Elementary School

Monique Russell

I am excited to begin my second year at Country Day School and first year as the Curriculum Coordinator for Early Childhood and Elementary. I've had the opportunity to teach learners of all ages, from prekindergarten to adult. Before coming to Costa Rica from Washington, DC area, I worked as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, teacher mentor, adjunct professor, and educational consultant.

I studied Studio Art and Art Education at University of Maryland before completing the Inspired Teacher Certification Fellowship in Early Childhood Education and earning my M.A.T. from Trinity Washington University. I love learning through inquiry and investigation. 

Outside of school, I love spending time with my family. My husband, Ty, is a DJ and music educator, and our three-year-old son, Luka, loves outer drums and dinosaurs. At home, we play music, dance bachata, and cook together. I also enjoy hiking, making art, reading, and traveling.

Read full profile

Alexandra Cova

I am excited to start working as a Primary Counselor at Country Day School with a wonderful group of veteran faculty members.

Read full profile

Monin Urroz

While I was studying International Relations at the U.A.C.A. University in San José, Costa Rica,  I was asked to work as a teacher’s assistant at Lincoln School. This prospect was very exciting to me as it meant returning to the school that I had graduated from and held fond memories of. To my surprise, on the first day on the job, I realized that I had found my true passion. 

 

Read full profile

Gabriela Cubero

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Bilingual Preschool Education from Universidad Latina de Costa Rica. After graduating in 2007, I started working at Country Day School as a Teaching Assistant. I have worked with all levels of Early Childhood. This 2020 will be my first year working in Elementary School.

Read full profile

Amie Knott

I have been working at Country Day School since 2014 teaching Prep and 1st Grade. Here I have enjoyed combining the elements of each teaching style into my classroom, becoming more confident in my own eclectic style of teaching. 

Read full profile

Mariana Ojeda

After studying Early Childhood Education at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, I began my teaching career in 1995, in a small Montessori school in San José, Costa Rica. I instantly fell in love with Montessori Education, so I trained with the Pan-American Montessori Society in Costa Rica and got my Montessori Certificate in 1997. For the next 12 years, I taught using the Montessori method and later trained and guided teachers in implementing the Montessori Education in different private schools in Costa Rica.

Read full profile

Rocío Rivas

Aloha! My name is Rocio Rivas, I am from one of the most beautiful countries in the world: Costa Rica!

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Preschool Education from Universidad Metropolitana.  

 

Read full profile

Irene Goicoechea

In 2014 I began working on my degree in Bilingual Preschool Education in Universidad Latina, just after I graduated from high school. I worked as an assistant in kinder  in the Franz Liszt Schule from 2014 to 2016. 

In 2016 I traveled for three months to the United States to practice my conversational English. 

In 2017, I took the online courses from MIT,  “Launching Innovation in Schools.”

Read full profile