Faculty & Staff Updates
Information about new employees and changes in roles for the 2026-27 school year.
Lower School
Christina Cubera ’10
kindergarten homeroom
A former Kindergarten teacher at Park for a number of years, Christina returns to our Kindergarten this fall, partnering in the classroom with Sean Donmoyer. Most recently, she was the assistant Director at the Celebree School of Ellicott City, and prior to that, she was a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at Georgetown Day School. Christina has extensive training in curriculum development, equity and inclusion, and admission work. Christina holds a B.S. in Human Development and Psychology from Wheelock College and an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from University of Bridgeport.
Sean Donmoyer
Kindergarten homeroom
Sean joins us as Kindergarten Homeroom teacher this fall, partnering in the classroom with Christina Cubera ’10. Most recently, Sean was a 1st Grade Homeroom teacher at Calvert School, where he also taught Spanish in the Lower School. Prior to working at Calvert, Sean was Assistant Director of Athletics at Roland Park Country School. Sean holds a B.S. in Exercise Science from Towson University and an M.A. in Education from Goucher College.
Beatrice Kennison
third grade homeroom
The 3rd Grade team welcomes Beatrice this fall. Most recently, Beatrice served as a 2nd Grade teacher and archery coach to 4th-8th Graders at Next Generation School in Champaign, IL. Beatrice also co-chaired the math curriculum review committee while working there. As a Baltimore School for the Arts grad, Beatrice is excited to return to her hometown of Baltimore. Beatrice holds a B.A. in Sociology and a Minor in Education from Haverford College.
Mandi Muth
Lower School Coordinator of Academic Services
Mandi joins us as our Lower School Coordinator of Academic Services. Mandi most recently worked as a Reading Specialist, Kindergarten Teacher, and a 1st Grade Teacher at St. Paul’s Pre & Lower School. While at St. Paul’s School, Mandi also co-chaired the Literacy Committee and was a member of the Professional Development Committee. Prior to being at St. Paul’s, Mandi was a Learning Specialist and Resource Teacher at Calvert School. Mandi has significant experience tutoring in reading and writing, working with both public and independent school students. Mandi holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Towson University and a Post-Baccalaureate Reading Certificate from Mount St. Mary’s University.
Middle School
Silvia Patterson
Middle School interim dean of students
Silvia joins the Middle School this fall as interim Dean of Students while Shri Puri is away on leave. Many of us know Sra. Silvia as our former Lower School Assistant Principal, and as a long-tenured Lower School Spanish teacher before that. Most recently, Silvia was the Associate Head of Lower School at McDonogh. Silvia holds a B.S. in Special Education from Florida State University and an M.S. in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Social and Emotional Learning from Erikson Institute.
Upper School
Heather VanMouwerik
UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY
The Upper School history department welcomes Heather this fall. Most recently, Heather worked as a History Teacher at Capital City Public Charter School in D.C., teaching AP-level courses around civics, government, and politics. Prior to that, Heather was the founding Social Studies teacher at Hope Tolson Public Charter School, also in D.C. Heather holds a B.A. in Political Science from Calvin College and an M.A. in History from University of California, Riverside.
All-School
Melissa Lafionatis
Associate Director of Admission (Pre-K-Grade 1)
Melissa joins Park as our new Associate Director of Admission (Pre-K-Grade 1). Most recently, Melissa ran a private practice focused on supporting individualized, child-centered interventions for students in Kindergarten through 5th Grade, focused on understanding academic, social-emotional, and language development. In this role, Melissa partnered with families, classroom teachers, and related service providers. She was also the Assistant for Member Services for Associations of Independent Schools of Greater Washington, DC (AISGW), where she provided support for the AISGW leadership and member schools, especially around communication and programming. Prior to these roles, Melissa was the Director of Enrollment & Strategy at Grace Episcopal Day School in Kensington, MD, where she led admission and enrollment practices for Preschool through 5th Grade. Melissa holds a B.S. in Merchandising, Apparels & Textiles from University of Kentucky and an M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University.
Changes in Role
Jimmy Bonner will be joining the Middle School Office as an Administrative Assistant.
Josh Wolf assumes the role of Director of Teaching and Learning.
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