About Us
Faculty and Staff
Administration
Jennifer Annable
Céline Bourdales
Marie-Alice Chapeau
Aurélie Declerck
Hailey Burgess
Catherine Sarenac
Carlos Berrones
Mia Hall
Head of School
Jennifer Annable
Jennifer joined NSFS as Head of School in 2020. She has been a school principal and executive director in Seattle for more than 30 years, and retired in July 2020 after 10 years as executive director of the Academy for Precision Learning (APL). Prior to joining APL, Jennifer spent 25 years at the University of Washington’s Experimental Education Unit (EEU) where she was principal and later director; the EEU is a birth-to-age-six center with a threefold mission of research, training and service. Jennifer was the 2010 recipient of the Division of Early Childhood Rose C. Engel Award for Excellence in Professional Practice, a national award recognizing the highest standards of practice in the education field. She holds a master’s degree in education as well as a Principal’s Certificate from the University of Washington, and she received her bachelor’s degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jennifer is certified in Early Childhood Special Education, K-12 Special Education, and K-8 Elementary Education.
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Céline Bourdales
Céline loves teaching and holds a certification in education through the Mission Laïque Française (MLF). She was born and raised in Arcachon, in the southwest of France, and received a bachelor’s degree from Cefire, a business school in Bordeaux, before working as a financial analyst in France. She then moved to Montreal and finally Seattle, where she started an art studio, taught sewing classes for students from toddlers to adults, and also taught French at the Alliance Française de Seattle. Céline joined NSFS in 2016 and became the director of the curriculum in 2019, as well as continuing to teach in the classroom.
Operations Manager
Marie-Alice Chapeau
Originally from Bordeaux on the Atlantic coast of France, Marie-Alice received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Orléans and worked for different companies including L’Oréal (leader in cosmetics), Sihl (Inkjet paper) and Novamex (leader of eco-friendly cleaning products). She moved to Seattle in 2013 with her husband, and after teaching science at NSFS in its inaugural year, she worked for several years at FISW in Bellevue and at the Alliance Française, before returning to NSFS. Marie-Alice enjoys living in the Pacific Northwest and loves traveling, discovering new places, spending time with family, and learning about new cultures. She is very proud to be a member of the NSFS community!
Enrollment & Outreach Manager
Aurélie Declerck
Aurélie’s passion for nurturing children’s curiosity and creativity led her to education. Originally from the north of France, Aurélie received her master’s degree from the IESEG School of Management in Lille. Previously, she worked as an event organizer for the French-American Chamber of Commerce here in Seattle and for a medical conference organization in Toulouse. Before coming to Seattle in 2008, she spent a year living in Lima, Peru and several months in New Zealand. In her spare time, Aurélie likes hiking, paddle boarding and exploring with her husband and two children. She loves yoga and learning new things. She is engaged in her community and passionate about environmental protection.
Office Manager
Hailey Burgess
Hailey is a native of Portland, Oregon, where she attended the French American International School through 5th grade, sparking a lifelong passion for French. She went on to earn a master’s in French literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago, followed by a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Hailey discovered a love of teaching during her graduate studies, and she has taught French language and conversation since 2009 at the Alliance Française de Seattle. In her free time, she enjoys being on and around the water of the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two children.
Advancement Officer
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.
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.
After-school Coordinator & Office Assistant
Mia Hall
Mia is a student at the University of Washington where she is pursuing a major in Education, Communities, and Organizations along with a minor in French Language and Culture. In the future, she hopes to use this degree to become a French teacher. She studied the language for almost 9 years throughout school and had the opportunity to study in Nantes, France for 6 months in 2022. Mia is passionate about learning as much as she can about the language and how to teach it to others in a meaningful and inclusive way. Mia joined the NSFS team in January 2023. In her free time, she loves to go skiing, play volleyball, and do different kinds of arts and crafts whenever she can!
Teachers
Anna Basler
Delphine Calacat
Jean Chaumont
Daniela Costes
Lucas de Oliveira-Olson
Melanie De Torrente
Clarisse Devouton
Claire Dréan
Mariam Farag
Michaela Hodgson
Olivia Le Brun
Faten Mahjoubi
Julie Martinez
Ryan Martinez
Audrey Petitpierre
Catherine Sarenac
Anne-Sophie White
Maternelle & Elementary teacher - English
Anna Basler
Anna grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and spent the majority of her 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 has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Administration. Anna recently moved to Seattle from Vevey, Switzerland where she spent the past four year with her husband and two boys, teaching ESL to French-speaking students in a fast-growing language school and serving on the PTA of a French-English international school. Anna’s passion for languages includes a minor in Spanish and ongoing study of French. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family including hiking, skiing and being on the water.
