Faculty & Staff

Christine Braunohler Hanson
Head of School
B.A. Environmental Studies, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
M.Ed., Early Childhood, Mills College, Oakland, CA
Being an NLS parent in 2016 transformed my view as an educator. Seeing such a pure manifestation of ‘whole child’ education reminded me of why I was drawn to teaching.
508-228-0427 Extension 1011 chanson@nantucketlighthouseschool.org

Ana Valeria Alonzo
Spanish Teacher
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República. Escuela de nutrición, Universidad de la República. Montevideo Uruguay
Valeria was born in Uruguay where she studied Medicine and Nutrition. She moved to Nantucket eight years ago and gradually fell in love with the Island. Valeria is a yoga instructor and teaches at one of the local island yoga studios. In her free time, Valeria practices yoga, reads and enjoys the peace and nature of the island.

Joni Amaral
Upper Primary Teacher
B.S. Elementary Education with an Interdisciplinary Major in the Arts, Framingham State University, Framingham, MA
M.Ed. Integrated Teaching Through the Arts, Lesley University, Boston, MA
Relevant Experience:
Sunbridge Foundations of Waldorf Education webinar
Sunbridge Institute Intensive, Approaching Grade 4
Responsive Classroom Training
Columbia University’s Teachers College Phonics Institute
Reader’s Workshop training
Brain Gym® Workshops and Courses
Social-emotional training through Open Circle and The MindUp Curriculum
Guided Professional Development Workshops for Teachers with a focus on Integrated Arts & Multiple Intelligences
Over the past 19 years, Joni has worked with children in preschool through grade five in Maine, Germany, Japan, and Massachusetts. Passionate about using the Arts to enhance and enrich educational experiences for diverse learning styles and abilities, she incorporates them regularly. She is thrilled to be working at NLS where educating the whole child – challenging the head, nurturing the heart, and using the hands- all with love and support, are at the center. “The atmosphere at the Lighthouse School is truly magical – warm, joyous, calm, and full of meaningful experiences.” -Joni She enjoys providing hands-on age-appropriate experiences and working at a school where project-based education is valued.
Joni moved to Nantucket in 2006. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their children. She also appreciates exploring nature, baking, reading, and creating art.
“By creating learning environments where creativity is part of human intelligence, where social skills are essential for learning, where dance, music and all the arts are integral to the identity of student, classroom, and school, we create an academic balance that is truly healthy – a balance based on the harmony of body, mind, spirit, and community. In such an environment, students can walk in beauty on their paths to being powerful human beings, active citizens, and responsible contributors to the ongoing creative unfolding of life on this planet.”
-Nick Page
(educator, composer, conductor, and author)

Linda Ballinger
Kinderclass Teacher

Alana Cullen
Small School Teacher
B.A. English Communications and Anthropology, Salve Regina University, Newport RI
Responsive Classroom Training
Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Training
Sunbridge Institue Intensive
Alana Cullen graduated from Salve Regina University with a B.A. in English Communications and Anthropology. She has worked with children for over 20 years. Becoming a Nantucket Lighthouse School parent in 2013, Alana fell in love with the Lighthouse school community and philosophy of educating the whole child, while weaving arts and nature into everyday life and learning. Alana immensely enjoys teaching Small School, and you'll often hear her proclaim, "They're the most important years!" She aims to "do small things with great love." Alana and her husband, Marcus, enjoy biking and swimming with their two sons. In her free time, Alana enjoys yoga, gardening, and reading.

Maggie Featherston
Teaching Assistant
B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies from James Madison University

Jillian Fraker
Upper Primary Teacher
B.A. English, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
M.F.A. in Creative Writing, The New School, New York, NY
Relevant Experience:
Responsive Classroom Training
Columbia University’s Teachers College Reading Institute
Columbia University’s Teachers College Graphic Novel Institute
Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Training
Jillian Fraker is a teacher, writer, and surfer. Jillian joined the team of educators at Nantucket Lighthouse School in 2019. She is drawn to the school's commitment to educating the whole child. Jillian is thrilled to weave curriculum into exciting hands-on projects that honor the beauty of nature and celebrate the joy of learning. Jillian was born and raised on Nantucket and returned to the island after finishing her master's degree in creative writing at The New School in New York City.

Allison Gayo
Small School Teacher
B.A. Psychology, Vassar College
Relevant Experience:
Responsive Classroom Training
Sunbridge Foundations of Waldorf Education
Teaching Assistant & Extended Day Teacher at NLS
Maria Mitchell Environmental Education Camp
Allison grew up in Northern New Jersey and studied at Vassar College, in the lush Hudson Valley of New York, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. At Vassar, Allison found her passion for the natural world while working at a local farm dedicated to community, education, and food justice.
After graduating in 2014, Allison traveled to Nantucket for the first time, to teach environmental education at the Maria Mitchell Association and quickly fell in love with the magic of the island community! She actually learned about the Lighthouse School through several of my campers singing the Morning Poem! As Allison learned more, she became enamored with the integrated curriculum and “head, heart, hand” philosophy.
Allison balances her passions for creative education, teaching at the Lighthouse School, and caring for plants at Surfing Hydrangea nursery in the summer. In her free time, Allison loves being outside- running and exploring the island’s endless beauty; or at home- reading, cooking, and creating art with friends.

