Lauren Morse – Preschool Teacher
Email:
lmorse@willowschool.org Lauren earned her B.A. degree in English literature from Colgate University. In 2005, she worked as a kindergarten aide at The Willow School, which inspired her to pursue teaching as a career. Lauren earned her Masters of Science in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City. Prior to rejoining The Willow School faculty in 2010, Lauren was an assistant teacher at Trevor Day School and head teacher at York Avenue Preschool, both in Manhattan. Lauren lives in Madison with her husband.
Jessica Katchen – Preschool Teacher
Email:
jkatchen@willowschool.org Jessica holds a B.A. degree in Education from Boston College and a Masters Degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhood from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jessica spent six years teaching environmental education on Nantucket Island, MA through a year-round program called Strong Wings. Following this experience, she spent six years teaching at Far Hills Country Day School in grades pre-k, Kindergarten and second grade. Jessica joined The Willow School in 2010 as a preschool teacher. Jessica and her husband live in Gladstone and their two daughters attend The Willow School.
Julie Kim – Kindergarten Teacher
Email:
jkim@willowschool.org Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Rutgers University. Upon graduation, she worked as a legal assistant at a law firm in Dallas, Texas. Since then she has earned her full teaching certificate at the Princeton Center for Teacher Education. Prior to coming to The Willow School, she served as a head teacher at The Albrook School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. While at Albrook, she worked as a mentor teacher to student teachers guiding them in understanding and implementing educational philosophies. Julie joined Willow in 2006. Most recently, Julie has served as chair for the language arts committee. Julie resides in Bridgewater with her husband and two children.
Jacquelyn Berkowitz – Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Email:
jberkowitz@willowschool.org Jacquelyn graduated, with honors, from Ursinus College in May 2011. She holds a B.A. degree in dance with a minor in elementary education. Her honors research investigated the effects of movement on learning in 2nd grade math curriculums. This past spring Jacquelyn received the Ursinus College Dance Award for performance, leadership and academic excellence. Jacquelyn is also a graduate of the Purnell School and the Waldorf School of Princeton where she has been a camp counselor for the past six years. Jacquelyn joined The Willow School in the fall of 2011.
Katie Lombardo – Kindergarten Teacher
Email:
klombardo@willowschool.org Katie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Prior to coming to The Willow School, Katie worked as a teacher’s aide in special education at Mary Cariola Children’s Center in Rochester, NY. Katie began working at The Willow School in 2005. She has served as an associate teacher in both Kindergarten and First Grade and is now head teacher for the new Kindergarten classroom. Katie resides with her husband in Hillsborough.
Keith Mann- Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Email:
kmann@willowschool.org Keith attended Muhlenberg College where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Communications as well as certification in elementary education. Upon graduation, Keith remained in Allentown, Pennsylvania where he served as a program coordinator for grades K-3 at The Caring Place, an inner-city youth development center for underprivileged children at-risk. He returned to New Jersey to pursue an Ed. M. in Reading Education at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and will complete the program in summer 2011. Keith remains active by competing in triathlons and participating in sports. As an amputee, completed the New York City Marathon on crutches and was a member of the U.S. National Amputee Soccer Team. Keith joined The Willow School in the fall of 2011. Keith lives in Mendham with his two rescued dogs, Lulu and Michael.
Amy Swenson – Lower School Director and First Grade Teacher
Email:
aswenson@willowschool.org Amy Swenson has worked in the field of education for over thirty years, in various teaching and administrative capacities. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, Amy furthered her education by earning a Montessori Elementary Certification from the Seacoast Training Center. Amy began her professional career by starting a private, independent Montessori school with her mother, which they operated for ten years. After relocating to Massachusetts with her husband, Amy became the lead Upper Elementary teacher for the Oak Meadow Montessori School, for five years and was then promoted to the Head of School for an additional five years. Amy then returned to New Jersey and joined The Willow School faculty in 2008, where she teaches the first grade and serves as the lower school director. Amy is the proud mother of six grown children and lives with her husband in Budd Lake.
Tara VanDette – First Grade Associate Teacher
Email:
tvandette@willowschool.org Tara holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising from Penn State. She participated in Semester at Sea, a once-in a lifetime learning opportunity, sailing around the world and receiving a global education. After graduation, Tara worked as a Corporate Event/Meeting Planner for several years, and then enrolled in an alternate route program for her K-5 certification in elementary education. Tara has teaching experience at the Kindergarten and First Grade level in both private and public school settings. Tara is associated with Project U.S.E., an experiential education organization, and has worked as a tutor and a facilitator of outdoor adventure courses. Tara started as a Guest Teacher at The Willow School and became a member of the faculty in 2010. Tara lives in Morristown with her husband.
