Lizbet Carroll Fuller - Director of Education/Co-Founder NLS

B.A. Wesleyan University- Studio Art/English, M.Ed. Antioch New England Graduate School

Lizbet moved to Nantucket from Irvington, NY and taught 1st and 2nd grades at NES. She established her own preschool/kindergarten program, A Small School, after leaving the public school and worked on her art in the summers. Lizbet's philosophy of education is inspired and informed by the work of Rudolf Steiner (founder of Waldorf Education), the Integrated Day approach of the Antioch New England Graduate School, the social curriculum and philosophy of the Mead School, her background in the arts, and her practical experience in the classroom. With Elizabeth Sundell, Lizbet co-founded the Lighthouse School in 2000.The children from her original Small School were amongst the first Lighthouse graduates. She directs curriculum and program development, supervises the faculty, and works with Lighthouse children, staff and parents. Lizbet is married to Chris Fuller and son Eli happily attends Lighthouse.

Classroom Teachers

Alicia Keller - Small School Teacher

B.S. Hartford College/Central Connecticut State -Arts Education

Alicia developed and taught the Children's Art Program at the Creative Arts Center in Chatham, MA. An accomplished weaver, cook, and avid boater, Alicia raised and home-schooled her two sons Carl and Noah here on Nantucket with her husband Carl Keller. Alicia has taught art programs at at NISDA, the Maria Mitchell Museum, and the Nantucket Atheneum. She has taught art and served as a Teaching Assistant a NES. Alicia joined the Lighthouse faculty as a Small School teacher in 2004 and continues to develop the SS program after taking a year leave for a sailing adventure in the Caribbean.

Carole Watson - Small School Teacher

B.A. UMass/Amherst -Psychology/Developmental Disabilities

Carole grew up on Nantucket. While at UMass/Amherst earning her degree, she worked with toddlers in the lab school at UMass/Amherst. She returned home to Nantucket and has been working with children ever since. Carole provided childcare for families before joining the Lighthouse Faculty in 2001. She served as a Kinderclass Teaching Assistant for one year before taking on her own Small School class. Carole returned to Lighthouse after taking a very busy 2 year leave to have her two children, Ethan and Ava, with husband Michael Watson.

Kate Pelletier - Kinderclass Teacher

B.A. Lafayette College -English/Art History, currently earning M.Ed.Bridgewater State University

Kate was born on Nantucket and would return to the island in the summer to nanny. She moved back year-round after living in Brooklyn NY, where she was painting and taking classes at Parsons School of Design. Kate worked for island architects and designers, commuted to RISDI to take classes in interior design, and fulfilled her goal of traveling internationally before deciding to pursue her interest in working with children. She felt right at home walking into Lighthouse and became a Primary Class Teaching Assistant before teaching her own Small School class. Kate now teaches Kinderclass, paints, and plays with her dog Nelson.

Monika Geerling - Kinderclass Teacher

University of Connecticut -Psychology/Studio Art, M.Ed. Antioch New England Graduate School

Monika grew up in New Rochelle, NY and Goshen, CT. She has worked with teenagers and women in crisis through hospital outpatient programs and support groups. Monika went back for her Masters in Education and worked in the 4th grade at the Greenfield Center School before moving from Vermont to Nantucket to teach our very first Upper Primary Class in 2002. Having worked on the development of the Upper Primary Class, Monika was excited to expand her teaching experience and now teaches the Kinderclass. Monika pursues her interests in art and storytelling in the warm company of her dogs, Bucky and Shanti.

Dina Warren - Kinderclass Teacher

B.A. Kenyon College- Fine Arts

Dina grew up in Pittsburgh PA and moved to Nantucket after a post-graduate sojourn in Italy. She pursued her love of growing things and developed an expertise in gardening  on the island. Dina is a founding teacher of Lighthouse, having worked with Lizbet in the original Lighthouse classroom at NISDA in 2000 before taking on her own class, our first Kinderclass, and working to develop the Kclass program. Dina created our Lighthouse logo and often is called upon for her unique lettering and artwork. She took a short leave of absence to have son Zale with husband Steve Warren and now Zale Marvel is a Lighthouse student himself!

Erin Dancik - Primary Class Teacher

B.A. Western Michigan University- English/Creative Writing/Environmental Policy, M.Ed. Antioch New England Graduate School

Erin grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan and spent 21 summers at summer camp, working her way up from camper to director. She worked with adolescents with special needs in Detroit and taught poetry in Vermont and Wisconsin before returning east to earn her M.Ed. with a concentration in environmental science. Erin worked at Greenfield Center School before joining Lighthouse in 2002. Erin taught Kinderclass before teaching the Primary Class. She can also be found behind the desk at Bookworks or marketing her handcrafts at fairs and on Etsy.

