Jennifer Scotti

Faculty Chair, Early Childhood Co-Chair, Handwork Teacher and Parent-Child Lead Teacher

Jennifer Scotti received a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University. While working for the State Department, she traveled extensively and lived in Uzbekistan for two years. She worked on Soviet nationalities and refugee immigration issues, and helped open embassies in Central Asia and countries of the former Soviet Union. Her children began at Potomac Crescent Waldorf School in the first year of the school’s opening, and started in the first year of the Parent-Child class. She received her Waldorf Teaching Certificate from the Nova Institute in Bethesda in 2011. She has been teaching handwork since Fall 2009 and has been the lead Parent-Child teacher since 2011.

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Adriana Gomez

Grades Teacher 

Adriana is originally from Bogota, Colombia. She holds a Master in Textiles from Universidad de los Andes. She first discovered Waldorf Education while looking for a school for her first child. She knew she wanted to find a school that was a departure from her own childhood education and became committed to finding an environment that created space for creative and artistic work and fostered innate curiosity and love for learning. She visited PCWS and immediately knew that Waldorf education was the right learning environment for her family.  Both of her children began their education at PCWS and continued on to Washington Waldorf School. She began working at our school as a long-term substitute teacher in the Grades Program and then became the Spanish Teacher. She has completed her Waldorf teacher training at the Sophia Institute. In addition to her passion for Waldorf education, she has a passion for handwork such as knitting, embroidery, woodworking and painting. She and her family live in Lorton along with their horses, angora rabbits and Bernese Mountain Dog.

Simi Nary 

Grades Teacher 

Simi comes to us from Primrose Hill Waldorf School in New York. She began her experience with Waldorf education in 2000 when her family became co-founding members of Riverbend Garden Waldorf Homeschool Cooperative based in Northern Virginia. Her family then relocated to Geneva, Switzerland where her children attended L'Ecole Rudolf Steiner de Geneve and she was very involved in the grades program for over 10 years. From Switzerland, she moved to Nairobi, Kenya and while living there she decided to pursue her Waldorf Teaching Certificate. When she returned to the U.S., she accepted a job as an Early Childhood Teacher's Assistant at Primrose Hill and worked as the Lead Teacher for the Afternoon Program. In addition to her work in Waldorf education, she has an extensive background in dance/ movement and Pilates and has taught in French and Russian. Simi holds a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from Barnard College, Columbia University.

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Susannah Courand

Mixed-Age Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Susannah is an experienced educator who completed the Explorations program through the Center for Anthroposophy in 2020. She has worked as a teacher, department chair and instructional coach and previously co-founded and served as the co-chair for the International Academy at Alexandria High School in Alexandria, VA. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont and received the prestigious National Board Certification in 2011. Susannah has been a PCWS parent for over six years and previously served as the PCWS Parent Association Chair for two years.

Samantha "Sam" England

Mixed-Age Kindergarten Assistant Teacher

Sam England is a Mixed-Age Kindergarten Assistant at PCWS. Sam grew up in
Northern Virginia, received a BA from the University of South Carolina, and spent some
years in the Caribbean. She is grateful to be discovering Waldorf education after 5
years working in Early Childhood, specializing in nature connection. Sam is currently
enrolled in the graduate program for Transdisciplinary Healing Education at Antioch
University. She looks forward to learning and offering service within the PCWS
community and promises to be a safe, loving, playful presence to her future students.

Rebecca Vickrey

PreK Co-Lead Teacher

Rebecca holds a Masters Degree in Water Resources from the University of Bergen in Bergen, Norway and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. Rebecca is a parent of two PCWS students. She has worked at the school for several years in multiple roles. She is dedicated to Waldorf education and is completing her Waldorf Teacher Training through Antioch University.

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Hareem Hanphy

PreK Co-Lead Teacher

Hareem is a passionate early childhood educator with over six years of professional experience as a lead teacher for second and third grades at a Fairfax County public school.  Hareem homeschooled her children using a Waldorf curriculum and has previously volunteered as a preschool teacher at a Waldorf-inspired summer camp. Hareem graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Master’s degree in  Education. All three of her children are enrolled at PCWS.  Hareem enjoys cooking, knitting, crocheting, and reading historical fiction.