Deidre Cooper-Boyce – Third Grade Teacher
Email:
dcooper@willowschool.org Deidre is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Long Island University, Georgetown University Law Center and Brooklyn College. She holds a B.A. in English and Sociology, a Juris Doctorate and an M.S. in Elementary Education. After practicing real estate and family law in New York State, she became a teacher with the NYC Department of Education and has since worked in three other public school districts teaching grades three through twelve. Deidre also worked at Packer Collegiate Institute as an assistant first grade teacher. She is certified as an elementary teacher in both New York and Pennsylvania and worked as a high school reading specialist for five years. Upon moving to New Jersey, Deidre joined The Willow School in 2010. Deidre resides in Stewartsville with her two sons; the oldest attends The Willow School.
Paul Parker – Second Grade Teacher
Email:
pparker@willowschool.org Paul brings over thirty years of teaching experience to his current position as second grade teacher at The Willow School. The majority of his classroom teaching has been with primary students in small schools on the northwest coast of Newfoundland, Canada. In addition to his primary teaching assignments, he has taught a variety of specialty elementary subjects including Science, Computer Science, French and Physical Education. Paul has attended the Programme Special de Français at the University of Laval and received a primary teaching certificate from the Ottawa Teachers College, a B.Sc. from the University of Waterloo and a B.Ed. from Mount Saint Vincent University. Paul was a founding member and field coordinator of the Northern Cultural Heritage Project, which combined scientific research and educational training for Inuit high school students in Canada’s Eastern Arctic. Before joining The Willow School faculty in 2003, Paul was an alternative education teacher for the Maquatua Eeyou School in Northern Quebec. In this program, Cree students with social and emotional issues pursued academic and traditional studies in both classroom and bush camp settings. Over the course of his teaching career, Paul has developed numerous innovative curriculum projects for the classroom. Paul recently served as chair for the science curriculum committee. Paul resides in Far Hills with his wife.
Carol Fontaine – Fourth Grade Teacher
Email:
cfontaine@willowschool.org Carol earned a BFA degree from Pratt Institute and her Montessori Elementary certification from The Center for Montessori Teacher Education, at The College of New Rochelle. She has taken advanced academic courses in philosophy at Southern Connecticut State College. Carol was the head teacher, for over ten years, in lower elementary at The Albrook School in Basking Ridge In addition, she has served as advisor to Montessori teacher interns for The Center for Montessori Teacher Education and The Houston Montessori Center and is a trained School Consultant for the American Montessori Society. Carol has been with The Willow School since 2007 and recently served as the chair for the social studies curriculum committee. Carol lives with her husband in Chester, where as a practicing artist, she has a studio.
Jodi Potter- Fifth Grade Teacher
Email:
jpotter@willowschool.org Prior to coming to The Willow School in 2010, Jodi taught 3rd, 4th and 5th grade Writing and Science. Jodi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in Psychology. She completed her post-baccalaureate K-8 teaching certification at Kean College. She has a wide array of teaching experience in public, private and charter schools. Jodi lives in Highland Park with her husband and cat.
Suzzanne Mahoney – Lower School Science Teacher
Email:
smahoney@willowschool.org Suzzanne was a naturalist in the Morris County Park System for twelve years. Prior to working with the park system, she was a licensed practical nurse for four years and a teacher’s assistant at Spruce Run School in Clinton, New Jersey. Suzzanne received her B.A. in Biology from Kean University and joined The Willow School in 2005 as the science teacher. As a naturalist, Suzzanne serves as a volunteer at The Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center. Suzzanne resides in High Bridge.
Shannon Downey – Middle School Director and Middle School Language Arts Teacher
Email:
sdowney@willowschool.org Shannon earned her B.A. from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Shannon is certified in the state of New Jersey as an elementary teacher and has been both a participant and a presenter at curriculum and reading workshops. Before joining The Willow School faculty in 2007, Shannon was a fifth and sixth grade teacher at North Star Academy Charter School of Newark in Newark, New Jersey. Shannon resides with her husband in Hopatcong.
