Our Teachers
At Morrow, our teachers are truly the heart of our community. Every member of our teaching team began their journey with us as parents, entrusting us with their own children’s early learning and sharing the same hopes and dreams for their own children that you have for yours. Their journey from parent to teacher deepens their dedication and creates a truly caring, family-like atmosphere.
Committed to learning and growing alongside our students, our teachers continuously enhance their skills through ongoing professional development, including workshops and local and national conferences to bring the best in early childhood education to our classrooms.
Ariel Dutra
Director
Yesenia Santana Brownell
Teacher and Registrar
Yesenia is excited to begin her 2nd year at MMPS teaching a 3’s class. She lives in Maplewood with her husband Tim, son Jaxon, and daughter Delilah (a proud MMPS grad). Prior to MMPS Yesenia taught Kindergarten at The Brearley School in NYC for 14 years. She has her BA in Educational Studies from Brown University, Providence, RI and her MA in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education, NYC.
Margaret Gray
Teacher
Margaret begins her 18th year at MMPS teaching the KinderBridge class. She lives in Maplewood with her husband, Tim, and five children. She has her BS in Psychology with concentration in Elementary and Special Education from Mt. Saint Mary’s College in Newburgh, NY and her MA in Special Education from Brooklyn College, NY.
Terrie Brodie
Teacher
Terrie begins her 18th year at MMPS teaching 2.5/3 and 3/4 multi-age classes. She was a co-op parent at MMPS for five years and served on the Board as the Registrar for two years. She lives in Maplewood with her husband, Tom, and two children. Terrie attended College of the Mainland, Texas City, TX and has her New Jersey CDA credential.
Kristen Mitchell
Teacher
Kristen begins her 3rd year at MMPS as a teacher of the 2.5 year old class. She is a life-long resident of South Orange, where she currently lives with her husband, Matt and daughter. Kristen has a BS in Business Administration from Montclair State University. She was a co-op parent for two years at MMPS, and is currently obtaining her NJ CDA certification.
Patti Moore
Assistant Teacher
Patti begins her 4th year at MMPS as an assistant teacher for our STEAM and Soars With Fours classes. Patti has been a very important part of our support staff since 2018. She was a co-op parent for five years. She lives in Maplewood with her husband Owen, and two daughters. Patti attended Lynchburg College, VA and is currently in the process of obtaining her NJ CDA certification.
Nancy O’Connell
Teacher
Nancy begins her 22nd year at MMPS teaching the Pre-K 4’s and Soar With Fours classes. She lives in Maplewood with her husband, Rob, and three children. Nancy has her MS in Rehabilitation Counseling from Springfield College, Springfield, MA and has her Child Development credentials from Montclair State University.
Carolyn McCarthy
Assistant Teacher
Carolyn begins her 4th year at MMPS as an assistant teacher in our KinderBridge class. She lives in Millburn with her husband, Chris and three children She was a co-op parent for five years. Carolyn has a BA in Communication from Seton Hall University.