 Faculty & Staff
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Faculty/Staff Login
Head of School:
Bill Perrine joins the Oak Meadow community as a seasoned educator and administrator. Most recently he spent 10 years as head of the middle school at Friends Academy in North Dartmouth, MA. Prior to Friends Academy, Mr. Perrine served as teacher, coach, and discplinary dean at the Bancroft School in Worcester, MA. He also served as head of the Math Department at the Town School for Boys in San Francisco. Mr. Perrine holds a BA from Hamilton College (NY), an MA in Teaching (mathematics) from the University of San Francisco, and has completed the Fellowship for Asipiring Heads and the Institute for New Heads with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
Assistant Head of School:
Joanna DeStefanis has been part of the Oak Meadow community since 1999. She worked in the Admission Office beginning in 2000 and served as Director of Admission from 2004-2009. She was promoted to Assistant Head of School beginning in July of 2009. Mrs. DeStefanis holds a BS in Elementary Education and has completed graduate course work in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Mrs. DeStefanis is nearing the completion of her Master's in Educational Leadership and Administration at Rivier University. She has attended several Montessori teacher workshops and professional conferences related to school leadership and administration. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Mrs. DeStefanis worked in the computer software industry as a Curriculum Developer and Course Instructor. She began her career as an Admissions Counselor for North Adams State College. Mrs. DeStefanis has two children, both graduates of Oak Meadow (2003 and 2006).
Administrative Assistant to the Head of School:
Jeanne Atkins joined Oak Meadow in 2000 as an Administrative Assistant to the School Director. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Ms. Atkins worked in the financial services industry for many years before joining the private school sector in 1997. Ms. Atkins is a graduate of Chandler Business School, Boston.
Learning Specialist:
Julia Pappas joined Oak Meadow in 2012 as the Learning Specialist. Julia’s interest in learning differences began in 2003 when she served as a university-based coordinator of Best Buddies, an organization for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ms. Pappas previously worked as a school psychologist in general education settings, as well as in a school for students with severe behavioral, emotional, and learning difficulties. Prior to joining Oak Meadow she worked at a public charter Montessori school. She received a BS in Psychology in Greece and moved on to pursue her career path in school psychology, earning her Master's and CAGS degree in 2008 from UMass Boston.
Social Emotional Specialist
Leila Wendler rejoined Oak Meadow as a Social Emotional Specialist in August 2012 and will facilitate and support all facets of the social and emotional learning of our students. Leila spent last year completing her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Simmons College and is in the process of pursuing her license to become a certified social worker (LCSW). During her two years with Oak Meadow beginning in 2009, Leila split her time between teaching lessons to students, supporting faculty, and creating curriculum. She was also instrumental in developing the school’s anti-bullying policy.
School Nurse:
Sally Blute, R.N., joined Oak Meadow in 2001 as a full day substitute assistant and School Nurse. For five years, Mrs. Blute was a pre-school assistant in Children’s House as well as Oak Meadow’s afternoon nurse. In 2007, Mrs. Blute became Oak Meadow’s full-time School Nurse. Mrs. Blute is a Registered Nurse licensed in Massachusetts with many years of experience in Emergency Room nursing.
Director of Admission & Parent Relations:
Erin Palmer joined Oak Meadow in 2006 as a Children’s House Lead Teacher and Director of Development and Parent Relations. She began serving as Director of Admission & Parent Relations in July 2009. Ms. Palmer earned her Masters in Education and Early Childhood Montessori certification from Xavier University in Cincinnati. She is a certified instructor of Redirecting Children’s Behavior and Redirecting for a Cooperative Classroom encouraging positive approaches to parenting and teaching. Ms. Palmer earned her BS in Arts Administration with a dance concentration from Butler University in Indianapolis. She remains involved with the performing arts as a consultant for Center Stage Youth Theater in Westford.
