The Harbor School’s core strength is its outstanding faculty. We are trained in early childhood education, we love children, and we are committed to inspiring our students to be active, creative and confident lifelong learners.
The Harbor School’s core strength is its outstanding faculty. We are trained in early childhood education, we love children, and we are committed to inspiring our students to be active, creative and confident lifelong learners.
Jo Chang
3rd Grade
M.A. - University of Maryland; B.A. - Florida International University
8 Years of teaching experience
I was drawn to Harbor by the student body, my colleagues, and the warm, friendly, inclusive environment!
I love creating with my hands. I like to crochet and do macrame. I learn through watching Youtube videos and by using patterns. I am getting better with lots of practice (and mistakes).
Brenda Chavez
Preschool 4s
A.A. - Northern Virginia Community College
5 years of experience as an assistant teacher
I was drawn to Harbor School by the small class sizes. The faculty and community are friendly and welcoming, and I like how each child is unique and special in different ways.
I love to cook food, especially Salvadorian. Also, I love to play softball.
Mary Choi
2nd Grade
B.S. - University of Maryland
19 years of teaching experience
The Harbor School values the uniqueness of each child. I was drawn by the supportive staff community.
The Harbor School values the uniqueness of each child. I was drawn by the supportive staff community.
Maria Cohen
Preschool 4s, Technology Coordinator
B.A. - Arizona State University; A.A. - Early Childhood and Special Education
9 years of teaching and teaching assistant experience
The tight-knit community feel, passionate/dedicated faculty, student-centered learning and open-ended hands-on activities in all the classrooms make Harbor a wonderful place to teach.
I'm Greek!
Seth Dempsey
Kindergarten
M.A. - American University; B.A. - Davis and Elkins University
3 years of teaching experience
The community, the people, small class sizes, and Spiral Curriculum!
I'm a pretty good whistler, and I often will find four leaf clovers.
Meeta Grover
Preschool 2s/3s
B.A. - Delhi University
22 years of teaching experience
My sister worked here and heard great things about the school from her!
I love to cook and feed people!
Jasmina Hinton
PE/Movement
Ph.D. - University of Nis, Serbia; M.S. - University of Nis, Serbia ; B.S. - University of Nis, Serbia
12 years of teaching experience
The nurturing environment & cultural diversity
Ashley Howard
Learning & Literacy Specialist, Summer Camp Director
M.Ed - George Mason University; B.S. - Old Dominion University
9 years of experience in special education
The community, professionalism of the faculty, the curriculum, the small class sizes. Creativity and uniqueness are valued!
I love to spend time with my family, read, cook, and I also enjoy arts and crafts. As a hobby, I like to make coffee drinks at home. I love collecting new syrups, coffee, and mugs!
Maria Jurasek
Preschool 2s/3s
B.A. - Vitéz János Teachers College, Hungary
13 years of teaching and teaching assistant experience
I have a dressmaker diploma too and I like to do needlework.
Jasveen Kaur
1st Grade
Teaching Licensure Program - University of Virginia; B.A. - Delhi University, India
25 years of teaching experience
Harbor had the community feel I was looking for.
I am an artist and was a textile designer before I became a teacher. I still paint sometimes. Being creative helps me do fun projects with my class. I am also a big Harry Potter fan. I LOVE riding on roller coasters.
Cherry Marwaha
Kindergarten
B.S. - VS Dental College, Bengaluru India
2 years of experience as a teaching assistant
The Harbor Schools mission to embrace the uniqueness of each child to and celebrate the uniqueness in them and each other. The other thing about the school that made an impression on me was the social emotional curriculum.
I have hiked Mount Batur Volcano in Bali. I have studied in a boarding school from the age of 8 until university. I speak English, Hindi, and Punjabi fluently.
Leah Musico
Head of School
Certificate in Administration and Supervision - Johns Hopkins University; M.A. - Johns Hopkins University; B.A. - Wake Forest University
25 years of experience in teaching and administration
I was drawn to the small size and warm, personalized approach, coupled with the high quality of professionalism at Harbor. The school has been an enriching professional (and personal, since my own children are students) home for me and my family for the last five years!