Barrie Fee Sanders- Primary Class Teaching Assistant

B.A. University of New Hampshire - Communications

Barrie grew up in Nantucket. She moved to Boston where she worked in Account Management in the advertising industry for 10 years. She moved back to Nantucket with husband Grant Sanders to raise their two children, Madison and Owen. Barrie taught with Rhonda Pollock in the Pollock's Polliwogs program and then worked at NES as a teaching assistant in the Kindergarten and 1st grade. We are delighted to have Barrie join us to work with Erin Dancik in the Primary Class.

Alisa Leib Allegrini - Upper Primary Class Teacher

B.A University of Vermont- Anthropology/Political Science, currently earning M.Ed. Bridgewater State University

Alisa grew up in Vermont and, as a young teenager, joined Circus Smirkus which traveled to perform in Russia. She continued her travels, spending a semester abroad in the Netherlands, taking a solo journey through Tunisia, and traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico to research education reform among indigenous peoples. Alisa has worked as an ambulance EMT, a soccer coach, an environmental education teacher with Strong Wings Adventure School, and a legal assistant. She joined the Lighthouse faculty in 2003 as a Primary Class teacher before moving to the Upper Primary Class. Alisa lives with her husband Jake Allegrini and their dog Willy.

Sandy Mitchell - Primary 5/6 Class Teacher

B.S. Gordon College of Education- Elementary Education, Massachusetts Certified Reading Consultant K-12

Sandy taught in the Gloucester and Rockport public school systems and at Lyndon Hill, a private school for dyslexic students. Moving to Nantucket with husband Carter Mitchell, Sandy taught as a reading specialist at NES for 12 years. She has tutored students ages 4- adult for over 20 years in reading and the language arts. After working in the Weezie Library for Children, she came to Lighthouse to teach the newly formed Primary 5 class in 2005 and now teaches both the 5th and 6th grades. Sandy has two children, Caleb and Emily and her sister is our very own Cheryl Evans.

Visiting Teachers:

Marcia Hempel-  Music Instructor/Small School-Primary

Marcia was trained as an organist at New England Conservatory. She is certified to teach Level 1 Dalcroze Eurythmics by the Longy School of Music. She is currently the Music Director and Organist the the Unitarian Church, where she also conducts the Noonday Concert Series and directs the children's and youth choirs. Marcia teaches piano for the NCMC and accompanies the NCMC Chorus. She founded and directs the Women's Chorus of Nantucket.

Andy Bullington- Music Instructor/Upper Primary-Primary 5/6

An alumnus of the Berklee College of Music, Andy has been a composer, guitarist, and teacher for over 25 years. He lives year round on Nantucket with his wife, photographer Cary Hazlegrove, and daughter Virginia. Andy can often be found performing on-island in solo and ensembles, most recently with the Shingles. He teaches children and adults privately in addition to his work in Nantucket classrooms.

Lisa Keeme Gilman - Spanish Instructor/Upper Primary - Primary 5/6

M.Ed. Northern Arizona University

Lisa moved to Nantucket, with her children and husband, Rick Gilman, from Phoenix, Arizona in 2009.  Their son, Cole and daughter, Shea, are students at the Nantucket Lighthouse School. Her passion for teaching was sparked while volunteering at an inner-city high school in Phoenix.  She then worked as a paraprofessional for special-needs students until earning her degree.  She has taught high school History, ESL, and Spanish classes since 1993. 

Lisa enjoys traveling, reading, spending time with friends and family and exploring Nantucket. 

Sheila Carroll Fee- Handwork Instructor/Primary 5/6

Skilled in all manner of handwork, Sheila is an expert craftsperson and knitting instructor at Sheep to Shore. She has sold her beautiful wares on island and contributed her creative vision  to the establishment of our Yuletide Fair. She is married to Matt Fee and they are the parents of two of Lighthouse's first graduates, Ruby and Henry. Sheila has taught handwork at Lighthouse since 2004.

Chris Getoor- Strong Wings Adventure School/Primary 5/6

Strong Wings provides an activity and adventure-based program for island children through which they learn about the island, the environment, and their relationship to the natural world. Current SW Director and instructor Chris Getoor is our trusty guide for the Primary 5/6 kayaking and rock climbing units. Interestingly, Strong Wings Founder John Simms earned his Masters degree in Environmental Education at Antioch New England Graduate school as did some members of our Lighthouse faculty.