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 8 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. Delphine 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 guitar, piano, and ukulele teacher. Jean has worked for French national television in film scoring and most recently composed all the original music for a podcast. In 2018, he released his debut album in jazz which was featured in the best albums of the year by Downbeat magazine. Jean moved to the United States in 2014 with his wife, Andrea. Besides a life of music, Jean 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. From a young age, Daniela was passionate about discovering other cultures. She graduated from Le Lycée Francais in Sofia and was a volunteer in an international NGO when she was a teenager. She studied marketing in Bulgaria and then moved to France where she obtained a master’s degree in tourism management. She has worked in various companies as an administration assistant before moving to Morocco with her French husband. Her interest in working with children came when she became a mother of two. She has enjoyed teaching her children, making them discover the world and volunteering in her “kiddos” preschools. Daniela likes team sports and making craft.
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 toddler-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
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 and a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. 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 Orleans. She has worked for 20 years in a bank before becoming a specialist of child writing remediation during 5 years. When she moved to Seattle in 2018 with her husband and her 4 children, she naturally turned to French education to continue working with children. She has learned a lot during her years as a teacher’s assistant in other French schools and is now excited to help children grow and thrive as a teacher. During her free time, she likes to travel, discover new places, cook and spend time with friends and family.
Elementary Teacher - French
Mariam Farag
Mariam was born in Cairo, Egypt, and grew up in the Middle East. She also spent 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 teaching, Mariam has taught French to diverse age groups and cultural backgrounds across several countries. A proud mother of twins, she is dedicated to serving underprivileged communities, particularly undereducated minorities and children with special needs. Mariam recently moved to Seattle after a decade in Boston, MA, and enjoys traveling and cooking, especially Egyptian cuisine.
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. Her journey with French began in kindergarten, when Michaela attended a French immersion school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Michaela had the opportunity to spend four months living with a host family in Grenoble, France, in 2017. Michaela has been working for NSFS since 2019 as a teacher’s assistant first, and then transitioned to English teacher in 2023 as she participates in a two-year master in Teaching and Certification program from the University of Washington. In her free time, Michaela enjoys reading, visiting Seattle’s waterfront parks and spending time with her cat.
Art Teacher - Maternelle Teacher's Assistant
Olivia Le Brun
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.
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. Ultimately Julie 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 be a French elementary teacher in a bilingual school and discover another new region. Julie has lived in Seattle and taught at NSFS since 2019.
PE specialist
Ryan Martinez
Ryan was born in California then lived in New Mexico and Idaho before moving to Seattle in 2017. After 7 years working as a sales manager and traveling around the world for his job, he realized he loved working with children and decided to change his career path. Ryan joined NSFS in 2021 and loves sharing his passion for sports, especially soccer and basketball, with the students. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, camping, listening to music and going to soccer games with his wife Julie, who is a teacher at NSFS.
Elementary teacher - French
Audrey Petitpierre
Audrey was born in Lyon and raised near Valence, in the southeast of France. She obtained the CRPE, a French degree in elementary education, and worked for 12 years in elementary and early childhood education in France. For 2 years before moving to Seattle, Audrey was an elementary school principal in the Paris area. She moved to Seattle with her family in 2019 and joined NSFS in September 2020. When she’s not at school, she loves playing board games, outdoor activities and cooking.
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
Anne-Sophie White
Anne-Sophie grew up in the picturesque regions of Normandy and Brittany. She studied tourism and became a certified tour guide before moving to the United States. During her first time in Seattle, she worked as a teacher’s assistant at a French American school and volunteered at the Alliance Française. Anne-Sophie and her family later spent 10 years living in Germany and France, where she earned her pastry chef certification. Now back in the U.S. for nearly four years, she has enjoyed helping her children — and even her husband — master the French language. She’s passionate about sharing her love of French culture and language with others. In her free time, Anne-Sophie enjoys baking, skiing, reading, traveling, hiking, and relaxing with friends over a good apéro.
English 
Français