Early Childhood Education Staff
Rachel McAlpine, B.S., M.Ed.
Director of Admission
Director of Early Childhood Education
National Center for Montessori Education – New England – Administrative Director
Salem State College – Early Childhood Education
Salem State Graduate School – Educational Leadership
Center for Montessori Teacher Education-New York – Certification
Rachel joined Harborlight in 1995 as a toddler teacher and was quickly promoted to Director of the Infant/Toddler Program. She is the Director of Early Childhood Program and the Director of Admission currently. Rachel is also the Administrative Director of the National Center for Montessori Education-New England. Rachel oversees all accreditations and licensing for Harborlight and NCME-NE. She enjoys spending time with her family. Her youngest son and daughter are Harborlight students, and her oldest son is an alumni.
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Cynthia Perreault, B.A., B.S.
Head Teacher – Early Childhood Education 1
Gordon College – Business Administration
Gordon College – Recreation and Leisure Studies
National Center for Montessori Education- New England – Early Childhood Certification
Cindy joined the Harborlight faculty in 2005. Prior to working at the School, Cindy spent a decade working in business. Five of those years were spent running and operating her own ceramic shop. A natural with children, Cindy enrolled in Harborlight’s National Center for Montessori Education – New England’s Early Childhood Teacher Education Program. Outside of Harborlight, Cindy enjoys all sports, especially soccer and basketball. .
Emily Luongo
Teacher – Early Childhood Education 1
The School of Museum of Fine Arts
Ellis University – CDA Program
Emily most recently was a Lead Teacher at Gordon Conwell Nursery School in South Hamilton from 2009-2011. She also taught at Brookwood School in Manchester as an Assistant Kindergarten Teacher, Lower School Art Teacher, and was the Director of their Creative Kids Summer Camp.
Emily lives in Essex with her husband, daughter (who attends public school) and her son Jude, enrolled in HMS’s Early Childhood 4 program. Emily’s nieces, Story and Emerson Moore, are also enrolled in Harborlight’s ECE Program.
Grace Li 
Intern – Early Childhood Education 1
National Center for Montessori Education – New England – Early Childhood Intern
Grace’s son Daniel is enrolled in Harborlight’s ECE Program.
YuChuan (Debby) Chang, B.S. 
Head Teacher – Early Childhood Education 2
Universityof British Columbia, Mathematics,
Minor-Chinese Literature
West Side Montessori SchoolTeacher Education Program - Early Childhood Certification
Debby joins the Harborlight faculty in 2011 after moving from New York with her family. Prior to coming to the U. S., Debby worked as a mortgage credit specialist at TD Bank in Vancouver,Canada.
Debby discovered her passion for teaching after being a lead teacher at Ying-Hua Chinese School. Her teaching experience includes the Montessori Children’s House at Westside Montessori School in NYC and being a lead Chinese instructor of the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association. Debby’s teaching philosophy: “follow the child” and the Confucian teaching of “yin cai shi jiao,” which means to give appropriate guidance and encouragement adaptive to each individual talent and personality. Her teaching interests are to promote Chinese language, culture, while intertwining math concepts in daily hands-on learning, and a strong belief in bilingual education during the early childhood period. .
Heidi Mefford Rombola, B.A., M.Ed. 
Teacher – Early Childhood Education 2
National Center for Montessori Education New England - Field Supervisor, Early Childhood Program
University of California at Davis – Theatre Arts
National Center for Montessori Education-Los Angeles – Preprimary Education
Cambridge College – Masters in Education
Heidi has been a member of the Harborlight faculty since 1996, and
retired as the School’s music and drama teacher in 2011. She returns as a
teacher in the ECE-2 classroom for the remainder of the 2012 academic year. Heidi taught at several Montessori schools in California prior to working at Harborlight, and is also an instructor for the National Center for Montessori Education-New England’s Early Childhood Education Program. She instructs and mentors emerging Montessori teachers.
Heidi enjoys singing, reading, and her family. Her two daughters are Montessori
graduates.
Holly Greene-Alto, A.A.
