“The educators are the backbone of Walden Community School. It is to them we owe our thanks. Each teacher is valuable and have come to truly define what it means to be a part of the school. Please take a moment to learn about our invaluable staff. We hope you will see the unique abilities and talents that make them exceptionally qualified to teach at Walden Community School.”

Paula Gale has been a part of WCS since 2004. Having known her for the past 12 years I have personally witnessed her ability to see talent in each and every one of her students. Her reputation in Choreography and Dance has been well known and respected in our community for over 30 years. Bringing a joy of music and dance into the lives of everyone is Ms. Gale's mission and her addition to our team has been an invaluable asset to the WCS vision. Under her direction our students have written skits, choreographed dances and performed in a variety of venues. The students' blossoming confidence and pride in their work is the natural reward for all their efforts. Through Ms. Gale's relationships within the community, the students have had the opportunity to perform for staff and patients at several hospitals. Ms. Gale has also been an integral part of the production of 4 musicals, the Rainbow Rocket series, in which the students wrote the script, developed their own characters, designed costumes and built the scenery from recycled materials. Ms Gale's continued energy and creativity are a source of inspiration to us all.

Ashley Miller is a Seattle native who joined WCS in January of this year as our writing teacher. It took a public primary education and private secondary as well as a brief stint teaching English in China for her to finally end up at our door. She believes in enabling critical thinkers and understands that students hunger for knowledge.  She holds fast to the idea that a student’s passions can help fuel their education. When they are not working with students, she and her husband enjoy riding bikes through the city of Orlando that they have so come to love. 

Hans Kopp My name is Hans Kopp and I am very excited to be part of the Walden Community School as the PE and tennis coach.  I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself and my background. I am originally from Germany, where I began playing tennis and attended the First-Line Tennis Academy, Germany’s first full-time academy. At the age of 15, I was invited to train at the DTB high-performance academy. After playing competitively for over 5 years, I earned my first professional certification at the age of 20. Besides playing professionally throughout Europe, I started coaching high performance and junior players. In 2001, I formed Kopp Intl. Tennis Mgmt., LLC a full-service tennis company, who offers world class instruction and coaching for every age and skill level. Our teaching philosophy is based upon the proper fundamentals of technique, strategy, tactical movement, mental toughness and sport science.

I believe that a traditional approach to teaching tennis is the best when working with all levels and ages. Kids and juniors absorb information so quickly; they’re a pleasure to teach. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at 321-947-0962 or Hans.Kopp@Kopp-Tennis.com. I would also like to invite you to visit my website at www.Kopp-Tennis.com

Angela Jacobs has a background in teaching elementary and Exceptional Student Education. She brings an enthusiastic, dedicated, and well grounded approach to the school, and is well loved by all.  She is excited to be a part of the WCS family this year. Angela started working with children at ten years old, when she was just a child herself. She has continued working with children through the years as a babysitter, nanny, youth counselor, after school coordinator, and teacher.  Her love for children is immeasurable and she finds her choice in career extremely rewarding. Outside of the classroom Angela enjoys biking, boating, and taking care of her 3 dogs.  Spending time with family is also a very important aspect of her life.


Fabiola Scilla Hansen joined our school last year as an art teacher, and was embraced immediately by each of us. She is talented, inspiring, and nurturing.  Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, she graduated in Brazil with a BA in Cinematography. Fabiola had the opportunity to do several art courses over the years, in the US, Brazil and Italy. She moved to Florida in 1996 to pursue a career in Art Education. She has earned her degree at UCF and become a certified art teacher. Fabiola has been a teacher at Crealde School of Art since 1998 and throughout this time has been teaching private art lessons in her studio as well. In all of her projects she seeks to combine art concepts, cultural diversity, and art history while stimulating the individual expression and sensibility of each student. Environmental appreciation is integral to each art lesson. From teaching students to use materials responsibly and recycling, to information about our ecology and nature themed projects, she believes educating students about sustainability can be fun, practical, and in time should become second nature in and out of the art room.

Dana Singer, lead math and science teacher and the newest edition to the WCS team, graduated with honors from Rollins College in 2007 with a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Mathematics. After tutoring in the Central Florida area for a few years, he began teaching at Walden Community School in early 2010 and gives our students both guidance and support in their core academics. An avid soccer player and fan, Mr. Singer brings his enthusiasm and drive to activities both on and off the field. His teaching style allows for personal student development and independence while retaining some of the more structured skills that are often required for building a strong and lasting math and science foundation.