Staff

EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS | CLASS TEACHERS | SUBJECT TEACHERS | STUDENT SERVICES

Kim Ayan
Director of Development & Community Life
Ms. Ayan has been an active member of the WSL Community for over 10 years. As a class parent and member of the Parent Community Association (PCA), she supported several events at the school, including the annual Holiday Fair, Spring Gala, and our Graduation ceremonies. Ms. Ayan also spearheaded several PCA initiatives and parent volunteer opportunities. All three of her children attended WSL, with her daughter graduating in 2020.

Sarah Bettencourt
Director of Admissions
Sarah joins us with over two decades of experience in public, charter, and independent schools. Most recently, she worked as the Director of Enrollment Management at the Tremont School in Concord, MA. Prior to that, she taught Visual Arts at Waldorf High School of Massachusetts Bay, while also serving on their leadership, admissions, and marketing teams. 

Sarah received a BA in Visual Studies and English at Trinity College and later earned a graduate degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has served on the Landmark School Parents Association Executive Board and the Carroll School Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Parents Association. She is an advocate at the national level with Lives in the Balance and a member of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council in Concord. Sarah also co-founded her local chapter of Decoding Dyslexia. 

Marie Duprey
Design & Communications Specialist
Ms. Duprey earned her BFA in graphic design and illustration from Tyler School of Art and her MA in professional writing and publishing from Emerson College. Before joining WSL, Ms. Duprey had an extensive career in the marketing and communications department of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. She worked in various roles, culminating in 20 years as the senior graphic designer on staff. Ms. Duprey also works as a freelance illustrator and mixed media artist as well as a certified holistic health coach in nutrition. Ms. Duprey’s daughter is a member of WSL’s class of 2025.

Esther Farrow
Senior Accountant

Ms. Farrow joins us with over 25 years of experience in accounting. Most recently, she was the Business and Finance Manager at Girls Inc. of Worcester. Prior to that, she held the position of Bookkeeper and Financial Administrator at The Imago School in Maynard. She earned a BA (HONS) in Business Administration and Accounting from Brunel University, England.

Karen Hartman
Homespun Co-Manager
After receiving a B.A. in early childhood education from West Chester University, Ms. Hartman received her Waldorf teacher training certification from Sunbridge College and began working at the Atlanta Waldorf School as a kindergarten teacher. She later created and taught the parent-child programs at Golden Circle Kindergarten, now the River Waldorf School, in Upper Black Eddy, PA, and Suncoast Waldorf School in Clearwater, FL. At Homespun, Ms. Hartman creates a welcoming space for parents to gather, socialize, and purchase high-quality items that support Waldorf pedagogy. Ms. Hartman’s three children have all attended Waldorf schools.

Kendall Helbock
Office Manager
Summer Program Manager
Substitution Coordinator

Ms. Helbock has worked over the past 20 years in various capacities with children of all ages. She spent 13 years with the Philipstown Recreation Department as a teacher with the Learning Center Preschool, Director of the Preschool Summer Fun Program and as an instructor with the aftercare program. After moving from New York to Massachusetts she has been a Lead Mentor Teacher at Meeting House Childcare in Newton. She has a B.A. in history from Manhattanville College. Kendall loves gardening, reading and taking care of her dog, Herman.

Sara Hyson
Bursar & Operations Assistant
Ms. Hyson has extensive office management and accounting experience. Prior to her work at WSL as the Assistant in the Evergreen Kindergarten (2019-20), she provided administrative support at Gentle Giant Moving Company, accounting services at Blue Cross Blue Shield, and served as Office Manager at two businesses on Nantucket. Ms. Hyson earned a B.A. in Linguistics with a Minor in Art from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. She is a world traveler and a WSL alum and current parent.

Pauline Kelly
Head of School

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.

Michael Massicotte
Director Of Finance and Operations

Mike has over 25 years of finance and operations experience for nonprofit organizations in the greater Boston area. He volunteers his time on several boards and is active in his local community. Mike enjoys the outdoors and is an avid skier and golfer.

Matthew McCoy
Assistant Teacher, Floating Substitute, Homework Club Teacher
Matthew McCoy joins WSL with seven years of education experience. Matthew comes most recently from Brookwood School in Manchester by the Sea where he worked as a Kindergarten Teacher and Aftercare Specialist. He has also worked as a High School Specialist at Chapel Hill Chauncy Hall in Waltham and as a Middle and High School Theater Specialist at Running Brook Arts Camp in Waltham. He graduated from Keene State College with a BA in Theatre and an MA in History and Archival Studies. Matthew is passionate about his work and feels that bringing theater into the programs and schools where he has worked has been the most meaningful part of his journey.

Paul Menz
Facilities Manager
Mr. Menz graduated from Don Bosco Technical High School with a concentration in electronics. After entering college to study engineering, he decided to pursue his passion for the building trades. Mr. Menz received his Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician’s License and worked as an electrician at Tufts Medical Center for many years. He is now WSL’s indispensable Building Manager, responsible for every aspect of campus and facilities maintenance and enhancement.

Shelly Schuerfeld
Kitchen Assistant
Shelly is another familiar face around campus as the parent of a current elementary student. She has a deep love and respect for food and nutrition as well as experience working in a functional health office. She brings her love of homemade meals and a can-do attitude to assist in the daily work of the WSL kitchen. Shelly believes she is channeling her beloved grandfather (Pépé) who was a chef in the US Navy.

Teva Skovronek
Floating Substitute
As a young child, Teva attended Waldorf School of Lexington, and then River Valley Waldorf School in PA. She has experience as a Homework Coach and Tutor. In her most recent teaching position, she worked as a long-term substitute for a full-time math teaching position at a private High School in PA. Previously, she provided one-on-one tutoring to young children, teaching new material and supplementing homework assignments.

Christina Yon RN MSN
School Nurse
Ms. Yon joins us with over 10 years of nursing experience in primary care and community settings. She has worked as a Doula, a Midwife, Community Health Nurse, and Primary Care Nurse, working with both children and individuals across the lifespan. Most recently, Christina was a team nurse at Beth Israel Lahey Health Primary Care in Lexington. Prior to that, she led a team of 15 nurses and medical assistants as a Nurse Manager at the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Framingham. Christina earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Yale School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Brown University, and is a licensed, Registered Nurse in Massachusetts. Christina is a current parent at the school, with a child in our Early Childhood program. In addition to English, Christina speaks Spanish and Portuguese.