The Peck School Welcomes New Faculty and Staff for the 2026–27 School Year

We are excited to welcome the following new members to our Peck community:

School Nurse

Joining the Peck community as our new school nurse, Maureen Weller brings more than fifteen years of experience spanning public health, oncology, emergency medicine, and patient education. Most recently, she served as a senior public health nurse for the Rockaway Township Division of Health. In this role, she supported children, families, and school communities through health education, disease prevention, immunization programs, and community wellness initiatives.

Weller is passionate about creating safe, healthy school environments where students can thrive. She brings a collaborative, compassionate approach to caring for students and partnering with families and colleagues. She holds a BS in nursing from York College of Pennsylvania and is a registered professional nurse in the state of New Jersey.

Administration

We are delighted to welcome Michelle Kleinbaum as our new head of the Upper School. A thoughtful and student-centered educational leader, Kleinbaum brings extensive experience fostering academic excellence, supporting adolescent development, and building strong partnerships with students, families, and faculty. She comes to Peck from Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in New York City, where she has served as middle school dean since 2018. In that role, she guided students' social-emotional growth and personal development, partnered closely with families, facilitated grade-level collaboration, and led advisory curriculum development. She has also continued teaching—most recently seventh-grade English—reflecting her belief that school leaders should remain closely connected to classroom life.

Originally from Florham Park, New Jersey, Kleinbaum attended the Academy of St. Elizabeth before earning a BA from Rutgers University, along with a master of arts in teaching and a master of arts in educational leadership from Montclair State University. She is currently completing her doctorate in organizational leadership and holds a New Jersey principal certification.

With a passion for storytelling and a deep personal connection to our community, Carlene Pruitt stepped into the role of director of marketing and communications this past July. Bringing more than twenty-five years of experience to the position, she provides vision, leadership, and strategic direction for the school's communications and marketing efforts. Prior to joining Peck, she founded a strategic communications consultancy and held senior leadership roles with Fortune 100 companies and nationally recognized organizations, specializing in brand strategy, digital marketing, and high-impact campaign development.

Having experienced the magic of a Peck education firsthand as the mother of alumni Emmy ’24 and Jay ’17, Pruitt's intimate understanding of our core values, culture, and traditions perfectly complements her professional expertise in strategic marketing. She is dedicated to helping the school communicate with clarity and authenticity, strengthening our brand, and sharing the incredible ways our students grow and thrive. Outside of Peck, she serves on the board of Overlook Auxiliary and is a member of Impact 100 Garden State.

Upper School

We are thrilled to see Tracy Keane transition into a new role as our Upper School permanent substitute and support teacher for the upcoming school year. A familiar face in our community, Keane first joined the Peck Associate Teacher Program in February 2023. Since then, she has supported students across the Lower School in first, second, third, and fourth grades, while also serving as assistant director of the AfterSchool program. She holds a BA in linguistics of ASL, with a concentration in ASL/English interpreting from Montclair State University, and her background working with diverse learners has strengthened her inclusive, student-centered approach.

In her new role, Keane will support students and faculty across grades five through eight, drawing on her experience with Responsive Classroom practices, differentiated instruction, and relationship-centered teaching. We look forward to the many ways she will continue to contribute to the Peck community.

Lower School

Building on her wonderful work leading KS this spring, we are pleased to share that Grace Treanor will serve as the lead kindergarten teacher in KT for the upcoming school year. She brings warmth, steadiness, and a deep understanding of our program, and we are excited to watch her continue in this leadership role and truly make the classroom her own.

Treanor will be joined in the classroom by Savarrah Sojda, who will serve as an additional kindergarten teacher in KT, helping to ensure a joyful, developmentally thoughtful, and successful experience for our youngest learners. Together, they will make a terrific teaching team alongside Kristin Young and Kate Hopson, bringing incredible depth and energy to our kindergarten division. We are also excited to welcome Camryn Salamone back to the team in a support role when she returns in January 2027, rounding out an exceptionally strong and collaborative group for the year.

We are excited to welcome the following teachers to our Lower School Associate Program:

We are pleased to introduce Karina Shaya, who joins our team as a Lower School associate teacher working with Mrs. Regan in 4R. Shaya graduated from Florida State University with a BS in behavioral neuroscience and most recently served as a focus teacher at Academics West, where she differentiated science and social studies instruction for students in grades three through five. Her commitment to fostering an inclusive classroom environment earned her the school's "Unsung Hero" Teacher of the Year award in 2025. She has also worked as a research assistant at the Florida Center for Reading Research and supported children with diverse developmental and behavioral needs as a summer camp counselor. Shaya brings a thoughtful blend of academic curiosity, a commitment to character development, and fluent Hebrew language skills to the Peck community.

Celeste Hage joins our Lower School community as the 3KB associate teacher, working with Mrs. Bruno. Hage recently relocated to New Jersey after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Houston with a BS in education. She completed a full-year teaching residency at Pecan Grove Elementary, where she co-taught fifth-grade math and science, designed differentiated lessons, and incorporated hands-on learning experiences to support diverse learners. She has also served as a catechist teacher, leading small- and whole-group instruction focused on character education and social-emotional growth. Fluent in both Arabic and English, Hage is committed to creating inclusive, culturally responsive classrooms where every student feels seen and valued. Now a resident of Morristown, she looks forward to collaborating with our faculty and contributing to the broader life of the school.

We are excited to welcome Ashley Casper as the new 2C associate teacher, working alongside Mrs. Ceder in our Lower School community. Casper recently earned a BA in elementary education (K–6) from Montclair State University, graduating cum laude. She brings classroom experience through substitute teaching in the Randolph and Mendham Township school districts and clinical internships in Rockaway Township, along with fifteen years of leadership experience in the corporate and fitness industries. Casper is passionate about creating structured, inclusive classrooms that support the whole child. She looks forward to partnering with students, families, and colleagues as she begins her teaching career at Peck.

With a wealth of international experience, Hanna Bartel Migon joins the Peck community as the 3NB associate teacher. Bartel Migon earned an MAT from Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she received the Outstanding Achievement in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program award. She also holds a BA in international development studies and biology from Queen's University, as well as an MSc in rural planning and development from the University of Guelph, both in Canada. Most recently, she served as a long-term substitute teacher in a second-grade classroom in Summit. Before transitioning into education, Bartel Migon worked as a senior program manager for an international child-rights organization, overseeing humanitarian programs around the world. Fluent in English, German, Spanish, and French, she brings a global perspective and a deep commitment to creating inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments.

Staff

Maggie Schlageter joins Peck's Admissions Office with extensive experience in independent school admissions and enrollment management. Most recently, she served as the Upper School assistant director of admissions and music director at Golda Och Academy, where she guided prospective families through the admissions process while helping cultivate a welcoming school community. Throughout her career, Schlageter has especially enjoyed connecting with families, leading campus tours, and creating engaging admissions programming. She believes that finding the right school should be an authentic, relationship-centered experience, and she looks forward to welcoming new families to the Peck community.