Admission Assistant:
Debbie Lustiber joined Oak Meadow in 2011 as the Admissions Assistant. Mrs. Lustiber grew up in Pittsburgh and holds a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics from Carnegie-Mellon University. She worked as a software consultant for DRI/McGraw-Hill and EDS for 13 years before taking time off to raise her two children. Mrs. Lustiber lives in Chelmsford with her family, where she has volunteered extensively in the public schools.
Director of Finance and Operations:
Margaret Gebhard joined Oak Meadow as Director of Finance and Operations in September, 2008. Ms. Gebhard earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Wellesley College and a MBA from Simmons Graduate School of Management. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Ms. Gebhard served as the Director of Finance & Operations at The Carroll School in Lincoln, MA; consulted to preschools, nursery schools and daycare centers; managed an affordable housing program in Arlington, MA; and was Vice President of Finance at Kurzweil Computer Systems, Inc. (later, Xerox Imaging Systems). She is a member of the National Business Officers' Association (NBOA) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Business Office Administrator:
Peggy DiSarcina joined Oak Meadow in 1995 as Business Manager. Prior to coming to Oak Meadow, Mrs. DiSarcina worked as a cost accountant for a major medical company for several years, secretary for a local law firm, and as a bank teller. Mrs. DiSarcina graduated as a Dean’s List Student from Bentley College, Waltham, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accountancy. While at Bentley Mrs. DiSarcina was a member of the Women’s Volleyball Team. She is a member of the National Business Officers Association which is an organization that provides professional development and information to independent business officers.
Director of Marketing & Communications:
 Arielle Driscoll joined the Oak Meadow community in July 2012 as Director of Marketing & Communications. Her career in communications began at the Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) in Boston, followed by the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA. Mrs. Driscoll also served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, in Berkeley, CA. Most recently she worked as a high school English teacher and Social Media Manager at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA. Mrs. Driscoll holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University.
Front Office Assistant:
 Laura Dempsey joined the Oak Meadow staff after being actively involved in the school community since 1997 as a parent and substitute teacher. Mrs. Dempsey grew up in Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English. The Dempsey family has two Oak Meadow graduates: Rosie (2007) and Conner (2009). Caley, the third Dempsey child, is currently in the Middle School program. Mrs. Dempsey's interests include health and fitness and scrapbooking.
Director of Technology:
Anna Kritselis-Howard joined Oak Meadow in 2003 as a Technology Coordinator. Prior to coming to Oak Meadow, Ms. Kritselis-Howard worked in the private sector for 20 years in a variety of systems-related and management level positions Ms. Kritselis-Howard graduated from West Chester University with a B.S. in Music Education and then from Northeastern University with a M.S. in Information Systems. She also provides IT consulting to various other Montessori schools, including Andover School of Montessori, Keystone and Pincushion Hill.
Development Assistant and Event Coordinator:
Denise McKenna joined Oak Meadow in 2009 as the Development Assistant and Events Coordinator. Her three children currently attend Oak Meadow in the UE, LE and CH programs. Denise has been an active parent at OMMS for the past two years: volunteering in the Library, working on the Parents’ Association Year End Carnival and filling in as a Substitute Teacher in Children’s House.
Prior to coming to Oak Meadow, Mrs. McKenna worked in Accounting as a Controller in the private sector for over 20 years. She earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration at the University of Arizona and completed post graduate work at the University of Phoenix.
Facility Manager:
Jeffrey Nelson joined Oak Meadow in 2003 as Facilities Manager. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Mr. Nelson worked in the construction business for over 20 years. Mr. Nelson has been in business for himself since 2003, running a small construction business.
Director of After School Programs:
Patti Hotchkiss steps into the role of Director of After School Programs this year after being a much valued member of the Oak Meadow community for many years while her two sons were students at Oak Meadow. Mrs. Hotchkiss volunteered as a Room Parent and has organized fundraisers such as Scholastic Books. She has chaired various committees for school-wide events including the Groundbreaking in 2009 and the subsequent Gala celebrations. Mrs. Hotchkiss was instrumental in beginning and establishing Oak Meadow’s Parents’ Association.
