Nola Glatzel — Lead Teacher, Director, and Founder

Nola Glatzel is the founder, director, and lead teacher at Earthstar Play School in Truro, MA. A native of Provincetown, earned her Master of Science in Education from Sarah Lawrence College in 2013. She spent four years teaching in New York City at Bronx Community Charter School and The Ella Baker School, focusing on early elementary education. Nola also worked as a farm educator and is trained in wilderness education. In 2018, she returned home to Cape Cod and founded Earthstar Play School, a small early childhood program inspired by her experiences and training at Sarah Lawrence College. The school emphasizes nature-based learning, play, creativity and social-emotional development.

Nola is also an advocate for equitable early childhood programs and the importance of caring, playful early childhood environments. She has collaborated with the Common Start Coalition and is an alumnus of the Strategies for Children Advocacy Network.  This year, the Community Development Partnership awarded her with the Norm Edinberg for Excellence in Entrepreneurship celebrating her unwavering commitment to addressing the critical shortage of early childhood education for working families on the Outer Cape.

Hannah Gonsalves — Assistant Teacher

Hannah has been working as an assistant teacher at Earthstar for the past three years. She grew up in Western Massachusetts and moved to the Cape in 2005. She is married to David and has two beautiful girls, Mia and McKenzie. When she’s not working, she loves going to the beach. She also loves working with kids. Before having children and when they were little, she worked as a babysitter. Back in Western Mass, she also worked as a teacher’s aide in special education and then a classroom aide in Kindergarten. She truly enjoys working at Earthstar with Nola and Tasia

Tasia Mondazzi Rego — Assistant Teacher

Coming soon!

Meet our Board

Cookie Glatzel, President

Coming soon!

Shelby Lowrey-Sverid, Treasurer

Shelby Lowrey-Sverid is a mother of four—Landon, Mason, Parker, and Madelyn—and is married to Zack Sverid. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked at Earthstar Play School, where her dedication to children and community is evident. Shelby currently works at the Blue Sea Motor Inn and enjoys spending time outdoors with Zack, their kids, two dogs, a cat, and six chickens.

Kait Blehm, Clerk

Kait Blehm grew up in Truro and returned with her family in 2017. She lives with her husband and two sons. Having attended Rudelle's Play School more than 35 years ago, Kait was thrilled for her children to attend Earthstar.

Before returning to the Cape, Kait attended college and graduate school in New York City. After years working as a speech-language therapist in the NYC and Boston public school systems, she now works at Orleans Elementary School.

Kait is passionate about advocating for neurodiverse communities, universal design for learning, and equity in education. She also serves as Chair of Truro's Board of Library Trustees.

Annette Cyr

Annette Cyr came to Provincetown in 1975 for the summer and quickly fell in love with the Cape. Settling in Truro, she and her husband Adrian opened a seasonal restaurant which they ran for 28 years, while raising their two children, Julian and Marissa. Being here for nearly 50 years has given her a deep understanding, love, and commitment to this special place that we call home.

Annette serves as Treasurer on the board of Highland Affordable Housing, whose mission is to help Truro remain a vibrant community where people of all backgrounds and ages can afford to live. She is also on the board of the Dexter Keezer Community Fund, which is dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable people in Truro with resources to empower them.

Presently, Annette works as a finance manager for a nonprofit public health organization, where she witnesses firsthand the transformative power of support and assistance in people’s lives.

Earthstar Playschool provides much-needed childcare in a nurturing, supportive and creative environment. Annette is honored to be part of this organization that educates our youngest ones with play and love.

Mara Glatzel

Coming soon!