Kirsten Carr
Parent-Child Teacher
Transitional Nursery-Buttercups Lead Teacher
Ms. Carr graduated summa cum laude from Endicott College, where she received a B.S. in psychology and an M.Ed. in elementary education. She later pursued a master’s degree in Waldorf early childhood education from Sunbridge College. After a number of years working as an infant and early childhood teacher, Ms. Carr joined the Cape Ann Waldorf School as a Head Nursery Teacher and later became the Head Teacher for the parent-child program. Ms. Carr joined the WSL faculty in 2004.
Jennifer Cumbie
Evergreen Kindergarten Assistant
Kindergarten Aftercare Teacher
Ms. Cumbie’s teaching experience began in Uzbekistan as a Teacher in the Peace Corps, where she taught English to 200 elementary students and collaborated with The Uzbek Ministry of Education and English educators to develop and implement an effective English language curriculum for elementary schools. After returning to the U.S., Ms. Cumbie taught a variety of elementary and middle school classes in Salem, MA public schools as a substitute teacher and coordinated exchanges and events for Project Harmony's School Connectivity Program in Waitsfield, VT. She has also provided ESL instruction for Boston Center for Adult Education and New England School of English in Cambridge. Most recently, Ms. Cumbie has been a substitute assistant teacher and class parent for Cherry Blossoms Waldorf Preschool and a substitute teacher at WSL. She holds a B.A. in English with Minor in Fine Arts and received a Humanitarian Award from St. Anselm College Alumni Association in 2004.
Anna Estes
Blue Sky Kindergarten Assistant
Kindergarten Aftercare Teacher
Anna joins us with 18 years of experience working with young children and families, as an Early Childcare Educator. She is also a WSL alum, class of '93. Anna is excited to begin the year, “as a calm presence and a dependable support for both the children and the lead teacher in transitions and tasks throughout the routines of the day.”
Lisa Fantasia
Little Meadow Nursery Assistant
Nursery Aftercare Teacher
Lisa Fantasia has joined the WSL after two decades of dedicated service to Boston area families in caretaking positions. Experience in early childhood education through nannying has allowed Ms. Fantasia to cultivate a warm, gentle, responsive nature which she is passionate about applying to her work at the WSL.
Gabi Ferreira
Little Meadow Nursery Lead Teacher
Gabi Ferreria has served on the WSL Early Childhood teaching staff for over five years. Prior to that, she worked for 10 years serving the Cambridge-Somerville Guidance Center Program. Gabi completed her Early Childhood Waldorf Teacher Training at Sophia’s Hearth and earned a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College. She received her Early Intervention Specialist certification from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Julia Galginaitis
Blue Sky Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Julia Galginaitis has over 20 years of experience working with children. She is a trained Waldorf Teacher who received her education at both Sunbridge College for Early Childhood Education and The Early Childhood Teacher Education Center at Sophia's Hearth. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the State University of New York at Oneonta.
Julia worked at the Waldorf School of Lexington for many years as an early childhood teacher and then helped to establish an outdoor forest program called Forest Kids Have Fun, which is now in its seventh year. Her deep love of being in nature with children led to her wish to bring the classroom into the Forest. All three of her children graduated from the 8th grade at WSL.
Pauline Kelly
Director of Early Childhood
Pauline Kelly is very familiar to many in the WSL community, having been not only a WSL parent (for three children in the classes of 2013 and 2016) and a former nursery teacher here for four years but also having served as a consultant for our Early Childhood program throughout the 2023-24 school year. Pauline is a native of Ireland where she started her teaching career by earning her teacher certification in Early Childhood and Special Education at Carysforth College, Dublin. One of the foundational experiences in her path to a career in Waldorf education was living in the Camphill Anthroposophical and Educational Community for disabled children in Kilkenny. Later, Pauline founded and directed the Anne Sullivan Center, the first school in Dublin for blind and deaf children. Her initiative and leadership have been recognized and supported by the Hilton International Foundation, through which she completed the Educational Leadership Program.
Since 2013, Pauline has run her own Waldorf-based Cherry Blossoms nursery program. Before starting Cherry Blossoms and doing early childhood consulting work and mentoring Waldorf teachers, Pauline worked as a special assistant to the leadership team at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown. Pauline earned her WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America) Early Childhood Educator’s certificate from Sophia’s Hearth in Keene, NH.
Meg Lynch
Fairy Bell Nursery Lead Teacher
Ms. Lynch is a WSL alumni, class of 2003. She graduated from High Mowing, a Waldorf high school, where she discovered her love of photography. Ms. Lynch received a B.A. in art with a concentration in photography from New England College and completed her Waldorf early childhood teacher training at Sunbridge Institute. She joined WSL as an assistant in the nursery program and currently leads our Fairy Bell nursery class.
Mary Mansur
Evergreen Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Ms. Mansur earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in optical engineering technology before setting her sights on a career in education. She went on to earn a B.S. in early childhood education, and received her Waldorf Teacher Certification from Antioch University. Over a 23-year career in education, Ms. Mansur has worked as a parent-child teacher, nursery teacher, and kindergarten teacher here at WSL and previously at the Waldorf School at Moraine Farm. Ms. Mansur is also an experienced puppeteer, gardener, and beekeeper.
Farjam Mohtadi
Nursery Aftercare Assistant
Farjam joins the WSL community with a rich and varied background in Child Care and Education as a Teaching Assistant, Case Manager, and former Vice President of Nancy Campbell Academy in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. She also has experience in Human Services as both an Interpreter and a Coordinator for a Human Rights Unit. She brings her excellent communications skills and her warm presence to assist with our Aftercare Program.
Marilyn Pelrine
Parent-Child Teacher
Ms. Pelrine began at WSL as a parent in the school’s early years, and her four children all graduated from WSL. Ms. Pelrine was inspired to join the faculty at WSL and taught in the afternoon kindergarten program for seventeen years. The next phase of Ms. Pelrine's teaching career sprang from a growing interest in developing parent-child classes. Since 1999 she has served families with infants up to preschool-age children. The education, support, and guidance of new parents continues to be her passion.
Maureen Ryan
Forest School Teacher
Parent-Child Assistant
Buttercups Transitional Nursery Assistant
Ms. Ryan graduated cum laude from Lesley University with a B.A. in human development. She has also completed the level one course in early childhood education at Sophia’s Hearth Family Center. Ms. Ryan has worked at WSL for a number of years as an Assistant Teacher in kindergarten, nursery, and the parent-child program. Before joining the faculty at WSL she worked at Russell Cooperative Preschool and ran a Waldorf-inspired daycare center.
Jessica Thermitus
Aftercare Assistant Teacher
Jess is a graduate of Boston University with a BS in Health Science. She is also trained as a postpartum doula. She has experience working with youth and their families from various socioeconomic backgrounds, some with significant trauma narratives as well as adults with chronic pain. Jess has a passion for empowering and supporting others on their life journey. She enjoys vegetarian food, blown glass, and outdoor activities. Jess is drawn to the Waldorf commitment to body, mind, and spirit education. She is excited to join the community!
Tara Whyte
Fairy Bell Nursery Assistant Teacher
Tara holds a B.S. in Psychology from Smith College. She earned an M.S., OTR/L in Occupational Therapy from New York University, with a concentration in Pediatric Occupational Therapy. Tara’s professional experience includes fifteen years of working with individuals of all ages, from newborns to centenarians, who have special needs and require extra care and attention. While Tara continues to provide Occupational Therapy services in the greater community, she is delighted to be a part of the Early Childhood program at WSL. Tara is a graduate of the Rudolf Steiner School, a Waldorf school in New York City.