Child Care Coordinator:
Sharon McNamara joined Oak Meadow in 2000. Her roles have included Napper Care Coordinator and substitute teacher in the Children’s House Program, before becoming a fulltime Assistant Teacher in Mrs. Siedlar's classroom. Mrs. McNamara also serves as Child Care Coordinator which includes management of before and after school child care, as well as child care for Professional Development Days and Fun Days. Prior to coming to Oak Meadow Mrs. McNamara worked as a Principal Aid for four years at Robinson School in Westford. Mrs. McNamara has completed the Assistant Overview Training at Northeast Montessori Institute. She loves reading and spending time at Cape Cod.
Middle School Teachers:
Karen Kelley joined Oak Meadow in 1998 as the Middle School humanities teacher. She helped to create the Middle School program serving as co-leader until 2005, then as team leader until 2009. Mrs. Kelley continues teaching humanities as well as assisting with outreach to communicate Montessori pedagogy to the community beyond Oak Meadow. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. in English and Humanities, and from the University of Denver with a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction with a cognate in International Relations. Mrs. Kelley has completed the NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies program at the Hershey Montessori Farm School in Ohio. She attended the “Schools Attuned Program” training that supports teachers in bringing neurodevelopmental understanding into the classroom. In order to deepen her understanding of Montessori philosophy, she participated in the Early Childhood Overview at the Northeast Montessori Institute. Prior to coming to Oak Meadow, Mrs. Kelley taught at The Fessenden School and in public schools in Colorado and Massachusetts for over seven years.
Barbara Orlowitz joined Oak Meadow in 2002 as the Middle School math and science teacher. Mrs. Orlowitz is the Program Level Coordinator for the Middle School program and also the Director of Secondary School Placement. She has a B.S. in Engineering from Purdue University and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Boston University. Mrs. Orlowitz has been tutoring middle and secondary school math for the past eleven years and has taught at the Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School. Mrs. Orlowitz attended the Montessori Seacoast Center for Education in the summer of 2005 where she participated in the 9 -12 math seminars. Mrs. Orlowitz received her degree in Montessori Adolescent Studies from Washington Montessori Secondary Education Program. She is certified in the state of Massachusetts in mathematics to teach grades 5 – 8. During the summer of 2006, Mrs. Orlowitz attended a College Preparatory Mathematics seminar. She has also attended “The Schools Attuned Program” by Mel Levine. Mrs. Orlowitz served as Vice–Chair of the AISNE/AMS accreditation during the 2006 – 2007 school year.
Kirsten Wright joined Oak Meadow Montessori School in 2007 as a Middle School science teacher. She came to Oak Meadow with 25 years of experience working with adolescents at the middle and high school levels. Ms. Wright's undergraduate studies culminated in a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with a Minor in Biology from the University of Vermont. She continues her post graduate work with the ongoing pursuit of a wide variety of study in the fields of Psychology, Education, Science and Communications. Ms. Wright's dedication to nurturing a community of considerate citizens and cultivating personal and academic growth within her students is evident in her success with connecting student learning outside of the classroom to the larger community through internships, work study and experiential learning.
Upper Elementary Teachers:
Becky Erwin joined Oak Meadow in 2009 as an Upper Elementary teacher. She now also serves as Program Level Coordinator for the Upper Elementary Program. Mrs. Erwin earned her Montessori Upper Elementary teaching credentials at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in 2003. She taught Upper Elementary at a Montessori school in Milton, MA for four years and served for three of those years as the Program Coordinator for the Upper Elementary program. Prior to that, Mrs. Erwin taught sixth grade for two years in Roslindale, MA. Mrs. Erwin has a B.A. in Elementary Education from Goucher College. Mrs. Erwin’s daughter, Megan, is a student in Oak Meadow’s Lower Elementary program.
