We are fortunate to have a dedicated and excellently trained group of educators and support staff at Virgin Islands Montessori School and International Academy. All of our teachers from the Toddler Program (La Casa) through Upper Elementary have Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) teaching diplomas. All of our highly qualified and dedicated Academy teachers have received additional training in the International Baccalaureate curriculum.
Adalio Araujo - Spanish & Physical Education L.A. Casa - Toddler Program Diana Woods - Program Director/LA Casa Directress Shirlin Browne - LA Casa Directress LA Casa Assistant Teachers Thecla Lewis, Esmie Warner, Florence Fountos, Jade O'Neal PRIMARY Mandy Boyle – Primary Directress Ms. Jeanette Feracho, Ms. Vanessa Harrigan, Ms. Katisha Williams LOWER ELEMENTARY Aideen Keating – Lower Elementary Directress
Ms. Keating has both Primary and Elementary AMI Teaching Diplomas. Ms. Keating is our most tenured teacher, though she is reluctant to tell anyone exactly how long she has been a fixture at the school. Many of our existing parents (and one teacher) still think fondly of Ms. Keating as "their" teacher. Through her strong interest in the culture of St. Thomas and the Caribbean, Ms. Keating has been instrumental in bringing these important aspects of our community into our school and classrooms. She was born in Dublin, Ireland.
Shournagh McWeeney - Lower Elementary Direcress Ms. McWeeney, who is the Administrator of the Montessori Program for VI Montessori School and International Academy, has graciously stepped in to teach this year. Her bio is listed below with the Administrators. Ms. Woolward - Lower Elementary Assistant Teacher Ms. Woolward has been with VIMSIA for over 30 years! She is a native of St. Thomas. Jennifer Sallee - Lower Elementary Assistant Teacher Ms. Sallee comes to VIMSIA this year from Cincinnati. She is a recent graduate of Auburn University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a teaching certificate for grades K-6. Ms. Salle has tutored with Sylvan Learning Centers and did her student teaching in Nassau, Bahamas, so she is familiar with island life. With are so happy that Ms. Sallee sought us out, and look forward to a great year ahead. UPPER ELEMENTARY Vadha Rajaratnam - Upper Elementary Directress Jessica Murphy - Upper Elementary - Assistant Teacher
Ms. Murphy joined VIMSIA in 2008 as the Director of the Bougainvillea Enrichment Center and was responsible for developing and overseeing our After School Programs. During the course of the year, she began helping out in the Upper Elementary program and found a passion for the Montessori method of education. Summer 2009 marks the first of three summers that Ms. Murphy will spend in AMI Elementary Teacher Training. She is thrilled to be working toward this career and we look forward to her continuing to add her energy and enthusiasm to the Upper Elementary Program. Ms. Murphy has a BA in Liberal Studies from Champlain College in Burlington VT and is originally from Massachusetts. She is also a USCG Sailing Captain. She plans to add her talents to our after school programs by developing a VIMSIA Sailing Program and facilitating the development of our VIMSIA Track Program.
LeeAnn Mattingley - Upper Elementary Tutor - Assistant Teacher
Ms. Mattingley is trained as an AMI Primary Directress. She has taught in India and has worked at VIMSIA as a Primary Directress, a substitute teacher, a tutor and as the Upper Elementary Directress. Ms. Mattingley continues her work with the Upper Elementary is a long term native of St. Thomas and we are very grateful for her dedication to the school.
