Meet the Washington DCJCC Preschool Staff

Preschool Administrative Staff

• Director:  Sarah Rabin Spira
• Assisant Director and Pedagogista:  Alex Grossberg
• Scheduling Supervisor:  Daniel Margol 
• Registrar:  Daniel Margol

Full-Time Teachers

• Aisha Bhatty, teacher
• Nora Dankner, teacher
• Emily DeGaglia, teacher
• Monica Huang, teacher
• Abby Johnson, teacher
• Kara Korengold, teacher
• Amanda Laden, teacher
• Marjorie Maguire, teacher
• Samantha Mild, teacher 
• Adam Mills, teacher
• Xani Pollakoff, teacher
• Mikke Rozenman, teacher
• Tammy Schwartz, teacher
• Louis Stromberg, teacher
• Shayna Tivona, teacher

• Substitute Teachers

PRESCHOOL CLASS TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS

PreK:   Marjorie Maguire and Louis Stromberg

PreK-4:  Abby Johnson and Monica Huang

Older 3s:  Amanda Laden and Emily DeGaglia

Younger 3s:  Samantha Mild and Mikke Rozenman

Late 2s, early 3s:  Adam Mills and Nora Dankner

2 1/2 year olds:  Aisha Bhatty and Shayna Tivona

2 year olds:  Xani Pollakoff, Kara Korengold and Tammy Schwartz

 Aisha Bhatty, teacher

I graduated from George Mason with a graduate degree in Elementary Education and an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in International Comparative Studies. I have lived in Virginia for most of my life and consider it home. I am the seventh of eight siblings. Since I grew up in a big family, I am definitely a people person. I love meeting new people and learning about different cultures.

Two of my greatest passions are art and literature. Within the classroom, I love artwork whether it is collaging, beading, watercolouring, etc. I absolutely love reading/listening to stories (and also creating stories with students). I am excited to meet all of the new families and to see what this new year will bring.

 Nora Danker, teacher

I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with my BA in Art History, but also spent a lot of time taking studio art, especially ceramics.  I'm originally from DC, so I have been very happy to be back.  Since being back in DC, I've gotten my feet wet teaching art part-time, and I'm excited to start my first year at the Washington DCJCC and be with kids all day.  I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and bringing creativity and fun into the classroom.

Emily DeGaglia, teacher

I graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in Psychology. I am a proud born and raised "Washingtonian" and am no stranger to the Washington DCJCC. I attended camp at the 16th Street J when I was young and worked as the after school counselor years later. I've been teaching at the J since February 2010 and I could not possibly think of a better place to work! I absolutely adore kids and my passion for teaching is endless. I'm excited for the new school year to begin, and I look forward to meeting all the new kids and families. My door is always open, come by and say hello!

Alexandra (Alex) Grossberg, Assistant Director and Pedagogista

I graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Jewish studies with an emphasis in secondary education. Although I am a New Jersey-ite at heart, after graduating from UMD, I found myself in Washington, DC.  I have recently been promoted to be the Assistant Director and Pedagogista, after being the Judaics Specialist and working with all of the teachers on curriculum and classrooms over my three years here.  I taught in the 4 year olds class at the J for three years, and I have worked at a number of synagogues in New Jersey and Maryland teaching music and choir to students of all different ages. I am extremely excited to be part of the team at the 16th Street J and can't wait to meet all of the preschool families!

 Monica Huang, teacher

I grew up in Frederick, MD, and moved to Burlington, NC, in 2006 for my undergraduate studies in Ceramic Art at Elon University.  Being an Art major in college was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  I learned how to speak and think in a wide array of visual and sensorial languages to communicate messages to my community.  I was also able to maintain and nurture the metamorphosis of my creative and artistic abilities into adulthood.

I became interested in teaching three summers ago when I started working at Camp Royall (Pittsboro, NC).  It is a pioneering program run by the Autism Society of North Carolina and has been serving children, teens and adults with Autism for many years.  This past summer I helped transform the music therapy program at camp and also worked in the arts and crafts program.

I have most recently been enrolled in the Corcoran College of Art and Design's graduate program in Art Education.  While taking classes I worked part time as a Special Needs Facilitator/Substitute Teacher at the Gan HaYeled's Preschool of Adas Israel Congregation in Cleveland Park.  In years past, I have been an Assistant Teacher for a social skills program directed at preschool-aged children with autism and was also a Nursery Attendant for a couple of years.  I love teaching AND learning from young children!

