Trinity Preschool of Topsfield
Trinity Preschool Teachers
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Elizabeth Riley, preschool director
Elizabeth began her time at Trinity Preschool in 2008 as a parent. Originally a
certified elementary school and reading teacher, she has a B.A. from Colgate University
and M.Ed in Reading from Boston College. After working in childcare programs in
Medfield and Brookline, she began teaching in the Salem Public Schools where she
worked for several years as a literacy specialist who specialized in early literacy
instruction.
A dedicated educator who loves teaching, Elizabeth first joined the Trinity staff
as substitute teacher. Here she found her love of preschool and early childhood
education. From 2014-2016 Elizabeth worked as the Monday Enrichment Coordinator
and an Extended Day teacher. In 2016-2017, Elizabeth taught in our Fives program.
Starting in 2018, Elizabeth began teaching Downstairs Fours class and taught in that
class until her move back to the Fives program where she taught for 2 years. Over the
last few years, Elizabeth has been working to obtain her Preschool Teacher, Lead
Teacher and Director Qualifications. As Director, she is committed to working with the
Trinity teachers to support Trinity’s developmentally appropriate curriculum and its
nurturing environment where children learn through play.
Elizabeth lives in Topsfield with her husband, John and her three children, Owen,
Sarah and Evan, who are all Trinity graduates.
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Katy Bruner
Mrs. Bruner has been teaching at Trinity since 2010. She has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Special Ed. Katy worked as a special education teacher until she had her own children. Her children are both graduates of Trinity, now teenagers. Katy began subbing at Trinity and when offered a position in the 2 Day Threes classroom, happily accepted as she found Trinity to be a special place. Katy is a natural teacher. She is kind, caring and empathetic. She loves to watch the children in her class blossom throughout the school year and finds teaching to be a very rewarding experience. Katy lives in Georgetown with her husband and their 2 children, Jon and Abi (Jon is now a Freshman in college!) along with their two doggies!
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Jody Green
Mrs. Green is one of our Fives teachers and a former Trinity parent! When her children were both at Trinity, she began substituting in 2018 and then became the Monday Enrichment Coordinator. In 2021 she joined Trinity as a classroom teacher in the Downstairs Fours and then moved to the Fives program in 2023. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Saint Anselm College as well as some Master’s classes in Education. Prior to having her children, Mrs. Green worked as a preschool teacher for 9 years in Beverly. She enjoys cooking and spending time with her husband and two children at the beach in the summer and skiing in the winter.
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Jenn Lanouette
Jenn Lanouette has been a member of the Trinity Preschool community since 2009. During her daughter’s attendance at Trinity, Jenn was an active and involved parent who would often fill in when needed. When her daughter was in the Fives, Jenn was responsible for starting our Trinity Graduation Program. Jenn graduated with a B.A. from Western New England University. She began her career path in finance, wholesaling and marketing. Though successful, she never felt fulfilled and left the business world after her daughter was born. Jenn later found her passion in Early Childhood Education. She obtained her license in 2012 and has been teaching the Upstairs Fours ever since. She is an integral part of our learning program and fluent in the Handwriting Without Tears program. She often finds herself teaching “in the moment”, focusing on social-emotional learning with a hands-on approach, in the hopes of helping children build a strong foundation for their future.
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Mona Lopes
Mona is excited to join Trinity Preschool as one of our Fours teachers. She was our long term substitute teacher in our Downstairs Fours classroom during the 2022/2023 school year. Graduating from Forsyth School of dental hygienists in 2002, Mona went on to get her Bachelors of Science degree from Northeastern University in 2003 and worked for many years as a Dental Hygienist. While working at Trinity she acquired her preschool teaching certificate. Mona first joined our Trinity community as a Trinity mom. Both of her children attended Trinity Preschool’s 3’s and 4’s programs, and loved it. Mona lives in Danvers with her husband and two children. They love traveling, and enjoying beach days in the summer together!
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Johnna Ross
Mrs. Johnna is thrilled to be joining the toddler classroom as a teacher. She graduated from Saint Joseph’s College Of Maine in 2008. After several years of office work, in May 2017, she decided she needed a change of pace and decided she wanted to work with kids again, which she hadn’t done since she was in her teens. Starting work at a daycare in Beverly as a floating teacher working mainly with infants and toddlers, she was then assigned to an infant classroom. While there, Johnna absolutely loved watching the kids grow and learn and working with the parents. When it came time to have her oldest son, she chose to stay home with him. Since her boys started preschool she became very involved as a parent volunteer at Trinity. Through that experience, Johnna has had the privilege of getting to know the teachers and parents and community as a whole very well and is excited for the opportunity to teach here. Johnna lives in Topsfield with her husband and two sons, George, who is a Trinity graduate and Gavin who is currently a Trinity student.
