Kristy Lollar

Sunflower Class Co-Lead Teacher

I have loved hearing stories my whole life. At a family gathering, when I wasn’t off running around with my many cousins, you could find me sitting with my grandparents, aunts, and uncles asking questions just to hear what it was like when they were young. These loving, warm connections with my large extended family, in our church community, and in my own home with my mother, father and two siblings laid a strong foundation of care for and interest in others. 

My own story starts in Wichita, KS, where I was born and raised, singing and dancing through those many happy years. I graduated from Kansas State University in 1997 with two degrees, a B.A. in Dance and B.S. in Early Childhood Education. I married Joshua in 1998 and was a paraeducator in Manhattan public schools for a year. We then spent our second year of marriage teaching youth in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We have many stories to tell about this unique country and the beautiful people there. Following Ethiopia we found ourselves living in Lawrence, KS for 3 years where I provided in-home child care for two different families. It was during this time that our first child was born. When my husband pursued higher education, we moved to seminary in New York and then grad school in South Bend, IN. During these 8 years of grad school, I continued to care for our growing family. While living in Indiana, we began the joys and struggles of homeschooling our 4 children and this is where I was first introduced to the magical learning of Waldorf education. Stories, music, movement, art, working well with our hands, and strong connections with nature and other people became the way we learned about life. My favorite thing to do while living there was to go out in my yard to create a new garden. Digging in the rich sandy loam, planting a new perennial flower, and watching it come up lush and thriving each year was great therapy for me. Following the seasons with reverence and celebration became a yearly rhythm for our family. In 2011, our life journey led us back to Lawrence where we continued to homeschool our children, made meaningful connections with many caring, creative communities here, and added another precious child to our family

I had heard many wonderful things about Prairie Moon from friends, but it wasn’t until I joined the Douglas County Extension Master Gardeners and worked in their medicinal garden north of the school that I became acquainted with where the school was located. I was immediately drawn to this vibrant school and the welcoming community that resides here. The last 2 years have been filled with rewarding and magical experiences in leading Prairie Moon’s youngest students. I have enjoyed two summers of supplemental training in the Waldorf pedagogy and philosophy from well seasoned teachers, and I look forward to obtaining more experience and knowledge each year. My life story has been greatly enriched by my time here at Prairie Moon and my hope is that we may grow into who we are meant to be as we weave our stories together and plant the seeds of learning.