Our Team of Educators
Anna Rita joins us from Del Mar Academy, an independent, bilingual Montessori and International Baccalaureate school located in Nosara, Costa Rica. While there, she taught, consulted, and served as Head of School. Anna Rita has an Ed.M. in Educational Leadership Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Celine grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. She attended the College of Charleston, where she received her B.A. in English. After graduating from college, she and her twin sister went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to teach English as a second language to adults.
Mariela joins the team with more than five years of teaching experience as a Spanish teacher in Montessori Education. She has a Masters in Early Childhood with Special Needs at Concordia University and completed her B.S. in Psychology and Childhood Development.
Victoire Yang joins Battery Park Montessori as the Lead Mandarin Teacher. She received her Bachelors in broadcasting and mass communication in China and earned a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania.
Corina holds a B.A. in Psychology, with a focus on Child Psychology and Art Therapy from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York. She has a Montessori credential in Infants and Toddlers from West Side Montessori School's Teacher Education Program.
Maria has a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education, a Montessori certification for children ages 3-6 and a New York State Teaching Certification in Early Childhood Education (birth-2nd grade).
Michelle is a teacher with nearly 20 years of experience in childcare and preschool education. After completing her B.A. at SUNY Purchase, she experienced an entirely new environment while working as an ESL teacher in Thailand.
Stacey brings over 10 years of diverse education experience to Battery Park Montessori and has been with us since our first year! She earned her Montessori teaching credential from West Side Montessori and has a Masters in Early Childhood Education and SPED from Touro College.
Laura Betancur, a teaching artist and a native Spanish speaker from Colombia, is our resident Spanish creative arts teacher in both the fall and spring trimesters. Her passion and professional experience focus on using language, art and culture as tools for education.
Anna Caroline earned a dual Master's of Early Childhood and Special Education from Concordia College in New York and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, American Sign Language and Visual Arts from New York University. She will complete her Early Childhood Montessori certification this year at West Side Montessori School's Teacher Education Program.
Emily has a B.A. in Psychology, a B.A. in Theatre from Converse College, and her Montessori certification for children ages 3-6. She's been working with Primary-aged children since moving to New York in 2011.
Ana Chico was born and raised in Ciudad Real, Spain. Ana pursued her Bachelors in Hospitality and Tourism management in Seville. Later, she attained a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics of Teaching Spanish as a foreign language in Nebrija University, Madrid.
Yan brings over 5 years of combined experience as a Kindergarten and pre-school teacher, vocal coach and Mandarin instructor. Yan holds her Montessori credential for children 3-6 years old.
Kimberly Colon holds a B.A. of Science in Health Science from Long Island University Brooklyn and is focusing her career in Early Childhood Education. For the past five years she's worked with children of all ages.
Dr. Jennifer Jones is the founder and visionary behind New York City's Green Ivy Schools network and a lifelong entrepreneur and advocate for evolved learning experiences for children from birth to high school and beyond.
Jim Gaines comes to us with over 30 years of experience in the field of education, including roles of teacher, school leader and director of admissions and marketing. For the past decade Jim has served as the Admissions Director and Director of Marketing at a variety of schools both in California and New York.
Rosa has worked at the Chinese Cultural Studies Program for Children at Columbia University as their admissions and operations lead and for 4 years as a parent volunteer on the admissions team at The Spence School.
Perky has a power-blend of experience. Not only does she have over 15 years of global experience in marketing and operations, but she raised her 3 children in Lower Manhattan and now Brooklyn.
Courtney brings energy and a creative eye to the role of Social Media Coordinator for both of our schools – Pine Street School and Battery Park Montessori.