MaryBeth Lowery - AMI Elementary Teacher in Training
Ms. Lowery joined our Upper Elementary Program during the
2008/2009 school year. She has a BS in American Studies from
Springfield College in Massachusetts, and her Elementary Teaching
license for grades 1-6. Ms. Lowery has traditional teaching experience
as a Second Grade teacher for All Saints, but has been bitten by the
Montessori Teaching bug and will be receiving her AMI Elementary
Teaching Certificate in the spring of 2010. We are happy to support
her efforts and look forward to having her return to our Elementary
Program (and continuing her efforts in the development of our
Elementary Volleyball Program) for the 2010/2011 school year. The International Academy - Grades 7 through 12  Gloria Zakers – Diploma Program Coordinator/High School Coordinator/Dean of Students, Science Educator
Originally from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Ms. Zakers followed her love for the ocean and moved to the Virgin Islands in 1994. In St. Thomas, she attended the University of the Virgin Islands and graduated with a B.S. in Marine Biology in 1997. She formerly worked as an aquarist and in the student education program at Coral World, and as a research scientist studying the health of Caribbean coral reefs and endangered sea turtles. She has taught science at the both the high school and college level. Ms. Zakers has attended two IBO Middle Years Program Workshops and has also attended the IB Diploma Program Coordinators training and the IBDP Environmental Science and Societies training. She plans to work towards her master’s degree in Marine Science and Education at UVI in the near future. A few of her proudest accomplishments at VIMSIA include her involvement with the Montessori Model United Nations, her specialized course on endangered species which took students to Baja, Mexico to study endangered whales, as well as her efforts towards helping to develop a “green” campus. Ms. Zakers has two beautiful children, Diego & Bella, who also attend VIMSIA. She has been a resident of St. Thomas for almost 15 years. She loves being a part of the VIMSIA community and is excited and enthusiastic to be the new IB Diploma Coordinator. J. Donovan Carroll - International Academy Mathematics/Math Counts
Mr. Carroll has a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies: Math Education 8-12 from the University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to joining us in 2008, Mr. Carroll taught in the Texas Public School System. He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and a Mensa member. As with all of our Academy level teachers, he has attended numerous IB Training workshops and is very excited to start teaching DP (Diploma Programme) level math in 2009. Mr. Carroll is a self professed Math Geek as well as an extensive world traveler. He looks forward to continuing to develop an unparalleled Math Program at VIMSIA. Alison Steir - Language A / English, Humanities, Drama
Ms. Steir holds a Bachelors degree in Education (K-12 certification) with a concentration in English and a minor in Psychology from SUNY Oswego. She earned her Masters degree in English Education from Arizona State University. For 9 years, she taught Middle School and High School English and Drama in Deer Valley School District in Arizona, and for 2 years taught English 101 at Glendale Community College. She moved to St. Thomas 16 years ago, and spent 7 of those years teaching at Antilles School. Although Middle School Language Arts / English were her primary classes at Antilles, she also taught a few Civics & Psychology classes and was the JV volleyball coach for many years. Ms. Ali joined our VIMSIA staff in 2008. She is in constant praise of the students here, is thrilled to have been to MYP trainings in English, Humanities and Drama, and to be part of the IB program.
