Nicole Pappas Ferrin
Director
Nicole Ferrin is the Director of the Barrow Street Nursery School. She previously served the school as the Director of Administration, Admissions Director, and as a classroom teacher. She has been a member of the of the Barrow Street community for the past twelve years. Her oldest daughter Eleanor graduated from Barrow in 2019, her daughter Cece is in our 4s/5s program and her youngest daughter, Teddy will be a Barrow Student soon!
Sasha Wilson
Associate Director
Sasha Wilson is the Associate Director of Barrow Street Nursery School. After running a preschool in Westchester for close to 15 years, Sasha returned to her roots in New York City as the associate director for a large preschool on the upper west side and adjunct professor and student teaching supervisor at Hunter College in their curriculum and teaching department. Born and raised in Greenwich Village by an NYU Professor and Artist, Sasha loves spending time in the neighborhood and is thrilled to be part of such a kind, nurturing and creative school which values each child’s unique experience while celebrating the joys of community building.
Ashley Warren
Admissions Director
Ashley Warren is the Admissions Director of the Barrow Street Nursery School since 2019. She spent 14 years at Montclare Children’s School in many roles, including a 4s assistant teacher, 9 years as head teacher of the 2s program and most recently, 4 years as Admissions Director. Using her classroom experience, Ashley enjoys introducing families to their child’s first schooling experience and sharing how these early years are paramount to a child’s growth and development. Ashley recognizes that a nursery school not only becomes a child’s first home outside of the home, but a parent’s as well and loves being a part of each family’s “village”. Ashley holds an M.S. Ed in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College and a B.S. in Childhood Education and Special Education from NYU. In fact, her first year at NYU was spent observing an after-school program at Greenwich House Settlement – it has all come full circle! Ashley’s home life is spent with 3 little ones, Jack (8), Ellie (6) and Henry (3)!
Sonia Irizarry
Officer Manager
Sonia Irizarry is the Officer Manager of the Barrow Street Nursery School. Born and raised in the East Village, she has been a member of the Barrow Street community since 2006. She is a proud mother of her 2 older children, Jade and Tristan. She loves traveling and spending time with her family.
Ashley Schuppel
Programs Manager
Ashley Schuppel is our Programs Manager and has been a part of Barrow Street Nursery School since 2018. She holds a B.S. in Child and Family Studies from Syracuse University and previously worked at NBCUniversal and Madison Square Garden, bringing our community experience as both a programs manager and teacher. Ashley lives in Connecticut with her husband and son, Theo.
Samson Baker
Education Director
Samson Baker joined Barrow as Educational Director in 2019. Samson has 19 years of experience working in kindergarten and pre-k classrooms at independent, progressive early childhood settings in New York City. As an early childhood educator, Samson relishes the opportunity each day to tap into his inner child and see the world in new ways, and he loves to fuel the curiosity and passion that our youngest learners epitomize as they actively seek to understand the world around them in ways that are important to them. Samson holds an M.S. Ed in Early Childhood Education from The City College of New York.
Stephanie Roer
Associate Educational Director
Stephanie Roer joined the Barrow community in 2017 as a classroom teacher. She taught in 3s/4s and 2s/3s classrooms for five years at Barrow before becoming the Associate Educational Director. Steph’s interests in play, communication, and meaning-making brought her to the field of early childhood over 10 years ago, and continue to tether her to collaborating with children, families, and fellow educators today. While at Barrow, she has taken on community building projects such as a peer coaching initiative, a task force analyzing BSNS’s virtual learning during the pandemic, and an investigation into empathy in the workplace. These projects helped springboard her work with The Care Center at Barrow, a coaching and reflective practice program for staff. Steph holds her MSEd from Bank Street College in Early Childhood Education/Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention and BA in Dance Studies and Religious Studies from Wesleyan University. She finds joy collecting rocks at the beach, building habitats for snails, and picnicking in the park at sunset.