Beth Gennaro
Small School Teacher
B.A. Classical Studies, Gettysburg College, PA
M.A. Early Childhood Education, Fitchburg State University, MA
Relevant Experience:
Sunbridge Institute Training
Responsive Classroom Training
15 years of experience in education
Beth Gennaro graduated from Gettysburg College in 2000 with a degree in Classical Studies. She then went on to get her Master’s in Education from Fitchburg State University in 2010 along with her Massachusetts Teaching license in Early Childhood Education. She had worked in both Sudbury Public School Systems and Nantucket Public School Systems since 2001. Beth is a mother to 3 children, all of whom attended Nantucket Lighthouse School. It was when her oldest child first started at the Nantucket Lighthouse School in 2011 that Beth was introduced to the Lighthouse School philosophy and fell in love with the ‘head, hands and heart’ approach. She has joyously joined the Lighthouse educators as a Small School teacher and loves being a part of such an exceptional community. In her spare time, Beth enjoys exploring nature, gardening, and cooking while spending time with her children.

Emmy Lambalot
Teaching Assistant
B.S. Exercise Science, High Point University, North Carolina.
English as a Second Language Teacher, Surat Thani, Thailand
200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training, Yoga East + West, Ubud Bali

Meg Glidden
Math Teacher & Extended Day Coordinator
B.S. Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
E.M.T. Certification University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Relevant Experience:
Certified Childbirth Educator, Lamaze Method
Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids
Bootstrap Workshop: Using Python to teach Algebra via coding
Responsive Classroom Seminar
A.A.N. Pottery courses; Kiln available to fire student work.
CreateCodeLoad—creative coding via scratch.mit.edu
Sunbridge Foundations of Waldorf Education webinar
Sunbridge Institute
After college Meg moved to Nantucket and worked as an EMT, lab tech and Childbirth Educator. She taught Science at Nantucket Christian Academy. She homeschooled her six children in all subjects for over 20 years. She has an enormous garden and a passion for music, playing both guitar and flute. She loves teaching her students to write computer programs. Meg is thrilled to be working with your kids to discover the wonders of mathematics and the beauty of science. Her current favorite number, also a favorite of the ancient Chaldeans, is 360.

Nigel Goss
Music Teacher
B.A. Music, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA
Relevant Experience:
Faculty
Nantucket Community Music Center
Nantucket Lighthouse School
Music Director
Unitarian Universalist Church Nantucket
Nigel Goss has been enjoying a career as a musician and teacher on Nantucket Island since 2011. He has performed with local, national, and international musicians, led community ensembles, taught students of all ages, and is privileged to have the opportunity to share his love and experience of music and learning with students at Nantucket lighthouse school. He also enjoys sailing, swimming, poetry, carpentry projects, and spending time with his daughter Cecilia.

Russell Morash
Russell Morash Chair in Childhood Horticulture
Russ has been a longtime friend of Nantucket Lighthouse School and an inspiration to generations of gardeners and farmers.
Russ and his wife Marian, author and founding chef of Nantucket’s Straight Wharf Restaurant, spend summers at their home in Shawkemo. There “he” grows and “she” cooks from a vast vegetable garden. Morash occasionally contributes columns in the Inquirer and Mirror on gardening as well as monthly items for the magazine “Nantucket Today.”

Caren Oberg
Director of Horticulture
Syracuse University, Bachelor of Arts in Religion, June 1995
Experienced gardener with a strong connection and appreciation of nature and all living beings complimented by a wonderful kind and open relationship with teaching children.

Carol Pillion
Extended Day Teacher
Degree in Business Administration, Bryant University, Smithfield, RI
Teacher's Certification | Cape Cod Community College, MA
With a degree in Business Administration from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, Carol worked for Pacific Bank and Nantucket Bank for twenty years. It was not until 2015, when she received her Teacher Certification from Cape Cod Community College in 2015, that she started working for Nantucket Public Schools, and most recently, Small Friends of Nantucket. In August of 2020, Carol joined Nantucket Lighthouse School as Extended Day Teacher.
Carol has two children and has lived on Nantucket for 32 years. She is active in the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce and Petticoat Row Women in Business on Nantucket.

Caitlin Tyler
Upper Primary Teacher
B.A. East Asian History & Buddhist Studies, Lewis & Clark College
M.F.A. Poetry, Washington University, St. Louis
ctyler@nantucketlighthouseschool.org

Alicia Lynn
Office Manager
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Allyson Mitchell
Director of Business & Development
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Molly Zegans
Teaching Assistant
B.A. Biology, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
Preschool Coursework, Fisher College, Boston, MA
Relevant Experience:
Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools Training
Boston Public Schools Behavioral Health Service Positive Behavior Management and Trauma Sensitivity Trainings
Better Environmental Education, Teaching, Learning & Expertise Sharing (BEETLES) Questions , Making Observations, and Nature Journaling Training
Wilderness First Responder Certification, NOLS
Molly grew up in New Hampshire and graduated from Lewis and Clark College with a Bachelor's in Biology. During her time at college, she worked as a trip leader for the Outdoor program, where she first discovered her passion for education. She explored this passion during her time at Mass Audubon's Boston Nature Center, where she worked as a Naturalist and Preschool Teacher. Most recently, she worked as the Education Coordinator for the Maria Mitchell Association, where she met many wonderful Lighthouse School students and teachers through field trips and summer camp. Molly is thrilled to be joining the Lighthouse community, and to grow and learn alongside this wonderful team. Outside of school, Molly enjoys backpacking, knitting, biking, reading sci-fi novels, and attempting various overly ambitious crafting projects!

Barbara Zachary
Admissions Director & Event Manager
Diplom-Betriebswirt (FH) in Hospitality Management, IUBH University of Applied Sciences
Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management, Northern Arizona University
Barbara started working for Nantucket Lighthouse School in January of 2014 and has since then enjoyed being part of the school community in various capacities.
In her leisure time, Barbara enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and pursues her joy for photography.
508-228-0427 Extension 1025 bzachary@nantucketlighthouseschool.org