 Michelle Pflaum began serving as an Upper Elementary Lead Teacher in 2012. She previously served as the Lower Elementary Assistant for Mrs. Fidrych and Ms. Ferreira’s classrooms. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Mrs. Pflaum was a Children’s House lead teacher at Green Valley School in Pembroke, NH. She has also served as a Library Volunteer, Substitute Teacher, Lunch Assistant, and Children’s House intern at Oak Meadow. She received her Early Childhood Montessori certification from the New England Montessori Teacher Education Center. Mrs. Pflaum has a B.S. in Mathematics from Framingham State College, an M.S. in Computer Engineering from Boston University, and an M.Ed. in Montessori Education and Mathematics Teaching from Lesley University. Prior to teaching, she was a software engineer at IBM. She has completed her Elementary I-II (6-12) training at the Seacoast Center for Education. Her daughter is a student in Oak Meadow’s Upper Elementary program.
Rani Tremblay joined Oak Meadow in 2006. She has been an Upper Elementary teacher, assistant, and parent over the years. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Mrs. Tremblay worked in the 3-6 Montessori Classroom. She holds a BS degree in Psychology from DePaul Univerisity. Mrs. Tremblay also possesses an MS in Counseling and Human Resources from Northeastern University. In addition, Mrs. Tremblay has her 6-9 AMS Montessori certification and is completing her 9-12 certification at Seacoast Center in New Hampshire.
Upper Elementary Assistants:
John Scriven joined Oak Meadow Montessori School in the fall of 2009 as an Upper Elementary Assistant. In 2009, he served as Assistant Coach for for Oak Meadow's inaugural soccer team. For 34 years, Mr. Scriven was a senior residential designer for two leading home manufacturing companies in New England. Mr. Scriven attended Wentworth Institute of Technology and Arizona State University.
Lower Elementary Teachers:
Suzanne Berrier helped launch the Lower Elementary program at Oak Meadow back in 1986 when Oak Meadow Montessori was originally located in Boxborough. She spent the next ten years as a Lead Teacher. After starting her family, Mrs. Berrier returned to Oak Meadow in 2000 as a Children’s House Lead Teacher. She is now a Lead Teacher in the Lower Elementary program and a Team Co-Leader. Mrs. Berrier graduated from Norwich University with a B.A. in International studies, and received her M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Lesley College. She completed her Montessori training (6-9) at CMTE, in New York. She enjoys spending time with her family, biking, and horseback riding.
Natalie Ferreira came to Oak Meadow in 2010 as a Classroom Assistant for the Lower Elementary Program. She now serves as Lead Teacher for the LE program. Before working for Oak Meadow she attended the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where she earned an undergraduate degree in Liberal Arts with a minor in elementary education, a Masters in Teaching, and a Massachusetts elementary initial state license. This summer Ms. Ferreira attended the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado where she completed her Lower Elementary training. Outside of the classroom she enjoys outdoor activities, crocheting, and reading.
Mary Louise Fidrych joined the Lower Elementary team in 2006. Prior to this, she served in a variety of capacities at Oak Meadow, including Middle School Humanities teacher, Upper Elementary Teacher Assistant, and Children’s House Assistant and Field Trip Coordinator. Before working at Oak Meadow, Mrs. Fidrych was employed by the Rhode Island Heritage Commission as Program Development Coordinator. She graduated from Salve Regina College with a BA in History/Political Science and Providence College, with a Masters Degree in History. Mrs. Fidrych received her Lower Elementary Certification through the Seacoast Training Center.
Gretchen McKay started working at Oak Meadow in 2004 and became a Lead Teacher in the Lower Elementary program in September 2007. Mrs. McKay’s love of Montessori education began as a Children’s House student at Scuola Maria Montessori in Bergamo, Italy. Mrs. McKay received her Master’s Degree, specializing in Montessori Education from the College of Notre Dame, Belmont, CA. Mrs. McKay did her undergraduate work at Wellesley College and Dartmouth College where she received her B.S. Degree in psychology and a Massachusetts Teachers Certificate (K-8). She has also received the A.M.S. Preprimary Credential (3-6 years) and the A.M.I. Montessori Diploma (6-12 years).