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Christina Gibeley
Christina is happy to be teaching Friday Funday this year. Christina grew up in Manhattan and went to the high school of Art and Design on the East Side. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Hunter College (NYC) and later while teaching preschool in MA, took a graduate-level course at Salem State in Early Childhood Education. With over 21 years of experience teaching preschool and Lead Teacher certification, Christina has taught in several diverse preschool settings including a preschool in the West Village of Manhattan as well as outdoor nature & farm-based preschool in Ipswich, MA. She came to Trinity first as a parent, with both of her daughters (now ages 18 & 20) attending Trinity. She then co-taught in the Downstairs Fours class for 6 years. After taking time off, she happily returned as an art teacher and a substitute teacher several years ago. Additionally, she completed a 200-hour yoga certification in 2016. Using her art and psychology background when working with children, Christina loves to create amazing art projects with the children.
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Michele Santosuosso
Michele is originally from California. She started her career in Early Childhood Education as a Nanny. After moving to New England in 1999, Michele attended Newbury College to acquire her certification to teach infant, toddler and preschool children. She also pursued additional coursework to complete her Director qualifications.She has worked alongside many families supporting them in private and non profit school settings and has 16 years of experience working with children that have various disabilities . Michele has 4 children and currently lives in Topsfield with her husband and kids. Some activities she enjoys are: Gardening -Summer is her favorite season! Watching hockey - three of her four kids are goalies!
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Heidi Snyder
Mrs. Snyder joined Trinity as a Threes teacher in 2021 and teaches in both our 3 Day and 2 Day Threes programs. Heidi has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oregon and completed her teacher training at Northern Essex Community College. Before coming to Trinity, Heidi worked at a nature-based preschool in Rowley. Heidi loves bringing the children outside to explore as well as bringing nature into the classroom! You will always find a nest or twigs, or even live caterpillars being incorporated into her lessons. Heidi enjoys spending time hiking and camping with her husband, three daughters and two dogs.
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Ellen Penafiel
We are excited to have Mrs. Ellen at Trinity Preschool as a Fours teacher, working with Mrs. Lanouette in the Upstairs Fours. A graduate of Boston College, where she studied elementary and special education, as well as Harvard University, where she received her M.Ed in Human Development and Psychology, Mrs. Ellen is an experienced educator. She worked for many years in the public school system as a special education teacher and reading specialist before taking time off to stay home to raise her five children. Recently she has worked with preschoolers as a specialized coach, focused on social-emotional learning through the company Learning Seeds. When not teaching, Mrs. Ellen enjoys volunteering, reading, hiking and exploring. Mrs. Ellen lives in Boxford with her husband, her 5 children and 2 dogs.
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Judy Turcotte
One of eight children, Mrs. Turcotte grew up in Danvers, Ma and earned her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Salem State. Mrs. Turcotte’s daughter attended Trinity Preschool and in September of 1998, Mrs. Turcotte began her time teaching the Extended Day Program at Trinity. Mrs. Turcotte embodies the heart of our school. She is patient, knowledgeable, creative and caring. In attention to developing and teaching the Extended Day Program, Mrs. Turcotte curates our school library. If you ever have a question about a children’s book or author, she is the one to ask! Mrs. Turcotte recently moved from her longtime home in Topsfield to Haverhill where she lives with her family. In her spare time she enjoys books, dancing, movies and Mickey Mouse.
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Siobhan ugone
Siobhan has been teaching in the 3 Day Threes class since 2013. She holds a B.S. in Animal Science and has incorporated many learning concepts and exploration activities that relate to the Natural Sciences into the Threes curriculum. She loves to share her passion for animals and nature with her students, encouraging them to be curious about and careful stewards of the world around them. Mrs. Ugone has been close to Trinity for many years both as a neighbor and as a parent of a former student. She considers Trinity Preschool a crowned jewel of Topsfield and credits the school community for the many lifelong friendships her family developed here. Siobhan now resides in Rockport with her husband, dog and cat.
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Amy McNamee
Amy is excited to join Trinity Preschool as one of the 4s teachers. She came in as a substitute during the 2023 school year and for the summer program. When offered a position in the 4s, she happily accepted. Amy is a UMass Amherst graduate with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Sociology. Throughout her career she’s worked as a preschool, kindergarten, music and movement and special needs teacher. She also spent years nannying and at home with her 3 children. Amy has a great passion for music, yoga and spending time in nature with her family. She lives in Middleton with her husband, three children, cat and puppy. She is so happy to be part of the Trinity preschool family!