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    • We Teach the Way Children Learn
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  • About Us
    • The Willow Team
    • Tour Schedule
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Contact
  • Philosophy
    • Mission and Vision
    • Values
    • Curriculum
    • Reggio Emilia
  • Enrollment
    • Admissions
    • Tuition and Fees
  • Programs
    • Infants
    • Toddlers / Twos
    • Early Preschool/Preschool
    • Forest Class
    • Georgia Lottery Pre-K
    • Elementary After School Program
    • Summer Camp
  • Nutrition
    • Food Program
    • Weekly Menus
    • Farm to Table
  • Parents
    • School Calendar
    • Family Handbook & Emergency Procedures
    • Parent Resources
  • Willow Music
    • We Teach the Way Children Learn
    • How to Enroll
    • Studio Policy
    • What Our Students Say
    • Willow Music Virtual Tour and Video Gallery
    • Willow Song and Lesson Library
    • Willow Music Blog
  • Blog
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The Willow Team

The role of the educator in this setting is that of guide, researcher and learner. We believe that every individual in the school community is actively engaged in learning. It is the educator’s responsibility to open the doors to knowledge, to observe and pay attention to details, to listen to and consider children’s ideas – even the ones that are not “true” or “correct.”

Administrative/Pedagogical Staff

Teresa Cole

Teresa Cole

Founder / Executive Director

Teresa Cole
Teresa Cole
Founder / Executive Director
 

Teresa became interested in early childhood education in the capacity of parent volunteer at her children’s preschool.  While being involved there, she developed an understanding of what wonderful early childhood education could and should be. Progressing from volunteer to President of the Board of Directors and ultimately Director of Operations at the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool, Teresa discovered her passion to broaden the availability of these experiences to more families and children.

In 2011, Teresa opened The Nest Nursery School with two co-founders in the Ormewood Park neighborhood in southeast Atlanta.  Several years later, Teresa extended her experience to the City of Decatur in the form of a new center for infants and young children – The Willow School. The Willow School will offer to its families a unique environment inspired by the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education.

Teresa earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Accounting from University of Phoenix and is pursuing a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of Colorado. She has been on three study tours to Italy to deepen her knowledge and understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach. These inspiring visits shape the philosophies and practices that Teresa brings to childhood education: respect for the learning process, a love of children, and a passion for advocacy for the causes of the very young.

Teresa lives with her husband, Adam, in Grant Park. They are the proud parents of five wonderful children, two grandchildren, and a stubborn but loving dog.

Keli Jackson

Keli Jackson

Director

Keli Jackson
Keli Jackson
Director
 

Keli Jackson, also known as Mrs. Keli, is a founding member of the Willow School Team! She has been working with infants and toddlers since 2008 and has enjoyed every minute. Before becoming an early childhood educator, she worked as a full-time opera singer. She holds a B.A. in music from Spelman College and an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Walden University.

Keli has been married 16 years to her incredible husband Santana, and they are the proud parents of a magical daughter.

Each day Keli is inspired to make a difference in the lives of children and families. It is her goal to make each day a great day for every child. She became a teacher because of her love for children and loves to get messy and explore! Working with young children, Keli realizes how important these early years are and the positive impact that early childhood educators have on their growth and development. It is these things that make this job so rewarding.

Lenoir Stallings

Lenoir Stallings

Assistant Director

Lenoir Stallings
Lenoir Stallings
Assistant Director
 

Lenoir was born in North Carolina, but grew up in Atlanta. Lenoir has an associates degree from Georgia Piedmont College, specializing in infant and toddler care. She also has experience working with Preschool and Pre-K aged children. Lenoir loves working with all children and watching them grow and interact with the world around them. Having the opportunity to work with infants at the Willow School is a dream come true! In her free time, Lenoir loves listening to music and writing poetry.

Melissa Godbee

Melissa Godbee

Enrollment and Family Engagement Coordinator

Melissa Godbee
Melissa Godbee
Enrollment and Family Engagement Coordinator
 

Melissa Godbee is the Administrative Assistant for the Willow School. 

