Meet the Team
Lanny Cheuck - Director / Co-teacher
Lanny taught for the NYCDOE for 8 years and held other roles such as Literacy Coach, Department Chair, and a member of the Principal's Cabinet. After moving to San Francisco, she worked in a charter school for 3 years and became immersed in project-based learning and portfolio assessment. She is passionate about investigating how children demonstrate their learning and how they reflect on their own growth. After returning to NYC and becoming a mother, Lanny began working as an education consultant to principals and lead teachers. She taught school leaders on how to integrate portfolios into a graduation requirement for the 20 lowest performing high schools in Detroit, Michigan. This work led to transformative results in those schools.
After having her two young daughters, Maddie and Willa, Lanny became very interested in creating affordable and high-quality educational programs that are part-time and flexible for families living in North Brooklyn. The need for such a program and a love for green spaces and nature were the catalyst for wBees Forest School. Lanny is happy to be back in the classroom.
Caitlin Reller - Seedlings Lead Teacher / Sprouts Co-teacher
Caitlin earned her BFA in Sculpture before earning her MS in Art and Design Education from Pratt Institute. Before becoming the lead teacher at Wbees Forest School, she cofounded Small Hands Workshop, which was an experimental, community based early childhood art program. She helped develop and directed Little Good School, an animation program for young children, and she was the head teacher for a play based 2's cooperative in North Williamsburg Brooklyn.
Caitlin has been a teaching artist at the Scandinavia House in Manhattan for the past four years. She is a mother to two young daughters and in her free time loves to sew, hike, and draw.
Caitlin believes in a reflective teaching practice. In the classroom, she strives to create holistic experiences which embrace art, music, storytelling, and allow for process based learning. She finds that her students teach her as she teaches them.
Melanie Hernández - Sprouts Lead Teacher / Seedlings Co-teacher
Melanie was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Throughout her life, she had the opportunity to attend six very different schools in three different countries. Since an early age, Melanie felt a great fascination for schools and the communities that build inside of them. All of these varied experiences has led to her strong belief in cultivating a sense of community, empathy and respect in the class environment as well as implementing an emotionally responsive practice. She has been working with young children for over ten years with the last five years teaching at West Side Montessori School in the Upper West Side. Now, Melanie is excited to start a new journey at wBees Forest School which embodies the approach to education that resonates with her and is also in her community of North Brooklyn.
Melanie holds a B.S in Social Communications, a M.A in Early Childhood General and Special Education, and an Early Childhood Montessori credential. In addition, Melanie just became a mom!
Marie Gun Vestermark - Movement and Rhythm Lead Teacher / Sprouts teacher assistant
Marie is a dance / creative movement teacher. Over the past two years, she has developed classes for the very youngest dancers at preschools in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She has been dancing professionally for the past four years with Ko-Ryo Dance Theater, specializing in contemporary dance and performing on stages from NYC to Guatemala to Scotland.
In 2011, Marie graduated with a Master's Degree in Dance Education from Lulea Technical University in Sweden (she is from the north of Sweden in the town of Skelleftea). During her years of study, she worked with dancers of all ages in different styles ranging from contemporary, jazz, to ballet. She gained her teaching certificate in the Simonson technique, a contemporary style that emphasizes working with each dancer's unique body to minimize injury and increase expressivity. Marie loves to share dance as a form of artistic expression with students and to help them discover the joy of movement. Above all, Marie believes that dance should be fun and accessible to all.
Diana Fox - Music Lead Teacher / Seedlings & Sprouts teacher assistant
Diana Fox is a singer and songwriter living in Brooklyn. She studied theater performance and psychology at Lewis and Clark College and has been singing, playing guitar and flute, and acting since she was young. Since moving to New York, she has worked as a performer and teaching artist with the New York City Children's Theater and teaches early childhood music classes throughout the city. She was trained by children's music star Laurie Berkner in Early Childhood Music and continues to work closely with her - she can even be heard singing backup on Laurie's upcoming album! Diana loves to help children express themselves through the arts, especially music, movement and theater!
Anna Robinson - Theater / Story-telling Lead Teacher / Seedlings & Sprouts teacher assistant
Anna Robinson holds a B.F.A. in Theater Performance from the University of Michigan and is pursuing her M.S. Ed. in Theater Education from the City College of New York. She has worked professionally as an actor and as a nanny for a family of two young children for many years. Recently, she has been teaching after-school for wBees Forest School and as the theater camp teacher for the wBees Summer Camps. She is thrilled to be combining her love of creative drama and education at the wBees Forest School.
Rebecca Gluck - Art / Sensory Lead Teacher / wBees ASP teacher
Rebecca is a native New Yorker, Artist and Printmaker currently living in Brooklyn. She graduated with departmental honors from Vassar College where she received a B.A in Studio Art. For over seven years, Rebecca has been teaching art to children ages two through thirteen. She taught for three years at Scribble Press, an arts and crafts store on the upper east side, she was a substitute and assistant instructor at The Arts Students League, a counselor at the YMCA’s art camp, and has been a private art tutor. Rebecca believes everyone can benefit from hands-on creative exploration and finds fostering artistic expression in children incredibly rewarding. She is very excited to be leading the art and sensory playgroup at WBees!