Kimberly McLeod
Associate Educational Director (Parent Education)
Kimberly McLeod is an Assoc. Ed. Director focused on parent education. Kim spent many years teaching at Barrow as the science consultant and garden specialist and will also continue to teach 4/5s science and offer support to teachers in science learning and curriculum. Formerly a wetland ecologist, Kim is a life-long learner who is currently working on her Ph.D. in Education Leadership at Lesley University. She loves to spend time outdoors, camping, hiking, kayaking/canoeing, and bird watching. The mother of two college-age daughters, Kim values family time and has always participated in her daughters’ school and extracurricular communities. Kim is excited to help bring families together, opening up our Barrow community to new and exciting parent education opportunities.
Eddie Lopez
Facilities Coordinator
Eddie has been with BSNS since 2015. Eddie loves welcoming and getting to know all the children in the community. He is a proud father of 2 grown children, 3 beautiful grandchildren and 2 fur babies.
Lucy Chen
Toddlers (White Room)
Lucy Chen is the Master Teacher for the Toddler Program. She joined the Barrow Street community in 2015 and has been instrumental in supporting the program’s growth and evolution. In addition to her work with our youngest learners and their families, Lucy is in charge of training new teachers and overseeing that program in its entirety. Lucy holds an MSEd in Early Childhood Special and General Education from Bank Street College of Education and an MS in Social Work from Columbia University.
Miriam Francisco
Toddlers (White Room)
Miriam Francisco is an assistant teacher in the White Room. She has been part of the Barrow Street community since 2021. Miriam’s previous experience includes assisting in a Reggio pre-K program and teaching middle school English Language Arts. At Barrow, Miriam loves seeing the joy that young learners bring to school. She holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan. Outside of the classroom, Miriam enjoys reading, sewing, and testing new recipes.
Carly Moreno
Toddlers (White Room)
Carly Moreno is an assistant teacher in the White Room. She first joined the Barrow community as a substitute and after-school teacher in 2021 after working as a teaching artist in NYC public schools and community centers including Greenwich House’s own pottery school. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Purchase College and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Early Childhood Education at City College. Open-ended explorations and child-led learning experiences are at the center of her teaching practice. She loves to learn alongside her students and to be a partner in their inquiries, investigations, and discoveries. When she isn’t in the classroom, she enjoys riding bikes, listening to music, and making big breakfasts on Sunday mornings.
Taylor Menges
2s/3s (Purple Room)
Taylor Menges is excited to join Barrow Street as the Lead Teacher in the Purple Room. Taylor has been an early childhood educator for the past 7 years and is passionate about play-based learning, inclusion, and partnering with families. Prior to coming to Barrow, she taught kindergarten for 2 years at Palm Beach Day Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, and 3s/4s/5s at the National Child Research Center Preschool in Washington, DC for 5 years. She graduated with an M.A. in Special Education from American University and a B.A. in Creative Writing and Elementary Education from Roanoke College. In her free time, Taylor enjoys spending time with her family and dog, traveling, cooking, and reading.
Marlene Dortch
2s/3s (Purple Room)
Marlene Dortch is an associate teacher in our 2s/3s program. She has served as an assistant in the Purple, Yellow and Red Rooms. She has been a valued member of the Barrow Street community for 14 years.
Teah Wilson
2s/3s (Purple Room)
Teah Wilson is an assistant teacher in the Purple Room and has been a member of the Barrow Street Community since 2021. Teah grew up in Westchester, NY, and graduated from Georgetown University with a B.S. in Healthcare Management and Policy. She has worked with children in both pediatric offices and preschools in NYC and Westchester and is currently researching graduate programs in early childhood education. Teah loves to spend time outside with her friends and family going to live music, hiking, and skiing!
Nicki Calfee
2s/3s (Yellow Room)
Nicki Calfee joined the Barrow community in the fall of 2020 as a Co-Lead Teacher of infants & toddlers in the White Room. Her passion for working with society’s youngest learners is driven by a delightful and curious approach to the way infants and toddlers explore life through communication, physicality, and sense of self. She places special emphasis on the deep interconnectedness between learning, culture, and family by working directly with parents. With a BFA in Musical Theater (Syracuse University) and an MSEd in Infant and Family Development, General/ Special Education and Early Intervention (Bank Street College of Education), Nicki began teaching infants and toddlers in 2013 and has explored pedagogy that reflects the practices of Reggio Emilia, Magda Gerber, Bank Street’s Developmental Interactions Approach, and Leslie Koplow’s Emotionally Responsive Practice. Outside of the classroom, Nicki enjoys knitting, photography, and long walks with her partner and their pup.
