MEET THE FAMILIES
The families that attend The Gan are what make it such a special place. Meet some of our current families!
Rachel Hall and Kyle Busacker heard about The Gan through word of mouth and could not be happier that their son Judah, who is nearly 3, has found a place in The Gan’s classroom community.
Hall, who is a part-time life coach and cares for Judah’s one-year-old sister Niva, said she is thrilled her son is in a Jewish environment and that he is getting a strong secular education as well.
“I love that Mimi has such a great background in education,” she said. “It really shows in the curriculum.”
“I also love that the school is green and the kids learn to recycle and upcycle and give back through tzedakah. The school really makes Judaism fun,” Hall said.
In their down time, the Hall/Busacker family enjoy nature, camping, music and spending time with family.
Hall said The Gan has been great for her whole family.
“My husband was not raised Jewish and he feels so welcomed there and so comfortable,” she said. “That really means a lot.”
And her energetic boy is learning to channel his exuberance into activities he is good at.
“The school gives them that wonderful environment. They always h Judah do something he loves.”
Leigh and Matt Alexander have lived in Portland for the past eight years after moving from San Diego. They have two small children, Griffin and Raven. Griffin, who is nearly 4 is a student in the 3-4 classroom at The Gan and Raven, 15 months, attends Mommy and Me and will be in the toddler class next year.
Leigh, who grew up in New Jersey, didn’t imagine sending her son to a Jewish school until she started attending Mommy and Me at The Gan when Griffin
was 5 months old.
“Mommy and me with Mimi really gave me an introduction to how I can bring Judaism into raising my children,” she said. “One thing I love is that having Griffin in school at The Gan is helping bring us closer to my family back East. I can show them the project he did to celebrate Rosh Hashana and I have great pictures of both my kids in The Gan’s sukkah.” Leigh also loves the Reggio inspired approach to teaching that the Gan uses."
Matt, who doesn't come from a Jewish background, couldn't be happier with the education his children are getting and the welcoming Gan community his family is part of.
Leigh has a background in marine biology. Currently Leigh and Matt own a technology rental company where they work with high accuracy GPS technology and drone development. During their family downtime they enjoy hiking, bird watching, cooking, and crafting.