Meet Our Administrators
- Dr. Herman Ohme, Founder
- Jean Ohme, Founder
- Dr. Richard Gowers, Principal
- Ashley Sarver, Program Director
- Levi Leavitt, Treasurer
As administrators, our primary goal is to create a thriving academic community: a supportive and social learning environment, and a work environment that rewards great teachers.
We share a fondness of knowledge, wisdom, humor, and patience. All you have to do is ask: we’re eager to help you however we can.
Dr. Herman Ohme, Founder
Dr. Herman Ohme, Ed.D., has made his life’s work developing programs and published materials to help students learn. He is an expert in performance, learning, and motivation, and is the author of the Learn How to Learn study-skills books, which have been embraced by schools throughout the United States and Canada.
Herman has taught at UCLA, Yale, and Stanford, and has been a teacher, principal, and counselor in public and private schools for over forty years. The cornerstone of Herman’s vision is the “failure is not an option” philosophy. To learn more about Herman’s unique approach to education, please visit his website, or read about our academic philosophy.
In 2001, Herman and Jean founded School for Independent Learners, based in Los Altos, California. SIL was granted full accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in 2005, and all courses have been approved by the University of California.
Prior to beginning School for Independent Learners, Herman co-founded Mid-Peninsula High School & Palo Alto Preparatory School, successful Bay Area schools that continue to thrive.
Send an email to Dr. Ohme.
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Jean Ohme, Founder
Jean Ohme is a graduate of UCLA, New Haven Teacher’s College, and the University of Santa Clara. She holds an M.A. in Learning Disabilities, a California teaching credential, and a California administration credential. She taught for decades as a special education teacher in Los Angeles and Redwood City.
In 2001, Herman and Jean founded School for Independent Learners, based in Los Altos, California. For many years, Jean directed the operations of SIL, from the hiring of teachers to the scheduling of lessons. These days, Jean reaches out to our students and their families to ensure that their needs are met. Jean’s enthusiasm for learning is a tremendous inspiration to our students and teachers alike.
The cornerstone of the Ohmes’ vision is the “failure is not an option” philosophy. To learn more about their unique approach to education, please visit Herman’s website, or read about our academic philosophy.
Send an email to Jean Ohme.
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Dr. Richard Gowers, Principal
Richard Gowers is the Principal of the School for Independent Learners. He received his PhD in US History from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and taught at universities in Australia and New Zealand before he moved to the United States in 2004. In 2007, Richard joined the School for Independent Learners where he taught History and English. After a stint as Social Studies Department Chair, he assumed the position of Principal in July 2010.
Richard facilitates and schedules the lessons taught at SIL, and ensures that teachers, parents, and students work together to ensure academic success. He is also our SAT SSD co-ordinator and AP Exam co-ordinator.
An avid football fan (in the non-American sense of the term), Richard has supported Tottenham Hotspur F.C. since birth. In his spare time, when he is not watching, playing, or reading about soccer, he may be found running a trail, playing the piano, cooking, or completing crosswords.
Send an email to Richard.
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Ashley Sarver, Program Director
Ashley J. Sarver is the Program Director of School for Independent Learners, as well as our WASC Self-Study Coordinator and Guidance Counselor. She's also our Interim VPA Dept. Chair, the former English Dept. Chair, and she still teaches a handful of English classes.
Ashley is grateful for the chance to help the Ohmes realize their "one size does not fit all" approach to education. She works closely with a team of 25+ teachers to build and improve the school through an ongoing self-study practice, one which emphasizes the collaborative involvement of all.
In an administrative capacity, Ashley drives school policy, and she supports teachers, however she can, as they design and evaluate curriculum, instruction, and assessment. She envisions a school that enables every student -- through the creative use of technology -- to individualize an education.
Her enthusiasm for the classroom has evolved into a broader interest in learning theory and instructional design, as Ashley seeks to understand the intellectual and affective processes that create meaningful learning. Her curiosity has led her to pursue an M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning, from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.
In her pursuit of professional-development opportunities, Ashley has served as a WASC Visiting Committee Member, and in 2010 was invited by the University of California Office of the President to participate in the UCCI Curriculum Institute. In 2011, Ashley will return to the UCCI Institute as a Facilitator, and was invited to be a member of the UC Cadre of Experts.
Ashley was born and raised among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in the rural college town of Athens, Ohio. She enrolled in college at 15 and, at age 19, graduated with honors from Boston University with a B.S. in Literary Journalism.
The arts inspire Ashley. She studied photography at California College of the Arts, and has exhibited work, curated shows, and taught photography workshops. She also learns and teaches vintage jazz dances: Lindy Hop, 1920's Charleston, and Balboa. As part of the side project she founded -- a non-profit, Castle Dance Project.org -- she travels around the world to advocate for the inclusion of dance programs in K-12 schools.
Send an email to Ashley.
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Levi Leavitt, Treasurer
Levi brings a unique element to the S.I.L. team as one of only two people hired NOT as teachers. What started as assistance with the perfunctory financial responsibilities, soon turned into an integral position in the school's financial health and future. He notes the joy of working closely with the stellar administrative team of Dr. Gowers, Ashley Sarver, and Chris Raynor. Co-workers site Levi's informal manner as setting an approachable and warm tone for the "S.I.L. family."
Levi's scholastic achievement in Digital Technology and Culture through the Creative Media and Digital Culture program at WSU provided a broad educational base with coursework in MIS, Anthropology, Computer Science, English, Fine Arts, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. After graduation, he started immediately in the professional world and brings years of financial experience to the role of Treasurer for S.I.L.
When not staring at numbers, Levi is found performing original music around the western United States and Hawaii. He demonstrates his agility and musical prowess by continuing to play his tunes whilst dodging rotten fruit and other debris launched at him by audience members.
Send an email to Levi.
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