Neighborhood Schoolhouse Staff 2006- 2007

Molly Oglesby      Preschool Teacher: Preschool Program
Molly comes to the Neighborhood Schoolhouse with a wide variety of skills and experience in the early childhood field. With a background in library skills, psychology, experience in special education and tutoring, she brings a solid base and the ability to create a classroom where students are eager to learn, play, explore, create, dance, sing, laugh, feel safe, have fun, be curious, and succeed. She co-founded Preschools in Wilmington and Wardsboro, has been a fourth grade teacher, was a consultant to Timson Hill in Williamsville, VT and worked in the primary classroom at Hilltop Montessori. As an ELF/4 Winds volunteer, she brought her love and knowledge of nature to children ages 3 to 8, an awareness she also brings to the preschool program here.

Alex Jones      Preschool Program, AferCare Assistant: ASC Program
Alex joins the Neighborhood Schoolhouse faculty this year after working for more than 6 years with children and adults in non-traditional education settings in California and New England. His extensive background in fieldwork includes mammal tracking, reptile and amphibian surveys, and other outdoor science and natural resource investigations. He has led summer day camps for young children, and taught natural science for elementary aged students. He is a skilled gardener and wildlife photographer and brings his musicianship into the classroom on a daily basis.

Laureen Reavey      Pre Kindergarten; After School Care Director
Laureen joined the staff of Neighborhood Schoolhouse in September 2002, after receiving a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in counseling from Keene State College. While in school, she worked at the Child Development Center at Keene State College with three-and four-year olds. She has also worked as a parent aide with Monadnock Family Services as a camp counselor, and has done private childcare for years. In 2003 Laureen became the After School Care Director at Neighborhood, injecting her special brand of enthusiasm and joy into the program. Laureen was also instrumental in the start up and continuation of Neighborhood's Pre-K class. Laureen is a children's yoga instructor and created and still runs lively camps at Neighborhood during the summer, focusing on positive learning and fun! Her outside interests include running, yoga and enjoying the outdoors.

Dot MacDonald       Teacher: Kindergarten
Dot joined the Schoolhouse in the Fall of 1989 as a special aide in the pre-school program. Shortly thereafter she became an assistant in the primary program. Since 1995 she has been a co-teacher in that program with a focaus on the kindergarten group. She has a BA from New York University. She has earned credits toward a Master's Degree in Special Education from the Rural Satellite Program of Norwich University and has been extensively trained as a literacy tutor in recent years. During the summer Dot runs hiking and canoeing camps. A lover of the outside, Dot spends time hiking and biking, having completed the Appalachian Trail.

Jennifer Manwell       Teacher: Primary/Elementary Program
Jennifer has a Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Social Relations (emphasis in Education) from Earlham College and additional graduate course work in education from Syracuse University. Jennifer taught for four years at the New School, an independent, alternative school in Syracuse with a philosophy similar to that of Neighborhood. There she worked with students grades K-6 in multi-aged classrooms. Prior to that she taught for four years in an "inclusive Preschool", implementing IEP goals and developmentally appropriate curriculum for groups of 18-month to six year olds. Jennifer has most recently earned a Masters of Education through the Experienced Educators' program at Antioch, where she completed internships at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Jonathan Daniels Elementary School, and the Hitchcock Center for the Environment. She has been with Neighborhood since Fall 2001.

John Donaldson       Assistant Teacher: Primary/Elementary Program
John joins the Neighborhood Schoolhouse this year as the morning assistant in the Primary/Elementary program. He spent a decade teaching in the public schools, teaching kindergarten, combined first and second grade and in a primary program. A Fulbright Foundation grant recipient, he travelled to Japan to study Japanese education, art, theater, and peace. He also brought a new music program to the Westminster Center school, teaching recorder, as a Robin Colson Foundation grant recipient, a skill he will share with the students at Neighborhood. He also has experience with technology and its appropriate use in the classroom , having trained other teachers in that practice at Marlboro College Graduate Center. His belief good teachers design a cognitive experience as a whole aligns him with the philosophy here.

Nan Mann       Administrative Director
Since 1987, Nan has taught creative dramatics and dance to children; as an artist-in-residence at NSH and for the Town of Brattleboro, in summer camps for the Whetstone Theater and for the Brattleboro School of Dance. She joined Neighborhood School house in 1992 as the After School Care Director, left to teach preschool at the Winston Prouty Center and returns this year as the Administrative Director. In the intervening years, she has also been the Administrator at the Brattleboro School of Dance for seven years. She brings a combination of organizational and administrative skills to the office, combined with years of experience as an educator as well. A well known area actress and performer, she also teaches dance and performs regularly in local dance and theater productions. Her daughter, Louisa, studying to be a professional dancer, is a Neighborhood Schoolhouse graduate.