nikki Stewart is the Preschool Director and Lead Teacher at Tidepool Preparatory Academy. She brings seven years of experience in early childhood education, including her time teaching at South Jordan Montessori in Utah. In 2023, Nikki and her family relocated to Washington, where she continues to pursue her passion for helping young children learn, grow, and discover their unique strengths.
At Tidepool Preparatory Academy, Nikki is dedicated to creating a welcoming environment where children feel safe, respected, and encouraged to become confident, capable learners.
Administrative Director Merissa Koller
Merissa has served as Executive Director in education-related nonprofit organizations since 2018, including the Sequim Education Foundation and Olympic Nature Experience. Her career in the nonprofit sector has spanned fifteen years between Alaska and Washington, and has focused largely on fundraising, volunteer recruitment and training, community organizing, and leadership. She is a longtime coach and mentor who believes deeply in alternative learning and creating opportunities for youth in her community to become well-rounded individuals.
Merissa is dedicated to the student experience at Tidepool Prep, which includes building a strong foundation of collaboration and positivity within the culture of staff and families.