Shawna is the mother of 4 children in the family that she and her partner have blended and grown for the past 8 years. She is an early childhood education director and forever a teacher in her heart. Shawna earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and Spanish from Our Lady of the Elms College. She has worked in early education centers all over Western Massachusetts for over 20 years. Some of her favorite things about her work are the busy sound of classrooms filled with kids and teachers enjoying the day together, and the wisdom of three-year-old logic. Shawna believes that care is education, play is the conduit for learning and that teachers in partnership with families are the foundational tenets for a quality early education program.

Netania came to the Valley in 1994 while in her 20s and has loved calling this place home. She has had a varied career, from a language arts special education teacher to a house flipper to her current career as the owner of Caravan Kitchen food truck. She is also a parent of two young adults. Netania loves to spend her time outdoors (hiking, skiing, biking, swinging in the hammock with a good book) and eating good food with good friends. Netania joined the  Nonotuck Community School in 2020, and loves supporting and growing with this warm and welcoming community of people.

Sandy has been with Nonotuck for over 20 years, working in the office and now working remotely doing our bookkeeping. Sandy lives with three of her sisters and her ‘fur babies’ (also known as ‘cats’).

Crystal has been working in the early childhood field for 20 years. She has a lot of knowledge when it comes to sensory experiences of all kinds, from the pros of messy play, to working with overstimulated children, to quiet times and stress relief. Mom to two very handsome boys, on weekends Crystal can be found rooting on her favorite soccer/basketball/track player, her son Lucas, or setting up tents for backyard camping “trips” with younger son Chase. Crystal and her boyfriend are always looking for fun things to do to help create a family bond while engaging the boys in new and exciting experiences.

Kat has been working in child care for the last decade. She attended Plymouth State University and has a degree in Communications with a minor in Child Welfare and Family Studies. She loves the outdoors and taking her class outside to learn whenever possible. She is passionate about education and enjoys seeing her students learn and grow in a warm nurturing environment. Hailing from New Hampshire, Kat is now living in Western Mass, flipping houses with her Husband and baby V. In her free time she can be found hiking with her child, dogs, and husband. They’re always looking for new places to swim and explore, so if you know any cool trails let her know!

Hi I am Natalie! I have been working with children since I was 15; I attended a career technical school where I got my teacher license while also attending high school. I have always loved caring for children, and always felt that teachers have the most important jobs in the world. I love encouraging children to use their imagination! I have worked with all age groups from infants to Pre-K. I am planning on taking a few classes to get my lead as well. I am very high energy, so I love how this job keeps you up and going. I've worked in other centers as a floater and a teacher, so I know how it feels on both sides. I’m so excited to be at Nonotuck and joining this amazing staff and community!

Lyndsey has been a teacher of young children for over 22 years. She has worked with kids and families from Springfield, Chicopee, and Longmeadow. Lyndsey enjoys watching kids of all ages learn and grow. Lyndsey shares her home with her cat, Oscar. When she is not working, Lyndsey spends time with her family and loves to bake.

Julie (She/They) grew up in down-east Maine. She loved being right on the coast but does not miss how windy it was there. She loved visiting Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park every year, climbing on rocks and checking out the tide pools. It is very exciting that Nonotuck is close to the mill river! Julie loves going down in the spring and summer with children to explore the mud hills, climb over rocks and find crawfish in the water. They attended the University of Maine Orono earning a Bachelor’s in Child Development and Family Relations with a double minor in Education and Psychology. Julie has been working with children for over 10 years. She has been: a camp counselor, floater, substitute and now a classroom teacher since 2019 at Nonotuck. Outside of Nonotuck she enjoys various types of crafting and painting. They love playing board games and doing puzzles with their girlfriend, as well as spending time with their cat and dog.

Sam has been working in preschool classrooms since 2012. She earned her Associate’s Degree in Early Education from Greenfield Community College and went on to Salem State University to complete a dual-major BS program in Education and Art. She has experience teaching in a variety of classrooms, including play-based and Montessori classrooms. She lived in Salem for several years before returning to The Valley in 2019. Since moving back she enjoys spending time with her family and pets, gardening, and cooking. If she’s not at home or in her classroom, you might find Samantha at a local concert or restaurant. She’s so excited to have found a place in the Nonotuck Community!