Michele Strobel joined Oak Meadow’s Lower Elementary team in 2006 as an Assistant Teacher. Ms. Strobel now serves as Program Level Coordinator and teacher for the Lower Elementary program. Prior to 2006, Mrs. Strobel was an Assistant Teacher in the Children’s House program at Oak Meadow for seven years. She has completed her Montessori Elementary I (6-9) training at Seacoast Training Center. She graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in Government/Political Science. Mrs. Strobel enjoys camping and other outdoor activities with her family. Her son, Christian, attended Oak Meadow for 10 years and graduated in 2009.
Lower Elementary Assistants:
Antonella Fuchser serves as the Lower Elementary Assistant for Mrs. McKay's and Mrs. Strobel's classrooms . Ms. Fuchser has previously worked in a variety of capacities at Oak Meadow including Children’s House Assistant, Napper Care Coordinator, substitute teacher, After School Care teacher, and lunchroom helper. Ms. Fuchser, who is a native of Switzerland, is a trained Waldorf kindergarten teacher and has many years of experience working with children of all ages.
Lauren Studer joined the Oak Meadow community in August 2012 as a Lower Elementary Assistant. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Miss Studer studied Elementary Education and English at Bridgewater State University. In January of 2012, Miss Studer obtained her BS in Education. After graduation, Miss Studer worked as a substitute teacher as well as an afterschool tutor for Springboard Afterschool in Westford, MA.
Children’s House Teachers:
 Richelle Dupont received her Early Childhood certification from the Northeast Montessori Institute in July 2011 and stepped into the role of Children's House Lead Teacher as of August 2012. She has been a Children's House Assistant for the past four years. Ms. Dupont holds a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University and is a former professional dancer and dance teacher. Outside of school, she enjoys swimming, cycling, and scrapbooking the adventures of her own children who are in the 8th and 5th grade at Oak Meadow.
Elizabeth Hickey joined Oak Meadow in 2004 as the Children’s House Lead Teacher and now serves as the Children's House Program Level Coordinator. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Beth teaches yoga during the After School Program at Oak Meadow. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Mrs. Hickey was a Children’s House teacher in Maryland. Mrs. Hickey earned her AMS Early Childhood credential from the Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland. Mrs. Hickey completed the "Schools Attuned Program" from All Kinds of Minds, an organization which helps integrate differences in learning into the classroom. Prior to her teaching career, Mrs. Hickey was a founder and Coordinator of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland College Park, working on environmental issues. Mrs. Hickey began her career in the commercial and investment banking industry in New York and Chicago. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland College Park and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Economics from Boston College. Mrs. Hickey’s daughter graduated from Oak Meadow in June 2010.
Shuyee Huang joined Oak Meadow in 2001 as a Children’s House Lead Teacher. Mrs. Huang has two children who attended Stoneybrook Montessori School. Mrs. Huang first became interested in Montessori education when she volunteered in her daughter’s classroom. Since then she has gone on to complete her Montessori training and received her Montessori certification in 2001. Mrs. Huang enjoys teaching and has held various teaching positions for over ten years including Assistant Teacher at Oak Meadow from 1998-1999. She also loves music and cooking in her leisure time. Mrs. Huang earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Tamkang University, Taiwan.
Sanaa Kazi joined Oak Meadow in August 2012 as a Children's House Lead Teacher. Prior to joining us she taught at Keystone Montessori School for seven years. She obtained her A.M.I. Training from the Indian Montessori training centre in Bangalore, India. She also holds her A.M.S. certification from The New Endland Montessori training center. Her bachelors degree is in Psychology and Communicative English from rom the Bangalore University.
