Meet Sprout House
Our Leadership
Kathy Abbott
Director
Kathy Abbott comes to Sprout House with a wealth of non-profit and education experience. She first joined our community as a parent and then served as a longtime board member and president. Kathy holds her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and master’s degrees from Georgetown University and New York University. She lives in Chatham Township with her husband and has three daughters. Kathy is an enthusiastic volunteer in our community, having served on the board of the League of Women Voters of NJ, as a leader with Chatham Girl Scouts, and as a member of the Chatham Township Environmental Commission, Planning Board, and Township Committee.
Leslie Barry
Bookkeeper/Office Staff
Leslie started working at Sprout House in 1997 when her youngest child was enrolled in the first Rising Five Program. She has a BA degree in history and art history, and worked as a Human Resources manager at AT&T and Bellcore for many years. She loves reading and traveling in her spare time.
Jen Mathews
Head Teacher
Joanne Lockwood White
Founder
Joanne Lockwood White founded Sprout House in 1985 as a pioneering school which inspires self-directed learning, and where kids are happy and intellectually engaged. She served for years as the director of Sprout House, teaching multitudes of children to appreciate the environment and how to “walk the walk.” She is continually bestowing her Early Childhood Education (M.A.) experience through advising, training teachers and assessing on matters of the edification of young children. Joanne is a longtime active member of the Chatham Township community. In her free time, she enjoys the serenity of the Pine Barrens and splashing around in the Long Island Sound with her husband, her grown daughters, who were once Sprouts, and their families.
Our Teachers
Jen Mathews began her career in children’s publishing in New York, then continued working with storytellers like screenwriters and directors in LA. More recently, she has been a Scout leader, a PTO Environmental Committee Coordinator, a Friends of the Library Board member, and helped other local organizations such as the Chatham Township Environmental Commission and the Open Space Committee. Jen has three children, two of whom attended Sprout House. In her spare time she enjoys listening to podcasts and audio books, and spending time outside with her family, friends, and sweet pup, Scout.
Dina Barrionuevo
Teacher
Carolyn SanFilippo
Mentor Teacher
Carolyn holds a BA degree in Early Childhood Education from Goddard College. She began working at Sprout House as the cook in 1985 and became the Rising 5s teacher in 1998 and taught at Sprout House continuously since then. Carolyn is now the traveling mentor teacher. Her hobbies include reading, American History, biking, and hiking.
Dina has over 2 decades of experience as an early childhood teacher at well-known schools in the area. She is excited about Sprout House’s nature-based curriculum and the high value the school places on authentic children’s art and literature. Dina has a BA in clinical child psychology and says, “I believe that children learn through play. I provide opportunities for children to explore, discover, imagine, and create. I look for opportunities to extend their learning according to the child’s interests and strengths.” In her free time, Dina loves photography, singing and dancing.
Cindy Brenes
Teacher
Cindy is an experienced early childhood teacher who believes, “No two children are the same, as there is no one way to teach. I am always looking for new ways to keep a child’s mind engaged.” Cindy lives in Madison with her husband and 3 boys. In her free time, she is often at her sons’ soccer games. She enjoys dining out and going to the movies with her family.
Maria Estrada
Teacher
Maria is an experienced early childhood teacher. Music and dancing are two of her favorite ways to teach ideas and self-expression. At Sprout House, Maria has naturally gravitated towards tending our native plant gardens and sharing with children the wonders of living things. Maria also has expertise in caring for adults. She has worked for many years as a medical assistant, including as a phlebotomist, and has enjoyed helping seniors as a home health aide. In her free time, Maria enjoys long walks in the mountains with her 2 girls. She also loves to read, exercise and dance.
