co-founder and Executive director
Lauren Yacht
Lauren@scholenova.org
Lauren Yacht is the co-founder and executive director of Scholé Center for Innovative Education, and focuses on the strategic vision and administration of the program. She is passionate about teaching and learning, and believes that people learn best through experience. Her background is in music education and law: she taught high school and college band following a brief stint as an attorney. Her legal studies inspired an interest in the Socratic method and its application to collaborative learning in the arts. In her experience, students are capable of amazing and insightful inquiry, discussion, and problem solving, and tend to become inspired and engaged when they are invited to become involved in their own learning. Lauren is a homeschooling mom to three children. When she’s not teaching, she loves travel, interior design, gardening, and learning alongside her kids and students!
co-founder and education director,
Sarah Lavezzo
sarah@scholenova.org
Sarah Lavezzo is the founder and director of Wonder Learning Collective, an educational nonprofit that believes the purpose of education is to equip students to be lifelong learners and compassionate citizens while preparing them to live an enriched, fulfilling life as they create positive change in their community and world. She is also the founder of a K-8 microschool in Colorado Springs. Additionally, she has co-authored several curriculums for the United States Institute of Peace and Heartwork. Her graduate degrees are in curriculum & instruction and gifted education & talent development. She is passionate about learner-driven education, global education, and empowering children and families. As the mom of a delightful daughter, she loves to build community with other parents and support them in their journeys.
knights (K-1) learning guide
Sarah Doyle
sarahd@scholenova.org
Sarah brings a wealth of experience working with children to her role in the Knights class. Her background spans nannying during her college years, teaching in early childhood education, and homeschooling her own three children. She is delighted to join the Scholè staff.
While Sarah enjoys working with students of all ages, she has a particular passion for early learners. She values their natural curiosity and works to nurture it by encouraging questions and exploration. Sarah is dedicated to fostering a classroom environment that is both welcoming and engaging—one where students look forward to coming to school and develop a genuine, lifelong love of learning.
Sarah has called northern Virginia home for the last three years. She enjoys exploring all that the area has to offer with her husband and three children. She loves baking, traveling with family and friends, planning a good theme party, and her goofy black lab, Murphy.
sprites (2-3) learning guide
Bridget Chang
bridget@scholenova.org
My name is Bridget Chang, and I’m so excited to be joining the Scholé team! For the past three years, I’ve taught freshman English at a local Catholic high school. While I will miss my 9th graders, I am looking forward to this exciting new chapter of teaching 2nd and 3rd grade at Scholé!
Prior to teaching, I studied English and History at the University of Virginia (go hoos!), and then worked for a youth ministry program in Ohio, running retreats and youth groups for middle and high school students. My husband and I live in Arlington, and in my free time, I enjoy travelling, reading, and spending time in nature and with friends and family. I can’t wait to work with you all!
wizards (4-5) learning guide
Matt Ahn
matt@scholenova.org
Matt Ahn is a passionate educator who loves to guide his students on their learning journey and help them discover new things. He believes that education should transform us both inside and out. Matt is committed to creating a supportive community where curiosity is encouraged and every student’s voice is heard and valued.
Matt has six years of experience as a veteran and a background in education, including working as a children’s minister and a middle school math teacher. He is dedicated to helping his students develop a growth mindset so that they can become lifelong learners and empathetic global citizens. Whether they are decoding Shakespearean sonnets or unraveling the mysteries of science, Matt is always there to support his students and help them succeed. You can reach him at matt@scholenova.org.
Multi-grade learning guide
Rachel Blessing
johnathan@scholenova.org
Rachel is excited to come to Schole with more than 15 years of teaching experience inspiring middle and high school students in Social Studies. She loves helping learners become critical thinkers who are passionate about making a difference in their communities. A strong advocate for project-based learning and Socratic seminars, Rachel is dedicated to building an inclusive and supportive space where all students can succeed. Her involvement in Model UN, National History Day, and youth rowing has also given her the opportunity to travel the world with students, fostering their growth as global citizens. As a mom to a 5 and 7 year old, Rachel’s now diving into homeschooling with a Montessori twist, and when she’s not teaching, you can find her biking around the city with her kids, checking out museums, parks, and coffee spots.
dragons (6-9) learning guide
Jonathan Rau
johnathan@scholenova.org
I come to Schole after a relatively long career in teaching and education both here in the DMV (in public and private schools) and abroad, where I taught for many years in American-founded schools in Istanbul, Turkey. Although not a native of Virginia, I have called it home on and off for the last 50 years since first moving here with my family, after growing up in a variety of countries in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Literature and a Master’s in Secondary Teaching.
I love being in the classroom and sharing in discoveries with young people, whether we are exploring a text, focusing on art, history, or philosophy, or working with language. Learning something new and then shaping it according to our individual understanding tends to produce the sort of memorable learning moments that stick with us as individuals. Generally speaking, my own experience has taught me that smaller, community-oriented schools are far more rewarding for students and for teachers, away from the many distractions and issues that consume larger schools.
I am delighted to join Scholé for the coming year and look forward to exploring and discovering the many aspects of a humanities-driven curriculum in classic ideas and their application to our world today.
