Mary grew up inspired to teach by her family of educators. In addition to teaching for over ten years at the lower school level, she spent several years implementing a state Instructional Support Team initiative designed to enhance teachers’ skills in the application of best practice. The initiative sought to provide instructional support through collaboration, problem-solving, and the utilization of data for classroom and school decisions. Subsequently she continued her

Mary comes from England, where she originally trained as a registered nurse. She moved into teaching over ten years ago, gaining additional qualification in preschool education and special educational needs. In addition to her teaching background, she is also a qualified coach in a number of sports. Her first exposure to the constructivist approach in education came upon her move to the U.S. in 2006, when her youngest child joined the Sabot at Stony Point community.

Allison was first exposed to a constructivist approach to teaching and learning at a private school where she volunteered and student-taught during her college years. She was impressed by the students’ ability to take control of their own learning. She was also mentored by two professors who applied constructivist ideas in their college teaching. After completing her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and her Master's in Early Childhood Special Education

Laura’s undergraduate degree is in music/piano performance, and she also holds a Master’s degree in elementary education. Her love of music and passion for teaching led her to New York City, where she taught music and second grade at an elementary school in Harlem, and spent time working with emotionally disturbed children in Manhattan. She left New York in 2002 to move to Miami where she taught for several years. She joined our Lower School faculty in 2006.

Andrea was drawn to Sabot at Stony Point by the school’s respect for children’s interests and ideas, by the opportunities for students to make connections between subjects and disciplines, and by the ties to nature that the program fosters. She used to dream of starting her own school, but no longer needs to now that she’s found one that matches her own vision! Before joining our faculty this fall, Andrea taught first and second grade for three years

Melanie is passionate about teaching, and a constant learner herself. She earned her undergraduate degree in Education in England, her Master’s in Education at the University of Virginia, and she is currently pursuing a Virginia state endorsement in gifted education. Before coming to Sabot at Stony Point, Melanie taught at St. Christopher's and Millwood School, where she designed a geometry curriculum for the elementary grades that uses modern abstract art; she also directed student-created musical plays through the Creating Original Opera program.

Marla is fascinated by virtually all subjects, but she is particularly dedicated to helping her students become thoughtful and engaged readers and writers. She is an expert on the canon of children’s and young adult literature, and her classroom culture is one in which genuine excitement about reading is a daily shared experience. She recently attended a conference led by Lucy Calkins, director of the Teachers College Reading

Ms. Henney holds a Bachelor’s degree in French from U.C. Berkeley and a Master's degree in Teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University. In her classroom, she seeks to establish a respectful and collaborative environment and a true community of learners. She is currently participating in the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition’s math specialist program. The coalition, developed through a grant from the National Science Foundation, is working to revitalize mathematics and science education in pre-kindergarten through