Christabelle Chajon
Office Manager
Christabelle grew up in Long Island, NY and moved to DC over 10 years ago. She earned a degree in Early Childhood Development and Education in 2003, and brought her deep interest in social and emotional development into her teaching practice in private schools, including Wilmington Friends School in Delaware. She learned more about Waldorf education after having her second child, and her growing curiosity brought her to take a tour at Acorn Hill in 2019. She was immediately drawn to the grounding and calming sensory experience walking through the classrooms, and the philosophy and pedagogy resonated so much with her that in addition to choosing Acorn Hill for her daughter’s first school experience, she participated in Parent Circle and various committees. She loves working with the amazing faculty and community of families at Acorn Hill. She also enjoys the outdoors, spending time with family and friends, learning about and practicing holistic medicine, and playing violin in community ensembles.
Angeli Escalante-Bieler
Spruce Class Teacher
Angeli was born in the Philippines, and grew up in Catonsville, MD and New York City. She studied Fine Arts at Goucher College and later graduated with a B.A. in Communications & Business Management. Shortly after, she left for the Big Apple to work for a large Wall Street law firm. Angeli spent about 15 years in Manhattan working in corporate, securities, and film finance, while volunteering for the Children of Bellevue, reading to hospitalized children, Reach Out & Read, and as a Child Advocate for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) in Manhattan and Brooklyn Family Courts. She returned home to Maryland/DC after 9/11, and became a member of the Junior League of Baltimore, continuing her dedication to community service. Angeli got off to an early start caring for children in the 1970’s by helping with her mother’s home child care service. She was introduced to Acorn Hill by a WWS parent, whom she met at a nearby dog park where their puppies played together. She started as a substitute teacher at Acorn Hill in 2016, later becoming the 3 Day Nursery assistant teacher while she completed the Waldorf Early Childhood teacher training at Sophia’s Hearth. Outside of teaching, she is a licensed Realtor who helps manage her family’s properties. Angeli lives with her husband, a sports journalist, and her beautiful son, Sean, born in July 2019. Her family includes a cat named Einstein and two dogs, Fionnuala-Tula & Ellie.
Marie-Christine Hoover
Early Birds Teacher, Spruce Afternoon Teacher
Marie-Christine was born and raised in the Loire Valley, France, lived in the countryside and was lucky to grow up with wonderful homegrown vegetables and fruit from her family’s garden. She studied in Orleans where she earned degrees in Tourism and English. She came to the United States, met her soon-to-be husband, and they moved to Bethesda, after getting married in her hometown in France. Marie-Christine worked for the French Embassy and French mission to the OAS for several years, then opened and ran a French Antique furniture store in Kensington with her husband for 10 years. She loved the contact with customers and the smell of beeswax used to nourish the old furniture. When her first daughter was ready for school, Marie-Christine was introduced to Acorn Hill – it was love at first sight! Marie-Christine is a certified Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher and a teacher in the Five Day Nursery. Her daughters, Emma and Hannah are both Acorn Hill alumni. Hannah is a rising tenth grader at the Washington Waldorf School and Emma is now a student at the University of Maryland. Marie-Christine loves singing, camping, and taking walks in the woods with her dog Loki, finding peace and inspiration in nature.
Rajni Joshi
Willow Class Teacher
Rajni grew up in Lucknow, India where she earned a Masters of Anthropology and a Masters of Social Work. She started her career managing health programs in India for underserved rural populations. After moving to the U.S., she worked for several years teaching at a cooperative preschool in Silver Spring. When Rajni and her family moved back to India from 2014-2018, she worked with Ritinjali, a non-profit in New Delhi, where she trained teachers, organized programs for adolescent girls, and started a program to train young women from poor, urban areas in early child development. Rajni is a certified Waldorf Early Childhood Education teacher. She has taught at Acorn Hill since 2019. Rajni lives in Takoma Park with her husband and two sons, who attended the Acorn Hill summer program and parent-child program. She is drawn to the wholesomeness of the Waldorf philosophy of education and its emphasis on nature and imagination. Rajni enjoys yoga, painting, gardening, writing poetry, and acting in Hindi theater productions.
