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Meet the team of La Escuelita San Marcos. These hard working people help make up our community!
Betsy Madden
Director
Hi, my name is Betsy Madden. I am originally from Morovis, Puerto Rico. I earned a degree in Social Work from the University of Puerto Rico, Caribbean University. I initially pursued a successful 12-year career in Business Management before shifting my professional focus to working with preschool children. Since 2018, I have been dedicated to early childhood education, a field I am deeply passionate about. I have 4 years of experience in child development and have worked at institutions such as Village Christian Academy School, Concord Children Academy, and Bright Horizons.
Maria Elena Fragapane
Teacher
Originally from Peten, Guatemala, Maria has lived in North Carolina for over 15 years. She studied Early Childhood Education at CPCC and has experience in bilingual preschool settings. Maria is passionate about creating a loving, safe, and engaging classroom where children can learn, grow and thrive. She enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, shopping and enjoying coffee, tamales, tacos and pasta!
Maria Jose Pacheco
Teacher
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Maria has been living in North Carolina for five years, where she earned her certification in Early Childhood Education at CPCC. She has a passion for teaching children with love and providing them with the tools they need to support their growth and development. She enjoys cooking and learning new recipes to share with her family. She also loves going to movies.
Janette Villareal
Assistant Teacher
Janette Villareal is from Venezuela and has a background in Business Administration. She has experience and knowledge working with young children and is currently an assistant teacher. Janette loves working with children and is also a proud mother of one son, who is currently an LESM student.
Patricia Huerta
Zumba Teacher & Volunteer
Patricia is originally from Colombia, South America, where she practiced pediatric medicine for over 20 years. Her passion is working with children. She's also a nutritionist and a Zumba kids instructor. Patricia is a great addition to our Escuelita.
Perry Chapman
Weekly Volunteer & Tutor
Mr. Perry has been with Escuelita since 2020 as a weekly volunteer. Whether it's developing his own slideshows in order to tutor children, helping the students paint, installing playground equipment or teaching the kids how to play tennis - Mr. Perry truly does it all! Perry spent many years in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish.
Carol Monaco
Weekly Community Reader
Ms. Carol has been a weekly volunteer at San Marcos for several years, even during virtual school, where she would lead Zoom meetings with the children. Whether it has been tutoring online or reading to the children in person, Ms. Carol has been dedicated not only to our students but students from other schools as well. She is a member of North Mecklenburg Woman's Club.
Board of Directors
These are the dedicated men and women who oversee the vision, direction and organizational strategies of La Escuelita San Marcos:
Mike Tinsley
Jennifer Galloway
Ian Doolittle
Aled Hollingworth
Beth Hunt
Ex officio:
Rev. Alistair Anquetil
Rev. Daisy Colon
School Volunteers
Thank you to our school volunteers for helping our school shine! We appreciate you!
Daphne Taylor
Beth Jones
Julie Hornsby
Perry Chapman
Patricia Huertas
Amber McFern
Carol Monaco
Judy Hill
Lorie Royale
Rev. Daisy Colon