I taught second grade for most of my teaching career, at both public and private schools, before moving into administration in 2007. I also have taught yoga for many years, and I love that I get to teach yoga to the students at Harbor!
Christian Nowlin
1st Grade
A.A. - J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
5 years of experience as an assistant teacher
I felt an instant connection speaking with Ms. Musico during my interview. We shared our stories and experiences with each other in a safe space. Meeting the staff for the very first time, I felt welcomed by the Harbor community.
I am a cat lover!
Allison Peppelman
Junior Kindergarten
M.A. - University of Delaware; B.A. - Dickinson College
10 years of teaching experience
I felt an immediate connection to Harbor from the first time I spoke with Leah, and I saw in Harbor so many of the wonderful things I had loved and valued in my children’s preschool- a true sense of community, an intentional "smallness" that allowed everyone to know each other, a sense of welcoming, respect and collaboration between parents and teachers, a commitment to child-led exploration and learning, an emphasis on social-emotional learning- just a true warm feeling throughout my heart. It was a perfect fit and I am (and have been) just so delighted to be a part of the community!
I began my teaching career as a Spanish teacher at the Gilman Lower School and, after pursuing my graduate degree, at the Upper School at the Boys' Latin School of Maryland.
Dana Riley
Business Officer
B.S. - University of Delaware
38 years in the field of finance and accounting
Nikki Sumpter
Office Manager
M.Ed. - Towson University; B.A. - University of Maryland
12 years of teaching experience
the inclusive, friendly community and the professionalism of the faculty
I am the middle child of five kids!
Sonia Vasquez
Spanish
M.S. - Universidad Nacional de Colombia; B.S. - Universidad Nacional de Colombia
8 years of teaching experience
The friendly environment in the school and the commitment to follow the mission of the school with every single student.
Before teaching Spanish, I worked in Colombia as a researcher in an interesting biotechnological program about the use of entomopathogens to control diseases in plants.
Yuki Wilson
Music
M. M. - University of Minnesota; B.M. - New England Conservatory of Music
25 years of teaching experience
I like the small size classes and our warm, welcoming community.
I love salsa dancing!
Madeleine Yimgnia
Junior Kindergarten
A.A. - Montgomery College
4 years experience as teaching assistant
The Harbor School's mission spoke to me.
I spent my childhood in Cameroon, and speak both French and English.
Andrea Zuraf
Assistant Head of School & Director of Admissions & Marketing
M.A.T. - Johns Hopkins University; B.A. - University of Maryland
22 years of experience in teaching and administration
The Harbor School has been such an amazing community to be a part of, and the enriching, creative, inquiry-based program speaks to me as a teacher and lifelong learner. I wish I could have gone to a school like Harbor when I was a child!
We recognize that these early years at Harbor are when your children are discovering and developing their individual learning styles. Our mission reflects this responsibility: We embrace the uniqueness of each young child, and we teach our students to celebrate it in themselves and each other.
We offer each student differentiated instruction and individualized attention. We accomplish this by keeping our class size small, with experienced and loving teachers in each classroom. We tailor the multi-sensory, hands-on curriculum to individual learners. We encourage, demonstrate, and provide instruction for pro-active socially responsible interaction with teachers and fellow students.
To further cultivate our students’ creativity and self-expression, we have teaching specialists offering outstanding instruction in art, music, Spanish, physical education, and mindfulness.
Additionally, The Harbor School recognizes and supports ongoing professional development for our faculty to keep aware of best practices and educational research boosting student confidence and achievement.
All of our students have daily conferences with their teachers, and teachers regularly communicate with parents about the academic and social progress of each student. Here at Harbor, the parent-teacher relationship is just as important as the student-teacher relationship. Your child – and your family – will never get lost in the crowd here at Harbor.