 Abby Johnson, teacher

I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and earned my degree in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan in May 2010. I student-taught in kindergarten and early elementary classrooms and worked as an assistant preschool teacher while in college. After graduating, I spent a year in Tanzania teaching English at a government high school for girls. Among many other things, this incredible experience cemented my love of early childhood education. Continuing my exploration of new places, I recently relocated to Washington, DC, and am excited to have discovered a preschool with such a wonderful approach to children at the Washington DCJCC. I look forward to getting to know all the 16^th Street J families over the coming months!

 Kara Korengold, teacher

A DC area native, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison this past May with a B.S. in human development and family studies, which is a multidisciplinary degree that incorporates aspects of psychology, social work, education and human development across the lifespan. My love for children dates back to when I began work as a preschool camp counselor many years ago, and I have been committed to educating and caring for children ever since. In addition to spending many summers as a preschool camp counselor, I have also enjoyed working at Camp Mataponi, an all-girls summer camp in Maine, and volunteering with at-risk children and children with special needs in Madison-area elementary schools. As an educator, I am dedicated to cultivating positive development in young children through creative, nurturing, stimulating and progressive learning environments. My other interests include music, art, food, travel and spending time with my friends and family. I am so excited to be a part of the 16th Street J family and can’t wait for the upcoming year! 

Amanda Laden, teacher

I grew up in Oviedo, Florida, which is a small suburb outside of Orlando. In December 2008, I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Elementary Education. During my educational endeavor, I completed two Internships, a Junior Achievement program as well as countless volunteer hours in various types of classrooms. Since I was young, I have always enjoyed working with children, beginning with the local Hebrew School Program as a Teacher’s Assistant. Since then, I have had such a diverse amount of experience working with young children in a number of different settings. After graduating from UCF, I have worked for Seminole County Public Schools as a long-term substitute teacher as well as worked at a local Pre-school as a Lead teacher for their Pre-K program. In the evenings and throughout my college years, I worked for the City of Oviedo Recreation and Parks Department. My job title was a Recreational Aide where I helped assist in multiple programs, all of which involved working with children of all ages where they are engaged in play or educational experiences. I am looking forward to moving up to Washington D.C. and being apart of the 16th Street J Preschool!

 Marjorie Maguire, teacher

Marjorie studied child development and studio art (concentration on drawing) at Smith College and has worked in preschool as a teacher, a teacher assistant or tutor since 2006.  

Daniel Margol, registrar

Samantha Mild, teacher

I am from Akron, Ohio and graduated from Ohio University in 2009 with my bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. During my time at Ohio University, I completed my pre-primary student teaching in a preschool that also used the Reggio approach. My primary student teaching was completed in an extremely small village in Ireland. Last year I worked in a kindergarten classroom as a teaching assistant at a local private school. During all of these experiences I not only worked closely with the other teachers and students but also the families and the community. I hope to continue to follow this approach and welcome any questions you may have for me.

 Adam Mills, teacher

A native of Asheville, NC, I am excited about beginning a new phase in my teaching career as a lead teacher at the Washington DC JCC. I taught preschool for fourteen consecutive years at the Asheville Jewish Community Center. During my tenure at the Asheville JCC, I worked with children of the ages two through five. I attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where I studied Psychology and Drama. Recently, I completed my certification as a Child Development Associate. My choice to become a Child Development Associate was one of the wisest decisions I had ever made. Through the CDA program, I gained countless amounts of valuable knowledge to enhance my skills as an early childhood educator. I chose Washington DC as my new home because I wanted to live in a city that is teaming with culture and diversity. I relation to that, I really appreciate the fact that Washington has so much free culture to offer its residents and its visitors. I am a Capitals and a Nationals fan, so I look forward to attending games as much as I possibly can.

 Xani Pollakoff, teacher

Shalom! My name is Xani Pollakoff and I am so excited to be joining the Washington DCJCC team. I am originally from north suburbs of Chicago and graduated from University of Hartford with a degree in Elementary/Special Education and Judaic Studies. While living in Connecticut I served as a NFTY teen youth director, Hebrew school teacher, and the special education coordinator of a synagogue outside of the Hartford area.  Throughout my years in Hartford I substituted in the Mandell JCC in West Hartford, CT as well as student taught in many different classrooms and ages. I grew up at OSRUI, a Union for Reform Judaism camp in Oconomowoc Wisconsin and spent 13 years as camper and staff. This past summer I worked as the program coordinator at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY.  I look forward to a wonderful, educational, and fun filled year! 

