About Us
Faculty and Staff
Administration
Erin Brust
Jean-Baptiste Gervreau
Astrid Turner
Aurélie Declerck
Mia Hall
Catherine Sarenac
Carlos Berrones
Head of School
Erin Brust
Erin joined NSFS in January 2026 after ten years at the French Immersion School of Washington (FISW), where she served as Director of Institutional Advancement and later as Assistant Head of School from 2022 to 2025. She began her career as an independent school classroom teacher in New York City. Erin holds a bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in French Language and Literature from the University of Virginia, and she completed the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) Pathways for Leadership program. Outside of school, she loves diving into messy art projects with her two children, reading, and playing the violin with the Seattle Philharmonic, a local community orchestra.
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Jean-Baptiste Gervreau
Originally from the Bordeaux region of France, Jean-Baptiste began his career in archaeology before transitioning to education, where he spent five years teaching students in under-resourced schools. In 2020, he moved to the United States as an International Associate Teacher through CODOFIL (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana). He later earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Louisiana State University (LSU). Throughout his career, he has expanded his expertise in educational leadership, presented at conferences, and contributed to professional publications. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring national parks, coastal landscapes, and the outdoors with family and friends.
Business & Operations Manager
Astrid Turner
Originally from Guatemala, Astrid moved to the United States more than 20 years ago. She began her career in education by supporting preschool children and their families as they navigated the school system and connected with community resources. Before joining North Seattle French School, she worked in preschool administration, where she developed a passion for creating welcoming, organized, and supportive learning environments. As Business & Operations Manager, Astrid enjoys ensuring the school’s daily operations run smoothly so students, families, and staff can thrive. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her husband and two daughters, traveling, reading, and exploring creative projects.
Enrollment & Outreach Manager
Aurélie Declerck
Originally from northern France, Aurélie received her master’s degree from the IESEG School of Management in Lille. Before joining NSFS in 2019, she worked as an event organizer for the French-American Chamber of Commerce in Seattle and for a medical conference organization in Toulouse. Her international experiences include a year in Lima, Peru, and several months in New Zealand before moving to Seattle in 2008. At NSFS, Aurélie enjoys helping families discover the school and guiding them through the admissions process, while getting to know what makes each family unique. Outside of school, she enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, yoga, and exploring with her husband and two children.
Office Manager & After-school Coordinator
Mia Hall
Mia graduated from the University of Washington in 2024 with a degree in Education, Communities, and Organizations and a minor in French Language and Culture. She has studied French for nearly nine years, spent six months in Nantes, France, in 2022, and is now completely bilingual. Mia joined the NSFS team in January 2023 and was promoted to Office Manager while continuing her role as After-school Coordinator in 2025. Organized, enthusiastic, and welcoming, she is always available to support families and help with their questions. Outside of school, Mia enjoys skiing, playing volleyball, and arts and crafts.
Advancement Officer
Catherine Sarenac
Catherine combines her classroom experience in Petite Section with a strategic role in Advancement, bridging strong community relationships with a deep understanding of the school’s mission. Her professional background spans an investment fund in Paris, a tech start-up in Cambridge, MA, and a film festival in Boulder, CO; experience that honed her skills in communication, project management, and cultivating partnerships. Passionate about NSFS, Catherine is committed to advancing its mission and building a sustainable future, ensuring the school remains a welcoming and vibrant home for Seattle area bilingual families for generations to come.
Bus Driver - Facility Support
Carlos Berrones
Carlos came to us with over 18 years experience driving in heavily trafficked urban areas. He was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. He graduated from High School in 2004 and attended Hyles-Anderson College for secondary education. Carlos worked his way up to GM at Pilot Travel Centers. Following an injury which affected his walking Carlos started driving for Uber and Lyft in Chicago in 2014. He moved with his wife and daughter to Bellevue in the summer of 2018 and joined NSFS in 2019.
