Meet IS Staff

Sara joined Integration Station in 2013 as a special education teacher and in 2018 as the Administrator. She is a graduate of American University and George Washington University with a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and a Masters degree in Infant and Early Childhood Special Education as well as Educational Leadership and Administration. She has over 18 years of experience in early childhood and has worked with Arlington Public Schools for 10 years as a special education teacher, special education coordinator and administrator. Sara believes that the consistent collaboration between parents and teachers is important in the development of each child’s unique needs.

Jennie joined Integration Station in 2018.

Daniela joined Integration Station in 2023. Daniela is excited to join the Integration Station family after previously teaching 3-5 year olds in self-contained and inclusive special education preschool classes in Maryland. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in early childhood special education at the University of Maryland, College Park. Daniela has previously worked as a child care provider, preschool teacher, and summer camp counselor and director. Outside of teaching, Daniela enjoys hiking, riding bikes, singing karaoke, and spending time with family and friends.

Rocio Priale joined Integration Station in 2014.  She is originally from Peru and speaks Spanish fluently. In her free time she likes to watch movies, go to the park to enjoy the fresh air, ride her bike, and spend time with her family. She feels very fortunate to belong to Integration Station team and happy to work with the children.

Ashley Donahoo joined Integration Station in 2014.She grew up in Arlington, Virginia and attended elementary school, middle school, and high school in Arlington. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing, exercising, and practicing the circus arts.

Andy joined Integration Station in 2023. Andy has been a special education teacher since 2000.  He is originally from Pennsylvania, and moved to Virginia after graduating from the University of Delaware.  Outside of school, Andy enjoys spending time at home with his two daughters, listening to music, playing rugby, and getting to the beach whenever possible. 

Emily Maldonado joined Integration Station in 2024. She is a lifelong Arlington County resident, and attended Arlington Public Schools. She is excited to give back to the community that shaped her, with a passion for creating an inclusive environment where every child can thrive.  In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time with her nephew, hanging out with friends, exploring creative hobbies, and trying new restaurants. She looks forward to bringing her enthusiasm to the students and families at Integration Station.

Shakayla joined Integration Station in 2025.

Madeline joined Integration Station in 2024.  She is excited to meet your children, create bonds and connections with them, and have fun this year! Madeline was born and raised in New Jersey and attended Penn State University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and her Master’s degree in Special Education. She worked in State College, PA for two years after she graduated at a Montessori inspired preschool as a lead teacher of 3-5 year olds. She just moved down to Arlington, VA this summer and has been loving the area! She is always looking for recommendations for new restaurants, places to see live music and of course fun D.C tourist attractions!

Halil joined Integration Station in 2022. Halil graduated from Virginia State University with a bachelors degree in Psychology. During his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching movies, and finding new restaurants to dine at. 

Richel Haslam-Hemmer joined Integration Station in 1996. She is originally from Lansdale, Pennsylvania and a big fan of Eagles football and sports in general. Every student she has worked with holds a truly special place in her heart and she truly believes she is one of the luckiest people because she loves what she does!

Glenda Lopez joined Integration Station in 2009. She has worked with APS since 2003. She is from El Salvador and speaks Spanish fluently.  She enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies, and taking her dog for walks.

Kia joined Integration Station in 2025.

Emily joined Integration Station in 2021. Emily is delighted to join the team after working with young learners for the past six years. In her free time, she loves finding new bike trails, reading, and catching live music.

Gloria joined Integration Station in 2022. Previously, she has worked as a substitute teacher at Taylor, Barcoft, Randolph and Claremont. She is from El Salvador and in her free time she loves to read, hike and paint.

Damaris joined Integration Station in 2024.  Damaris was born and raised in Arlington and went to Williamsburg and Yorktown High School. Prior to working at APS, she worked at a private preschool in Arlington, where she found her true passion for working with children. In her free time, she loves reading, drawing, and spending time outside and road trips with her small family.

