Our Faculty

Lexi works with Hawthorn's youngest students in the Montessori Preschool classroom, and teaches Studio Art to girls in Grades 2-5 and Grades 6-9.  She previously worked as an assistant in Hawthorn's Kindergarten class, has lifeguarded for Yorktown Parks and Recreation, and taught swimming lessons to toddlers and younger children.  Lexi was an honors graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design where she received her B.F.A, with a Major in Animation and a Minor in Themed Entertainment Design.  Lexi brings an enthusiasm for creativity and the arts and when she's not teaching, she enjoys reading, sketching, and participating in family game nights.  

Lauren is the lead teacher for Hawthorn's Montessori Preschool. She is completing her Montessori diplomate studies at the Casa dei Bambini level (Children’s House, Ages 3-6) with the Association Montessori International, the recognized gold standard in Montessori teacher education. Lauren comes to Hawthorn with prior experience at the Villa Maria School in Stamford, Greenwich Country Day School, St. Mary’s Academy in Somers, and Archbishop Stepinac in Mamaroneck. She earned her B.A. in English and M.S. in education from Fordham

University, with distinction. Outside the classroom, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family, playing sports, and practicing piano and flute.

Gabrielle received her M.A from NYU Steinhardt and her B.A. from William Smith College. Her NYS Teacher Certifications include: Childhood & Special Education 1-6, and Dance PreK-12. She has been a teacher at Hawthorn since the school’s founding, with 12 years of full-time teaching experience in grades K-8 as a special education teacher, lead classroom teacher, and dance educator in NYC and Westchester public schools. With expertise integrating literacy, movement, and sensory learning into the arts and sciences, her previous experiences include designing dance curriculum, choreographing school musicals and producing student dance concerts. She lives in White Plains with her husband and children.

Pauline received her B.A. in Theology with honors at Ave Maria University, with a concentration in Vocal Music. A teacher at Hawthorn since the school’s founding in 2022, her prior experience was at Regina Pacis Academy in Norwalk, CT, teaching middle school Literature, Math, Science, Drama, Language Arts, and Religion; and at Maria Regina High School, an all-girls high school in the Archdiocese of NY, where she taught Theology to grades 10 and 11. Ms. Macdonald has directed summer camps, performed as a soprano soloist in a variety of venues, and served as a high school choir director. Pauline leads Hawthorn’s Chorus Club and lives with her husband in Connecticut.

Peter has taught elementary and middle school Math, History, Language Arts, Science, Religion, and Latin, at schools in Westchester and Fairfield County. He has also coached soccer, tennis, and basketball and has worked at several summer camps. He earned a B.A. in History with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance studies from Marist College. Peter holds an M.S. in education from Franciscan University of Steubenville, with distinction. When not in the classroom, he enjoys playing basketball and ice hockey, reading about history and theology, and spending time with his family. Mr. Simonetti lives in Stamford with his wife and two young children.

Tonianne is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, where she completed her B.A. in Theology. While at university, she studied abroad in Austria and traveled to over ten countries. A native of Rockland County, New York, Ms. Zottoli is returning to her love of teaching after spending several years working in the digital marketing industry for various non-profits on the East and West coast. As a university resident-assistant, summer camp counselor, and catechist at her local parish, Tonianne has always enjoyed teaching and mentoring young people. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and reading. Ms. Zottoli is the homeroom teacher for girls Grades 2-5, and the literature teacher for girls in Grades 6-9.

Mark comes to Hawthorn after years of teaching and tutoring both middle and high school students. Most recently he taught Math at the Montfort Academy in Mount Vernon. Mark also has a background in business consulting, having worked with Deloitte Consulting as an actuarial analyst, and independently as an investment advisor and financial education instructor. He graduated summa cum laude from Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he studied in the Great Books Honors Program, while majoring in mathematics with a minor in finance. He was awarded the Mathematics Award and the Fr. Dan Egan Award as Outstanding Senior in the Bachelor of Science Program. He enjoys giving his time in service to the Church as a religious education instructor at his local parish.

