Our Team of Educators
School Leadership
Eileen is an experienced international school leader who has implemented IB programs in schools in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. She is Montessori trained and a workshop leader and school inspector for the International Baccalaureate. She is uniquely qualified to bring our vision of a global school to life because she grew up overseas, immersed in a classroom of real world cultural experiences.
Gretchen joined the Pine Street School team in 2015. She enjoys working with the administration, the teachers and the parent body to build a strong school community. Gretchen holds a B.A. in English Literature from SUNY-Oswego and IB Primary Years Programme Level I training.
Meet Our Teachers!
Visiting our school is a great way to get to know what's at the heart of Pine Street School!
Early Childhood Teachers
Nadia has over 10 years of experience mentoring, educating and caring for children. She joined Green Ivy Schools in 2014. Nadia holds B.A. in English Literature and she completed her Montessori certificate and IB Primary Years Programme Level I training.
Mexico is her home country and where her love for Spanish comes from. She grew up in Arizona and moved to New York six years ago. Janise obtained her Bachelors in Psychology from The Arizona State University and her Masters in Early Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Muqing holds an M.A. in Early Childhood Education-Initial Certification-Bilingual Extension in Mandarin from Teachers College Columbia University and a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from Syracuse University. Most recently, she taught for several years Chinese literacy and cultural studies at The Spence School.
Taryn Klein is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). She received her BSW from Syracuse University in 2011 and her MSW from Fordham University in 2012. Taryn has known she wanted to work with children since her early babysitting and camp counselor years, which guided her education focus to working with children and families.
Ishil is from Istanbul, Turkey and moved to New York in 2010. She holds Montessori certification for infants and toddlers and a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Marmara University in Istanbul.
Originally from Colombia, Marcela has a B.A. in Spanish education from the College of Staten Island CUNY, where she was the Spanish Club representative. She also obtained a Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o studies certification.
Cindy holds a M.A. in International Education Development and Family Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has 4 years of teaching experience with both children and adults.
Berynes previously served as Director of Spanish at the progressive and nationally-respected Blue Oak School in Napa, California. Prior to that, she was a Spanish Immersion Head Teacher at Avenues in New York.
Stephanie holds a B.A. in Spanish Education and an A.A.S. in Early Childhood Education from CUNY Brooklyn College. Stephanie is bilingual in English and Spanish. She completed her Montessori certificate and IB Primary Years Program Category I training.
Kindergarten & Elementary Teachers
Paola received her certification as a Spanish Teacher from Instituto Cervantes, is a member of ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and has IB Primary Years Program training.
Caitlin attended The University of Tampa where she graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. She was instrumental in establishing a study abroad program for students in the education program. Her love for early childhood education and exploring different cultures led her to complete a yearlong fellowship in Greece.
Originally from the Chicago area, Meghan has been living in New York City since 2013. She has a B.A. in Educational Studies and French from Colgate University and an M.S. in Early Childhood General Education from Bank Street College.
Paige is completing her M.Ed. in Advanced Teaching this fall. She holds a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies for Early Childhood to Grade 6, with ESL certification from Texas State University. In 2011, she accepted her first full-time teaching position in Kunming, China. She continued her career in education in China, Singapore, and Thailand.
Shanida G. Gutierrez has been dedicated to international education since her teens, when she founded a nonprofit program for marginalized youth in Panama City, Panama.
A native New Yorker, Shanida is bilingual and has taught in Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Panama, and Colombia. She has a B.A. in Literature from Hunter College, an M.A. in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics from King's College London, and an M.S.Ed. in General Childhood Education from Bank Street College Graduate School of Education.
Emily comes to us from London where she has served as an early childhood teacher for over 5 years. She holds a Master of Education from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor's degree in Childhood Studies from the University of Bristol.
Yue holds an M.A. in Bilingual & Bicultural Education from Teachers College Columbia University and a B.S. in Childhood & Early Adolescent Education from Penn State.