Adam Cole

Adam Cole

Director of Music Program

Adam Cole
Adam Cole
Director of Music Program
 

The Director of Willow Music, Adam Cole is a pianist, composer and conductor who has worked professionally in Atlanta since 1991.  He also serves as the organist at First Christian Church of Decatur.

A graduate of Oberlin College and Georgia State University, he is the author of numerous books on jazz and classical piano and vocal instruction.  A former Choral Director with Atlanta and Fulton County Schools, he has worked as a Project Manager for the Georgia Department of Education to develop Georgia’s Standards for Music Instruction. In addition, Adam earned his Guild Certification in the Feldenkrais Method in 2000.  To learn more about Adam, please visit www.acole.net

Amy Fields

Amy Fields

Atelierista

Amy Fields
Amy Fields
Atelierista
 

Amy Fields moved from Great Britain to the United States in 2011 and is now settled with her husband and three children ages. She gets regular shipments of tea from England, but is loving family life in Decatur.

Amy’s degree is in Social Science and Drama, Film and TV. She also has a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. She has taught ages 3 to 16 years of all abilities and from varied backgrounds, some of whom had specific disabilities and some with incredible talent. Amy has a passion for discovering and helping the children fulfill their true potential.

In her spare time, Amy enjoys traveling, cooking, having casual dinner parties and tea parties with friends, singing, craft projects and reading stories with the kids. She is often found curling up in front of an open fire with her cats and a good book, going for a stroll in the park or the woods with her children or going for sushi and a movie with her husband.

Amanda Espinosa

Amanda Espinosa

Atelierista

Amanda Espinosa
Amanda Espinosa
Atelierista
 

Amanda Espinosa has been an early childhood educator since 2010 and has worked with young children for more than 15 years. She holds a bachelors of fine arts degree from the Art institute of Atlanta, and believes that children approach learning with creative minds. She especially enjoys linking school lessons with the creative arts. In her free time she enjoys reading, gardening, and sewing. 

Dale Mergenthaler

Dale Mergenthaler

Administrative Assistant

Dale Mergenthaler
Dale Mergenthaler
Administrative Assistant

Dale has been happily married for almost 37 years, is a mom to 4 adult children and has 4 grandchildren as well as two fur babies. She loves spending time with family and friends. Having come from a large family, she has been around and/or taken care of children most of her life.  She worked in the medical field for almost 30 years but made a change due to health reasons. When she returned to work, it was at The Willow School in 2018 as a chef because her son decided it would be a great idea to work with him, and a spot was available. She’s so happy she made that choice! She loves the Willow Community! She worked as a chef until March 2020, and then returned back to Willow as Administrative Assistant.





Support Staff

Kayla Evans

Kayla Evans

Chef

Kayla Evans
Kayla Evans
Chef
 

Kayla was born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Decatur, Georgia. She has over 10 years of experience serving young children and holds multiple certifications. Kayla has obtained her TCC in Child Development, Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and is approaching completion of her Bachelors Degree in Psychology. She is passionate about educating children and assisting them in successfully reaching developmental milestones. Kayla is grateful for the opportunity to strive at The Willow School excelling in many educational professions. She has worked with Infants and Toddlers. She is currently enjoying the opportunity to nurture children with healthy, nutritional foods and coordinating meaningful aftercare experiences. Kayla is passionate about education, baking, and writing poetry.