Tim received his M.A. from the Relay Graduate School of Education, and B.A. from Middlebury College, summa cum laude with a double major in Classics and Literary Studies. In 2018, he was the Winner of the Middlebury Kellogg Prize for Latin Translation. While at Middlebury, Tim was a varsity athlete running track and cross country. Prior to teaching at Hawthorn, Tim taught English, Math, and Latin at Brilla College Prep and Classical Charter Schools in the South Bronx. In 2021, he was promoted to instructional coach managing the school’s character education program. Tim is currently pursuing an M.A. in Character Education from the University of Birmingham in England and oversees Hawthorn’s Mentoring program. He and his wife, Lena, have two children, Marie-Elise and Joseph.

Kelly brings a decade of teaching and administrative experience to Hawthorn. Most recently she taught history and theology for four years at Cardinal Kung Academy, a classical Catholic high school in Stamford, CT. She enjoys bringing primary texts to life in her classroom and exposing students to the rich culture, arts, and wisdom of the past. Kelly previously taught international students at the Yale Young Global Scholars program, undergraduates at The University of Chicago, juvenile felons at the Manson Youth Correctional Institute in Cheshire, CT, and young women facing poverty and instability at the Akilah Institute in Kigali, Rwanda. Kelly’s work in the nonprofit sector has focused on start-up organizations in education, mentorship, and public discourse. Kelly holds a B.A. in Humanities from Yale University and an M.A. from The University of Chicago. She lives in Stamford with her husband and children.

Louise comes to Hawthorn with experience at several non-profit environmental organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, The Westchester Land Trust, and most recently Teatown in Ossining, NY where she taught natural science to preschool and kindergarten children. She has a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with teaching and graduate research experience in Conservation Biology. Louise was also a varsity athlete at Cornell, competing on the women's gymnastics team. She and her husband live in Cortlandt Manor, NY and have five children. Her two youngest are students at Hawthorn.

Gabriel teaches Hawthorn's upper school boys and is a native of West Hartford where he graduated first in his high school class. He previously taught Latin, Biology, Computer Science, and Physics to high school boys at Cathedral Preparatory School in Queens. Gabriel has served as a summer camp counselor in Silverado, California and taught religious education in Princeton, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. Gabriel worked for several years as a software engineer in New York City. He earned his B.A. in computer science from Princeton University, and an M.A. in philosophy from St. Joseph's Seminary and College in New York.

Maryel comes to Hawthorn from an extensive career teaching Latin to a range of students in the New York metropolitan area. Previous assignments include teaching classics at the Hackley School, The Masters School, New Canaan Country School, and the Marymount School of New York. Mrs. Schneider earned a B.A. cum laude in Latin and Greek from Tufts University and is active in the American Classical League. When not teaching, she pursues her interests in gardening and architecture. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Bedford, NY.

Matthew is a native of England and a graduate of Cambridge University, where he studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Trinity Hall College. After spending many years on Wall Street as an Equity Analyst and Portfolio Manager, Mr. Hickman recently began a second career teaching languages to high school students. An enthusiastic supporter of Hawthorn's mission, Matthew teaches Spanish, Latin, and Math to boys in Grades 3-9, and serves as Hawthorn’s Director of Admissions helping to introduce families to the school. Matthew lives in Stamford, CT with his wife and their 5 children.

Alexis teaches music at Hawthorn and also works on marketing and events with the admissions office. A conservatory-trained violinist and music educator with 20 years of experience, her general music classes are informed by ongoing professional development in the Suzuki method and the Orff Schulwerk approach. She has worked in fundraising and events for Lincoln Center, and as Director of Cultural Programs for the World Youth Alliance, an international nonprofit based in Manhattan. Alexis studied violin performance at The Juilliard School and Peabody Conservatory, received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University, and a masters in arts administration from New York University. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and family. Her oldest son is a student at Hawthorn.

Dr. Eric Liverance is a mathematician and teacher whose lifelong love of numbers led him to a highly successful career as a quantitative analyst. Eric has also served as a scoutmaster for his son’s scout troop in Westchester County and led numerous hiking, canoeing, and wilderness trips in some of our country’s most beautiful national parks. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in mathematics from Reed College and earned master’s degrees in computational finance from Carnegie Mellon and mathematics from Yale University, and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Maryland.