Our Staff
All of our staff are certified in First Aid and CPR. Our teachers and teacher aides have met or surpassed the requirements necessary to be certified by the state of Maryland. All of our staff actively pursue continued education opportunities as a group and individually throughout the year. Our school supports career development by providing professional development days and tuition assistance.
SCOTT
MITCHELL
SSNS Director & 4s Class Teacher
“Mr” Scott came to SSNS as a co-oping parent in 2008. Since that time Scott has served in a myriad of positions at the school ranging from parent board co-president, teachers aide, and enrichment teacher. He now serves as both the lead teacher in the 4’s class and as the director of education. Scott also serves on the board of directors for the Potomac Association of Cooperative Teachers (PACT) and has received the PACT Devoted Service in Early Childhood Education Award. Scott has led parenting classes for the Takoma Park Department of Recreation and served as a parent volunteer coordinator for Takoma Park’s Community Playtime and as a volunteer coach for Takoma Soccer.
Scott has a BA in Criminology from the University of Maryland and completed his early childhood education at Montgomery College. Scott maintains a level 5 early childhood credential through the Maryland State Department of Education. Scott previously worked as a store manager for Recreational Equipment Inc and shares his love for outdoor activities with his students.
CELESTE
RAKER DILLEN
3s Class Teacher
Ms. Celeste joined the SSNS community when her youngest son enrolled in 2012. After working with college students, after school programs, and Scouts (in addition to parenting three sons), Celeste discovered that her inner child is a preschooler! Celeste initially found a home at SSNS as the 3s aide and now continues to embrace the dramatic development of social-emotional awareness of this age as the 3s teacher. Celeste is also pursuing Early Education Certification and leadership training with Parent Encouragement Program (PEP). Recognizing the precious gift of toddlers and preschool, she thoroughly enjoys working with Toddler Time families and Friday Theme students.
Prior to SSNS, Celeste grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. She graduated from Penn State University with a BS and earned her MS in Molecular Systematics in Botany from University of Wisconsin. Realizing she is more a people-person than a lab assistant, she worked for Minnesota Environmental Initiative, building cooperation between government, business, and environmental interest groups. Upon expecting her first born, she moved back to the east coast for family and became a full-time mom.
REBECCA BRUNSON
2s Class Teacher
Rebecca spent her early life in Whitehorse and Vancouver, Canada. Upon graduating from UBC with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education, she traveled to New York City to teach in a public elementary school for three years. When she and her husband returned to Vancouver, Rebecca had plans to enroll in a Master of Psychology program but discovered that becoming a mother was a much more demanding and amazing job than she had anticipated. She decided to tutor part time and dedicate her time to raising her children: Brooklyn, Jada, and Sonny. She continues her commitment to education as the 2s teacher for SSNS.
KATHERINE
WEAVER
School Administrator
Ms. Kate has been associated with SSNS since her son started attending the 3’s class in 2007. She has been a cooping parent, Board member, class Aide and is now the School Administrator. She has a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and previously worked for a U. S. Navy contractor where she honed her accounting and program management skills. She stayed with SSNS as a way to get back into the workforce after taking a break to be a stay-at-home parent, never dreaming she would be putting those skills learned at UMD and her previous employer to use at SSNS. When she isn’t at SSNS, she can be found cheering her son on at his karting races or working on a project at home.
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