Staff
Meet Our Staff
Grace Stanat
Head of School, Founder
Anne Beneventi
Founding Visionary
Emma Ludwick
Head of K-8
Aisha Amer
Primary School Teacher
Audrianna Aquino
Outdoor Educator (Naturalist) / Curriculum Lead, K-3rd Outdoor Education
Rachel Bagnani
Kindergarten Teacher / Curriculum Lead, K-1st
Sarah Baker
Primary School Teacher
Shelby Barthold
Primary School Teacher
Kanchan Bhandare
Intermediate School Science Teacher / Curriculum Lead, 4th-5th Science
Len Bloch
Middle School Science Teacher
Ivar Blomquist
After-School Teacher
Danny Boyer
Middle School Science Teacher
Dominic Cala
Primary School Teacher
Claudia Campano
Kindergarten Teacher
Jose Caraan
Early Childhood Associate Teacher
Lauren Castro
School Counselor
Lauren is passionate about supporting youth. She helps unlock their potential by partnering with them to overcome mental, social, and emotional struggles, and works collaboratively to cultivate an environment for success. Lauren values creating a safe space for individuals to be vulnerable and get in touch with their emotions, and is experienced in crisis management and de-escalation techniques. Her approach is eclectic, bringing flexibility to meet an individual where they are, challenge them, and work together to achieve growth. Lauren has a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Canisius University in Buffalo, NY, and is registered as an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. When she’s not working, she’s chasing down a good sunset, on a walk, traveling, or hanging out with loved ones.
Gary Comstock
Primary School Teacher
Cade Conkle
Middle School Science Teacher
Dusten Conlon
Early Childhood Teacher
Yudith Dian
Primary School Teacher
Andrew Dinh
they/him
Intermediate School Humanities Teacher
Bethany Domingo
Early Childhood Associate Teacher
Jenny Dumas
High School Launch Team, Admissions
Hugo Escobedo
Custodian
Michael Fariss
Director of Technology
Remy Freeman
After-School Teacher (Base Camp) / Associate Teacher
Lilyana Galvan
Administrative Assistant and Substitute Coordinator
Prachi Gangwal
Innovation Teacher
Shoshana Gleit
Visual Arts Teacher
Caroline Gupta
Director of Operations
Mehrnaz Habibi
Intermediate School Science Teacher
Mary Hansell
Middle School Humanities Teacher
Kyle Hietala
Middle School Humanities / Speech & Debate Teacher
Stephanie Holson
Founding Director, Lead Teacher, Children’s Center @ Tessellations
Ellen Honeck
Assistant Head of K-8
Jonny Hopkins
Outdoor Educator (Naturalist)
Debora Hoppis
Early Childhood Teacher / Director of Extended Care
Kyle Houston
Physical Education & Associate Teacher
Born and raised in San Jose, California, Kyle’s philosophy is that all children—no matter their age or circumstance—have genius within them and should be respected as such. Kyle has been instrumental in the launches of several schools. Along the way he taught multiple subjects at the middle school level, and has coached youth gymnastics and motor skill development for over a decade. This honed his abilities as a mentor, and helped hundreds of kids realize their potential physically and academically as more confident, capable movers. Kyle pursues a calling to help children develop healthy lifestyles when they’re young that lead to healthy lives as adults. He believes physical and mental health are deeply connected, and that creating a healthy, supportive environment is key to both. In his free time he enjoys reading novels, cooking, and turning his music up really loud.
Teddy Hulsker
Resident Dungeon Master / Drama Teacher
Victoria King
Primary School Teacher / Curriculum Lead, Bridges Math K-5
Brianna Kirby
Kindergarten Teacher
Kelly Li
Early Childhood Teacher
Phyllis Lopez
Intermediate School Humanities Teacher / Curriculum Lead, 4th-5th Humanities
Lizzy Lyons
Outdoor Educator / Naturalist
Sylvia Major
Outdoor Educator (Naturalist)
Kai Marks
Assessment & Curriculum Specialist
Adrienne Marquette
Drama and Theater Arts Teacher
Thomas Marquette
Safety Specialist
Tristan Matlock
he/they
Middle School Humanities Teacher
Kristine Nakada
Director of Outdoor Education
Julie Nakamura
Assistant Director of After School and Summer Programs
Alejandro Navarro
Outdoor Educator (Naturalist)
Sarah Naylor
Music Teacher
Jay Patel
Early Childhood Associate Teacher
Born in Lancashire, UK. Jay holds a BA in Graphic Design and a Foundation Degree in Art & Design. He worked at the award-winning Clitheroe Castle Museum for 10 years where he taught Arts & Craft activities to children of all ages. “I love to bring a spark to a child’s eye as they learn something new in fun, creative ways,” he says. In 2018, Jay and his family moved to the US and joined Tessellations as an After School Teacher inspiring kids in the Maker Space & Art Clubs. Now an Early Childhood Associate Teacher, he’s excited to be a part of every child’s learning journey and help design a creative curriculum. He believes in a play-based, child-centered approach and understands that children learn best through hands-on experiences. A father of 3, in his spare time Jay enjoys many things including art, photography, exploring nature, vegetarian dining, visiting museums, reading books, cinema, collecting video-games, graphic designing and organizing free craft kits & workshops for his local community in Sunnyvale.
Ketki Pendse
Primary School Teacher
Nathaniel Polussa / “Coach Nate”
Associate Teacher / PE Teacher / Athletics Coach
Michael Prater
Director of High School Education
Alyssa Puga
Middle School Science Teacher / Outdoor Educator (Naturalist)
Tiffani Quick
Director of After School and Summer Programs
Kari Van Bebber Ramirez
Gifted Specialist
Sheena Rose
Bookkeeper / Payroll Administrator
Lacee Spicer
Kindergarten Teacher
Sara Spiegel
Director of Systems & Logistics
Susan Stanat
Director of Admissions
Carrie Stouffer
Media Specialist
Isaac Strong
HS Launch Team, Science Teacher / Curriculum Lead, 6th-8th Science
Christie Trott
Middle School Humanities / Curriculum Lead, 6th-8th Humanities
Robin Trujillo
Math Specialist / Special Projects
Bailey Ubellacker
Intermediate School Science Teacher
Shazia Usman
Associate Art Teacher
Colleen Vandevoorde
Math Department Head
Annie Wait
Intermediate School Humanities Teacher
Liz Wallach
Curriculum Lead 1st-3rd