Luke Muscat
2s/3s (Yellow Room)
Luke Muscat is excited to join Barrow as a Co-Lead Teacher in the Yellow Room! Luke is an EdD candidate at The University of Calgary and holds an MSEd from Bank Street College of Education, a BS from Athabasca University, and a certificate in dance performance from The Ailey School. His dissertation investigates how gender is performed, negotiated, and/or affirmed in the stories young children author and enact through the lenses of queer theory, play, embodiment, and educational dignity. Luke has published articles and presented at conferences on topics such as gender development and expression in early childhood, supporting attachment in parent-child dance classes, embodied literacy, and equity-oriented curriculum design in early STEM education. Throughout his career, Luke has had the pleasure of teaching preschool through first grade, dance to children between the ages of 18-months and 12-years-old, and helping found dance programs and camps throughout New York City.
Jonah Dragan
3s/4s (Green Room)
Jonah Dragan will be joining the community as a Lead Teacher in the Green Room. For over a decade, Jonah has taught at independent schools around New York City, including Packer Collegiate Institute, Blue School, The Calhoun School, and Trevor Day School. He admires Barrow Street’s strong commitment to creativity and community, and he is eagerly looking forward to joining the team this fall. Jonah is also a professional storyteller and picture book reviewer!
Kaitlyn Madden
3s/4s (Green Room)
Kaitlyn Madden is the Associate Teacher in the Green Room. She has been at Barrow since 2017, working with Toddlers, 2s/3s, and 3s/4s students. Before coming to Barrow, she taught in a 4th grade classroom at an ongoing school in Brooklyn. She brings a love of literacy to her work, with a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from Cornell University and N.Y.U. respectively. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Early Childhood Education at Hunter College. Outside of the classroom, Kaitlyn enjoys spending time with her husband, knitting, reading, and practicing yoga.
Rosabella (Rosy) Brown
3s/4s (Silver Room)
Rosy Brown is a lead teacher in the Silver Room. She first joined the Barrow community in 2021. Rosy holds her MA in Education and Human Development from the University of Colorado and her BA in Religious Studies from Barnard College. She has spent her career teaching in Reggio-inspired preschools in New York, Colorado, and California. Rosy spends her free time reading cookbooks, testing new recipes, painting, gardening, and learning to sew.
Maria Glander
3s/4s (Silver Room)
Maria Glander will be joining the Silver Room as an Associate Teacher this year. She is currently working towards her Master’s degree in Early Childhood General and Special Education at Bank Street College of Education. Maria earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and minor in Education from Skidmore College. She previously worked as a Pre-K and Kindergarten Associate Teacher at Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School, as well as a First Grade Associate Teacher at The Packer Collegiate Institute. Maria is thrilled to be joining the Barrow Street community because of their dedication to, respect for, and love of the youngest learners. In her free time, she enjoys baking, cooking, reading, trying new foods, exploring the city, and beach days.
Cate d’Amboise
4s/5s (Blue Room)
Cate d’Amboise has been a 3s/4s teacher at Barrow for the past three years. She has over 30 years of experience in education, teaching in both full-day preschool and elementary school programs. Most recently, Cate created an early childhood program (3/4’s & 4/5’s) attached to an already-existing K – 6 Independent School in Santa Fe, NM, determining and supporting the school’s vision, developing curriculum, and writing the Early Childhood Self Study for NAIS (ISAS) Accreditation. Cate brings a wealth of experience in full-day early childhood education. Cate is an experienced teacher who will fully prepare all children, those heading off to Kindergarten as well as those who will be joining an older 4s/5s classroom the following year.
Mei-An Lee
4s/5s (Blue Room)
Mei-An Lee is a lifer of LREI and a Posse graduate of Lawrence University. She earned her Bachelors of Arts in East Asian History and Education Studies. She spent her first year post-grad as an Assistant Teacher working in a Universal Pre-K classroom in Brooklyn. Currently, she is working towards her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special and General Education at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her mom, arts and crafts, and reading children’s books.