Miriam Russoniello

Miriam Russoniello

Prep Cook

Miriam Russoniello
Miriam Russoniello
Prep Cook

Support Staff

Odessa Williams

Odessa Williams

Assistant Chef

Odessa Williams
Odessa Williams
Assistant Chef

Support Staff

Leandra Labad

Leandra Labad

Facilties Caretaker

Leandra Labad
Leandra Labad
Facilties Caretaker

Infant Educators

Angella Smith

Angella Smith

Infant Teacher

Angella Smith
Angella Smith
Infant Teacher
Lashonda Lemon

Lashonda Lemon

Lashonda Lemon
Lashonda Lemon
Kiara Hambrick

Kiara Hambrick

Kiara Hambrick
Kiara Hambrick
Faith Clark

Faith Clark

Faith Clark
Faith Clark
Pierrette Barge

Pierrette Barge

Pierrette Barge
Pierrette Barge
Barbara Whitlock

Barbara Whitlock

Barbara Whitlock
Barbara Whitlock

Toddler Educators

Vincetta Johnson

Vincetta Johnson

Toddler Teacher

Vincetta Johnson
Vincetta Johnson
Toddler Teacher

Vinccetta has been working in Early Childhood Education for more than twelve years. She is super excited to be a part of your child’s journey and provide them with a safe, fun environment to learn, play and grow. There are a lot of milestones that happen in our classroom which she loves to see. She has three beautiful children whom she loves and adores: two boys and one girl aged 8,12, and 14.

Synai Ingram

Synai Ingram

Toddler Teacher

Synai Ingram
Synai Ingram
Toddler Teacher

Synai Ingram has been working with children for over 6 years. She loves watching them grow, and her students have a special place in her heart. 




Kimberly Blake

Kimberly Blake

Toddler Teacher

Kimberly Blake
Kimberly Blake
Toddler Teacher

Kimberly is originally from Savannah, Ga. She moved to Atlanta, Ga in 2021. She has earned a Bachelors of Arts in English with an emphasis in Communicative Arts from Columbia College (SC), She also earned a Master’s degree in Instructional Design from American InterContinental University. She has served in education for fifteen years. Kimberly began working at the Willow School in 2022 as a support teacher in the Preschool department. She has moved up to Co-teacher in the Toddler 2 classroom. 



Sebastian Cloyd

Sebastian Cloyd

Toddler Support Teacher

Sebastian Cloyd
Sebastian Cloyd
Toddler Support Teacher

Sebastian Cloyd first started working with children during the pandemic in 2020. He has always been involved with children, whether it was watching over younger cousins or children of close family friends. He is interested in psychology, human development and has a nurturing and compassionate spirit. In his spare time he enjoys hanging out with friends, cooking, drawing, listening to music, watching tv and playing video games. 

He is ready to learn alongside the children to continue to be a wonderful educator. 




Karen Kelly

Karen Kelly

Karen Kelly
Karen Kelly
Alicia Alexander

Alicia Alexander

Alicia Alexander
Alicia Alexander
Tiffany Watson

Tiffany Watson

Tiffany Watson
Tiffany Watson
Paula Davis

Paula Davis

Paula Davis
Paula Davis

Twos Educators

Synai Ingram

Synai Ingram

Toddler Teacher

Synai Ingram
Synai Ingram
Toddler Teacher

Synai Ingram has been working with children for over 6 years. She loves watching them grow, and her students have a special place in her heart. 




Billie Broughton

Billie Broughton

Billie Broughton
Billie Broughton
Keyana Davis

Keyana Davis

Keyana Davis
Keyana Davis

Preschool Educators

Cadesha Harrison

Cadesha Harrison

Forest Class Teacher

Cadesha Harrison
Cadesha Harrison
Forest Class Teacher
 

Cadesha Harrison-Howell has been with the Willow School for over 5  years. She holds a degree in Elementary Education from Brenau University and a degree in Early Childhood Studies from Walden University. She has a passion for learning, gardening and for pets.  She is a member of:  Georgia Association of Educators, The National Education Association,  The Community Emergency Response Team, and also a Member of the Dekalb County Emergency Management Agency. She is trained in working with children with ADD, ADHD. She is very excited to be a part of The Willow School. 





Andreia Thompson

Andreia Thompson

Early Preschool Teacher

Andreia Thompson
Andreia Thompson
Early Preschool Teacher
 

Straight from Virginia, Andreia knew early childhood was the field fit for her.  Andreia spent her high school career doing internships and student teaching, which helped bring her career journey to light. Andreia graduated from Georgia Piedmont College with an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Andreia really enjoys teaching and wishes to become an elementary school teacher in the future.

