Katie Knuppel
Katie Knuppel is Head of Primary School and Director of the Early Learning Center at Fay. She spent close to twenty years teaching in New York City independent schools, namely The Chapin School and The Buckley School, in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Before coming to Fay, Katie was the Assistant Director of Lower School at The Buckley School and is a graduate of the New York State Association of Independent Schools Emerging Leaders Institute. Katie's passion for early childhood and elementary education stems from her love of school as a child and her passion for creative, engaging curriculum. She adores the imagination and intelligence of young children, the ever-changing challenges of each school day, and the joy and laughter of students learning. She is an educational leader who believes collaboration and communication between students, families, faculty, and staff are the keys to a nurturing, dynamic educational program. She lives on the Fay campus with her family, including her husband, two children, and two dogs. Her daughter Kit attends Groton School, and her son Rufus attends Dartmouth College.
Lauren Cilley
Lauren Cilley has been working with young children for more than twenty years. In her 13 years at Fay, she taught Pre-K since the inception of the program in 2010 before becoming an administrator for the ELC. Previously, Lauren worked at Boston University’s Early Childhood Learning Laboratory. Lauren is passionate about early childhood education and play-based learning. She loves working with young children because of the excitement, sincerity, and innate curiosity that the children bring to school every day. Her favorite part of teaching was designing inquiry-based curricula around the children’s interests and finding creative ways to incorporate academic skill development. Lauren’s writing about teaching science to young children was featured in Marcia Edson’s book, Starting with Science. In 2015, Lauren completed a study tour of early childhood centers in Pistoia, Italy, and she earned her Certificate in Early Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2020. In addition to working with Fay's youngest students, Lauren has been a dorm parent, led several clubs for Fay After School, and was a unit leader for FaySummer. She resides in Bolton with her husband and two young sons.
Priscilla May
Priscilla has more than 20 years of experience in early childhood education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Amherst. She is Lead Teacher and Director certified through the Department of Early Education and Care. Priscilla has been studying the Reggio Emilia approach and was recently Wunderled certified through Fairy Dust Teaching. Prior to coming to Fay in 2017, she was a lead preschool teacher at First Steps Learning Center in Southborough. Priscilla enjoys the dynamic opportunities that teaching young children brings. As a preschool teacher, she loves supporting children in their development and strives to give children the care and resources that they need to grow into independent individuals. She is thankful to be part of the lives of young children who are so passionate and excited about the world around them. Priscilla lives in Lancaster with her husband Dondrae and her son Cameron.
Shehla Eledroos
Assistant Teacher - ELC 101
Shehla Eledroos has been a teacher for toddlers through grade 4 for over 20 plus years in a variety of settings including, a Montessori school, a private religious school, various early learning centers, and as a substitute teacher in Shrewsbury and Marlborough Public schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science with a minor in English literature from St. Anne’s College for Women in India. She is Lead Teacher certified through the Department of Early Education and Care. Shehla is fluent in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Telugu with some knowledge of Bengali and Italian. She encourages student learning with hands-on experiences and creative activities consisting of arts, crafts, songs, and fingerplays. An avid believer that “a strong body makes the mind strong,” Shehla incorporates yoga, stretching, and dance into the curriculum. She is passionate about bringing diversity into the classroom by teaching numbers, greetings, and songs in several languages. She is also a board member of organizations such as Westborough Connects, Northborough Community Affairs Committee, and Central Mass Connections in Faith. In her free time, she loves to sing, work in her garden, travel, go on trail walks, and make new friends.
Shehla Eledroos has been a teacher for toddlers through grade 4 for over 20 plus years in a variety of settings including, a Montessori school, a private religious school, various early learning centers, and as a substitute teacher in Shrewsbury and Marlborough Public schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science with a minor in English literature from St. Anne’s College for Women in India. She is Lead Teacher certified through the Department of Early Education and Care. Shehla is fluent in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Telugu with some knowledge of Bengali and Italian. She encourages student learning with hands-on experiences and creative activities consisting of arts, crafts, songs, and fingerplays. An avid believer that “a strong body makes the mind strong,” Shehla incorporates yoga, stretching, and dance into the curriculum. She is passionate about bringing diversity into the classroom by teaching numbers, greetings, and songs in several languages. She is also a board member of organizations such as Westborough Connects, Northborough Community Affairs Committee, and Central Mass Connections in Faith. In her free time, she loves to sing, work in her garden, travel, go on trail walks, and make new friends.
