Beechwood Staff

David Laurance
Principal
dlaurance@beechwoodschool.org
Recently read: The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci

Isabel Jimenez
Secretary
ijimenez@beechwoodschool.org
Loves: Reading, watching movies

Bruno Lopez
Maintenance
blopez@beechwoodschool.org
Loves: Family, futbol, gardening

Lois Holl
Kindergarten Teacher
lholl@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “Grant that we may not so much seek to be understood as to understand” – St. Francis of Assisi

Veronica Elias
Kindergarten Prep Teacher
velias@beechwoodschool.org
What I love about teaching: To see the children's faces full of excitement after they have learned something new.

Konstance Kirkendoll
Kindergarten Aide/Teacher
kkirkendoll@beechwoodschool.org
What I love about teaching: Every day is different and the challenges that arise allow me to use creative problem solving.

Korinne Nickings
Kindergarten Aide
What I love about teaching: I love teaching because I am able to look at what the kids need and help them to get it.

Jan Richmond
1st Grade Teacher
jrichmond@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

Alexis Vélez
2nd Grade Teacher
avelez@beechwoodschool.org
Loves: Dance, teaching dance

Jeff Christopherson
1st/2nd Grade Intern
jchristopherson@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift.” –Steve Prefontaine

Jessica Haslam
2nd/3rd Grade Teacher
jhaslam@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
–St Francis of Assisi

Nadiya Vinnichenko
3rd & 4th Grade Teacher
nvinn@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” –Theodore Roosevelt

John Laurance
4th Grade Teacher & Vice Principal
jlaurance@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” –Dr. Seuss

Katie Potts
5th Grade Teacher
kpotts@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “Let those who would teach us remember this: We have minds of our own, we have dignity.” –Unknown

Nathan Pantoja
6th & 7th Grade Language Arts, 6th Grade Social Studies
npantoja@beechwoodschool.org
Inspiration: The late Jose Pantoja (my grandfather), for his dream to make more for his family and his willingness to dare and take risks.

Priscilla Hamilton-Taylor
Middle School Math Teacher
ptaylor@beechwoodschool.org
Loves: Her husband, her life, family, friends

Megan Tang
7th/8th Grade Language Arts & Social Studies Teacher
mtang@beechwoodschool.org
What I love about teaching: I love it when students become passionate about what they are learning.

Kathy Connolly
Graduate Coordinator
kconnolly@beechwoodschool.org
Inspiration: Beechwood's resilient kids inspire me every single day! Their willingness to face challenges with smiles and enthusiasm fills my heart.

Tim Mennuti
Science Teacher
tmennuti@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend; inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” –Groucho Marx

Lewis Hughes
Physical Education Teacher
lhughes@beechwoodschool.org
What I love about teaching: Beechwood teachers love what we do and truly care about the well-being of each child. We are focused on producing good students as well as good citizens.

Chris Chiochios
Resiliency Consultant
Favorite quote: “It’s good to have an end to journey towards, but it's the journey that matters in the end.” –Ursula LeQuinn

Eric Getter
Librarian & Volunteer Coordinator
ergetter@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “One never stands so tall as when kneeling to help a child.” –Unknown

Emilee Getter
Music & Drama
egetter@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite Quote: “If you can talk you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance.” –African Proverb

Andrew Barsch
Spanish Teacher
abarsch@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite Quote: “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.” –Soren Kierkegaard

Kelly Buehner
Academic Support Coordinator
klbuehner@beechwoodschool.org
Loves: Family, friends, animals, her job, the outdoors

Gayl Giannik
Academic Support Coordinator
ggiannik@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” –Maya Angelou

Valerie Wilke
Academic Support Instructor
vwilke@beechwoodschool.org
What I love about teaching: Deep joy from the opportunity to be a small part of a student's life. It's thrilling to observe the unfolding of each child's special interests and talents.

Pamela Langford
Art Teacher
plangford@beechwoodschool.org
Favorite quote: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” –E.B. White