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Orwell Early Education Program
Brianna Heller
My name is Brianna Heller. I live in Fair Haven with my husband and my tuxedo cat, Halifax. I am the lead teacher and site director here at the Orwell Early Education Program. I have my Early Education teaching license, as well as a BA in sociology with a focus on families and children. I have been teaching in Preschool classrooms since 2013. I have been with OEEP since it began in 2016. Last year I had the honor of being nominated and selected as one of the top ten of National Early Childhood Educators by the Terry Lynn Lokoff Award. I was further honored by the Lokoff Organization as the 2022 Helene Marks Teacher of the Year. I am so excited for the Program’s 7th year!
Larissa Traverse
Hi! My name is Larissa Traverse. I live in Orwell with my husband Wyatt, our daughter Isla, our dog Koda, and our horse Katie. I grew up in Underhill, Vermont spending most of my childhood working with horses or dancing. I have lived and worked in Chittenden County for most of my life. We moved to Orwell about 3 years ago as my husband grew up in Orwell. Since the move, I have fallen in love with the scenery and sense of community that Orwell holds.
I am excited to be working and living in a community such as Orwell. I have an Associate's in Early Childhood. I have been working in Early Education for 10 years and for the past 2 years I worked as a Para-Educator at Cornwall Elementary School. I am currently working towards a Bachelors in Elementary Education and working towards a licensure in Elementary and Early Education.
Rachel Appelt
Hi! My name is Rachel and I joined Mary Johnson Children's center (MJCC) this fall as a center wide teacher. I've been in early childcare for about two years, working predominantly with infants and young toddlers. I'm also currently working on a dual associates in Behavior Health and Early Childhood Education through the Community College of Vermont (CCV).
In my free time I enjoy going on hikes, working on a craft, and spending time with my cat, Gobi. I live at home with my parents and sister. We currently have eight cats (including Gobi), a dog, three bunnies, and a bearded dragon.
I've been enjoying getting to know the team here at MJCC and all the children so far and I hope to continue to get to know everyone more throughout the year.