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Marcela Lansberry

Early Bird and Afternoon Program Lead Teacher, Grades Spanish Teacher

Marcela Lansberry attended a Waldorf School in Lima Peru and returned in 2017 to work as a volunteer at the kindergarten at the same Waldorf School. Marcela teaches Spanish to the first and second grades at PCWS and also supports the Early Bird and Afternoon Programs. She received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Child Development from American Public University in 2021 and is excited to deepen her Waldorf experience at PCWS. 

Michael Judge

Games and Movement Teacher, Circus Play Teacher,  Grades Afternoon Program Teacher

Michael has a long history in Waldorf education. He received his Waldorf Teacher Training Certificate in 2008 and his Spacial Dynamics Certificate in 2009. Spacial Dynamics is the foundational study of movement therapy and movement education. It focuses on the developmental progression of age-appropriate games, group activities and exercises that introduce the pupil, student and adult to the changing dynamics between the body, the surrounding space and the world in which he/she moves. In addition to his extensive background in Waldorf education, Michael actively supports biodynamics  and founded the Chesapeake Biodynamic Network. Michael holds a B.A. in History from the University of MD and has completed the State of MD Teacher Education Certification Coursework.  

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Cynthian Knight

Music Teacher

Cynthian Knight holds a BA in Vocal Performance from Virginia Tech and an MM in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan. She comes to us from Meadowbrook Waldorf School in Rhode Island where she worked as the Chorus and Singing class teacher for the Grades program. In addition to teaching music within a Waldorf school, she has a vast musical background that ranges from professional performing to teaching a variety of musical topics to all ages of students and collaborating with additional music departments to present concerts. She enjoys teaching within the Waldorf education program because it allows her to combine her professional musical background and holistic approach to music with the spiritual awareness and developmental understanding that Waldorf education provides.

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Tina Liu

Mandarin Teacher

Tina Liu teaches Chinese (Mandarin) at PCWS. She has taught Chinese language for
more than 10 years and has led numerous study abroad and exchange programs in
China and the U.S. A lifelong teacher and mathematician by training, Tina has a
bachelor’s degree from Beijing Normal University and a master’s degree from the
University at Buffalo. She has taught mathematics at Northern Virginia Community
College, Daeman College (Amherst, NY), and SUNY-Erie Community College, in
Buffalo, New York. Tina is currently working on an arts degree, specializing in
photography and ceramics, and enjoys Chinese poetry, calligraphy, and painting.

Virgilio Joven

Fourth Grade Strings Teacher

Virgilio has been joyfully teaching Strings classes to fourth and fifth graders at PCWS since 2008. He holds a B.M. and a M.M. in violin performance from The Juilliard School. In addition to teaching at PCWS, Virgilio also teaches strings in Alexandria City public schools and at Levine Music.

Mariela Lansberry

Redbud Aide, Early Bird and Afternoon Program Assistant

Mariela Lansberry is the mother of three children who graduated from a Waldorf school in Lima, Peru. Mariela supports the PCWS Early Birds and Afternoon Programs and has over 12 years of experience with the Waldorf way of educating children.  She has personally witnessed how children evolve and grow intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually through the Waldorf way of educating children and enjoys sharing her joy for life and learning. She is passionate about supporting her family and helping children to learn about nature through interactive games in a supportive and loving environment.

Oona Nary

Early Childhood Afternoon Program Assistant and Maple Tree Class Aide

Oona has previously assisted in Waldorf summer camp programs at the Primrose Hill Waldorf School in Rhinebeck, NY. She brings personal experience as a Waldorf student to her work, having attended the Ecole Rudolf Steiner of Geneva, Switzerland for seven years. Oona began her secondary education at the International School of Kenya. She completed her high school diploma at Washington & Liberty High School in Arlington, VA, where she also studied in the International Baccalaureate program. 

Fiona Nary

Grades Assistant, Grades Afternoon Program Assistant

Fiona first came to PCWS as a Mixed-Age Kindergarten Assistant in 2020. She brings a personal understanding of Waldorf education as a result of attending the Ecole Rudolf Steiner in Geneva, Switzerland for several years. In addition to living in Switzerland, Fiona lived and studied in Kenya and later attended the Charterhouse School in the U.K. where she completed an International Baccalaureate. Fiona studied figure skating as a child and competed in the United States and Switerland. She has participated in robotics competitions in Zambia, Mozambique and the United States and brings a love of nature, the arts and science to her work with the children.