Mariam Mokhtarzada
Head of School
Mariam Watson Mokhtarzada began her parenting journey in Acorn Hill’s first infant-child class. As her children grew at Acorn Hill, so too grew Mariam’s involvement in the parent community. She particularly enjoyed organizing the Silent Auction and credits her joy for fundraising to Acorn Hill. After her last child completed kindergarten at Acorn Hill, Mariam remained involved in Acorn Hill in different ways over the years before taking an active role in supporting Acorn Hill through the pandemic. Mariam is passionate in helping organizations deliver on their mission and has served in leadership positions at for-profit and non-profit organizations and boards. After working for over a decade as Director of Human Resources at an internet start-up, Mariam co-founded and served as the first Executive Director of Next Wave Muslim Initiative. Mariam has a Bachelor’s in Nursing, Master’s Degree in Organization Development, and a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Maryland Do Good Institute. Mariam loves traveling, hiking, and kayaking. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, Zeki, and their three children.
Natasha Nair
Oak Class Teacher, Classroom Support Coordinator
As the daughter of a foreign service officer, Natasha grew up in Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Cairo and Maryland. She then attended McGill University in Montreal, Canada. After completing her BSc in Psychology, Natasha went on to work as a meditation and yoga program manager for both adults and teenagers. This led her to go back to school and complete her MA in Elementary Education at American University. She then taught various grades in the D.C. public school system. When her son was born, she discovered Acorn Hill and immediately fell in love with its holistic and nurturing environment. As another child came along and years went by, it became clear to her that Acorn Hill represented the perfect blend of her love for children and her beliefs in child rearing and education. She lives with her husband Dileep, her children Rayan and Maya, and her labradoodle, Milo.
Monica Nermark
Enrollment and Business Director
Monica first came to Acorn Hill as a parent in 2010 in the Parent-Child program, and enjoyed the warm atmosphere of the school. Her children continued to attend Acorn Hill until 2016, while Monica became active in the Parent Circle, and joined as a substitute teacher and Administrative Assistant. In September 2018, Monica was hired as the Administrator. Monica was born in Sweden and raised in Italy, Sweden and Switzerland, before completing her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania. After working in Washington, DC for a year, Monica moved to London for 13 years, where she took on various roles at a number of small businesses. After moving back to the Washington, DC area, Monica stayed at home with her two children, and was actively involved in school and neighborhood community activities. Monica lives in Silver Spring with her husband and two children and enjoys gardening, hiking and spending time with friends and family.
Becca Stem
Enrollment and Business Manager
Becca was born in the Baltimore area, and knew from a very young age that she wanted to work with children. Becca resides in Carroll County with her husband, daughter, two cats and turtle. In 2020 she earned her degree in Early Childhood Education, with an interest in the Waldorf pedagogy and the studies of Rudolf Steiner. It was then that she joined Acorn Hill and has since worn a few different hats (or aprons). Outside of this, Becca enjoys gardening, playing guitar, crafts, and spending time in nature with her family.
Missy Campbell
Oak Afternoon Teacher
Missy grew up outside of Worcester, Massachusetts and spent much of her time exploring in the woods near her childhood home. She attended The College of Wooster in Wooster Ohio earning a Bachelors in Art History. She moved to D.C. in 1997. Her professional journey has taken her from Christie’s Auction house in Boston, to National Geographic in DC, three years as a licensed massage therapist to an early childhood educator for the past 12 years at a private school in downtown D.C. She found her calling when she started working in early education and has developed a love for teaching our youngest children. She lives in Silver Spring with her husband and 10 year old son. She enjoys going on hikes with her family, spending time by the ocean and exploring new places.