Teachers
Marine Bagneux
Anna Basler
Hailey Burgess
Delphine Calacat
Jean Chaumont
Daniela Costes
Lucas de Oliveira-Olson
Melanie De Torrente
Clarisse Devouton
Claire Dréan
Mariam Farag
Angelle Gildard
Michaela Hodgson
Faten Mahjoubi
Julie Martinez
Ryan Martinez
Mary-Ellen Mitchell
Chloe Pairel
Sylvie Przybylo
Catherine Sarenac
Delphine Shenk
Olivia Strang
Maternelle teacher - French
Marine Bagneux
Marine grew up in Picardy, France, where she earned a Master’s degree in Primary Education and taught kindergarten for three years before pursuing her dream of moving abroad with her daughter. Their journey led them to Montreal, where she lived and taught for two years in a special education classroom, supporting kindergarten children with ASD as well as first and second grade students with intellectual disabilities and associated disorders. This experience strongly shaped her personally and professionally. In 2025, Marine moved to Seattle and joined NSFS. Building on her experience teaching French as a foreign language, Marine is now embarking on a two-year Master’s degree in French as a Foreign Language (FLE) through a French university’s online program, driven by her desire to deepen her understanding of how foreign languages can be effectively taught to children, teenagers and adults. Passionate about travel and sports, she begins each day with physical activity and carries with her a strong sense of curiosity and wonder about the world.
Maternelle Teacher & English Coordinator
Anna Basler
Anna grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and began her teaching career in St. Louis, where she taught kindergarten and preschool and worked as a supervisor in Saint Louis University’s Early Childhood Education Department. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Administration. After four years in Vevey, Switzerland where she taught ESL to French-speaking students in a bilingual school, Anna moved to Seattle and joined NSFS in 2021. In 2025, she was promoted to English Curriculum Coordinator and now teaches English in maternelle (preschool and kindergarten). Knowledgeable in child development, Anna is attentive to each child’s needs and creates a peaceful, supportive learning environment. Passionate about languages, she also studied Spanish and continues to learn French. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, especially hiking, skiing, and being on the water.
Elementary Teacher - French
Hailey Burgess
Hailey has been part of the NSFS community since 2018, serving first as Fundraising Chair and then Office Manager. A native of Portland, Oregon, she attended the French American International School through 5th grade, an experience that sparked her lifelong passion for French. She went on to earn a Master’s in French Literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, and she is now completing her French education degree. Since 2009, Hailey has also taught French language and conversation at the Alliance Française de Seattle. Known for her patience and dedication, she began teaching at NSFS in 2025 and takes great joy in supporting each student’s growth. Outside the classroom, she enjoys exploring the waters of the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two children.
Maternelle Teacher's Assistant
Delphine Calacat
Hailing originally from the beautiful city of Avignon, Provence, Delphine embarked on a journey that led her to the United States in 2005. After eight enriching years on the East Coast in Charlotte, NC, she embraced a new chapter in Seattle in 2013. Her passion for education blossomed during her time at an elementary school in Concord, NC, and as a volunteer at the Alliance Française of Charlotte. Delphine is passionate about history. She earned her master’s degree in Egyptology from the University of Avignon. Caring and generous, Delphine loves seeing her students at NSFS every day. She also loves traveling, photography, and meeting new people around good food. She cherished time with her family, friends and cats.
Music Teacher
Jean Chaumont
Jean was born and raised in the suburbs of Paris, France. He obtained the Jazz DEM, a French degree in music, from the Conservatory of Orsay, and has been working for over 20 years as a jazz musician. He is also a composer and a guitar, piano, and ukulele teacher. Passionate about sharing his love of music, Jean has taught children of all ages and enjoys helping them build creativity and confidence through music. He joined NSFS in 2022, where he brings his talent and love to music to inspire students. Alongside teaching, Jean has worked for French national television in film scoring and composed all the original music for a podcast. In 2018, he released his debut jazz album, which was featured among the best albums of the year by Downbeat magazine. Jean moved to the United States in 2014 with his wife, Andrea. Outside of music, he enjoys spending time by the ocean, playing tennis and golf, cooking, and baking.
Maternelle Teacher's assistant
Daniela Costes
Daniela was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria, and has been passionate about discovering other cultures since a young age. She graduated from Le Lycée Français in Sofia and volunteered with an international NGO as a teenager. After studying marketing in Bulgaria, she moved to France, where she earned a master’s degree in tourism management. Daniela worked as an administrative assistant in several companies before relocating to Morocco with her French husband and to Seattle in 2022. Her love for working with children began when she became a mother of two. She treasures teaching her children, sparking their curiosity about the world, and volunteering in their preschools. Caring and creative, Daniela enjoys team sports and crafting, and she brings warmth and her open mind to the NSFS community.