Sonia joined Integration Station in 2018. Sonia has been working in special education for over 10 years. She went to Oberlin College for undergrad, and got her Masters of Education and BCBA certification at Vanderbilt University. Outside of school, Sonia has a great passion for the fiber arts, including knitting, crocheting, spinning, and weaving.

Mireya Sanchez joined Integration Station in 2000. She was born in Mexico City and came to the USA when she was 11 years old. In her free time she loves to be at home, relax, and work on her sudoku books. She has two adult children who also work for APS and a lovely dog named Poncho. She loves to work with the children and celebrates all of their accomplishments and misses them dearly when they graduate.

. I La’Shea joined Integration Station in 2025. La’Shea “Shea” was born and raised in Virginia and attended Ashlawn, Swanson, WNL, and Wakefield. She is a proud graduate of Northern Virginia Community College, where she also played basketball. Her long-term goal is to become a teacher. She is eager to learn from the best and continue growing in the field of education.

Allison Coyne joined Preschool Integrated Program (PIP) at Little Beginnings in 2002. She is originally from Colorado and a huge fan of the Denver Broncos! She feels so fortunate to love her job! Allison and her husband have two wonderful sons and a sweet miniature schnauzer. In her free time she enjoys reading, exercising, and hanging out with her family.

Karan joined the Preschool Integrated Program (PIP) at Little Beginnings in 2006. She started working for Arlington County Public Schools in 1996. She lives in Arlington,VA and in her free time she loves to spend time with her family, spend time at the beach, and grow veggies in her garden.

Sumaiya joined Integration Station in 2023.

Megan joined Integration Station in 2014. Megan is originally from a small town on the Illinois/Wisconsin line. She earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO. Megan is also the proud parent of a TCS/IS alumnus (Cardinals, Lorikeets). When not in school, she enjoys playing sports, coaching her son’s baseball team, video games, and cooking. She is proud to call Integration Station her “school family”!

Jennifer joined the Integration Station team in 2024. Jennifer is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina. She earned her undergraduate degree from NC State University and her graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Chapel Hill. Prior to working for Arlington Public Schools, she worked for Durham Public Schools in North Carolina. Jennifer lives in Falls Church with her husband, two children, and two cats. In her free time she enjoys yoga, biking, running, playing bridge, and reading.

Melissa joined Integration Station in 2004. Melissa is originally from Toledo (Ohio, not Spain). After earning her graduate degree from Tufts in Massachusetts, Melissa moved to Washington, DC. She has worked with all age groups but really enjoys the creativity and energy of early childhood. When she is not working, Melissa can be found with her daughter and rescue beagle. The family enjoys camping, travel, and day trip adventures.

Nordia joined Integration Station in 2023.

Lani Richards joined Integration Station in 2018. She is so happy to be returning for her third year as a music teacher at Integration Station. She started her career in education as a substitute teacher in Fairfax County. After one enjoyable year she became an an aide in kindergarten. After twelve years she decided the time was right to become a teacher so she enrolled in the Career Switcher program at Shenandoah University and received her license to teach. She taught for one year in Fairfax county before coming to Arlington County.  She is married and has five grown children, a son-in-law and a 2 year-old granddaughter who tries out all the songs and dances she uses at school.

Rebecca Kerney joined Integration Station in 2020. She lives in Richmond and attended VCU.  In her spare time, she likes to attend sporting events and enjoys listening to music. She is grateful to be teaching physical education at IS.

Lauren joined Integration Station as an art teacher in 2020.  Lauren and her husband have a son, two daughters, and a puggle named Rocky.  When she is not teaching art, she is painting, cooking or watching her kids play sports.  Lauren studied Art History at the University of Colorado and got her Master’s in Elementary Ed from George Washington University.

Swani joined Integration Station in 2024.

Nury Gonzalez joined Integration Station in 2012. She is originally from El Salvador and is a fan of the United States woman’s soccer team. Nury and her husband have three sons. In her free time she likes to walk with her husband and she enjoys hanging out with her family. She feels blessed that she loves her job!