Leigh has been teaching for 21 years and has taught music, kindergarten and first grade in the U.S. and Europe. She holds degrees in both Education and Philosophy and has teacher certification in Canada, Texas and Michigan.
Darius received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from UGA in 2015 and 2019, respectively, and his Specialist degree in Educational Psychology in 2021. He is start working on his PhD in English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Darius Phelps has been teaching for a bit over ten years with his students ranging from birth through PreKindergarten and in recent years has taught across the elementary grades.
Erika has been a bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural educator for 15 years. She studied at the University of San Diego for her undergraduate studies, studied abroad for graduate school at La Fundación Ortega y Gasset in Spain.
Danielle holds master’s degrees in Teaching from The Relay Graduate School of Education and International Communication from American University. She also completed her Initial Certificate for teaching in New York State. Prior to teaching in NYC, her work focused on global education.
Leslie received her Early Childhood Education degree in Guatemala, where she grew up. She has worked as a preschool and elementary teacher for more than ten years and taught Spanish to Middle and High School students in the Czech Republic for two years.
Sheena comes to Pine Street School with a plethora of knowledge and skills in the field of education. She has a B.A. in Psychology and Education from Bates College, an M.A. in Childhood Education 1-6 from Hunter College, and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Bank Street College of Education. She has worked in chater and independent schools in grades K-4.
Sirong holds a Master of TESOL from University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Art in English from Hunan University of China. She is also certified In ESL education. Sirong brings several years of IB PYP Mandarin immersion teaching experience in the U.S.
Specialist Educators
Lauren has an M.Ed in Educational Technology and a B.S. in History Teaching. Since she completed her student teaching in Southern China in 2012, she has been passionate about globally-minded education and how technology can create meaningful, personalized learning experiences for students.
Bilingual in Mandarin and English, Qingyan is completing her M.A. in Music Education at Steinhardt, New York University. She holds a bachelors in music education from The Capital Normal University in Beijing.
Pablo was born and grew up in Spain and moved to New York City in 2019. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in Spanish and Basque (an ancient language from the north of Spain) with major in Physical Education from the Public University of Navarre.
Danni is an Educator and Visual Artist from Long Island, NY. She holds a B.S. in Visual Arts Education as well as a B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from SUNY New Paltz. Danni has taught within NY Public schools, and has been an Educator at cultural and community institutions including the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, the Wassaic Project, FABNYC, and Hootenanny Art Annex.
Teaching Assistants
Kate holds a B.A in Early Childhood/Childhood Education and Spanish, with a minor in music from Nazareth College. One of her favorite experiences during her undergraduate years, was studying abroad in Valencia, Spain for a semester. Kate had the wonderful opportunity of learning how to play several music instruments, specializing in violin and voice as her mother was an elementary music teacher.
Michael brings 12 years of experience across camp and school programs, having served as a camp director, program developer and counselor as well as a drama and history teacher. From NYC day camps to outdoor challenge courses in his native state of Florida, he believes that one of the most important things for any child is having a safe, enriching space for play, creativity, exploration and personal expression.
Green Ivy Schools Team
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. She has developed 24 schools and draws from a rich background as school developer, international policy consultant, and teacher.
Rosa leads Nursery 2s to 5th Grade Admissions at Green Ivy Schools, building the community by sharing our unique and forward-thinking programming. Prior to Green Ivy, she worked at the Chinese Cultural Studies Program for Children at Columbia University as their Admissions and Operations Lead.
Barb is a CPA with over 20 years of experiences in organizations large and small. She handles strategy development, financial forecasting, budgeting and more for our rapidly evolving schools.
Gail holds a B.A. in Business and a B.A. in Accounting from Lakeland College Sheboygan in Wisconsin. Gail's background is primarily in tax accounting and general accounting in non-profits and a start-up meal preparation businesses.
Michael brings 12 years of experience across camp and school programs, having served as a camp director, program developer and counselor as well as a drama and history teacher. From NYC day camps to outdoor challenge courses in his native state of Florida, he believes that one of the most important things for any child is having a safe, enriching space for play, creativity, exploration and personal expression.