Elementary teacher English
Lucas de Oliveira-Olson
Lucas grew up in Brazil and has been an English Teacher since 2015. He holds a degree in Language and Literature and a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology. Lucas moved to Seattle in 2020 and was a preschool teacher before joining NSFS. Lucas’ passion for languages includes fluency in Spanish and Portuguese, and now beginning to find his love for the French language. In his spare time Lucas likes to write books, he has two fiction books published in Brazil and soon to publish his first novel in English. He also likes to travel, read physical books, and to take his cats on their backpacks for a walk with his husband.
Learning Specialist Teacher
Melanie De Torrente
Mélanie grew up between the mountains and the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. She received a Bachelor of Arts in social work from the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland and a Master of Arts in special education from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. She has worked as a social worker with adults living with blindness and intellectual disabilities, with children and teenagers facing behavioral and academic challenges, and also as a teacher with students from pre-k to 8th grade. Before moving to Seattle with her family in 2019, Mélanie lived five years in New York and loved discovering everything about the city. She completed her Special Education Certification with a dual endorsement in French after arriving in Seattle. In her spare time, Mélanie loves spending time with her family and discovering Seattle with her two little ones, traveling, skiing and listening to music.
Maternelle Teacher - French / Librarian
Clarisse Devouton
Clarisse grew up in Champagne, France and was a physical therapist for 10 years before relocating to Prague and then to the Seattle area with her husband and four children in 2013. In Seattle, Clarisse found a new passion for education and helping children acquire a foundation in French. She started her teaching career as a preschool teacher in a French immersion school and now holds her French education degree (Enseignement du Français à l’étrangers) and a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. She joined NSFS in 2020. Clarisse is outdoorsy and loves taking advantage of all the activities the region has to offer, such as hiking, backpacking, skiing and paddle boarding.
Maternelle teacher - French
Claire Dréan
Claire was born and raised in France near Orléans. After working for 20 years in banking, she became a specialist in child writing remediation, a role she held for five years. When she moved to Seattle in 2018 with her husband and four children, she naturally turned to French education to continue working with children. She gained valuable experience as a teacher’s assistant in other French schools before joining NSFS in 2022 and getting her French Teaching degree (Enseignement du Français à l’étrangers) in 2023. She is now a dedicated teacher helping students grow and thrive. Claire is highly organized, knows the curriculum deeply, and is committed to supporting every child’s success. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, discovering new places, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
Elementary Teacher - French
Mariam Farag
Mariam was born in Cairo, Egypt, and grew up in the Middle East, also spending many years of her childhood in Paris. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in French Literature from Egypt and a Master’s degree in Teaching French as a Second Language from Paris-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi. Passionate about education, Mariam has taught French to students of diverse ages and cultural backgrounds across several countries. She loves finding creative ways to spark students’ interest, motivate them, and adapt to different learning styles, always striving to make learning meaningful and accessible for everyone. A proud mother of twins, Mariam moved to Seattle in 2024 after a decade in Boston, MA, and enjoys traveling and cooking, especially Egyptian cuisine.
School Assistant
Angelle Gildard
Originally from Marseille, France, Angelle moved to Aberdeen, Scotland, where she attended university and studied Linguistics. She later moved to the United States, where she gained experience supporting students as a Teacher’s Assistant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and at an elementary school in the Seattle area. With a background in Linguistics and experience working with elementary students, Angelle enjoys helping children develop their language skills and confidence. Outside the classroom, she loves exploring the outdoors, spending time with family and friends, and getting lost in a good book or movie.
Elementary Teacher - English
Michaela Hodgson
A graduate of Seattle University, Michaela received her bachelor’s degree with a double major in French and International Studies and, in 2017, spent four months living with a host family in Grenoble, France. But her journey with French began in kindergarten, when Michaela attended a French immersion school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Michaela has been part of the NSFS community since 2019, first as a teacher’s assistant before transitioning to English teacher in 2023. She completed her Master in Teaching and Certification program at the University of Washington in 2025. Known for her enthusiasm and warmth, Michaela loves supporting students in their learning journey. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring Seattle’s waterfront parks, and spending time with her cat.
Elementary Teacher - French
Faten Mahjoubi
Born and raised in a polyglot household in Tunisia, Fatem earned a bachelor’s degree in French literature and language. She has 7 years of experience teaching in a bilingual environment, as a French teacher first in a middle and high school in Tunisia and then, in an international middle and elementary school in Dubai. Fatem moved to Seattle in 2015 and while working for another French-American school, she completed her teaching certificate of world language in Washington State. She loves traveling, learning about new cultures, spending time with her family and cooking.