Kellie McElhinney-Mancini rejoined Oak Meadow in 2010 as Children’s House Lead Teacher. Ms. McElhinney-Mancini previously worked at Oak Meadow in 1999 as a Summer Program Counselor, and shortly thereafter assumed the position of Children’s House Lead Teacher. Ms. McElhinney-Mancini graduated from Fitchburg State College with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and a second major in Sociology. Ms. McElhinney-Mancini also received her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education as well as her certification from Rivier College in Parenting Education. She has completed her Montessori Children’s House (3-6) training at Northeast Montessori Institute.
Donna Siedlar joined Oak Meadow in 2001 as the After School Care teacher. She re-joined Oak Meadow in 2003 as a Children’s House Teacher’s Assistant and After School Care teacher. In the spring of 2004, Mrs. Siedlar was appointed Lead Teacher in the Children’s House Program. Since 2005, Mrs. Siedlar has helped to coordinate and participate in the Oak Meadow Montessori School Summer Program. Previous Montessori experience has included working as a Montessori Toddler teacher at Concord Montessori and working as an assistant at Stoneybrook Montessori. She graduated from Endicott Junior College and Salem State College and has completed her course work at Northeast Montessori Institute to obtain her Montessori Certification (3-6). Besides teaching, Mrs. Siedlar enjoys plants, animals and cooking.
Children’s House Teacher Assistants:
 Elisabeth Anderson joined Oak Meadow in 2006 as a Children's House Teacher's Assistant. Mrs. Anderson is the Children’s House Assistant in Mrs. Huang’s P.M. class. She also works in the Front Office during the After School Care hours. Mrs. Anderson taught preschool for five years at a private school in Lexington, MA and she homeschooled her two children for twelve years. She attended New Mexico State University where she studied horticulture and home economics.
 Parul Thakkar serves as an Assistant in Ms. Kazi's Children’s House classroom. Mrs. Thakkar joined the Upper Elementary team during the 2007/08 school year as an assistant teacher. Previous to this, Mrs. Thakar has worked at Oak Meadow as a Substitute Teacher and Lunch Assistant. Her two daughters have been students at Oak Meadow. In addition to her responsibilities at Oak Meadow, Mrs. Thakkar is involved with an Indian Cultural Organization and teaches an Indian language at a Sunday school. Prior to staying home with her children, she worked as an Assistant Teacher in India. In 2009, Mrs. Thakkar completed the Montessori Overview Course. In 2010, she completed the Advanced Assistants Montessori Course. Mrs. Thakkar has a Bachelor of Science degree from India and a Diploma in Computer Technology. She enjoys arts and crafts and spending time with her family.
 Janna Olson serves Oak Meadow as the Children’s House Assistant in Mrs. Siedlar’s classroom. Previously, she was a Substitute Teacher and Lunch Assistant in the Children’s House and Lower Elementary programs. She also assisted with the Children’s House nappers in the 2010-11 school year. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Mrs. Olson worked in educational and children’s book publishing. She received a B.S. in Applied Design from the University of Minnesota. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and music.
 Sunitha Paravasthu joined Oak Meadow as a Children's House Assistant in August 2012. Sunitha also worked at Oak Meadow last year holding various assistant teacher roles.
 Vaishali Sabnis is serving Oak Meadow as a Children's House Assistant. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from India, a Certificate in Computer Proficiency from UMass, Lowell, and a Client/Server Technology Certificate Program from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Mrs. Sabnis attended a workshop for Center of Montessori Teacher Education in New Rochelle, NY in 2008. Prior to coming to Oak Meadow, she served as a substitute teacher for the Children’s house and Lower Elementary classroom, as well as a lunch assistant and personal tutor in the Lower elementary classroom, at Keystone Montessori School in Chelmsford, MA. Mrs. Sabnis worked as a lunch assistant in Mrs. Hickey's classroom for the 2010-2011 school year. Among her hobbies, she loves to attend and organize Indian cultural programs.