Sarah Rabin Spira, Director, Early Childhood, Youth & Family Programs

I have been working at the Washington DCJCC since February 2003, starting as an assistant Preschool teacher and working my way up to a lead teacher, Camp Director, Preschool Assistant Director and now the Director of all of our Early Childhood, Youth & Family Programs.  This has been a wonderful place to learn and grow and to share my passion for education, reading, play and child development with the many children we have had in our school.  I have a Bachelor's in English (focusing on Children's Literature) and Journalism from the University of Florida and a Master's in Media and Public Affairs from George Washington University.  Once I made a career switch from PR and Marketing, I supplemented my degrees with additional classes in child development at the University of the District of Columbia and Penn Foster College.  I have taught various art classes at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop as well. 

I grew up in Miami, Florida, as the oldest of five children, and moved to DC 12 years ago.  I met my husband Mark at the J; in fact, we had a pre-wedding during camp in 2007 so that all of the campers could join us.  The campers planned and wrote everything, from decorating the chuppah to writing the ketubah to planning the party food at the "reception."   Mark and I are expecting our first child this fall.  We're a family at the 16th Street J, and I hope that your family will join us.

 Mikke Rozenman, teacher

 Tammy Schwartz, teacher

 Louis Stromberg, teacher

I graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Psychology. Although I am originally from Buffalo, NY, I moved to Washington to be close to family and camp friends.  I have been an Assistant Preschool teacher at the Child Study Lab in Tempe, AZ, and I've worked with preschool and school-aged children in camp settings for five summers prior to coming to the J.  After being a substitute teacher in the preschool for a year and Sports Specialist for the summer day camp at the Washington DCJCC, I’ll be an Assistant Teacher this upcoming school year.  This is the perfect job because it combines my two greatest passions:  working with children and Judaism.  I am very excited to be spending next year at the 16th Street J and can’t wait for the fun times ahead!

 Shayna Tivona, teacher

Originally from Ashland, Oregon, I graduated in 2009 from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. My concentration was in Race, Ethnicity, and Education. One of my favorite college experiences was helping a research team study the intermarriage between Asian Americans and American Jews, which was fascinating. I spent my first year out of college as an au pair in Milan, Italy and then decided to spend the second year as a member of AVODAH: the Jewish Service Corps here in Washington, DC. During my service year, I fell in love with the city and with the vibrant Jewish community here. I am excited to be working at the Washington DCJCC, and I look forward to getting to know your family. I hope you will introduce yourself to me and say "hello" whenever you are at the J.

 SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS

We often have substitutes and floaters in the classrooms, covering teacher vacations, sick days, and as afternoon floaters.  The hiring process for our subs is the same as for our teachers, and both go through the same vetting process to make sure we hire the best people to work with your children.  We will continue to add to this list.

Alisa Berkovich:  Alisa has degrees in Biology and Art History from the University of Texas.  While her interest is in research, she has been working as a teacher’s assistant, child caregiver and substitute preschool teacher since 2006.

Jessica Friedman:  Jessica will be taking over for Rachel in the Rimonim class starting next week.  She has been working in many classes, including the Dagim lately, since she began here last fall.  Jessica has a Masters of Public Health in International Health and Development from Tulane University and a BA in Communication and Anthropology, also from Tulane.  She completed the Semester at Sea program and has worked with children, including special needs children, in reading, writing and enrichments for a number of years. 

Alison Goldberg:  Many of you know Alison from working at the J’s front desk in the mornings.  Her love of children has brought her upstairs as a sub.  She graduated last year from Franklin and Marshall College with a double major in Anthropology and Spanish and is currently in grad school at George Washington University, pursuing a degree in Anthropology with a concentration in International Development.

Jacquelle Johnson:  Jacquelle has been helping out in the J’s Preschool for five years (first as a volunteer and later as a substitute teacher).  It's been a long time for her at the Washington DCJCC but she has loved every moment with the kids.  She loves how nice and loving everyone is.  She is currently taking classes in child development and will start at Montgomery College in spring 2012.

Jettana (Tana) McArthur: Tana graduated from Oxon Hill High School in Prince George’s County in 2006. Her passion for kids began in high school while taking child development courses, and she learned the fundamentals of the way children grow mentally, physically and spiritually. While on hiatus from school, Tana worked at Educational Etc., a resource store of insightful material for parents, students and teachers. She started working at the J as a floater teacher in September 2007, and then she was a co-teacher in one of the 3-year old classrooms. Tana is currently on maternity leave (she gave birth to a baby boy, Camron, on September 21) but will return as a sub in 2012.

Meaghan McFadden:  Meaghan worked with children formally for three as an AmeriCopr volunteer at Camphill Village in Copake, NY and informally as a babysitter for over ten years.  She most recently came to us after working at the Shakespeare Theater Company and the Art and Drama Therapy Institute, working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  She has a BA in Religion from Davidson College and a Certificate in Social Therapy from the Camphill School of Curative Education.

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