Preschool Teachers
2's Class
Melissa Saha (Lead Teacher) has been working in early childhood education since 2002 and has served as the Lead Teacher for the Twos’ Class at ADS since 2004. She is married with two children and enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, reading, and spending time with her granddaughters.
Melissa has a passion for teaching young children and believes every child is a unique individual whose differences should be celebrated. She strives each day to create a fun, engaging, and nurturing learning environment, utilizing creativity, flexibility, and numerous teachable moments. With patience, love, and a good sense of humor, Melissa feels truly grateful to spend each day helping her students learn and grow.
Romina Riccardi Costa (Assistant Teacher), originally from Venezuela, pursued her studies in journalism. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, she gained experience working in radio, TV, and corporate team-building events. Over the past five years, Romina has dedicated herself to being a nurturing caregiver for her daughter. With a strong passion for integrating different cultures, she has been teaching her daughter both Spanish and Italian.
Romina is passionate about working with children and her desire to be part of a diverse and inclusive learning environment led her to Annunciation Day School, where her daughter also attends. In her free time, Romina enjoys reading, engaging in family activities, and watching documentaries, further fueling her curiosity and passion for learning.
3's Classes
Anna Burns (Lead Teacher) is married and a proud mom of two. She has been part of the Annunciation Day School family for over 20 years and currently teaches in the Three-Year-Old Program—a role she truly loves.
Anna believes that nurturing a child’s natural curiosity and inspiring a love for learning is one of the greatest gifts we can give. She treasures the sparkle in a child’s eyes when they discover something new and is grateful for the chance to make a positive impact on so many young lives.
Working alongside a team of amazing, caring teachers, Anna feels blessed to do what she loves.
Olivia Shepard (Assistant Teacher) is originally from Charlotte, NC and has a degree in Studio Art. She came to ADS through a substitute teacher opportunity and fell in love with the small, personable environment and the children. Her favorite thing about assistant teaching is the opportunity to continue learning under her lead teacher and being able to engage with the students as a partner in their education. In her free time she enjoys painting, reading, and finding parks where her and her husband can spend time outside together.
Pre-K Class
Rebecca (Becca) Parker received her B.A. in Environmental Studies with a concentration in geosciences from Mount Holyoke College. She is very passionate allowing students to grow their understanding of our world from a cultural, environmental, and geopolitical perspective. She believes that the path to peace is through understanding, and she hopes to foster an interest in learning about the rich diversity of communities all around the world.
Becca has always enjoyed working with children, and she worked as an educator in both formal and informal settings prior to joining the ADS community. In her free time, Becca enjoys hiking, walking, and spending time with her cats.
Amy Defru (Assistant Teacher) has over a decade of experience working in early education settlings across Atlanta. She loves working with young students to help shape the minds of tomorrow.
She has two child, who work attend ADS, in 5th grade and 3rd grade.