Meet Our Teachers!
We are incredibly lucky to have such skilled and compassionate educators at Ward After-School. They bring so much to our program and help make it a second home for students and teachers alike!
Program Director
Donna Marohn
Donna has been a part of After-School for 36 wonderful years! At After-School she loves reading to the kids, celebrating birthdays at community time, and Friday station days. She is also an avid tennis player and reader, and loves watching Jeopardy.
Assistant Director & Head 4-5 Teacher
Lindsey Hopper
This is Lindsey's 9th year at Ward After-School. She loves planning field trips and special event days, community time, and spending time in the new OK ClubHouse! Outside of A-S, Lindsey tends to her garden and many houseplants, enjoys doing pilates and yoga, and learning about outer space.
Head K-1 Teacher
Lacey Mickler
This is Lacey's 5th year as an After-School teacher and crochet extraordinaire! You can usually find her tangled up in a yarn skein and teaching kids how to finger knit. In addition to being super crafty, Lacey is also a dance teacher and collector of pig figurines!
Head 2-3 Teacher
James Marohn
This is James's 34th year at After-School. He loves playing all the classic gym games: ultimate ball, coneball, kickball, floor hockey, and more! Outside of After-School, you can find him hosting trivia events, playing pickup basketball games, and running.
Head Teacher
Hillary Irvine
Despite wanting to be a mermaid as a child, Hillary has instead humbly found her way to her 12th year of teaching at Ward After-School. In and out of A-S, she's often found tinkering, creating mosaics, drawing, and gardening.
After-School Teacher
Dejas Alexis-Bell
Deja is in her 1st year at Ward After-School. She's a great baker (her cookies are delicious!) and loves bird-watching. She plans to bring her love of the outdoors to the kids at A-S by taking mindful nature walks!
After-School Teacher
Chad Edralin
Chad is in his 1st year at After-School. You'll usually find him in the gym here, but he's talented in many areas; he can play the accordion, he fences, and he's a wiz at Dance Dance Revolution! Chad also works in game design and has plans to lead students in game-building activites.
After-School Teacher
Bryce Harrisberger
Bryce is in his 8th year at After-School! He loves dominating in elimo, showing off his basketball skills at recess, and playing his favorite game every Friday during station day. When he's not at After-School, Bryce spends time with his dog Evie, plays basketball, and cares for his vegetable garden.
After-School Teacher
Liz Hartford
Liz has been part of the After-School team for 14 wonderful years! Here, you can find her working on our 2 yearly plays or playing card games in the OK ClubHouse. Outside of school, Liz is an actress (you can often find her performing Shakespeare!), a clown at Boston Children's Hospital, and an avid traveler.
After-School Teacher
Kate Harvey
Kate is in her 1st year at Ward After-School this year, but she's no stranger to the after school environment! She loves video games and pokemon, and here can be found leading a fun art activity, hanging out on the playground, and playing games in the ClubHouse.
After-School Teacher
Katarina Izakovic
Katarina is in her 5th year of After-School and is our best listener! You can almost always find her offering a loving ear to a kid in need, mending someone's ripped clothes or broken stuffie, and playing cards at free time. She also loves to travel!
After-School Teacher
Emma Murray
We're welcoming Emma to here 1st year at After-School! She's super creative and artistic (given her background in animation), and is so excited to play board games and draw with the kids this year!
After-School Teacher
Britney Noah
Britney is in her 3rd year at After-School, and is a multi-talented creator! She loves doing whimsical art projects, teaching the kids how to sew, and losing at mancala. Britney can be found skateboarding, making her own clothes, and, occasionally, doing a back flip.
After-School Teacher
Jessica Spohn
This is Jessica's 3rd year as an After-School teacher, but she knows the program extra well since her two daughters attended Ward After-School! Here, you'll find her keeping a watchful eye over the swings or braving the cold for some snow-play! She's also very crafty and loves leading a mindful art activity.
After-School Teacher
Romy St. Hilaire
Romy is in her 2nd year of teaching at Ward After-School. She is a ceramicist, so you can usually find her working with pottery, but she also enjoys nature activities and drawing outside (especially when it's sunny)! Romy's academic background is in city planning, so she's well trained in curating good vibes in spaces where our students spend their time!
After-School Teacher
Anna Wyler
Anna (a Newton native!) is back at Ward After-School - this time as a 3rd year teacher instead of a student! She loves all things nature, like plants, animals, and bugs, and enjoys sharing that passion with the kids. Anna's love of animals includes her three cats, one dog, and a tarantula!