Head Teacher – Early Childhood Education 3
Wheelock College – Early Childhood Education
National Center for Montessori Education-New England – Early Childhood Certification
Holly joined the Harborlight faculty in 1999 after graduating from Harborlight’s National Center for Montessori Education-New England. She has diverse personal interests that she shares with her students such as nature, hiking, quilting, gardening, photography, reading, and history. Holly is married with five children, the youngest a Harborlight alumnus. .
Jennifer O’Rourke, B.A., M.Ed. 
Teacher – Early Childhood Education 3
Salem State University – General Studies/Communications Disorders
Holy Names College – Education/Special Education
National Center for Montessori Education – New England - Early Childhood Intern
Jennifer joins the Harborlight team this fall. She comes to us with many years of teaching experience in the elementary special education classroom in California, Massachusetts and Maine. Jennifer enjoys traditional rug hooking, knitting, gardening and photography. Her son is in the Early Childhood Program at Harborlight. She lives in Beverly with her husband Terrence, son and baby daughter.
Caroline Curley, B.S.
Head Teacher – Early Childhood Education 4
Salem State College – Business
Education
Northeast Montessori Institute – Early Childhood Certification
Caroline has been a member of Harborlight’s early childhood faculty since 1993. In addition to earning an early childhood Montessori certification, Caroline is certified to teach grades 5-12. Prior to beginning her long career at Harborlight, Caroline taught at the junior and senior high school levels in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. When not teaching, Caroline enjoys outdoor activities. .
Pamela Kelley, B.A., M.Ed.
Teacher – Early Childhood Education 4
University of Washington – Linguistics
Northeast Montessori Institute – Early Childhood Certification
Endicott College – Montessori Focus
Pam served Harborlight as a substitute teacher during the 2007-2008 school year where she worked in the preschool and infant toddler classrooms and had the opportunity to get to know the faculty and students. Pam earned her Montessori early childhood certificate from Northeast Montessori Institute and was recently awarded a master’s degree in education from Endicott College. She and her three sons live in Beverly. .
Meg Portnof, B.A.
Head Teacher – Early Childhood Education 5
State University of New York, Cortland – Sociology
Montessori Teacher Preparation of Washington – Pre-Primary Certificate
Montessori Institute of America – Early Childhood Certification
Meg joined the Harborlight faculty in 2001, after having her children enrolled at the school for several years. Prior to teaching at Harborlight, Meg taught at several Montessori schools in the state of Washington. She also worked in the children’s room of a book store. Meg brings many interests into the classroom to share with the children. Meg’s two sons are Harborlight alumnus.
Brandi-lin Wilkins 
Teacher - Early Childhood Education 5
Gordon College – Social Work & Sociology
Brandi-lin joined the Harborlight Faculty in 2010 after finishing her degree atGordonCollege. She plans to further her education with a Masters in Education. She has a passion for children and teaching. When Brandi-lin is not with students, she enjoys traveling, dancing, crafting and spending time with her family and friends. .
Jamie Oakley, B.A., M.Ed.
Head Teacher – Early Childhood Education 6
Endicott College – Psychology & Early Childhood Education
National Center for Montessori Education-New England – Early Childhood Certification
Gordon College Graduate School – Masters in Education
Jamie joined the Harborlight faculty in 2002 after becoming enamored by the Montessori philosophy. Jamie’s previous teaching experience was in a traditional early childhood setting. She earned an early childhood certification from the National Center for Montessori Education – New England and later a master’s degree in education. After many years of studying piano, Jamie has been able to incorporate note reading and keyboard playing into her classroom curriculum. Jamie’s daughters, Emma and Caitlyn, are in Harborlight’s ECE and Infant/Toddler Program respectively. .
Marisa Petrillo Schild, B.A. 
Teacher – Early Childhood Education 6
Salem State College – Early Childhood Education
National Center for Montessori Education – New England – Intern
Marisa joined the Harborlight team in 2008-2009 with three years experience teaching in the Arlington Children’s Center. She was also an assistant teacher in the Odyssey Day School in Wakefield. Marisa is very involved in the sport of running. She has won silver medals in the 2005 Bay State Games and is currently a member of the Boston North Track Club. Her son Liam is in Harborlight’s Infant/Toddler Program. .
