Faculty and Staff | HudsonWay Immersion School

Faculty & Staff

HudsonWay Immersion School (HWIS) takes great pride in attracting, developing and retaining the best faculty and staff possible to enable us to achieve our collective vision.

Our educators and administrators are uniquely qualified and highly trained. They represent over 20 countries making HWIS a culturally stimulating and enriching environment for our students, parents, faculty, and staff. Our educators are all native speakers, a key differentiator for HWIS relative to other language immersion schools.

64%

Have advanced academic degrees

63%

Were born outside the United States

28%

Are also parents in the school

30%

Have been with HWIS 5+ years

Staff Development

HudsonWay Immersion School believes in actively supporting faculty and staff development opportunities. Some examples include:

• On the job training and teacher mentorship
• Conferences and workshops
• Visits to other schools
• Support for continuing education
• Teaching clubs and exploring outside areas of interest
• Summer fellowships
• Collaboration with universities

Lucy Hao

Preschool Master Teacher

New York

Originally from Beijing, Lucy graduated from the Beijing Language and Culture University majoring in English language and literature. She has a MA from Seton Hall University in Asian Studies and received her second MA in Early Childhood and Special Education along with New York state certification in 2018. Lucy has taught at HudsonWay Immersion School for over 10 years.

Patti Wollman Summers

Director, Early Childhood Education & Teacher

New York

Patti Wollman Summers has been an early childhood educator in Manhattan for over thirty years. In addition to her extensive teaching experience, Patti was the founding director of two private preschools in New York City. Her MA in Early Childhood is from Bank Street College, where she recently worked to help the Department of Education in New York City devise a curriculum for the Pre-School For All program for preschool. Patti is the author of three books: Behind the Playdough Curtain, I’m Afraid of the Vampire State Building and most recently, Toddlers on Technology. Patti and her husband Robert live in New York City. Together they are the proud parents of six children and five grandchildren who range in age from 3-year-old twins to 15 years of age.