Elementary Teacher - French
Julie Martinez
Julie was born in Paris but has lived all around the world. At the age of five, she moved to Canada and then to India, where she grew up in a bilingual French-English environment. She later settled in Belgium, where she obtained her degree in elementary education. After teaching in Belgium, she moved to Spain to work at the Lycée Français d’Alicante, and then relocated to Chile to teach in a bilingual elementary school. Passionate about language, Julie especially loves French grammar and enjoys sharing this enthusiasm with her students. She has lived in Seattle and taught at NSFS since 2019.
PE specialist
Ryan Martinez
Ryan was born in California and grew up in New Mexico and Idaho before moving to Seattle in 2017. After seven years as a sales manager traveling around the world, he discovered his passion for working with children and decided to change his career path. Ryan joined NSFS in 2021 and has since become a beloved PE teacher at NSFS and a coach of soccer and basketball outside of school. He inspires students to stay active, develop sportsmanship, and enjoy movement. Known for motivating every student, he encourages them to challenge themselves and celebrate their progress. In his free time, Ryan enjoys fishing, camping, listening to music, and attending soccer games with his wife, Julie, who is also a teacher at NSFS.
Elementary Teacher - English
Mary-Ellen Mitchell
Mary-Ellen grew up in Marseille, France before moving to Toulouse, where she completed her high school baccalaureate in a dual-language program. She later moved to the United States to pursue her studies, earning a BA in Elementary Education with a reading endorsement from Covenant College. She went on to teach 4th grade English and Math at a dual-language immersion school in Atlanta, Georgia for four years. Having grown up multilingual family herself, Mary-Ellen is passionate about helping students embrace their “superpower.” Outside the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her siblings and her nephew, traveling, and being creative in the kitchen.
Maternelle Teacher's Assistant
Chloe Pairel
Chloe completed her schooling in France before moving to the United States in 2022. She spent two years working as an au pair, gaining valuable experience living and working in a new cultural environment. She is currently completing the DAEFLE (Diplôme d’Aptitude à l’Enseignement du Français Langue Étrangère) program. In her free time, Chloe enjoys hiking, skiing in the winter, and cooking.
Maternelle Teacher - French
Sylvie Przybylo
Sylvie holds a bachelor’s degree in Literature and a French teaching degree. She began her career in French immersion schools, teaching Petite and Moyenne Section at the French School of Detroit before becoming a Kindergarten French teacher at the French American School of Puget Sound. She has continued to explore innovative approaches to education, including play-based learning and gentle discipline, and is also a certified yoga teacher and practitioner of Eden Energy Medicine. Originally from Albi in southern France, Sylvie lives in Seattle with her husband and children in a French-speaking household.
Maternelle Teacher - French
Catherine Sarenac
Small humans are Catherine’s favorite fascination, and helping them become kind and curious individuals is her passion. Catherine holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College. She began her teaching journey in 2014 with a Teach For America placement in the Mississippi Delta. Most recently, she taught in a bilingual Montessori school in New Orleans. Despite being born in British Guyana, she spent her formative years in the picturesque Alpine region of Haute Savoie, France. When not teaching, Catherine loves to stay active and indulges in skiing, yoga, biking, rock climbing, and kayaking.
maternelle teacher's assistant
Delphine Shenk
Delphine graduated from Seattle University in 2025 with a degree in English. She is French-American and grew up in the Seattle area. She has been immersed in the French language her whole life and studied it in both middle school and high school. She first began working with kids in high school as an after-school tutor and has since grown passionate about early childhood education. Delphine joined the NSFS team in 2025. In her free time, Delphine enjoys hiking, reading, and playing guitar.
Art Teacher - Maternelle Teacher's Assistant
Olivia Strang
Olivia was born in Osaka, Japan to a French father and Japanese mother. She is trilingual in English, French and Japanese. She has worked as an English teacher as well as French translator/interpreter while living in Japan until she moved to Seattle to get her degree in Fine Arts. Being raised in a household of nine siblings, from a young age she has gotten the experience working with young children and has developed a passion for teaching. She is thrilled to have joined NSFS in 2023. In her free time, Olivia enjoys creating artwork, cooking and going on outdoor adventures with family and friends.
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