Preschool Teachers

2's Class

Melissa Saha (Lead Teacher) has been working in early childhood education since 2002. She has been the Twos' Class Lead Teacher at ADS since 2004. Melissa is married and has two children. She enjoys running, reading, singing, and hanging out with her African Grey parrots.

Melissa has a love for teaching young children. She believes that all children are individuals, and that differences should be tolerated and embraced. She starts every day striving to engage and motivate her students to give them an exceptional and fun learning environment.  Creativity and flexibility are definitely part of each day.  Melissa believes in finding teachable moments in every situation. She also believes that patience, love and a good sense of humor are the things that make teaching young children possible. Melissa is so thankful each day to spend time with her students. 

Berhan Abey is originally from Ethiopia and has worked with young children for 10 years. She loves working in a classroom setting and always brings a loving, compassionate approach to her teaching. Both of her children also attend ADS. Berhan is fluent in Tigri, Amharic and Italian.

In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, running, and spending time with her family.

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 mother of two children. She has been blessed to be a part of the Annunciation Day School as a teacher for more than 12 years.  Anna teaches in the three year old program and absolutely loves it.  She believes that nurturing a child’s natural curiosity and fostering a love for learning is the best gift we can give.  There is nothing she loves more than the excitement in a child’s eyes when they have discovered something new.  Anna is truly thankful to have the opportunity to influence so many young lives in a positive way and to work alongside a team of amazing and loving teachers.  

Pre-K Class

Allison Young has worked previously with Pre-K classrooms in a Reggio Emiglia-inspired school and is passionate about early childhood education. Her start was in language, and prior to moving to Atlanta she worked as a TEFL instructor both abroad and virtually.

As a student of language, Allison received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Romance Language and Literature and completed her post-bachelorette studies at the University of Massachusetts in Speech Language Pathology. She plans to return for a final degree and continue her work with children in a clinical setting. 

In her free time, Allison is a certified yoga instructor and enjoys attending classes as well as leading them for friends and family. She is also an avid reader, baker, hiker, cat and dinosaur enthusiast, and lover of anything outdoors! 

She looks forward to helping her students learn, grow, and  be themselves!