Omega Russell - Spanish/Technology Courtney Jenkins - Science / Physical Education / Math / CAS David Jenkins - Middle Years Program Coordinator / English / Humanities After spending his childhood in Denmark, Iran and Portugal, David relocated to the UK, where he finished a degree in History and Politics. From there he went to Denmark to work at an international school in Copenhagen teaching History and English, and coordinated the IB Middle Years Programme for three years. In 2000 David moved to the American School of Bilbao, Spain, teaching English, History and coordinated the Model United Nations programme. After three years he returned to the UK to finish his Masters in Education. From there he was appointed MYP Coordinator at Westlake Academy, Texas. After four years he was the wearer of multiple hats including the MYP and DP coordinator, Head of Secondary, and had classes in History. In those four years the school was authorized for the PYP, MYP and DP, making it one of only five schools in the US to offer all three IB programmes. More importantly, it was also where he met his beautiful wife, who is teaching Science and Math at the school. Two years ago they had a baby boy. In 2008 they relocated to Spain, and his former school, where he was the Upper School Principal and taught classes in Psychology and History. In his spare time, David likes to relax, spend time with his family, and play football, although his pace has slowed somewhat! This will be his first year at the VIMSA, and he is thoroughly looking forward to it! Ms. Lesnock holds a double degree in English and Spanish from Temple University and the University of Valencia, Spain. She is a recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award and Scholar of the Day Award from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars for her academic achievement. During her undergraduate years she worked within the library/research setting as a Librarian’s assistant at Temple within the science, reference and government documents divisions. She has acted as a volunteer for troubled youth in Philadelphia tutoring and mentoring children of all ages and subjects. Miss Lesnock is a traveler and loves to surround herself with an international community. After studying and traveling in Europe, she then decided to pursue Asia using her language skills. For one year she lived in Seoul, South Korea teaching English to adults within a variety of levels and subjects including: beginner through advanced grammar, current issues, business English, and TOEFL. This past summer Ms. Lesnock spent 6 weeks in Spain teaching English to children and studying Spanish. She feels extremely fortunate and thankful to teach the two subjects she loves the most - English and Spanish - at VIMSIA and is excited to settle within the Caribbean culture. Ms. Lesnock is eager to challenge her students to the world of literature and language as she believes that these two subjects go beyond the classroom and transfer into everyday real life. She hopes to inspire her students to find their own meaning and direction making them into more global citizens, active thinkers and insightful reflectors. Dr. Wayne Archibald - Chemistry Dr. Wayne Archibald obtained his B.S. in Chemistry and A.S. in Physics (with honors) from the University of the Virgin Islands in 1997. He was also a charter member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and served as President of the class of 1997. During his undergraduate studies, he was a recipient of the Minority Access to Research Careers (M.A.R.C) fellowship and did internships at the Purdue University and University of Minnesota. He then completed his M.S. and Ph.D in Material Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon in 1999 and 2004 respectively. During his doctoral work, he was recipient of the very prestigious Carnegie fellowship for academic achievement. He spent the summer working at I.B.M, T.J. Watson Research Center working on materials, structures and processes for advanced interconnect structures, during his studies at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Archibald went on to spend the next 5 years working in the semi conductor industry at Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas and at Maxim Integrated Products in Oregon. AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM Erolyn Phelan - BEC Director Margarita Garcia - BEC Assistant Director Roshelle Hodge - BEC Assistant ADMINISTRATION Dr. Peter J. Samaranayake - Head of School/International Academy Director Shournagh McWeeney - Montessori Director
Ms. McWeeney has been the school’s administrator since 1980. She graciously accepted a position as Montessori Director in 2008 and has been instrumental in facilitating the transition to our new Head of School. She holds an AMI Primary Diploma and taught Montessori for ten years prior to joining VIMS in 1977. A native of Dublin, Ireland, her teaching took her to the U.S. mainland where she taught in Boston, Denver and San Francisco before moving to St. Thomas. Katherine Huttel - Office Manager
Peggy Hunt - Business Director
 Ms. Hunt has a degree in Business Administration from The Ohio State University. Her experience includes working at two major Fortune 500 companies for over 18 years in Operations
and Computer Systems Development. Ms. Hunt moved to St. Thomas 1997. She and her husband, Harry Gauriloff, have a daughter Karen, who has been flourishing in the Montessori envirnoment since her admission to LA Casa in 2003. Ms. Hunt has been very active with our school, including serving as VIMSIA President and Vice President prior to coming on board as part of our staff in 2007. Erika Gomez - Marketing and Development Manager
Ms. Gomez started with VIMSIA in 2008, and hails from Chicago, The Windy City. She has a BA in Public Policy, Environmental Science, and Political Science. Ms. Gomez has 10 years previous experience in research and development with non-profts at the University level and has brought much of that experience to bear here at VI Montessori and International Academy. She has brought our graphics and Public Relations materials to great new heights and we so appreciate her dedication. Maryann Paul - Front Office Secretary Betty Story - Librarian This page is incomplete and still under construction |