Brian Koscuiszka
4s/5s (Orange Room)
Brian Koscuiszka is a lead teacher in our 4s/5s program. He previously served the school as the Education Director and as a classroom teacher in our Toddlers and 3s/4s program. He has been a member of the Barrow Street community since 2015. His son Owen graduated from Barrow in 2018.
Kayla Hendry
4s/5s (Orange Room)
Kayla Hendry is assistant teacher in the 4/5s program and has been a member of the Barrow Street Community since 2021. Kayla has extensive experience working with young children in dance and theater education. She holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Kent State University, and is currently in the process of pursuing a masters in early childhood education. Before joining Barrow, she was an assistant teacher at Saint Ann’s in the lower school. Kayla is passionate about play, and loves integrating puppetry, music, and imaginative inquiry into the classroom.
Ari Puleo
4s/5s (Red Room) and DEI Coordinator
Ari Puleo is a co-lead teacher in our 4s/5s program, as well as Barrow’s new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator. She has been a part of the Barrow community since 2017. A graduate of Bank Street College of Education, she brings our community a background in both early childhood and special education. She eagerly awaits the opportunity to blend both her passion for early childhood education and social justice in this new role.
Lily Pollak
4s/5s (Red Room)
Lily Pollak is a lead teacher in our 4/5s program, and has been teaching at Barrow since 2019. Prior to coming to BSNS, she taught kindergarten at the Blue School for two years, and in community-based Universal Pre-K classrooms for three years. She holds an M.S.Ed in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas. She is fascinated by the unique lens through which young children see the world, and her favorite space in the classroom is the blocks center. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.
Alfons Santiago
Universal Teacher
Alfons Santiago is a universal teacher at Barrow. He previously served as an assistant in our 2s/3s, 3s/4s, and 4s/5s programs. He has been a member of the Barrow Street community for over sixteen years.
Arlene Greenberg
Universal Teacher
Arlene Greenberg is a universal teacher, supporting the teachers and children in our Toddlers and 2s/3s program. She previously served the school as a summer program teacher, substitute teacher, and Toddler program support teacher and assistant teacher. She has been a member of the Barrow Street community since 2019. She brings our community over 20 years of teaching experience as a classroom teacher, formerly as a Lead Teacher at Tompkins Hall Nursery School.
Gretchen Meyer
Universal Teacher
Gretchen Meyer joined Barrow in 2020 as an assistant teacher in the 3/4s. Born and raised in Manhattan, she has always taken an interest in school systems and one on one emotional and educational support. Gretchen graduated with a BS in Psychology with a focus on Early Childhood Development and Special Education rights at Trinity College. On the weekends, she enjoys writing songs and singing and performing with her twin brother!
Melissa Atwood
Universal Teacher
Melissa Atwood has been an educator for over a decade and has been teaching at BSNS for more than 7 years. She received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Haverford College with a minor in Education. Melissa is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work and uses a DEI lens to evaluate practices and elevate the field of early childhood education. Her sense of humor, creativity and love of play deeply connects her to her students. Cate and Melissa will be entering their fourth year teaching together and couldn’t be more excited to premiere BSNS’s full day 3s/4s program.
Ursula Rhymer
Afterschool/Enrichment Program
Ursula Rhymer is excited to be part of the Afterschool/Enrichment team for the second year. Ursula has been a part of the Barrow Street community since 2007— as a classroom teacher, Summer Program Director, Afterschool Coordinator, and Universal teacher for all of our age groups. Ursula loves the outdoors and spending time with her family and friends.
Danielle Rallo
Enrichment Lead
Danielle oversees the PS3 afterschool program at Barrow Street. She has been a member of the Barrow Street community since 2014, serving as both a lead and co-lead in the 4s/5s and 3s/4s programs.
Elizabeth (Lizzy) Fiori
Afterschool/Enrichment Program
Lizzy Fiori Haynsworth has been a member of the Barrow Street community since 2014. She is excited for the role of after school/enrichment teacher after her many years of lead teaching in the 3s/4s and 4s/5s programs at Barrow. Lizzy holds a Master’s of Education from the University of Colorado. Lizzy’s previous experience also includes teaching English as a Second Language to kindergarteners in Madrid, Spain; she is also a former educator at the Google Children’s Center in Palo Alto, California. Lizzy lives with her husband in Chelsea; they love to travel, go to concerts, practice yoga, and ski!