Andrea Harris
Teacher
Andrea has been involved in teaching for 15 years. As an educator and artist, she looks forward to fostering each child’s artistic expression though a variety of mediums--paint, clay, 3D, fabric, and found objects. “I see the early childhood years as a golden opportunity to ignite the imagination and allow the mind to develop creative and unique patterns of thinking in problem solving, positive social interactions and discovery of the world around us,” says Andrea. “I especially admire Sprout House’s encouragement of exploring the question, “why do you think that is?” Andrea earned a BFA from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science, majoring in graphic design, fine arts, and sculpture. In her spare time, Andrea refinishes and rescues old furniture, loves to paint, garden, and read.
Mineli Lechner
Teacher
Mineli is a mother of two Sprout House alums and a registered nurse by training. She practiced nursing for 14 years, including 8 as a pediatric nurse in hospitals and in educational settings. Mineli was drawn to teach at Sprout House because of its joyful, nature-based curriculum and its focus on healthy food and play outdoors. She says Sprout House formed her own children’s love of learning and curiosity about the natural world. “The best teachers are role models for children,” says Mineli. “They enjoy reading and the arts, and they foster creativity and a genuine interest in the world.” In her spare time, Mineli loves to go to the theater, museums, listen to music and go on walks with her husband.
Eve Nikolopoulos
Teacher
Eve is a certified teacher who has worked for years in second grade and kindergarten classrooms. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education for pre-K and kindergarten through 6th grade and earned a master’s degree in mathematics for elementary education. Eve says she has always loved teaching. For her, teaching means “nurturing children’s natural desire for knowledge through guidance and play.” Eve lives in Chatham with her husband and 3 sons. In her spare time, she likes to read, cook, play tennis and, most of all, spend time with her family and dog, Sammi.
Erin Potts
Kindergarten Teacher
Erin is an experienced elementary school teacher with a master’s degree in Elementary Education. She teaches kindergarten at Sprout House, and taught 2nd and 4th grades in Virginia and New York. In addition, she has been a regular substitute teacher for the School District of the Chathams. At Sprout House, Erin weaves nature-based and play-based experiential learning with the standard NJ kindergarten math, reading and phonics curriculum. Erin knew Sprout House well before she began teaching our kindergarten. All three of her children attended Sprout House. In her spare time, Erin enjoys reading and going to the beach with her family.
Jenna recently graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a BA in Psychology. She is also a big sister of a Sprout alumna. Jenna has always been comfortable communicating with children, and she says this led her to choose psychology as a major. Jenna is excited about Sprout House’s nature-based curriculum and how it develops children’s imaginations and scientific curiosity. Jenna enjoys sharing her artistic talents with the Sprout House children. During her downtime, Jenna loves drawing cartoon characters, animals and plants, sewing dolls and spending time with her large, tight-knit family, which includes small children and one loving senior black cat.
Jenna Prisco
Assistant Teacher
Barbara Speni
Assistant Teacher
Barbara received her college degree in special education from the University of Florida. Her first job was in South Bend Indiana teaching special education pre-school at Logan Center, where she conducted home visits for students age birth to 5. Barbara raised her 4 children in Summit, NJ, where she also grew up. While her children were young, Barbara taught in local public schools and was active with Overlook Hospital fundraising efforts. Barbara now lives in Chatham with her husband and daughter. Her favorite way to spend her time is with her many grandchildren.
Megan West
Assistant Teacher
Megan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Penn State University, and has worked in many aspects of nursing, including surgical, oncology, and labor and delivery. She lives in Chatham with her husband and four children. In her spare time she loves to be at the beach!
Virginia Morrissey
Assistant Teacher
Virginia brings a diverse and creative background to the Sprout House community. A Berkeley Heights native, Virginia served on the Berkeley Heights Education Foundation, the Berkeley Heights Strategic Planning Team and its Recreation Commission. Virginia also lent her talents to the board of the Summit Chorale, and the board of the Summit Playhouse. Virginia taught at the nursery school program at the Berkeley Heights YMCA, served on the Executive Board of the Berkeley Heights / Summit Area YMCA and as the BH Member Services Director. Virginia also managed three privately funded Bergen County homeless shelters for unwed mothers and their babies. Virginia, a grandmother of 2 young children, loves fostering the remarkable imaginations of inquisitive Sprout House children.