 Karen Root Watkins joined Oak Meadow in August 2012 and serves as Children's House Assistant in Ms. Dupont's classroom. Previously, she taught grades K-2 Bilingual (Spanish/English) for 18 years in the Trenton, NJ public schools. She has a BA from Duke University and an MA in theology from the Institute for Justice and Peace of Maryknoll School of Theology. Like monarch butterflies, she enjoys exploring the natural world, traveling, and making cross-cultural connections.
 Linda Williamson joined Oak Meadow as a Children's House Assistant in August 2012. Linda has worked at Oak Meadow since 2010 in the Before Care program and as a frequent Children’s House substitute teacher.
Teachers of Special Subjects:
Catherine Karp joined Oak Meadow in 2002 as an Art Teacher. Mrs. Karp earned a B.A. from Kenyon College in Art and Art History and a M. Ed. from Lesley College in Elementary Education. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Mrs. Karp taught as a classroom teacher and art teacher for 10 years in both public and private schools and has worked in the advertising and graphic design business. Mrs. Karp and her family spent the 2008-2009 school year in Costa Rica where her husband was on sabbatical from Lawrence Academy.
Señora Vivian Quiroga Klein is the Spanish teacher for Upper Elementary and Middle School. Sra. Quiroga is a native of Bolivia. Previously, she served as head of the foreign language program at a Montessori school in Natick, Massachusetts for eleven years. There she taught Spanish to all students from Kindergarten through eighth grade, and Latin to grades six through eight. Sra. Quiroga earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Modern Language and Literature from Boston College. In 2002 she studied in Galicia, Spain on scholarship from the Embassy of Spain and was an invited speaker at a poetry colloquium in Havana, Cuba in 2006. Sra. Quiroga enjoys cooking, folk dance, and traditional music and incorporates these interests into her teaching.
Deb Larson is the School's Director of Athletics. She joined Oak Meadow in 2000 as a Physical Education and After School Program Teacher. She was instrumental in the creation of the Montessori Athletics League and in developing the School's first interscholastic sports teams. Ms. Larson attended Adelphi University in Long Island, NY on a full athletic scholarship and graduated with a B.S. in Physical Education. Prior to joining Oak Meadow, Ms. Larson taught physical education in the Connecticut school system, along with coaching three sports at both the high school and collegiate level.
 Beatriz Mueller is the Children's House and Lower Elementary Spanish teacher. Beatriz holds a Bachelors Degree in Communications with a concentration in foreign languages from the University of Massachusetts. She is a native Spanish and English speaker and also speaks German, Portuguese, and French. Beatriz is of Bolivian descent and has lived in Bolivia and Germany as well as California and Massachusetts. She has taught foreign languages to children and adults of all ages including a four year tenure at Milton Academy where she taught Spanish.
 Stephen Pixley, Oak Meadow’s Music Teacher, is a singer, pianist, ethnomusicologist, composer, conductor and brass player. He has had solo vocal appearances at Jordan Hall, Trinity Church at Copley Square, M.I.T., the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Tsai Performing Arts Center. As an ethnomusicologist, he has trained in Jewish vocal music and on traditional instruments from Thailand, Japan and South India. Mr. Pixley has most recently served as Executive Director of the New School of Music in Cambridge, and previously been an administrator at New England Conservatory of Music, Handel & Haydn Society, Brookline Music School, and other local arts organizations. Previous teaching posts include The Country Day School, Wesleyan University, and as an English teacher in Thailand. Mr. Pixley has a B.A. from Vassar College, a M.M. from New England Conservatory, and a M.A. from Wesleyan University. He leads a professional Klezmer group in Brookline, and is currently working on a CD of original songs in a mixed classical and jazz style set to poems by Rainer Maria Rilke.
Wendy Stuart joined Oak Meadow in 2004 as the Middle School drama teacher. Mrs. Stuart teaches drama to Lower Elementary second years up to the Middle School students. Ms. Stuart studied acting with Sandy Meisner and at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She has directed Shakespeare at the Fayerweather Street School for the past seven years, as well as directing numerous productions at other private and public schools.
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