FOUNDING HEAD OF SCHOOL

Claire McDonald holds a BA in political science and economics from William and Mary and an MA and a PhD in economics from the University of Massachusetts. Claire has taught history and economics in private schools, community colleges, and universities for more than 20 years, and she has held major administrative posts in private schools for many years. She and her husband Bob live in Gainesboro with their three children.

PROGRAM COORDINATORS

KINDERGARTEN READING, LANGUAGE ARTS,  MATH, SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE 

Meghan Watterworth holds a BS in elementary education from Appalachian State University as well as a Virginia teaching certificate. Meghan worked for many years in outdoor education, leading trips and running camps for children and adults. Meghan lives in Clarke County with her young daughter.

LOWER ELEMENTARY READING, LANGUAGE ARTS,  MATH, SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE 

Laura Viner holds a BA in French with a minor in Elementary Education from Rutgers University. She has also earned an MA in Elementary Education from Georgian Court College in New Jersey. Laura holds New Jersey and Virginia teacher certifications and has taught elementary school and computer classes for children. She volunteers as a Hebrew teacher for the children of Beth El Congregation. She often hosts French exchange students at her home and gives them a true American family experience. Laura is new to Virginia and resides in Winchester with her husband Jay and their two children.

UPPER ELEMENTARY and MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH 

Brigitte DeHaven graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a BA in music education and math education. She has worked in education in a variety of roles–classroom teacher, piano/vocal instructor, choral/theatre director and homeschooler–for more than twenty years. Brigitte lives in Cross Junction with her husband, John Britto, and their daughter; Brigitte’s adult son, Jonathan Nelson, lives in Crisfield, Maryland.

UPPER ELEMENTARY HUMANITIES, SCIENCE

Todd Apple is an 11 year veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard and a graduate of the University of Maryland University College with a BS in Management Studies.  Over the past 25 years, he has lived in numerous countries and has been a director and participant in community theater all over the world. In 2005, Todd served as the PK-5th grade music teacher and the middle and high school drama and music teacher for two years at the International School of Panama.  After Panama, Todd dedicated four years as a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math instructor for 5th graders with the Department of Defense Starbase program both in West Virginia and Hawaii.  Since 2008, Todd and his wife, Theresa, have run their own youth nonprofit, Apple Creative Theater, focusing on theater with children 10-18 years old.

MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES, LATIN

Diane Sheehey holds a BA in International Relations from Tufts University and a JD from Hastings College of the Law. She worked for the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C. before joining the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the US Army. She freelanced as a legal writer while raising her three daughters and then made a career switch to teaching in 2003. Diane and her husband, Matthew Page Jones, MD, live with their three daughters on a small working farm in Clarke County.

AFTERNOON PROGRAM COORDINATORS

ART–KINDERGARTEN

Meredith Burgr-Shoup grew up as a US Army Corps of Engineers “brat,” a childhood that exposed her to many countries and cultures.  After working in a number of restaurants in various capacities while in her twenties, she married in 2003 and earned her professional degree in Pastry Arts from L’Academie de Cuisine in 2004, finishing top in class.  After turning down an offer to remain at the school as an assistant instructor, she worked for Patrick O’Connell at the Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia.  Along with her husband, Scott, she started a family in 2007 and has been a full-time mom ever since.  Meredith, Scott and their two children live in Stephens City.

ART–LOWER, UPPER ELEMENTARY, AND MIDDLE SCHOOL

Kerry Stavely holds a BFA in Graphic Design and Art History from Memphis College of Art. Kerry is an award-winning graphic designer for Times-Community Media in Leesburg, VA and also works as a freelance designer and photographer. Kerry and her husband Neil also run Horse & Hare, a printmaking studio focusing mainly on fine art block printing. Neil Stavely holds a BFA in Painting and Art History from Memphis College of Art. He is also an alumnus of the New York Studio Residency Program. Neil has worked as a mural painter, most notedly at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, and as a tattoo artist for the last thirteen years. Neil resides in Winchester, VA with wife Kerry and their daughter.

DESTINATION IMAGINATION–UPPER ELEMENTARY

Katie Maiberger  graduated from James Madison University with a BA in English and a minor in Middle School Education, grades four through eight. She has a decade of classroom teaching experience, and she has worked as a teacher consultant through the prestigious Northern Virginia Writing Project. Katie also served as PTO president in Clarke County for three years.  Katie and her husband Todd live in Berryville with their three children, one of whom is an ISW student.

DESTINATION IMAGINATION–MIDDLE SCHOOL

Bob McDonald earned a BBA in finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MLA from Loyola University Maryland. Bob has worked in business, technology, and education for over 20 years. He taught at an alternative high school in Baltimore and later became Chair of the History Department at the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Michigan. Bob mentored the Model UN Team at Cranbrook for many years. Bob is married to Claire McDonald, and together they live with their three daughters in Gainesboro.