Lanny taught for the NYCDOE for 8 years and held other roles such as Literacy Coach, Department Chair, and a member of the Principal's Cabinet. After moving to San Francisco, she worked in a charter school for 3 years and became immersed in project-based learning and portfolio assessment. She is passionate about investigating how children demonstrate their learning and how they reflect on their own growth. After returning to NYC and becoming a mother, Lanny began working as an education consultant to principals and lead teachers. She taught school leaders on how to integrate portfolios into a graduation requirement for the 20 lowest performing high schools in Detroit, Michigan. This work led to transformative results in those schools.
After having her two young daughters, Maddie and Willa, Lanny became very interested in creating affordable and high-quality educational programs that are part-time and flexible for families living in North Brooklyn. The need for such a program and a love for green spaces and nature were the catalyst for wBees Forest School. Lanny is happy to be back in the classroom.
Caitlin Reller - Seedlings Lead Teacher / Sprouts Co-teacher
Caitlin earned her BFA in Sculpture before earning her MS in Art and Design Education from Pratt Institute. Before becoming the lead teacher at Wbees Forest School, she cofounded Small Hands Workshop, which was an experimental, community based early childhood art program. She helped develop and directed Little Good School, an animation program for young children, and she was the head teacher for a play based 2's cooperative in North Williamsburg Brooklyn.
Caitlin has been a teaching artist at the Scandinavia House in Manhattan for the past four years. She is a mother to two young daughters and in her free time loves to sew, hike, and draw.
Caitlin believes in a reflective teaching practice. In the classroom, she strives to create holistic experiences which embrace art, music, storytelling, and allow for process based learning. She finds that her students teach her as she teaches them.
Melanie Hernández - Sprouts Lead Teacher / Seedlings Co-teacher
Melanie was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Throughout her life, she had the opportunity to attend six very different schools in three different countries. Since an early age, Melanie felt a great fascination for schools and the communities that build inside of them. All of these varied experiences has led to her strong belief in cultivating a sense of community, empathy and respect in the class environment as well as implementing an emotionally responsive practice. She has been working with young children for over ten years with the last five years teaching at West Side Montessori School in the Upper West Side. Now, Melanie is excited to start a new journey at wBees Forest School which embodies the approach to education that resonates with her and is also in her community of North Brooklyn.
Melanie holds a B.S in Social Communications, a M.A in Early Childhood General and Special Education, and an Early Childhood Montessori credential. In addition, Melanie just became a mom!
Marie Gun Vestermark - Movement and Rhythm Lead Teacher / Sprouts teacher assistant
Marie is a dance / creative movement teacher. Over the past two years, she has developed classes for the very youngest dancers at preschools in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She has been dancing professionally for the past four years with Ko-Ryo Dance Theater, specializing in contemporary dance and performing on stages from NYC to Guatemala to Scotland.
In 2011, Marie graduated with a Master's Degree in Dance Education from Lulea Technical University in Sweden (she is from the north of Sweden in the town of Skelleftea). During her years of study, she worked with dancers of all ages in different styles ranging from contemporary, jazz, to ballet. She gained her teaching certificate in the Simonson technique, a contemporary style that emphasizes working with each dancer's unique body to minimize injury and increase expressivity. Marie loves to share dance as a form of artistic expression with students and to help them discover the joy of movement. Above all, Marie believes that dance should be fun and accessible to all.
Diana Fox - Music Lead Teacher / Seedlings & Sprouts teacher assistant
Diana Fox is a singer and songwriter living in Brooklyn. She studied theater performance and psychology at Lewis and Clark College and has been singing, playing guitar and flute, and acting since she was young. Since moving to New York, she has worked as a performer and teaching artist with the New York City Children's Theater and teaches early childhood music classes throughout the city. She was trained by children's music star Laurie Berkner in Early Childhood Music and continues to work closely with her - she can even be heard singing backup on Laurie's upcoming album! Diana loves to help children express themselves through the arts, especially music, movement and theater!
Anna Robinson - Theater / Story-telling Lead Teacher / Seedlings & Sprouts teacher assistant
Anna Robinson holds a B.F.A. in Theater Performance from the University of Michigan and is pursuing her M.S. Ed. in Theater Education from the City College of New York. She has worked professionally as an actor and as a nanny for a family of two young children for many years. Recently, she has been teaching after-school for wBees Forest School and as the theater camp teacher for the wBees Summer Camps. She is thrilled to be combining her love of creative drama and education at the wBees Forest School.
Rebecca Gluck - Art / Sensory Lead Teacher / wBees ASP teacher
Rebecca is a native New Yorker, Artist and Printmaker currently living in Brooklyn. She graduated with departmental honors from Vassar College where she received a B.A in Studio Art. For over seven years, Rebecca has been teaching art to children ages two through thirteen. She taught for three years at Scribble Press, an arts and crafts store on the upper east side, she was a substitute and assistant instructor at The Arts Students League, a counselor at the YMCA’s art camp, and has been a private art tutor. Rebecca believes everyone can benefit from hands-on creative exploration and finds fostering artistic expression in children incredibly rewarding. She is very excited to be leading the art and sensory playgroup at WBees!