Michael Chodroff – Middle School Science Teacher and Chair of the Science Curriculum Committee
Email:
mchodroff@willowschool.org Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in Communication and Journalism. He completed his post-baccalaureate K-8 teaching certification at Kean College and received his Masters of Science in Educational Technology from Ramapo College. In 2003, he was the recipient of the NJ Dept of Education Commissioner’s Distinguished Teacher Award. Michael is on the advisory council for the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) and is on the Board of Trustees at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick. He filmed and edited the documentary “A Sustainable Galapagos?” and recently traveled to Israel where he met with other environmental educators. Michael lives in Far Hills.
Liliana Lisbao – Middle School Social Studies Teacher
Email:
llisbao@willowschool.org Liliana has been an educator for twenty-three years in early childhood and middle-school levels. Prior to joining The Willow School faculty in 2003, she was the director of The Magic Garden Preschool in Highland Park, New Jersey. Liliana also developed and taught after-school and summer camp programs in history, art, and creative writing for elementary and middle school. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University, a Master’s Degree in Teaching from Rider University, and is certified to teach social studies K-12. Liliana resides in Highland Park.
Thomas Williams – Middle School Math Teacher
Email:
twilliams@willowschool.org Tom joined The Willow School in September of 2009, after many years as sixth grade math teacher at the Pingry School in Short Hills and Martinsville, New Jersey. At Pingry, Tom was presented with the Woodruff J. English Award, which recognizes teachers who instill in their students a love of learning and commitment to living the ideals of the School’s Honor Code. Previously, he taught high school math at Westminster School in Connecticut. In his corporate life, Tom served as the President and C.E.O. of the Bates Manufacturing Company in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Tom has a B.A. from Williams College, a M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a M.A.T. in Elementary Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He and his wife live in nearby Pottersville and have two grown sons.
Catherine Luborsky – French Teacher
Email:
cluborsky@willowschool.org Catherine Luborsky brings over twenty five years of experience in teaching French to The Willow School. She grew up in France, went the Lycée Victor Hugo in Poitiers where she studied English, Spanish and Russian. She graduated with a Baccalauréat in foreign languages. After spending a year as an au pair in the United States, she returned to Paris where she majored in Russian studies at the Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales at the Sorbonne. Catherine started teaching French at the Freie Waldorf Schule Wangen in Germany, then at the Hartsbrook School in Hadley, Massachusetts and the Kimberton Waldorf School in Kimberton, Pennsylvania where she was the foreign exchange program coordinator and a mentor to incoming language teachers. Catherine’s experience ranges from lower, middle and high school levels. Catherine joined The Willow School in 2006 and resides in Far Hills.
Linda Cowperthwaite – Middle School Latin Teacher and Math Support
Email:
lcowperthwaite@willowschool.org Linda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Drew University with an emphasis on Education and Child Development. In addition to joining The Willow School in 2010 to teach Latin and provide math support, Linda helped coach girls’ lacrosse. Linda’s passion for athletics led her to establish the Chester-Mendham girls’ lacrosse team and serve as a volunteer coach seven seasons. Linda has been teaching Latin privately over the last 16 years and most recently with The Chandler Learning Center in Bedminster. Linda lives in Califon with her husband and two children, who attend Willow.
Scott Beil – Art Teacher
Email:
sbeil@willowschool.org Scott has earned a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Montclair State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts Education from the College of New Jersey. Prior to joining The Willow School in 2007, Scott was employed at the Matheny Medical and Educational Center as the Art Education Coordinator and Studio Manager, where he was responsible for the creation and implementation for a multidisciplinary art education program for students with severe developmental disabilities. Scott has shown his work at various galleries in New York and New Jersey including: Hunter Times Square Gallery, Limner Gallery and Bowery Gallery. Scott recently had the unique opportunity to work with the education staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, Guggenheim and MoMA through the Connecting Collections Program, a collaborative summer teacher institute designed to integrate the study of visual images into the classroom. Scott received the Somerset Cultural and Heritage Commission Excellence in the Arts Award in 2007. Scott lives in Flanders with his wife and baby daughter.
Brian Gary – Wellness Teacher and After School Sports
Email:
bgary@willowschool.org A native New Yorker, Brian attended Springfield College and majored in physical education. In addition, Brian attended the National Academy of Design in New York City, and the Rijks Academy in the Netherlands majoring in fine arts painting and drawing. Brian was a former player/coach for professional basketball team in the Netherlands and a USATF track and field coach. Prior to joining The Willow School in 2010, Brian was the physical education and health teacher for The Unity Charter School in Morristown whose charter is base in sustainability and ecology, a physical education teacher for the Albrook School in Basking Ridge and conducted workshops in world games and game development for the Montessori Society in New Jersey. When time allows, Brian exhibits and conducts art workshop in the tri-state area in ceramics and collage. Brian is a member of The New Museum, NY Botanical Gardens, The American Littoral Society and USATF. Brian resides in Sewaren.