Mary Hupfer
Mary Hupfer has been an educator since 2001, when she graduated from Plymouth State University with a bachelor's degree in early childhood studies. Before joining Fay in 2017, she was employed by First Steps as a preschool teacher. She is currently pursuing a master's degree from Southern New Hampshire University in psychology with a focus on children and adolescents. Mary has a passion for teaching and working with children because they are so full of curiosity and wonder. She lives in Holliston with her husband Mike and her children Mikey and Macy.
Leah Perez
Having worked for over a year in the Early Learning Center as a teacher’s aide, Leah is now the assistant teacher in ELC 102. With a background in biology and her pursuit of a psychology degree, Leah is dedicated to sharing the wisdom of her life’s journey with the children of the ELC. Leah is the proud mother of two children and has an unwavering affection for animals and the outdoors. She can often be found camping, snowboarding, gardening, or spending time coaching and managing her children’s sports teams. Leah is most excited to help develop each child’s curiosity and individuality while simultaneously fostering a sense of community within the classroom.
Liza Hsin
Liza attended UMASS Amherst for her undergraduate education and Simmons University for her Master of Arts in Teaching. She has worked in diverse educational settings as a tutor, reading specialist, assistant teacher, and lead teacher. Liza loves working with children in their foundational years of education, particularly in the area of literacy. In addition to her work in education, Liza is very interested in fitness and nutrition and has worked as a fitness trainer, Pilates instructor, and nutritionist. Now her days are filled with playing with her two young children, Darren (3.5) and Lana (1.5). Her son Darren will be in ELC 102 this year. She also loves being outdoors and trying new restaurants with her husband Ron.
Alissa Walters
A Fay alumna (class of ‘01), Alissa is overjoyed to join the ELC team as the assistant teacher in ELC 103. She has been an educator for the past 14 years, teaching a range of ages from preschool to high school. Last year, she was a third grade teacher in the Lower School at Fay. Alissa earned her bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College in psychology and neuroscience and Master's of Education degrees in both elementary education and special education (moderate disabilities). She is a licensed elementary and early childhood teacher in the state of Massachusetts, and she is also a certified yoga teacher for children. For five years, she worked at Harvard University's Botanic Gardens Childcare Center as a lead preschool teacher and developed a love of the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education. Her past experience also includes teaching preschool at a bilingual Japanese school and in ASL at the Learning Center for the Deaf. Alissa loves the natural curiosity of young children and enjoys bringing music, movement, and nature into the classroom. Her son Theo was in ELC 101 last year, and he will be in ELC 102 this year.
Stacey Campbell
Stacey joins the Fay community with over a decade of teaching experience in family childcare. She finds joy when engaging children's natural curiosity and fostering their confidence in a nurturing learning environment. Stacey lives in Mendon with her dog, Rosey.
Kristen Fredericksen
Kristen Fredericksen is a teacher’s aide in ELC 101. She started working with children in 2019 in different childcare settings. She is pursuing a degree in early childhood development and has a great passion for teaching children. She is very excited to join the Fay community. When she is not caring for children, she runs a small business selling homemade body products online and also enjoys spending her free time traveling and being with family.
Matthew Graham
Matthew Graham joined the Fay community after working as an ABA in Massachusetts. Matthew also has experience as a behavioral technician. He holds a BA in Psychology from Iona College, where he graduated in 2018.
Antoinette Roopnarine
Antionette graduated from Ryerson Polytechnic University Toronto, Canada with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science. She taught first grade in Brooklyn, New York for a year. She enjoys helping children develop their cognitive, social, and emotional skills and encourages their curiosity to learn. She has two children of her own Amelia and Ethan.
The Early Learning Center at Fay School
elc@fayschool.org | 508-490-8260 | About Fay School | About FaySummer
Location - 23 Middle Road, Southborough, MA 01772
Mailing Address - 48 Main Street, Southborough, MA 01772
Fay School admits students of any race, color, religion or creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic background, or with any disability that can be reasonably accommodated by the School, to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at Fay School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of such factors in the administration of its educational policies, employment policies, admissions policies, financial aid programs, athletics, or other school administered programs.
Location - 23 Middle Road, Southborough, MA 01772
Mailing Address - 48 Main Street, Southborough, MA 01772
Fay School admits students of any race, color, religion or creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic background, or with any disability that can be reasonably accommodated by the School, to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at Fay School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of such factors in the administration of its educational policies, employment policies, admissions policies, financial aid programs, athletics, or other school administered programs.