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR–KINDERGARTEN and LOWER ELEMENTARY 

Christina Thompson

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR–UPPER ELEMENTARY 

 

 

Lisa Floyd grew up abroad—living in Greece and Japan. She graduated from Virginia Tech, where she majored in hotel and restaurant management. She has an extensive background in catering at the corporate level. She currently manages Pembroke Springs Retreat, a Japanese bed and breakfast in Star Tannery, where she and her son reside.

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR–MIDDLE SCHOOL

Tracy Smith is a graduate of Smith College. She worked at MCI in legal affairs and public relations before becoming a stay at home mother. She is passionate about good parenting and has taken many classes and workshops with the Parent Encouragement Program. Tracy currently works with several community organizations, including Boy Scout Troop 500, Grace Episcopal Church, Clarke County Education Foundation, and Concerned Citizens of Clarke County. She lives in Boyce with her husband Bill, their four children, two dogs, chickens, and bees.

PERFORMING ARTS–KINDERGARTEN and LOWER ELEMENTARY

Heather Butler holds a BA in Music Therapy from Shenandoah University and has been trained in the Nordoff-Robbins approach to improvisational music. She has worked in several long term care facilities as a music therapist. Heather enjoys collecting and learning how to play new instruments which she frequently shares with our students.  She plays in a variety of local groups specializing in classical, Celtic, country, and bluegrass music. Heather lives in Middletown with her husband John Butler and their two sons in John’s boyhood home.
Kate Gregori comes from a long line of professional illustrators and has taken many art courses throughout her life, including classes at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, Maryland College of Art and Design, Montgomery College, and Lord Fairfax Community College.  In addition to being a stay-at-home mother, she also volunteers with several local charities and civic groups and is the Board President and Co-Founder of the Stillbrave Childhood Cancer Foundation. She currently resides in Winchester with her partner, Brendan McGowan, and their three children.
PERFORMING ARTS–UPPER ELEMENTARY and MIDDLE SCHOOL
Brigitte DeHaven, our Director of Performing Arts, graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a BA in music education and math education. She has worked in education in a variety of roles–classroom teacher, piano/vocal instructor, choral/theatre director and homeschooler–for more than twenty years. Brigitte lives in Cross Junction with her husband, John Britto, and their daughter; Brigitte’s adult son, Jonathan Nelson, lives in Crisfield, Maryland.
SCIENCE–MIDDLE SCHOOL 

Rebecca Lloyd graduated from the College of William and Mary with a BS in geology. Becky has taught students of all ages, and she brings to ISW a background rich in hands-on, experiential learning. She served as a  program presenter at Blandy Experimental Farms and at Oak Hart Farms, and she has worked in secondary schools teaching a wide variety of science classes. Becky and her husband reside with their daughter in Inwood.

SPANISH

Christy Landers holds a BA in Spanish and International Studies from Hollins College and an MA in Spanish from George Mason University. She has taught in many settings, most notably in Loudoun County, where she developed the FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) program. She is currently a professor at Lord Fairfax Community College. She is married to Matthew Landers and together they parent their four children, three of whom are ISW students.

SWIMMING–KINDERGARTEN AND LOWER ELEMENTARY

Noelle Callas graduated from Syracuse University with a BA in Information Management and Technology. She is Red Cross certified in a number of areas, including CPR. She taught swimming in high school and college. She pursued a career in marketing and IT for seven years before returning to teaching swimming. She founded Super Splashers in 2009 and has taught more than a thousand children to swim. Noelle and her husband Luke live in Winchester with their two children, one of whom is an ISW student.

 

TECHNOLOGY

Bob McDonald earned a BBA in finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MLA from Loyola University Maryland. Bob has worked in business, technology, and education for over 20 years. He taught at an alternative high school in Baltimore and later became Chair of the History Department at the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Michigan. Bob has been involved in educational technology since the early 1990s–wiring classrooms, bringing the internet to students, and beta-testing interactive technologies. Most recently, he worked for an organization that hosts and trains schools, universities, and corporations in the use of Moodle, an internationally known learning  management system. He introduced Moodle to ISW in 2010. Bob is married to Claire McDonald, and together they live with their three daughters in Gainesboro.

John Britto  is an IT professional with more than 20 years experience. He holds dual degrees in physics and computer science from  the University of Bombay and an MS in Applied Computer Science from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. John owns and operates Empower Technologies, a consulting company. Most recently, John created Tech Camps (www.techcamps.us), a program which offers technology classes to students of all ages. John is married to Brigitte DeHaven, and they live with their daughter in Cross Junction.