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. She most enjoys the sound of kids and their grown ups saying sweet goodbyes in the morning and celebrating happy reunions in the afternoons. She feels honored every day to bear witness to the loving rituals that build and strengthen families. 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.

When not at school or curled up with her two dogs, Shawna is usually in the bleachers or on the sidelines watching her kids play football, basketball, lacrosse or soccer. She enjoys taking care of her garden and her chickens, and is forever trying to rearrange the living room to accommodate another houseplant rescued from Home Depot.

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 to two boys, a high schooler and middle schooler. 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 is thrilled to be part of Nonotuck Community School, and looks forward to supporting and growing with this warm and welcoming community of people.

Sandy has been with Nonotuck for 20 years, working in the office, doing our bookkeeping and supporting teaching staff in myriad ways. As a licensed early childhood educator, Sandy is especially suited for working at Nonotuck. Sandy lives with three of her sisters and her ‘fur babies’ (also known as ‘cats’).

Kat has been working in child care for the last decade. She has attended Plymouth State University and has a degree in Communications and 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 boyfriend. In her free time she can be found hiking with her dog looking for new places to swim and explore, so if you know any cool trails let her know!

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.

Danae (she/her) has been working in the early education field for almost 20 years. During her undergraduate years at UMass in Amherst she began working with special needs students in an after school and summer camp setting. After a few years she became the camp and after school director. While she enjoyed running the programs, she missed working with the kids and was ready to trade in her office for a classroom
setting! She quickly discovered that toddlers are her people and truly enjoys her days on the floor with the tiny humans. She values the role of play in a social/emotional education. She also believes in embracing and celebrating each child’s individuality and enjoys creating a classroom environment full of love and laughter! Danae lives in Longmeadow with her husband, Pete, and her son Sebastian.

Arianna (she/her) has lived in Western Massachusetts her entire life and has been inspired by her love of the hills and the amazing community within them. She has a natural love for working with children in a range of settings that is fueled by her devotion to making connections to her community and natural world. She attended Holyoke Community College and received an Associates in Child and Family Services. Arianna has been supporting the community through in-home child care and volunteer work in Northampton and surrounding towns for several years. Before coming to Nonotuck, she provided support to children with Autism and their families through in-home care in Holyoke. Relatively new to teaching in a center-based classroom, her heart is warmed to continue this journey at Nonotuck Community School. She believes her role as a teacher is to guide each child onto a path of self-actualization and to encourage their identities to flourish.

Julie is from the Southeast of Maine. She attended the University of Maine Orono earning a Bachelor’s in Child Development and Family Relations with a double minor in Education and Psychology in May of 2019. She moved down to Massachusetts with her girlfriend, who grew up in Western Mass. Since before graduating high school, Julie knew that she wanted to work with children and as she progressed through her degree she found more things to love about teaching and spending everyday discovering new things with her students. Julie is very excited to be a part of the wonderful community at Nonotuck and explore so many new things.

Sam has been working in preschool classrooms since 2016. She earned her Associate’s Degree in Early Education from Greenfield Community College and went on to Salem State University to complete a BS program in Education with a focus on art education. She has experience teaching in both play-based and Montessori classrooms. She lived in Salem for several years before returning to The Valley in 2019. Since moving back she’s enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her dog, Bruno, and gardening. If she’s not at home or in her classroom, you might find Samantha at a local concert or volunteering with her favorite non-profit, Calling All Crows, which works to improve the lives of women local to Mass and around the globe. She’s so excited to have found a place in the Nonotuck Community!

Melissa is originally from a small town in northeastern Massachusetts. She attended college in New Hampshire, earning her B.S. in Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Psychology. Melissa has worked in a variety of early childhood settings, her main love being the teaching of preschoolers. After a cross-country road trip, Melissa decided to settle in the Pioneer Valley in 2001, and she has been here ever since! Melissa spent many years teaching in Springfield, Ma working with at risk families. She dearly loved her time there, but a desire for a professional change brought Melissa to Nonotuck. Upon first encountering the school, Melissa knew that she had found an amazing place to learn, grow, and teach. She lives in Feeding Hills, Ma with her partner and his daughter.

Rowan (they/them) started work at Nonotuck Community School in February of 2022. After a
short time as a floater teacher, they moved into a new role as a co-teacher in the River room.
Rowan continues to take courses in Early Education at Greenfield Community College. They have earned a Certificate in Early Childhood Education and will soon earn a CDA credential. Rowan is particularly passionate about children’s literature, connecting with families, and promoting social emotional learning. Their values and philosophies as a teacher always come back to fostering high quality caring relationships with children, families, and colleagues. In their spare time Rowan likes to curl up with a fun book and their sweet cat, Elouise.

Julia comes from southern Massachusetts 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 lead by some of, what she considers, the most inspiring educators in Massachusetts.

Being an educator to Julia is as important as coffee (so very, 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.

Caitlin has been working with children since she was 13 years old. She’s 29 now and really bad at math, but she’s pretty sure that’s a long time! 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.

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.

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.