Sarah has had a passion for teaching young children ever since high school when she had a year long internship in a kindergarten class at her old elementary school. After moving to Massachusetts in 2014, she began working in local preschools and became a licensed infant, toddler and preschool teacher. During the pandemic, she raised her now five year old daughter and completed her associate’s degree in early childhood education from Greenfield Community College. Sarah enjoys getting to know each child and understanding each of their learning styles. Her favorite part of teaching is helping children explore their imaginations and bringing their ideas to life.  She also loves making lesson plans, which she used to do for her own daughter. When she’s not at work, Sarah enjoys being out in nature, taking photographs, hiking, kayaking, spending time with her family, and sharing adventures with her daughter.

Caitlin has been working with children since she was 13 years old. She originally started by helping out teaching art in the summer, but then moved on to infant/toddler and preschool classroom teaching. Caitlin got her BFA in Illustration in 2013 and now uses her art to help young children learn and understand their world. An amateur artist working to break into freelancing, Caitlin spends her days with an apple pencil in her hand! She is a Northampton local who now lives in Holyoke with her snake Finn.

Julia comes from southern MA where she grew up on a farm that fostered her love for nature. She attended the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative Technical school while also attending high school to graduate with her certification in Early Education and Care. Since then, Julia has attended trainings, workshops, and courses led by some of, what she considers, the most inspiring educators in MA. Being an educator to Julia is as important as coffee (so very important). It’s a personal philosophy of hers that the more focus we bring to loving, encouraging, and uplifting our youth, the stronger and more capable they will be as adults. It’s Julia’s mission to do just that, and there is no better place to accomplish that than Nonotuck. She feels honored to be a part of this community and is so thrilled to see the magic that will unfold through the togetherness of everyone involved.

Gaby believes that learning is a life-long journey. At 12 they were helping found their middle school’s first drama program, at 15 they were directing casts of 50 while founding their highschool’s drama department, and at 18 they were helping run the after-school program at Mount Holyoke College’s Children’s Center while they earned their bachelor’s in English. Gaby’s passion for the arts and literacy is rooted in their own experience as an English learner after immigrating to Miami from Puerto Rico at 5 years old. This passion led them to pursue a career in children’s publishing where they were lucky enough to work alongside amazing authors such as Jeanne Duprau, Rick Riordan, and Ben Clanton. While they loved helping these artists create stories for children, they really missed being in the classroom. When they first heard of Nonotuck, they knew that it was the best place to make a grand return. Their teaching philosophy encourages imagination, honors socio-emotional learning, and trusts that children know what their needs are. Gaby’s so excited to join the River room and looks forward to celebrating creativity and creating worlds together.

Sam lives in Florence. He has experience working with infants through grade 5 children in a variety of settings. Over the course of 10 years he worked in Montessori classrooms as well as after school and summer programs. For the past several years he worked as a substitute in the Northampton Public Schools as a teacher and educational support professional. He completed his BA in 2019 at Elms College in Early Childhood Education. Sam takes great pride in contributing towards young children’s development and learning.

Rowan began working at Nonotuck Community School in February of 2022. They’ve had roles here as both a co-teacher and a floater teacher. Looking back, they see that working with children & youth has been a part of almost every role they’ve had since they were just 14 years old. They’ve been a nanny, academic support assistant, camp counselor, Head Start health department clerk, youth empowerment mentor, and more. In 2021 they decided to try preschool/toddler teaching. At Nonotuck they’ve learned and cultivated almost everything they know about how to be with, care for, and teach young children. This has been by observing and learning from the remarkably dedicated and skillful teachers here. Rowan believes that at its core and essential form their job is to love children unconditionally and that from this foundation all types of learning can occur. Not everyone gets to have a job that is based in love, authenticity, and care. So for that they are very grateful.