Our Teachers

Kindergarten Teacher

Mrs. Fang-Weeden is in her third year at LANK and first joined the school community as a parent. Her love and respect for LANK’s teaching environment when her children were preschoolers has come full circle with Mrs. Fang-Weeden returning as a teacher! She has a legal background as a barrister with a Master’s Degree in Jurisprudence from Oxford University, England and has taught in a variety of educational settings over the last decade.

Mrs. Fang-Weeden’s approach as an educator is rooted in the perspective that each learner is unique with individual learning preferences and styles. Her teaching methodology supports her young learners as active participants in the classroom and project decisions follow the children’s interests, curiosity and developmental readiness to acquire new skills. She is a strong advocate of nurturing children’s growth as problem-solvers and independent thinkers through play-based learning. She believes that education should be experienced as a continuing interaction between all those involved in the school community. In her free time, Mrs. Fang-Weeden enjoys training in a variety of sports, reading, spending time with family and friends and attending art exhibitions.

Explore & More Teacher

Mrs. Whyte is a parent of two kids who attended LANK. She is educated as an anthropologist and is a formerly certified teacher in Virginia, having instructed at both public and private schools in Northern Virginia and in the Hampton Roads area. Outside of teaching, she is a seasoned parent, currently raising a teen and pre-teen and managing a very busy family schedule of extracurricular activities including music lessons, bike team, and endless swim club. Beyond family focus, Keith’s interests include travel, spending time outdoors, exercise and fitness, reading, music, and playing board games.

Junior Preschool Assistant Teacher

She very much enjoys the opportunity to work with our youngest members and helping them get adjusted to their first preschool experience.

Lizette is looking forward to making our classroom be a home away from home in a safe and fun environment.
She is happy to help each individual child feel safe and content, in an environment where they can foster friendships and learn through playing.

When not working, Lizette enjoys spending time with her own children exploring activities in Northern VA, hiking in nature or other outdoor opportunities, and meeting up with friends in our Reston community.
She has a passion for dancing, loves listening to live music options, and is usually up for a road trip to anywhere.

She is looking forward to bringing that sense of wonder and enjoyment of life to the classroom. Her hope and goal is to help our little ones foster a joy of learning and awareness of how beautiful life is.

Junior Preschool Teacher

Mrs. Sarver teaches the Junior Preschool M,W,F class. Starting as a proud parent of two LANK graduates, substituting in all rooms and then landing in the JP area was a wonderful transition to becoming a staff member. She earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing from Marymount University that led to a 12 year career as an Emergency Room/Trauma Nurse. Working with infants and pediatrics was her favorite subset of patients due to their fun personalities, joy and wonder of the world.

Outside of the classroom Mrs.Sarver volunteers in her children’s school and the local community. She is an avid reader, a foodie and travels the world with her family to explore and learn about different cultures.

Pre-K Teacher

Mrs. Atkins is thrilled to be returning as a teacher at LANK! She is a former LANK parent, whose two boys are now in elementary school. After substituting, she quickly realized that being in the classroom was one of her favorite times of the week. She is excited to create a joyous and playful learning space for the Pre-K children to explore and grow into - before the next big step to Kindergarten!

Before arriving at LANK, she graduated from the University of Virginia with dual degrees in Art History and Chemistry, and received a Master's Degree in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. After starting her career at the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art, she moved to Reston when her children were born. While her boys were at LANK she loved being involved in our wonderful community by serving as room parent and being on the Board of Trustees.

When not in school, she loves playing with her boys, doing crochet projects, and working her way through her ever growing TBR (to be read) list!

Pre-K Teacher

Mrs. Page is a former LANK parent. She has a heart for early childhood education especially for children with special needs. Before working at LANK, she worked for FCPS as a substitute in their special education preschool program. When not at school, Mrs. Page loves spending time with her family, reading, and going for long walks.

Preschool Teacher

Mrs. Punater has been a teacher at LANK for several years. She has a diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education from the University of Mumbai, and a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Maryland. She currently teaches the 4 Day program at LANK and has also taught kindergarten and first grade before becoming a part of the LANK community..

Mrs. Punater is passionate about working with younger children in their formative years to inculcate within them a love of learning, independence, compassion and development of social skills as they get ready for kindergarten and beyond. She looks to connect with each student individually to understand their uniqueness, and she strives to help them grow in their natural area of interest such as dramatization, art, general knowledge, working with numbers, etc. It would not be a surprise to hear kids laughing along with her, playing games and enjoying their learning experience.

When not in school, Mrs. Punater enjoys travel, shopping and binge watching shows on Netflix. She is fluent in 4 languages, is a certified yoga instructor, loves outdoor sports and has taken up running passionately over the last year, recently completing a half marathon.

