Faculty

Kathrine Mitchell

Director and Lead Teacher of Five Day Class

Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1973, Arcadia University. Master of Fine Arts, 1980, American University. Undergraduate and graduate study in Rome, Italy.

Kathy has been teaching at the Co-op for 13 years, and this is her 4th year as Director. Kathy began her career in Rome, where she painted and taught for 10 years. Upon her return to the United States, she co-founded a community art center in rural Maryland. Kathy served as administrator, grant writer, curator and teacher. In 1996, Kathy moved with her family to Newton and joined the Co-op as both a teacher and a parent. She says, "My youngest daughter attended the Co-op and I just couldn't leave when she finished. The Co-op community was a wonderful introduction to Newton. The people I met here are those who became my best friends." Kathy's three children are now 26, 22, and 17. Her family travels regularly to Italy to visit family and friends.

Zhanna Cantor

Co-lead Teacher of Four Day Class

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Carnegie - Mellon University (1985); Master of Fine Arts, Tufts University (1990).

This is Zhanna's 10th year at the Co-op. She grew up in Kiev, Ukraine, and moved to the United States in 1978. Zhanna is a landscape painter and has been teaching oil and acrylic painting classes at the Newton Community School. Over her career, Zhanna has also taught painting and drawing to children. When her two youngest children entered the Newton Public Schools, Zhanna looked for a career that would allow her to keep the same schedule as her children. She joined the Co-op as an assistant teacher after learning of an opening from a former Co-op president. "It turned out to be the most rewarding job I ever had, and I look forward to coming to the Co-op everyday." Zhanna believes the unique feature of the Co-op is a two-way supportive relationship between the teachers and the parents. When she is not teaching, she loves gardening, cooking, and nature. She has 3 children, ages 26, 19 and 16.

Lu Ann Sholemson

Co-lead Teacher of Four Day Class

Bachelor of Science, 1980, University of Massachusetts; Master of Science in Human Services, New Hampshire College.

LuAnn has been at the Co-op for 14 years. LuAnn grew up in Western Massachusetts and came to the Boston area in 1980. She worked in Elder Services in Boston and in Cambridge/Somerville first as a case manager, then as a supervisor. LuAnn's role was to coordinate services for the elderly that would keep them from entering nursing homes, by allowing them to stay in their own homes, a job she found very rewarding. As her two children grew and attended the Co-op, she discovered new rewards and joined the faculty. She calls it "the best career move I ever made." LuAnn adds: "I continue to enjoy the happiness I shared with my own children when they were preschoolers." Her two children now working and attending college.

John Steber

Assistant Teacher

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Northeastern University.

John graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He enjoyed a long and exciting career as a Purchasing Agent for The Gillette Company and was involved inhelping to launch some of its most popular razor and personal care products. In 2005, John took an early retirement from Gillette to work in the field of education. He worked at Oak Hill Middle School in Newton as a Teacher Aide in the Special Education Department. A former Coop parent, he returned as an assistant teacher in 2009.  His sons are now in middle shool and high school.  John loves to travel with his family, read and watch movies.

Pat Weitzman

Assistant Teacher

Bachelor of Arts, 1983, Providence College. Doctor of Philosophy, 1996, New York University.

Pat joined the Co-op in 2009 after serving for many years on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, where she conducted research on social factors affecting the health of minority elders. After a very rewarding research career, Pat decided to return to her roots in child development (the field in which she holds a PhD), and is delighted to be working with children again. She appreciates the vibrant and welcoming Co-op community, and looks forward to coming to work each day. Pat and her husband have two teenage sons. In her spare time, Pat does portrait and landscape painting, and sings in a Yiddish chorus.