Sunnyside Contacts
Administrative Contacts
Sue Beemer is a dedicated professional who brings 21 years of experience to the position of Director of Sunnyside. She’s a Minnesota native with a B.S. degree in Home Economics Education with an emphasis in Family Life and Child Development. She’s worked as a paraprofessional in Special Education, a parent educator, preschool teacher and assistant director in several early childhood programs. The last ten years of her career have been dedicated to Sunnyside as first a teacher for three years and now as director. Sue and her husband Jeff live in Florence and have two children, Thom and Beth that have both left the nest. Sue’s work with children and families over all these years brings purpose, inspiration and satisfaction to her professional life.
Cate Damon is only in her second year as Sunnyside’s administrative assistant, though this marks her seventh year in the Sunnyside community. Both her son Aaron (who’s now a third grader at Campus School) and her daughter Molly (a first grader at Campus School) are Sunnyside alums. Cate just couldn’t imagine no Sunnyside in her life so when the administrative job came up, she grabbed it! When she’s not at Sunnyside, Cate and her husband, Sam Rush, run New Century Theater and Paintbox Theater at Smith College. Cate is a professional actor who’s performed in regional and off-Broadway theatres, in commercials and has even been cut out of a number of films.
Younger Group:
John Pike was born and raised on the windy plains of Kansas where he attended the University of Kansas at Lawrence. He has a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Education. John’s been teaching two year olds to long that many of his first toddlers are well out of graduate school now. He’s lived in the Pioneer Valley for twenty years and taught at both the University of Massachusetts and Amherst College before coming to Sunnyside.
John enjoys photography and traveling. He’s travelled to over 30 countries around the world! John states, “I am so happy to be working at Sunnyside because of the support and recognition I receive from the families.”
Wolfsong’s introduction to early childhood education came in 1984 when she took a part-time position in an infant/toddler center in Colorado. She enjoyed working with young children so much that she quit college to work fulltime at the children’s center! She is finally back in school, progressing slowly but steadily towards a bachelor’s degree in early care and education (with a focus on designing healthy learning environments).
Wolfsong lives in Easthampton with her partner, Jenn, and their cat, Luna. She can hardly believe her step-daughter, Lily, is a high school senior! Wolfsong loves being an infant/toddler teacher and feels very lucky to be involved in this very rewarding and vitally important work!
Middle Group:
Dave Harmon lives in a little house in Turners Falls with his wife Jessica who is an artist. They have two boys, Isaac and Emmet. They spend a lot of time outdoors all year long, playing in the sun, the snow and sometimes the rain. Dave has been teaching at Sunnyside since the summer of 2004 and he’s been a preschool or toddler teacher since 1993. He has an Associates Degree in Liberal Studies from Greenfield Community College. Dave says, “I absolutely love what I do, and I love teaching at Sunnyside.”
Julie Holhut is a native of Hatfield and the youngest of five children. In 1994, Julie graduated from North Adams State College with a B.S. degree in Sociology and minors in Social Work and Women’s Studies. It was during these college years that she pursued her interest in working with children, especially with children who were abused or witnessed domestic violence. It was this love for children and desire to help that led her to enroll in classes at Greenfield Community College and complete an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. Julie has thirteen years experience working with children. “I am pleased to be a part of Sunnyside where I can learn from my fellow teachers and learn even more from the children themselves.”
Upstairs Group:
Betsy Hennemann has been a teacher at Sunnyside for thirteen years and has been working with children for over twenty years. She has an Associates Degree from Holyoke Community College in Early Childhood Education and is near completing her B. A. in Early Childhood from Elms College. Betsy and her husband Wayne live in Chesterfield with their son Jack and their chocolate Lab, Ruby. In her spare time she likes to cook and go hiking with her family.
Barbara Grover has been at Sunnyside for over eighteen years! She and her husband Lloyd have five wonderful children and seven beautiful grandchildren. They live in Bernardston and love to travel to warm places. Barbara says, “I have had the pleasure of working with every age group at Sunnyside and enjoy each group equally”
Mariana Branche has been working with children for eleven years, completing her fifth year at Sunnyside. She lives in Easthampton with her siblings, two dogs and a bird. In her spare time, Mariana likes to hang out her family and friends, whether it’s going for a hike or trying out different restaurants or just to enjoy the day. Mariana states, “I enjoy working with children, always learning something new and there are never two days alike.”
Contacts:
Younger:John: john@sunnysidekids.org
Wolfsong: wolfsong@sunnysidekids.org.
Middle:
Dave: dave@sunnysidekids.org
Julie: julie@sunnysidekids.org
Upstairs:
Betsy: betsy@sunnysidekids.org
Barbara: barbara@sunnysidekids.org
Mariana: mariana@sunnysidekids.org