Karen Abrams Hilde – Handcrafts and Architecture
Email:
khilde@willowschool.org Before beginning her own practice in 1997, Karen worked for a number of architectural firms, including Michael Graves and Associates in Princeton, doing commercial, educational and residential work. Her commitment to sustainable architecture initially drew her to The Willow School in 2006, but it was the school’s academic philosophy that engaged her. Karen holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University’s, College of Architecture, Art and Planning in addition to formal art training in multiple mediums. Karen brings her enthusiasm and love of teaching and her experience in curriculum planning to her handcrafts and architecture classes. Karen resides in Bedminster, with her husband and two sons, who attend The Willow School.
Alison Iati – Preschool and Kindergarten Music Teacher
Email:
aiati@willowschool.org Alison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and is a licensed Kindermusik® instructor. She has been teaching music and movement programs for young children for six years. Prior to coming to The Willow School in 2010, Alison taught a maestro level Kindermusik® program. Alison has also taught Intro to Recording at County College of Morris. She has worked as both an artist and a writer on the feathermerchants’ self titled album feathermerchants, released in 1999, and as a writer on Todd Collin’s bluegrass album, Blue Soul, released in 2004. Alison lives in Randolph with her husband and two daughters. Both children attend The Willow School.
Gina Lefferts – Performing Arts
Email:
glefferts@willowschool.org Gina graduated magna cum laude in 1978 from Goucher College and Peabody Conservatory and received her MA in Historical Musicology from Columbia University in 1984. After many years of teaching, she went back to school to receive certification in the Kodaly method from NYU. Gina has taught music since 1976: private piano lessons from 1976 to the present and music theory, piano, and music history at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music from 1980-1989. She also founded a music and movement program for pre-schoolers and coordinated outreach programs for the Brooklyn public schools. Gina went on to teach children in grades five through eight at Berkeley Carroll Street School in Brooklyn. In 1993, she moved to Colorado and collaborated with other parents to found a Waldorf-inspired public school in Boulder. She taught at Friends School and then at Alexander Dawson School in Colorado until she moved back to the east coast and began teaching at The Willow School in 2006. Gina resides in Maplewood with her husband and two children.
Meg Brandt – Librarian and Reading Specialist
Email:
mbrandt@willowschool.org Meg holds a BA in English from Rutgers University and a MA in Reading from Montclair State University. She is a certified Reading Specialist and Teacher of English K-12. Meg is currently enrolled in the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information for Associate School Library Media Specialist Certification. She has taught middle school language arts as well as journalism and religion. Meg joined The Willow School in 2010. Meg and her husband live in Chester and have four children, the youngest attends Willow.
Meagan Coy – Service Learning Coordinator
Email:
mcoy@willowschool.org Meagan holds a B.A. degree in Education and Psychology from Muhlenberg College where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She has twelve years of teaching experience in the second, fourth, and fifth grades. She began as the Service Learning Coordinator at The Willow School in January 2011 and will be taking over the curriculum chair for the language arts committee for the 2011-2012 school year. Passionate about teaching language arts to children, Meagan taught middle school language arts and was the chairperson for the language arts department at the Harding Township School. Meagan has taught at both public and independent schools in Washington, D.C. and N.J. and internationally at Ecole D’Humanite in Switzerland. Meagan also has extensive tutoring experience in writing skills as well as in study skills and homework management. She and her husband live in Tewksbury and have two daughters at The Willow School.
John Brandi – School Psychologist
Email:
jbrandi@willowschool.org John enjoys an active career in both academic and applied psychology. Prior to joining The Willow School in 2010, John consulted nationally for Liberty Behavioral Healthcare, where he developed numerous programs in motivation and performance enhancement, as well as supervising school and clinical assessments. John is a member of the Psychology Department at New Jersey City University where he teaches human learning and motivation, developmental psychology, social psychology and research statistics. In addition, he develops annual symposiums in Positive Psychology. John is also an Assistant Coach for Montclair State University Baseball, where he coaches the mental and motivational aspects of the game and has many years of experience coaching New Jersey high school football. John attended Fordham University, for both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
