Faculty and Staff
Christine Kovago
DIRECTOR AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPER
Christine Kovago is the Director of Pincushion Hill Montessori School, now celebrating her 40th year of devotion to the school. She began her career at Pincushion in 1978 after completing a BA in Early Childhood Education with a triple minor in Elementary Education (grades 1-6), Art History, and Special Education from Worcester State College. She did extensive studies of fine art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Worcester Art Museum. She also received her LPN certification from the St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing in Worcester. She worked at St. Vincent Hospital in the Trauma Ward and at Worcester City Hospital in the Geriatric Unit. Christine received her Montessori training at Boston College in 1979. She was in the first graduating class of the New England Montessori Teacher Education Center here in Massachusetts, and she taught for 14 years at Pincushion both in the Children’s House (ages 3-6) and Elementary (ages 6-9) classrooms before becoming the Director of the school. She has served as the Director for 16 years. Her hobbies include life-long learning, reading, gardening, snorkeling, walking, practicing yoga and meditation, and world traveling. She looks forward to many more successful, happy and prosperous years here at Pincushion!
Gus Kovago
BUSINESS MANAGER
Lisa Wyman
BUSINESS DIRECTOR
Alison Brooks
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
Our Teachers
Geetha Rajapakse
CHILDREN'S HOUSE TEACHER
Geetha is a qualified Montessori teacher from Sri Lanka and EEC certified. She has had experience teaching infants through Kindergarten age for over 15 years. She also has experience in teaching children with learning differences. She enjoys cooking, classical music, and traveling. Geetha’s mission is to build children’s strengths while instilling a love for learning.
Terrie Craig
CHILDREN'S HOUSE TEACHER
Lavanya Vabai
CHILDREN'S HOUSE TEACHER
Sunita Mahalaha
CHILDREN'S HOUSE TEACHER
Carrie McEachin
Elementary Teacher
Sarah Jones
Assistant Teacher
Annie Harrington
Art Teacher
Annie Harrington, born in Framingham, MA, fell in love with art at a very young age.
Desiree Mottard
Movement and Mindfulness Teacher
Thomas Meunier
MUSIC TEACHER
As an educator and entertainer for children, Thomas has taught music and offered enriching programs for students for over a decade. He maintains a full calendar teaching early childhood music classes, private instrument lessons, and playing at a variety of performances and events around New England.
In 2020, he released a collection of songs for children called “In a Pickle Jar”. Most recently, Thomas wrote, illustrated, and published a children’s book entitled “5 Little Penguins”.
Thomas is also an active performer in the ‘grown up’ music world, performing regularly with groups like Cindy Lou & Friends, Big Spender Trio, and traveling to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival annually with the Po Boyz Organ group.
Thomas studied music at Boston College, and has taken graduate coursework in education at Framingham State University. He has experience teaching in private settings and public schools with all ages, at home and abroad in Florence, Italy. For Thomas, music is not simply an isolated art form, but a vehicle for students to learn languages, history, mathematics, culture, and cognitive, physical, and communication skills. Some of his students have participated in the Massachusetts All State Jazz Band, become song-leaders at community organizations, created original works as recording artists, and even taught music at summer camp programs.
Tracy SanAntonio
Physical Education Specialist and Support Teacher
Tracy SanAntonio is the new Physical Education Specialist and Support Teacher.
