I am a resident of Irvington, raising my family in this community and working at Good Shepherd for more than 20 years. I truly enjoy the company of young children. I am fascinated by their development and enlightened by their observations. 

The encouragement I received to return to school and secure a Child Development Associate credential whilst working at this special nursery school led to a rewarding career for me. As an Early Childhood Educator, I feel privileged to support the growth and development of each child and to partner with families through sharing this important time in their lives. 

My name is Brian Krall, but you can call me, “Mr. Brian”. I love working with children; they are an absolute joy!  When I’m not at school I enjoy the outdoors.  Backpacking, kayaking, sailing, and bicycling are some of my most favorite pastimes.

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I have been working with children in a classroom setting for over fifteen years.  This will be my third year working with the amazing staff at Good Shepherd.  Before working with other children, I was a stay-at-home dad with my own two boys, Zachary and Aidan.  Aidan is currently attending Temple University in Philadelphia, and Zack has recently graduated from Drexel University.  My wife, Melissa, and I live in Sleepy Hollow

My name is Sharon McLaughlin, I was born and raised in Irvington and am still a resident.  After earning my Bachelor’s degree and working at a law firm for 10 years I made the decision to stay home to raise my children.  My son and daughter attended Good Shepherd for 4 consecutive years before I was lucky enough to begin working here.  The time I spent raising my children helped solidify my decision to work with young children.  I feel fortunate to be able to work with an incredible staff in a wonderful community.  

In my free time, I enjoy boating with my family and friends.

I grew up in the Bronx, moved to Dobbs Ferry when I got married, and raised our children in the Dobbs Ferry school district. While working in the corporate world, our two oldest children attended the daycare located at my office. When our third child was born, I made the decision to leave the corporate world behind. At the age of three, she began attending Good Shepherd.

Soon after I was offered a position at Good Shepherd and have had the privilege of being an assistant teacher with the 3’s and the 4’s for the past 14 years. Since being here, I have experienced the satisfaction working every day with children. I enjoy being with them – watching them grow and learn. I am passionate about what I do and take pride in calling myself a “teacher”. I have also come to understand that they “teach” me every day! We have an amazing staff that makes coming to work feel like “not just a job”.

I grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Pelham, New York and now reside in Yorktown Heights with my husband Ted. In my spare time I like to be outdoors taking long walks, doing a little bird watching and gardening. I also enjoy a good game of ping pong and backgammon.

I have a BA in Education and after graduating I returned to Sao Paulo and taught English as a second language to children of various ages and a 1st grade class at the Chapel American School. A few years later, back in New York, I began my career as a pre-k teacher. I have been teaching for more than 25 years and this is my 15th year at Good Shepherd. I am currently head teacher in the 3-day 3’s.

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I feel incredibly lucky to work with and care for young children and I always look forward to having fun and learning with them. I take pride in and enjoy making our classroom inviting and ensuring the children feel safe and happy.

My name is Alexandra Marinis. I have been teaching preschool for over 30 years. I love working with young children. Making a difference in a child’s life is rewarding to me. My goal is to provide a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment where children can grow in all areas if their development. My curriculum is based on the school’s philosophy of learning through play by enabling children to make their own discoveries with the use of age appropriate materials. 

My education includes a BA from Lehman College with a minor in education and graduate courses in early childhood. I also have a Child Development Associate Credential.

I grew up in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and moved to Irvington when I got married. I raised my family in this village.  My four sons began their schooling at Good Shepherd and are now married with children of their own. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and teaching!

I love working at Good Shepherd. I’ve been here for so many years that it honestly feels like my second home. I was born in England I moved to the US in 1996 after several years working at Marvel Comics. Moving to New York rekindled my childhood addiction to art. Perhaps it was the incredible light, or the abundance of wide-open natural spaces, or a fresh start away from the cloudy skies of London.  I brought my children to Good Shepherd and it immediately felt ‘right’. As luck would have it, I was invited here to teach art classes, and that’s how my passion for teaching was ignited and was then kindled. I am still the resident Art Specialist, but I also became a Head Teacher.  This is my dream job, not only do I spend my days with the most curious creative thinkers on the planet – I get to play too!!  

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Children are natural risk takers, not afraid to experiment and less fearful of their own creativity. I am grateful to be reminded of that daily. If we nurture a child’s innate creative expression at an early age, I believe we can go a long way to continue to open their eyes and minds to a wealth of educational experience. I know I’m still learning ☺

My name is Kerry Silva and I have been working at Good Shepherd for 15 years. I have worked as a 2’s teacher during those years and additionally as an assistant teacher in the 3’s class for the past two years.   

I enjoy working with both age groups and being a part of helping the children to learn and grow in their development. It is a wonderful experience to be in a classroom and to see the children’s excitement when they learn something new and accomplish a goal.