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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!
Emily Brinkman
Hello! My name is Emily Brinkman and I live in Brandon Vt with my partner Cody. I grew up in Addison and moved further south about a year ago. Although I do not have a dog, I consider my parents' dog, Daisy, part mine. I started here at OEEP January 2024 and I am so excited to be back; Orwell stole my heart.
I graduated from high school in 2020 and then started nursing school at castleton upon graduating. After a few semesters I switched from nursing to Early childhood education and began working at Mary Johnson soon after. I am now working toward my Associates Degree at CCV for Early Ed.
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.