Vincetta Johnson

Vincetta Johnson

Toddler Teacher

Vincetta Johnson
Vincetta Johnson
Toddler Teacher

Vinccetta has been working in Early Childhood Education for more than twelve years. She is super excited to be a part of your child’s journey and provide them with a safe, fun environment to learn, play and grow. There are a lot of milestones that happen in our classroom which she loves to see. She has three beautiful children whom she loves and adores: two boys and one girl aged 8,12, and 14.

Tyra Carlis

Tyra Carlis

Pre-K Teacher

Tyra Carlis
Tyra Carlis
Pre-K Teacher

Tyra Carlis graduated from Georgia State University and is currently attending the University of Phoenix. She can’t wait to get to know each and every student so that they will learn from each other and grow to their fullest potential. It will be a year full of learning, new adventures, and memories!

Martha Brown

Martha Brown

Martha Brown
Martha Brown
Myleka Hudson

Myleka Hudson

Myleka Hudson
Myleka Hudson
Jay Manis

Jay Manis

Jay Manis
Jay Manis

Georgia Lottery Pre-K Educators

Rashida Slaton

Rashida Slaton

Preschool Teacher

Rashida Slaton
Rashida Slaton
Preschool Teacher

Rashida (pronouns – she/her) was born and raised in Georgia and currently resides in Atlanta with her children Chloe(19), Lee(15), and her pets. When not working she enjoys spending time with family, going to the movies, reading, skating, thrifting, researching astrology and (most of all) traveling. She has worked in Early Education for 9 years, studying at Atlanta Metropolitan College and currently holding a Child Development Associate Degree.  She has taught with many different curriculums and the Reggio Emilia approach is her favorite. She really enjoys working here at the Willow school!





Forest Class Educators

Drew Mergenthaler

Drew Mergenthaler

Support Teacher

Drew Mergenthaler
Drew Mergenthaler
Support Teacher
 

Drew is an Atlanta native who spends his free time gaming and reading. He has always been involved in watching his younger cousins and siblings, but it was the birth of his nephew in 2008 that really sparked his passion for children. 

Though this is his first job in education, he finds great joy in learning alongside children, watching them grow and seeing them enjoy the nutritious meals he helps to prepare. Drew is currently planning to go back to school and is looking forward to everything a career in Early Childhood Education could possibly offer.

Classroom Support Staff

Nancy Guarnieri

Nancy Guarnieri

Support Teacher

Nancy Guarnieri
Nancy Guarnieri
Support Teacher

Nancy Guarnieri has been working in education for many years. Her experience includes teaching and assisting teachers in the classroom, as well as case management work, which involves assisting children and families. She earned her degree from the School of Social Work at Rutgers University, which prepared her well for the challenges of working with students, children and families from diverse backgrounds.

 
Throughout her career, her focus has been on breaking barriers to education so that all students can have access to quality education, which leads to successful outcomes. Witnessing her students succeed has been the most rewarding aspect of her work, and she feels fortunate to have contributed to their achievements.
 
One of her strengths as an educator is building trusting relationships with her students and their families. She is genuinely invested in their success and strives to provide my best effort at all times. She is committed to going the extra mile to support her students, which sets her apart in my profession.
 
In addition to her work in the classroom, she is also an active volunteer in the community. She enjoys supporting events and causes that are related to education, as well as other initiatives that help to improve the lives of children and families. She is grateful for the opportunities she’s had to make a difference in the lives of others and look forward to continuing to do so in the years to come.
Yanus Brassell

Yanus Brassell

Yanus Brassell
Yanus Brassell
Alex Lindsay

Alex Lindsay

Alex Lindsay
Alex Lindsay
Sammyah Simon

Sammyah Simon

Sammyah Simon
Sammyah Simon
Maya Torres

Maya Torres

Maya Torres
Maya Torres

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