MEET OUR TEAM
Each Harmony educator has outstanding experience, specialized training, and a commitment to ongoing professional development. Above all, each teacher shares our passion and love for guiding children through the wonder and discovery of early learning.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Chrissy Rupp
Owner & Business Manager
Following the birth of her first child, Chrissy felt societal pressure to incessantly “teach” her infant, though thanks to her educational background in parenting support and the benefits of natural, play-based learning, she knew there was a better way. She dreamed of alleviating this stress for the larger community, and founded Harmony in 2010. Nearly ten years later, Harmony is a thriving resource and peaceful oasis for new moms and families with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and Kindergarteners.
Before Harmony, Chrissy spent five years building a community hospital’s Child Life program—passionately educating and supporting children and families through difficult medical experiences. Today, she and her husband, Doug, are parents to five wonderful children—their two biological daughters and three sisters adopted from foster care. Raising a large family with a complex array of backgrounds, she constantly learns more about the endless parenting journey. Chrissy studied child development and visual art before earning her MS in Family Support and Parenting Education at Wheelock College.
Amy Pertl-Clark
Owner & Director of Admissions, Curriculum & Instruction
In every way, Harmony is the early childhood resource Amy wishes existed when her daughter was born. Hired as Harmony’s very first teacher, Amy quickly became integral to its foundation, and rose to join Chrissy as Co-Owner—a role that continually reignites her inherent passion for early childhood education and parenting. Each day, she is delighted to creatively introduce ever-changing, natural- and play-based learning experiences to greater Newburyport families.
Prior to Harmony, Amy spent 14 years teaching in public schools, and upon welcoming daughter Emerson with her husband in 2006, embarked on the most inspiring, instructive, joyful journey of her life. Amy earned an MEd in Early Childhood Education from the University of Southern Missisippi and a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Akron. She shares her love for children’s books while advocating literacy on her blog Emmy’s Book of the Day.
ADMINISTRATION
Lauren Zafris
Program Coordinator
Lauren has loved being around children for as long as she can remember. Following professional experiences teaching kids’ yoga, working as a nanny, and serving as a Team Leader at Jumpstart—dedicated to helping preschoolers in low-income neighborhoods develop language and literacy skills to set them up for success—she is delighted to now be part of Harmony’s team. Each day, she feels grateful to experience the world through children’s eyes, and blessed to soak up Harmony wisdom to benefit her infant daughter, Maisie. Lauren studied human services and psychology at UMass Lowell and Southern New Hampshire University, and completed both childbirth education and doula training. Beyond campus, Lauren enjoys exploring new eateries with Maisie and her husband, Nick, spending time with extended family and her close-knit group of friends, and—in those rare alone moments for new moms—poking around a flea market, reading, walking, or practicing yoga.
PRE-K & KINDERGARTEN TEAM
Sylwia Willcox
Pre-K & Kindergarten Teacher
Parenting first inspired Sylwia to explore play- and nature-based learning. She finds Harmony her perfect fit as an educator, and has taught in our Pre-K & Kindergarten classroom since its inception. Sylwia could not be more passionate about each moment she spends with her students, and especially loves the individual connection afforded by Harmony’s intimate class sizes, which allow her to customize curriculum for each child. Beyond the bounds of Harmony, Sylwia is founder and instructor at Newburyport Aikido, teaching children and adults this modern Japanese martial art focusing on non-violent conflict resolution and mind-body connectivity. Sylwia earned an MA in Philosophy from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Mindful Teacher Certification from Mindful Schools, and a Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care teaching certificate. In all that she does, Sylwia is grateful to have the opportunity to impart the simple techniques and many benefits of mindfulness to her students.
Bridgett Olson-LeFave
Pre-K &
Kindergarten Teacher
Bridgett first fell in love with Harmony while attending Parent-Child classes with her daughters—ultimately sending them both through Harmony’s Transitional Preschool, Preschool, and Pre-K & Kindergarten programs. Once her girls advanced to full-day school, she joined Harmony’s teaching team, where she has been delighted to merge The Harmony Approach with her 18 years of elementary teaching experience in the Georgetown school system. While teaching her 2nd and 5th grade classrooms there, she also served as Delegation Leader for the People to People Student Ambassador program, traveling with students to 5 continents over 8 years. Bridgett is grateful for her time as a Harmony parent—it awakened her deep love for the preschool experience, and demonstrated how vital these earliest educational building blocks are to students’ future academic success. Bridgett holds a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Gordon College, and outside Harmony, loves savoring moments in greater Newburyport with her husband and two girls.
PRESCHOOL TEAM
Joanna Casaburri
Preschool Teacher
Joanna adores working with young children, influencing their learning experiences, and helping them prepare for life’s next steps. Her early childhood education coursework led her to Harmony and she’s excited to continue her teaching journey in this environment she so deeply connects with. Outside the classroom, Joanna enjoys traveling, hiking, photography, otherwise exploring the outdoors, and time with her family. She is currently completing her degree at Northern Essex Community College.
