Amber was born and raised in the PNW and married her high school sweetheart. Not long after giving birth to their daughter, they moved to “The South”. Their youngest was born in Tennessee in 2002. They later moved to Georgia where Amber started working as a substitute teacher for Forsyth County School District. Upon returning to Washington State, Amber began working as a para-educator, focusing on working in the special education department.
Amber and her family now reside in Newcastle. Before joining EDS in 2019, Amber was a Toddler Teacher at Patti’s for three years. She truly believes that the needs of the children come first.
Amber is very proud of her two children, her older daughter who graduated with her JD from Seattle University and is a public defense attorney in Lynnwood, and her youngest daughter who graduated with a degree in Data Analytics. In her free time, Amber loves spending time with her children for ice skating/hockey, hiking with her 2 dogs, and crocheting to de-stress.
Patricia De Santiago, Turtles Class Teacher
Known as Patty, Patricia was born and raised in Southern California, where she studied child development and psychology. She brings over 18 years of experience working with young children, particularly ages 2–5. Patty moved to Mercer Island six years ago with her husband and two children, who attend MISD schools.
Passionate about early childhood education, Patty is known for creating a nurturing, loving, and fun classroom environment. She values building strong connections with both students and parents, and is committed to making each child’s first school experience positive and joyful. In 2025, Patty was honored with a Top Nomination for Exceptional Educator of the Year by MIPA.
Outside the classroom, Patty enjoys long walks by the lake, hiking, cooking traditional Mexican meals, and volunteering as a Sunday school teacher. She also sings in her church choir and has a deep love for all types of music.
Sara Villegas, Turtles Class Teacher
Sara was born in Colombia and has spent much of her life in Washington. She is grateful to serve as an assistant teacher at Emmanuel’s Day School and feels honored to be part of each child’s early learning journey. Working with young children is especially close to her heart, and she loves supporting them as they make new discoveries and grow into their own unique personalities.
Sara is a native Spanish speaker, speaks English fluently and Korean at an intermediate level, and is currently learning Japanese as her fourth language. Her love of languages and cultures has deepened her understanding of how children develop communication skills. She approaches each child with patience and sensitivity, recognizing that every child learns and expresses themselves in their own time and in their own way.
Outside the classroom, Sara enjoys traveling, going on walks, music, flower arranging, learning with curiosity and spending time with her two dogs. One of her favorite childhood memories is visiting the fair with her father every December and riding the water ride together. This memory reminds her that, while caring for children, it is also important to cherish the curiosity, wonder, and joy of our own inner child.
Marcia Palk, Sea Stars Class Teacher
Marcia was raised on Mercer Island and currently resides in Bellevue with her husband and three children. She has an AA degree in Early Childhood Education and a BA in Business Administration. Marcia has always had a passion for teaching and engaging with children. She currently works with another Island preschool in the afternoons and in the past volunteered teaching Sunday school, YMCA t-ball and soccer youth sports, and served on the Lake Heights YMCA parent advisory board. She joined Emmanuel Day School in 2012 and loves being involved with preschoolers, supporting them as they learn and grow independently and socially through fun and positive experiences. In her spare time, Marcia enjoys adventures with her children, volunteering at church, hiking and traveling with the family.
Kim Nishikawa, Sea Stars Class Teacher
Kimberly Nishikawa, born and raised in Bellevue, currently resides in Newcastle. She has an AA degree in Early Childhood Education and started teaching preschool in 2012. With over 20 years of experience working with young children of all ages, she has also taught summer camp for kindergartners. Kimberly is passionate about working with preschool-age children, and she loves creating a nurturing and engaging environment where her students can thrive.
Outside of the classroom, she enjoys walks by the water, fishing, traveling to sunny places, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Sonja Logan, Dolphins Class Teacher
Sonja was born and raised in Melbourne Australia, completing a diploma in children’s services and worked in a childcare/preschool for ten years. She has two girls, seven and five, and moved to Mercer Island in 2012 where her husband got contracted to PSE for 16 months before returning back to Australia for two years. She returned to Mercer Island again in February 2015 as a job opening for her husband became available and decided to relocate again.
She has always enjoyed working with children and after her daughter attended the Sea Stars class decided that Emmanuel Day School was a great place to work. She loves spending time with family and friends and getting in the great outdoors kayaking and hiking and loves to travel.
Kathleen Garner, Dolphins Class Teacher
Kathleen was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and has always had a passion for working with young children. From her early days as a camp counselor to her first teaching role at a Montessori school, she has enjoyed helping children learn and grow in nurturing environments.
In 2018, Kathleen and her family moved to Kirkland, where she later joined a local preschool. After stepping away from teaching during the pandemic to care for her two children (now ages 7 and 17), she is excited to be back in the classroom doing what she loves.
Outside of work, Kathleen enjoys baking, reading, hunting for treasures at thrift stores, and taking road trips with her husband and children to explore new places.