Excellent Teachers and Staff

Teacher Bios

Victoria Villar, Younger Toddler - Teacher	I was born, educated and taught school in the Philippines. I have lived in Spain and was a nanny there for nine years. I am married, with three children and three grandchildren. I love to read, sew, crochet, cook, and socialize with good friends.
Lyndia Cruza, Toddler Room	Hello, I am Lyndia. I have two daughters at home, who I love spending time with. I also enjoy reading whenever I can grab a quiet moment. Cooking is another passion of mine. I enjoy watching children full of life and joy with genuine emotional responses to situations. They don't hide anything! I am also fascinated by the variety of learning styles and finding out what works for each individual child. Every day, it's a wonderful feeling to be around children.
Lindsey Carstensen, Lead Preschool Teacher	I graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in Elementary Education. I moved to Seattle in August 2006. Thankfully I was lucky enough to find GreenTree! I really love the child-centered philosophy that Green Tree promotes, and enjoy this environment very much! I hope to continue here a long time. My parents live in Olympia,WA, and I have a younger brother that lives there also. My older sister lives in Reston, Virginia with her husband and two children. I love spending time with family and friends, going to Mariner’s games, reading, sewing (I’ve just begun to make hats- it’s very exciting!!!) and exploring this wonderful city that is still a bit new to me. I am really enthusiastic about working with your children here at Green Tree!
Amber Williams PreSchool Room	I came here from Achorage Alaska. I have been with Green Tree for 2.5 years and love being with the children. They all have such individual personalities; they learn at their own pace and are fascinating to work with. In my spare time I do crafts, like sewing and working with clay.
Megan Bissonette, Infant Room - Teacher	I started with Green Tree as a volunteer and have now been here for eight years. I love all the children and have a great time with them, however my favorite thing to do is spend time at home with my daughter. Whenever I get the chance I enjoy going to the mountains for snowboarding.
Rachel Bawara, Infant Room - Lead Teacher	I come from a small country in West Africa called Togo. After receiving my Bachelors Degree in Linguistics, I taught English and French to elementary school students. I like all kinds of sports, including swimming, basketball, and karate. I also enjoy reading and laughter. In my next life I would like to be Peter Pan.
Asmeret Habtemariam, Classroom Support	I have 2 sons, Hermon and Naod. Hermon was able to be with me at GreenTree until he went off to school and Naod is presently enrolled here in the Toddler program. I have worked with children for 10 years. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my parents and family for get-togethers and celebrations. I also like listening to all kinds of music.
Adam Breaux, Cook	I've been in the food industry for eight years, most recently working in an Italian Bakery. In my spare time I indulge in my other passion, which is oil painting.
Catherine Prygrocki, Director	I was born and educated in Canada and have been in the field of early childhood education for over 20 years. I have recently moved to Washington State and could not hope to find a better place to work. I love to read, watch movies, entertain and be with my children.
Holly Koehler, PreK Teacher	Holly has an AAS in Early Childhood Education and six years experience in Early Childhood classrooms. Holly’s advice on Emergent curriculum: Begin with a topic and see where the children will take it. Sometimes large projects are sparked, sometimes it takes a few days to take off and sometimes it last only a short time.
Kathleen McLees, Program Supervisor	I entered the early childhood profession in 1992 after raising my two sons. During this time, I also went back to college to obtain my B.S. in Sociology in 1997 and my Master of Education (specializing in Early Childhood) in 2004. I have a wide variety of interests which include reading, skiing (both downhill and cross-country), hiking, and attending musical and cultural events. I find working with children to be a very fulfilling part of my life, especially noting each child's individuality and helping them work towards more and more independence. I have also been blessed with four other special children in my life - my grandchildren!!!
Kim Krikorian, Toddler Room Teach	I moved here from Montana where I worked with Head Start for ten years, taught classes at the community college and helped to develop a Family Literacy Program for Boys and Girls Club. I am enjoying the community spirit of Green Tree and in spare time like to walk around the city, listen to music and attend the theatre. We like taking the toddlers for walks to Seattle Art Museum, Pike Place Market and the library.
Hana Zuwan, Toddler Rooms - Classroom Support	I have been in the US for 2 years and have been working in childcare since I arrived. I love what I do! I enjoy spending time with my husband and cooking for him, and I like to go shopping too. I an so happy to be at this school. Yea! Green Tree!
Sheri Johnson, Toddler Room - Teacher	Living in Seattle is new for me and I love the city. My interests are sports, music and reading. I LOVE working with children and I wouldn’t want to have any other job. Being a recent graduate of Washington State I am a huge fan of the Cougs! My long term goal is to return to school to earn a graduate degree in Education.
Andrea Dayley, Infant Room assistant teacher	I am originally from Peru and have been in the United States for almost 4 years. I am married and have a 7-year old son named Fabricio. While living in Peru, I taught English to children ages 4 to 6 years old. When I came to the United States I was an Aupair and Nanny. In my free time I like to listen to music, watch movies, cook, dance, and sing. Working with children makes me feel happy, especially when playing with them. I also feel proud to see them achieve their goals.
Ginnie Wright, Pre-K Room assistant teacher	I am so happy to be here at Green Tree. I have been working with children on and off since 2002. I moved to Seattle in September 2008 from Philadelphia. This is my first time on the West Coast and I am enjoying it very much. When I am not at Green Tree, I am exploring all that is Seattle as well as one of my favorite hobbies – shopping!!!!
Marsha Howard, Toddler Room assistant teacher	I have been working with children for 2 ½ years and enjoy everything about it. I have lived in New York, Texas, California, Nevada, and Massachusetts. I attended San Francisco Community College for a short while and would love to go back to school to study early childhood development. My hobbies and interests include: music, punk concerts, Dr. Seuss books, collecting pigs, and enjoying the toddler age group.
Marinyl Cruza, Infant Room assistant teacher	I am married and have one daughter. My mother is Lyndia in the younger toddler room. I have worked in early childhood since 2007 and enjoy taking care of and playing with the children as well as helping them in their development. I was born in the Philippines and lived there until 1999 when I moved to Seattle. I have taken one semester of classes working towards my CDA at Renton Technical College. My favorite thing to do is shop!!!!