Explore & More Teacher

Liz has a BA degree in Educational Studies and an M.Ed. degree in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction. After graduate school. she completed a postgraduate fellowship at the Institute for Educational Policy. She also has a VA Post-graduate Professional PK-6 teaching license.
She began her career as an educational researcher and writer. During this time, she published several books and articles on effective teaching and literacy development. After several years, however, she realized that her passion lies in the classroom. This is her 16th year as an early childhood teacher. She has taught at the preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten levels.
As a teacher, her goal is to create a learning environment that is fun and exciting. Child-centered, experiential learning, and play are integral to her educational philosophy. There is nothing more inspiring to her than watching a child master a new skill or conquer a challenge. She loves their excitement for learning and curiosity about the world around them!
Outside of the classroom, she enjoys running, yoga, and spending time with my family in the Outer Banks, NC. She has two children; a daughter who is a freshman in high school and a son in 3rd grade. She also has a small puppy named Ollie.

Floater

Mrs. Prior is our full time Floater this year and she is well known in our school for being a great substitute teacher last year. She has a Bachelors Degree in Corporate Finance but after some time at LANK, realized that she prefers working with children more than with numbers. She gives every child the patience and attention that they deserve to be able to develop into superstars. Watching the growth of each child brings her joy and is extremely exciting.

Junior Preschool Bridge Assistant Teacher

Mr. Vaval was born in Haiti and moved to Reston in 2001 when he was 11 and has been living here since. He started working in childcare in 2008 with school-aged children but found the most joy in working with toddlers. He has been working with young children ever since! During the pandemic, he took a new position as a full time nanny of three boys who happened to have attended LANK. Reggie joined the LANK team in the fall of 2023 working in JP Bridge with the 2 and 3 year olds which is an age he loves working with. He finds that working with children and caring for them is a very rewarding job and cannot wait to meet this year's students.

In his spare time, he loves listening to music (and was even once a touring manager for a band!), reading books and watching movies. He also enjoys Yoga and meditation. While Mr. Vaval doesn't have any animals of his own, He loves animals and can sometimes be found walking dogs for others.

He is looking forward to another year at LANK and can’t wait to meet all the new students for this upcoming year!

Junior Preschool Teacher

Carolyn Frames has been teaching at LANK since 2000, as a Junior Preschool teacher. She is a mother to three grown children and understands that early education provides a foundation for a lifetime of learning. Her greatest joy is to see a child’s smile as they encounter new experiences and discover a love of learning. As their first teacher, Carolyn strives to create a loving environment where children can learn, experience new challenges, and develop their emotional and social skills. She thinks it is important that a child feels safe and cared for, and she feels incredibly lucky to share this important time in their lives.

Outside of work, Carolyn loves spending time with her three sons and husband. She enjoys watching movies, visiting the local farmer’s market, and hiking the many trails of this area.

Pre-K Teacher

Wendy Banga teaches the Pre-K Program at LANK. She has two children who both attended LANK. They had such a great experience, she decided to teach at LANK! She has been teaching at this school for over 11 years. Mrs. Banga has a passion to make a difference in the lives of young children. At LANK, we know that play is a child’s most important work. She works to create and maintain an environment where all children can have fun and also grow and thrive. Seeing the kids laugh, learn and play while exploring the world around them is what is most important to Mrs. Banga. When not teaching, she loves to cook, shop and try new restaurants. She also has two cats named Meika and Maui.

Pre-K Teacher

Mrs. Roesch has been a teacher at LANK for many years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Florida State University. Mrs. Roesch has taught Elementary school for 10+ years but loves teaching at LANK the most. She feels that pre-school is the age when children are curious about the world around them. They are engaged learners, who ask questions, solve problems, and feel pride. At this age a child’s imagination is magic! She loves being a part of a child’s “Ah Ha” moment in the learning process. She also loves to dance, sing and play lots of fun games with her class.
In her spare time, Mrs. Roesch loves to cook for her family, spend time with her husband, three grown children and their cute Boston Terrier Bella. She also enjoys shopping and watching a good Hallmark Movie.

Preschool Teacher

Mrs. Hadley joined the LANK team in the Fall of 2022, as a school wide aide, and is now a preschool teacher. She graduated from American University with a B.A. in International Studies and holds a Masters in Security Studies from Georgetown University. Both her daughter and son are LANK graduates. After working for ten years in the foreign policy field, Mrs. Hadley decided to focus on her longtime passion for teaching. She incorporates her competitive dance training background and creativity to add joy to learning for all LANK students. Outside of school, Mrs. Hadley enjoys reading, movies, travel, and dance. She is a certified Zumba instructor. 