Jahidah Diaab
Curriculum Specialist
Jahidah Diaab will be stepping into a new role at Barrow as Curriculum Specialist. Jahidah has worked with young children for 20 years, ranging from autistic to gifted. She began her first introduction to children at the Herbert G. Birch School. She then went on to teach the arts at Hunter Elementary School for the Gifted, The Dalton School, and Ethical Culture Fieldston School. She joined the team of teachers at Beginnings Nursery School where she began her role as a classroom teacher. Jahidah joined The Blue School during its developing stages supporting the admissions process, then becoming a lead 2’s teacher in the Pre- Primary Program which was a parent- child half day program. She has spent 10 years as a Head 2’s teacher at Chelsea Day School. She has also spent time at Brooklyn College as the Creative Arts Curriculum Director. Her role at the center was to make the children’s learning visible through videography and documentation. Simultaneously, she enjoyed working as an Adjunct Instructor, teaching aspiring students the value of play in early childhood development. Jahidah Diaab has a B.A. in fine arts and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education—Birth through Second Grade. She enjoys writing, producing plays and short films in her spare time. She is raising two wonderful loving boys and enjoys all things that revolve around nature. This summer she had the opportunity to present at The Little Sprouts Conference focusing on Using Nature to Teach D.E.I.J Work.
Brenna Fisher
Curriculum Specialist
Brenna Fisher is an artist and educator interested in how imaginative play and artistic expression foster compassionate communities and impact cognitive and social-emotional learning in early childhood. She joined the Barrow community in 2014 with her undergraduate degree in Studio Art. Since then, Barrow Street supported her in completing her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education while she worked as a co-Lead teacher in a 3/4s classroom. As an artist, Brenna works in mixed media and writing to examine the relationship between self and community. Brenna also teaches art and leads the Curious Creatures Camp at the Greenwich House Music School. Brenna has a cat named Krasner, a rock named Colin, and a daughter named Bee.
Jim Sperber
Art
Jim Sperber has been teaching art at Barrow street for over 10 years. He has an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts and is a working artist. He started at Barrow in 2010 as an after-school art teacher and a few years later transitioned to Art specialist for the 3’s and 4’s curriculum while maintaining his popular after-school painting class. He feels lucky to be able to teach children about the joys of art and to be silly for a living. He has three happy little artists of his own.
Ozan Aksoy
Music
Ozan Aksoy is joining BSNS as a music specialist this fall. He holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from CUNY Graduate Center. After becoming a father of two, he worked on children’s songs and decided to specialize in early childhood music education. He received his Early Childhood Teacher Certificate at Diller-Quaile School of Music while teaching at Brooklyn Music School and assisting at Diller-Quaile. He performs instrumental and vocal music from around the world, especially diverse traditions that have made their homes in Anatolia and the Middle East. You can check his latest album at ozanaksoy.hearnow.com.
Kyleigh Sackandy
Movement
Kyleigh Sackandy has been teaching movement and dance to children in New York for over 10 years and has been the Movement Specialist at Barrow Street since 2020. She holds an MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Sarah Lawrence College and has brought movement to children in various school settings including those with special needs. She dances professionally with Ariel Rivka Dance Company and performs and teaches internationally.
Kimberly McLeod
Science
Kimberly McLeod is an Assoc. Ed. Director focused on parent education. Kim spent many years teaching at Barrow as the science consultant and garden specialist and will also continue to teach 4/5s science and offer support to teachers in science learning and curriculum. Formerly a wetland ecologist, Kim is a life-long learner who is currently working on her Ph.D. in Education Leadership at Lesley University. She loves to spend time outdoors, camping, hiking, kayaking/canoeing, and bird watching. The mother of two college-age daughters, Kim values family time and has always participated in her daughters’ school and extracurricular communities. Kim is excited to help bring families together, opening up our Barrow community to new and exciting parent education opportunities.