Kathy Dunfee
Preschool Teacher
Kathy acquired a deep reverence for nature from spending many childhood hours in the woods. As a result, she feels the natural world is an ideal catalyst to cultivate and enrich children’s innate sense of wonder, imagination, and creativity. Following a successful career in corporate Human Resources, Kathy spent 20 years homeschooling her two children, coordinating programming for her local home school community, teaching Pre-K, and since 2011, as a nature studies and math teacher at a North Shore private school. In Harmony, she has found the perfect environment to share and apply her lifelong adoration of the outdoors and her background educating children. A Mass Audubon-trained teacher naturalist, Kathy holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Emanuel College in Boston with a focus in Curriculum Design, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Outside the classroom—when not immersed in nature—Kathy facilitates mindfulness workshops to help others find presence, peace, and cultivate a quieter mind.
Megan Shanley
Preschool Teacher
Megan first began her career working with children as a nanny for several local families. During this time, she observed the positive learning impact when she encouraged the kids to independently explore, experiment, discover and solve problems in imaginative and playful ways. She has since worked with children in a variety of school settings, and is thrilled today to merge her experience and her passion—implementing Harmony’s play-based, nature-immersed approach to early learning. A graduate of Salem State College, Megan enjoys spending time with family, hiking the White Mountains, biking throughout the North Shore, running, working in her garden and exploring greater Newburyport’s many local beaches.
Jeannie Clay
Preschool Teacher
Helping young children gain confidence and independence through learning has brought Jeannie joy for as long as she can remember. Following professional experiences as a kindergarten assistant and figure skating program director and instructor to ages 3 and up, she is thrilled to be part of our collaborative teaching team today, and feels particularly aligned to The Harmony Approach. Jeannie holds a BS in Business Management and Fine Art from Pine Manor College. Perpetually driven to help others, when she’s not at Harmony, Jeannie can be found volunteering with memory care patients at a local health and rehabilitation center, where she runs a music and exercise program she created, aided by a special assistant: her beloved golden retriever, Lucy.
Transitional Preschool TEAM
Amanda Lake
Transitional Preschool Teacher
Amanda’s love for young children has led her through many joyful years as a lead preschool teacher, a lead HeadStart teacher, a student teacher helping develop curriculum for grades K-2, and an early childhood educator for infants through pre-K. A nature enthusiast with a particular love for autumn, Amanda is excited to be part of the Harmony team today, and especially enjoys sharing her love of literature with the earliest learners. Beyond the bounds of Harmony, Amanda is most often found immersed in the outdoors with her husband and two children—hiking, biking, running, or swimming. Amanda holds a BA in English from Salem State College, where she is currently in the process of getting her MEd in Early Childhood Education.
Lisa Budd
Transitional Preschool Teacher
Following more than two decades working as a preschool teacher, corporate daycare provider, and nanny, today, Lisa is excited to apply her education experience and caregiving skills to her favorite age group at Harmony. Before joining our Transitional Preschool classroom, Lisa further applied her vast experience and passion for nurturing development in the early years as a stay-at-home mom to her son, Hazen. Lisa studied Education and Sociology at Gordon College. When she’s not at Harmony, Lisa loves spending time with Hazen (now in elementary school), either outdoors, reading, solving puzzles, cuddling their guinea pig, Waffles, or snuggling with their cats, Rascal and Tootsie.
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
If your child’s usual teacher has to miss school due to illness or another reason, you may temporarily see one of our wonderful, fully trained substitute teachers in your child’s classroom.
Danielle White
Substitute Teacher
Growing up with Acadia National Park as her backyard, Danielle was destined to develop a deep love for the ocean, forests, and the larger natural world. She believes nature and children are our greatest teachers, and to foster this connection, created a mindfulness and meditation clinic for children. After providing childcare to preschoolers and earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a Minor in Education from the University of Maine, Dani is thrilled to work in Harmony’s classrooms whenever she is able. In her free time, Dani enjoys baking, practicing feng shui, educating herself on all facets of the human experience—spiritual, philosophical, and physical—and spending as much time as possible surrounded by nature.
Nancy Torlone
Substitute Teacher
Starting at age 6, Nancy knew she wanted to be a teacher, and frequently engaged in imaginative play with desks, chalkboard, and her little-brother-as-student, as she imagined herself in her future role. She has more than fulfilled that destiny, following many years as Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher at Boxford’s Village Preschool, a Kindergarten Activities Teacher and Teacher’s Aide at Boxford’s Cole Elementary School, and both Teacher’s Aide for special needs students and substitute teacher at Masconomet High School. Nancy is delighted to return to the classroom at Harmony—and her passion and skill for working with the earliest learners—whenever the need arises. In her spare time, Nancy adores spending time with her two grown children, traveling and concertgoing with her husband, Ron, and playing or snuggling with her boisterous standard poodles, Cassidy and Sundance.