Mercedes Estevez
Owls’ Nest Teacher
Born in Guatemala, Mercedes spent her childhood living in various countries: U.S., Paraguay, Ecuador, and Costa Rica, spending a lot of time playing outdoors. Her deep love for animals started early—she stopped eating animals as a young child. As a young adult, she lived in France studying the language and working as an au pair, before later returning to the Guatemalan rainforest to work with local communities on sustainable conservation projects. She was also the photo editor for Américas Magazine for over a decade.
Mercedes first discovered Waldorf education through a parent-child class with her son in 2003. The values resonated with her deeply, leading to a 16-year career teaching in Waldorf schools. After stepping away during the pandemic to work as a medical interpreter for immigrant communities in the DC area, she is delighted to return to Waldorf Early Childhood education here at Acorn Hill. Mercedes is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese. In her free time, she loves vegan cooking, tending her native plant garden, and spending time with her two cats.
Jessica Hare
Spruce Assistant Teacher
Jessica is from Liberia, in west Africa, and has lived in the US for 19 years. She loves working with children, specifically the preschool and kindergarten age group because they learn from her and she learns from them. Jessica has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Prince George’s Community College and brings a wealth of experience from working with children for over a decade.
Cesia Monterrosa
Willow Afternoon Teacher
Cesia is attending Prince George’s Community College, working on earning an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. She worked as an assistant teacher at her church for four years until the pandemic hit and classes were no longer held in-person. Cesia’s hobbies include film photography, baking, and gardening. She learned about Waldorf education through one of her cousins and became very intrigued to learn more. Cesia is now entering her third year at our school, and is very grateful and happy to be a part of the Acorn Hill community.
Michaela Peterson
Willow Assistant Teacher
Michaela was born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland and is an Acorn Hill Alumni. She has fond memories of her time here that eventually lead her back! After attending Acorn Hill, Michaela was homeschooled in the Waldorf curriculum until high school. During her high school years she volunteered at her local elementary school in the Special Education department and found a love for working with children. Michaela then attended West Virginia Wesleyan University with a major in Education. Shortly after that she welcomed her son Grant into the world in 2020 and spent the entire pandemic in his hospital room supporting him as he grew stronger from a birth defect. Michaela’s time in the Special Education Kindergarten class inspired her to enter the field of Applied Behavioral Analytics acquiring her Registered Behavioral Technician license. She worked for Behavioral Health Works and Divine Steps Therapy, helping children and their families by taking data on observed behaviors and implementing ABA strategies to help the children thrive in life. Michaela’s goal is to become a Waldorf certified Early Childhood Education Teacher. In her free time she enjoys incorporating all that she is learning at Acorn Hill into her home; making Acorn Hill recipes, watercolor painting, learning to felt and fostering a home rhythm.
Tsehay Williams
Oak Afternoon Teacher, Owls’ Nest Assistant
Tsehay moved to the United States 3 years ago from Addis Ababa Ethiopia, which is where she is originally from. She attended an Italian immersion program from nursery to high school. During her years in high school, Tsehay would tutor on the side, but never thought she would one day become a teacher. At the time, she was studying administration finance and marketing and working on growing a hair salon business. After Tsehay moved to the United States she started volunteering at the Italian cultural society of Washington, D.C., and later joined the team of Italian teachers. She worked with different age groups ranging from 2 year olds to 10 year olds. During this period, she fell in love with working with young children, and decided to get certified as an Early Childhood Educator. After some time, as Tsehay was doing some research on nature schools, and specifically Waldorf schools, she found Acorn Hill. The moment she stepped foot inside of Acorn Hill, she recalls getting a feeling that this was what she was looking for. Tsehay has been at Acorn Hill since January 2024. Tsehay lives with her dear husband Jesse, and owns a cute chow chow dog named Luna. During her free time, Tsehay participates in community volunteer work and cares for her many house plants.