Explore & More Teacher

Mrs. J is a proud LANK parent. She has Bachelors in Commerce from Gurukul College of Commerce, and a Masters Degree in Commerce (Business & Finance) from University of Mumbai. She has lots of love and passion for teaching children. She also holds a diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education. She loves to work with children and explore their creativity.
She loves to take nature trails, cooking, travelling and photography.

Junior Preschool Assistant Teacher

Michelle is so excited to be joining LANK as an assistant teacher for the junior preschool program! She first became a part of the LANK community as a parent and then as a substitute teacher. Michelle has always enjoyed teaching, having served in various teaching capacities during her university and professional careers where she taught anything from Economics 101 to university students to data analytics to government officials. But, she's found that teaching and playing with little ones gives her a lot more joy. She loves to see the wonder and delight as they discover the world around them. Michelle earned her Bachelors in Business Administration and Masters in Accounting from the University of Michigan. In her free time, Michelle enjoys baking, gardening, doing zumba dance classes, and spending time outdoors with her husband and two children.

Junior Preschool Bridge Teacher

Mrs. Ashley DeAntonio holds a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University, specializing in children and youth. Following her graduation, she dedicated five years to the School-Age Child Care (SACC) program and subsequently spent two years teaching in a kindergarten classroom, both within the Fairfax County Public Schools system.

Ashley has been a proud resident of Reston for over 15 years, sharing her home with her husband, their three boys, and a beloved cat. Her deep connection to the community is highlighted by the fact that all three of her children attended LANK.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys immersing herself in music, capturing moments through photography, and exploring the beauty of nature. She has a passion for the outdoors and loves spending time outside with her family.

With a rich background in child development and a personal commitment to the community, Mrs. DeAntonio brings warmth, experience, and enthusiasm to her role as a the Junior Preschool Bridge teacher.

Kindergarten Teacher

Mrs. Caison will teach Math, Science, and Art in LANK’s Kindergarten program this year. She taught Music & Movement at the school last year, creating a curriculum that combines rhythm skills, yoga, dance, and exposure to the instrument families of the orchestra. 

She holds a BA in English Literature and Education with a minor is Developmental Psychology, and she is working toward an MA in Educational Psychology. She has spent most of her teaching career at private schools similar to LANK, teaching a broad range of subjects and grade levels.  

Mrs. Caison’s educational philosophy hinges on establishing a warm, respectful relationship with each of her students. She believes children are born hungry to learn, and it is our job as educators and parents to spread a rich feast of excellent books and ideas before them. 

Mrs. Caison has a high view of the unique intellectual capacities of each child. She knows it is her responsibility to foster interests and allow students to bloom into the curious, capable and creative humans they are meant to become. 

She believes students benefit greatly from being outdoors and looking at nature closely, developing the skills of scientists, mathematicians and artists as they learn to pose questions, make informed observations, reproduce patterns, and come to inspiring revelations about the world we all inhabit. 

Mrs. Caison seeks to help her students take ownership of their learning as they develop self-control, kindness & respect toward others, and attention to detail in her classroom. 

When not at school, Mrs. Caison loves playing board games with her family, walking her dog Parsley on Reston trails, reading novels, and watercolor painting.

Pre-K Teacher

Mrs. Frinks lives in Reston with her husband. She has two daughters. When her youngest daughter entered elementary school, she decided to turn her love of children into a second career and feel fortunate to have found a place in the LANK family. She went from taking care of adults in the human resources field to taking care of children, which she find more rewarding – and much more fun! She has taught at LANK for over 14 years including teaching in every program. She loves offering children the opportunity to explore a variety of materials and their natural environment and she likes to incorporate aspects of the Reggio Amelia approach in our curriculum. She feels very strongly about “process over product,” our play-based philosophy, and making learning meaningful through children’s interests and hands on experiences.

Preschool Teacher

Mrs. Sanchez teaches Preschool at LANK. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master’s Degree in Drawing and Painting from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. Her daughter graduated from LANK in 2022. When not in school, she enjoys travel, painting and spend time with her family. She loves the outdoors and is a summer fanatic who can be found by the pool or sunny beaches. She is also a professional cookie baker.

Preschool Teacher

Mrs. Barbaro has been a part of the LANK staff for many years. She started teaching our Bears & Cubs program for future LANK students and their caregiver. She is a Board Certified Music Therapist, and when not at school, continues to maintain several music therapy clients, and also teaches music classes for kiddos and their caregivers. (You can sometimes find her teaching at Herndon Library.) In her free time, Mrs. Barbaro enjoys spending time with her family, photography, gardening, and crafting.