Specials Profiles

Chris Haske – Art
chaske@peabodyschool.org
Chris Haske is the art teacher. He loves making art, especially with young people. In fact, he went to Whitman College and New York University to get better at making art with young people. He has had the pleasure of teaching art and a few other subjects in South Korea, Connecticut, New York, Honduras, and Virginia. Chris also enjoys volunteering. He has had full-time volunteer positions caring for children and adults with special needs in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Maryline Meyer-Pollock – French
mmeyer@peabodyschool.org
Maryline Meyer-Pollock, B.A., M.A., is the French teacher at Peabody School. A native of France, Ms. Meyer-Pollock earned both her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Communication and her Master’s Degree in Information and Communication at the University of Nancy, France. Prior to joining the Peabody School faculty in 2000, Ms. Meyer-Pollock taught middle and high school in Lorraine, France for five years and is certified by the French National Education System in modern literature. She enjoys volunteering at the SPCA and singing in local rock band, The Pollocks.

Mary-Patricia Moynihan – Spanish
mpmoynihan@peabodyschool.org
Mary-Patricia Moynihan teaches Spanish at Peabody, and holds an M.A. in Hispanic Literature from Indiana University.  While completing her B.A. at the University of Virginia, she majored in both Spanish and in Foreign Affairs with a concentration in Latin America.  Her experience includes years of teaching Spanish on the high-school and university levels, as well as running her own Spanish language tutoring service.  “Profe,” as the kids call her, delights in international travel. As a high-school teacher, she ran several student trips abroad.  She also has taught on the Semester-at-Sea ship.  Having embarked on her first international trip at the tender age of fourteen months, Profe has now set foot on all seven continents and has visited at least 41 different countries.  Her ambition is to make it to every single Spanish-speaking country, although that dream is still being realized.

Travis Miller – Technology
tmiller@peabodyschool.org
Travis Miller is Peabody’s Head of Middle School and the K-8 technology teacher. He has a B.A. in Biology and a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Virginia. In his previous position as the Middle School science teacher, he developed a strong interest in instructional technology and chose to shift teaching roles, becoming the school’s technology teacher in 2011. He has been a presenter at the Virginia Association of Science Teachers’ annual conference, demonstrating the effectiveness of using interactive computer simulations to illustrate hard-to-teach concepts. Mr. Miller has a passion for working with children and helping them develop the lifelong skills and confidence necessary to navigate today’s increasingly complex world.

Kim Nash – Physical Education
knash@peabodyschool.org
Kim Nash, B.S., is the physical education teacher for the Peabody School’s students. A 2002 graduate of Longwood College with a major in physical education/health, Mrs. Nash joined the Peabody School faculty in the fall of 2002. Mrs. Nash offers Peabody students a wide range of physical education and sports opportunities throughout the school year, encouraging each student to achieve his or her personal best. She enjoys spending time with her family in the great outdoors.

Joseph Olivarez – Music
jolivarez@peabodyschool.org
Joseph Olivarez teaches music at Peabody. A San Diego native, Joseph also received his undergraduate degree from the University of San Diego, majoring in music composition. In addition he received a California Teaching Credential while studying at USD. He was also an active performer as an electric bass guitarist in a rock band, as well as upright bassist in the University orchestra. After graduating USD, Joseph and his wife Monica moved to Pittsburgh, PA for graduate school. He recently finished his graduate degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Music Education, with an emphasis in composition. While at CMU, Joseph studied conducting with choral pedagogue Dr. Robert Page, composer, Nancy Galbraith, and recently elected PMEA hall of fame teacher, Dr. Natalie Ozeas, to name a few. In his free time Joseph thoroughly enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, canoeing, anything that is outdoors-related. Joseph is extremely excited to join the teaching staff at Peabody, where he can continue to grow as a teacher and musician.

Lana Young – Drama (K-5)
hollywoodtheatrelab@gmail.com
Lana is an award winning professional actress of stage and screen and has been working for 18 years in Bermuda, Canada and Boston. She has an M.A. in Acting and, since moving to Charlottesville in November 2009, she founded the performing arts studio, Hollywood Theatre Lab, teaching all aspects of acting to children and adults (www.facebook.com/hollywoodtheatrelab). She is also the host and producer of a television talk show called “What’s Going On C’Ville” (www.facebook.com/wgocville)