About

Oyendrila Kennedy – Owner/Program Director/Teacher (4 /5 and Art Enrichment)

Oyen holds a Bachelors of Arts in English, Journalism and Psychology from Mount Carmel College,
followed by a Bachelor’s degree in Education from St. Xaviers’ College. Oyen earned a Masters in
English with a Minor in Child and Adolescent Psychology from Southern Oregon University. Her
teaching experience of over 30 years ranges from working with children from preschool to 8th grade level
in private schools both in India and the U.S. She has taught preschool and kindergarten at Knowledge
Beginnings, a flagship school of Knowledge Learning Corporation. She retired as a kindergarten teacher
from A Child’s Way Preschool and Kindergarten to start The Cornell School. While In India, Oyen
volunteered her time to teach children living in poverty on the streets of Calcutta for many years and also
offered her writing services while working closely with international volunteers at The Missionaries of
Charity founded by Mother Teresa. When not busy running the school, Oyen loves reading, traveling,
spending time with her family and friends, watching Netflix, listening to music and cooking with spices.

Dave Kennedy – Owner/Administrative Director/Chief Playground Architect and Builder

Dave holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Portland State University, a MS in Management in
Science and Technology from OHSU, and a certificate in systems dynamics from MIT. Dave has worked
at Intel for 21 years in various marketing, product management and business development roles and he
currently manages the mobile workstation business. Dave’s interests include traveling, scuba diving,
mountain biking, and kayaking. His passions are sports cars and building things. Dave built The Cornell
School and the playground which he considers works in process as he continuously works to improve the
indoor and outdoor environments.

Kathryn –  Administrative Director and Teacher

Kathryn, originally from England, has called Portland home since relocating with her family 18 years ago.
She brings more than 20 years of experience working for two international financial institutions in a
variety of banking industry roles, including customer service, project coordination, and IT project
management. More recently, after becoming a mother, she began working seasonally in the tax industry.
Kathryn is passionate about helping children learn and grow and was an active volunteer at her daughter’s
elementary school. Since 2019, she has been part of The Cornell School, serving in both teaching and
administrative roles.
In her free time, Kathryn enjoys traveling, paddle boarding, and taking day trips to the Oregon coast with
her husband, daughter, and dogs. She also loves hiking local Pacific Northwest forest trails with friends
and her little dogs, and has a strong passion for interior design.

Linda Mayeri – Administrative Assistant and Substitute Teacher

Linda, originally from El Salvador, has lived in Portland for 23 years. Before that, her home was in the
Bay Area in California. For the past 22 years, Linda has been a stay at home mom of three. Two of her
children are now in college and one in high school. She was very active as a volunteer parent while the
kids were in school. Especially their preschool and elementary years. Prior to motherhood, Linda worked
for 10 years doing accounting work for a cruise line. Her degree in Accounting was earned at SF State
University where she met her husband. When not attending to her children, Linda likes to enjoy her coffee
with a book, walk while listening to a book and travel with her husband and children. She also has seven
goats and two cats who think Linda is their mom.

Masha – Teacher – 4/5 and yoga/music enrichment.

Masha brings a long background in early childhood education, with extensive experience as both a
toddler teacher at a child development center and a nanny for a wide variety of families. She holds a
Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Mental Health from George Fox University and continues to study
the mind.
Fluent in Russian and trained as a yoga teacher, Masha is drawn to both language and movement as
different forms of expression, and is continually inspired by how naturally children absorb new languages
and embodied practices. She is passionate about integrating creativity into the classroom experience and
is excited to continue deepening her music curriculum at The Cornell School. Since joining the school in
September 2022, Masha has valued being part of and witnessing the unique creative work that emerges
each year through collaboration between teachers and students.
Outside the classroom, Masha enjoys nature, dancing, exercising, playing her piano, and spending quality
time with loved ones.

Brenja – Teacher – 4/5

Brenja relocated to the Portland area from California 2 years ago. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent
Development from California State University, Northridge, and brings more than 10 years of experience
working with young children in early childhood education settings.
Brenja is passionate about creating a warm, nurturing, and play-based learning environment where
children feel safe, confident, and excited to learn. She believes the preschool years are an important time
for developing social-emotional skills, independence, creativity, and a love of learning. Brenja enjoys
helping children explore the world around them through hands-on activities, imaginative play, music,
movement, and meaningful classroom connections. She values building strong relationships with both
students and families and loves watching children grow in confidence throughout the school year.
Outside of the classroom, Brenja enjoys cooking, binge-watching a good TV show, exploring the
outdoors, and spending quality time with family and friends. She also loves caring for her two tuxedo
cats, Lady and Cosmo, who always keep life entertaining. Brenja is thrilled to be part of The Cornell
School community and looks forward to an exciting year of learning, laughter, and discovery.

Miriam Fryberger – Teacher – 3/4

Miriam is relatively new to the Portland area. She grew up in the mountains of Colorado and has most recently
spent the last eight years living in Northern California. She graduated from Colorado State
University-Pueblo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 2012 and added Bachelor of
Science degree in Nursing in 2013. Miriam loves encouraging children’s curiosity and helping them make
discoveries about the world around them. She has 5 years’ experience in teaching children in a classroom
setting as well as working as a nanny. Outside of the classroom Miriam loves hiking, dancing, and
spending quality time with friends and family.

Shelby Rhiann Skye Longley – Teacher – 3/4

Shelby is a born-and-raised Oregonian who has proudly called Portland home for the past two years. Her
passion for teaching began in high school while participating in the Child Development pathway program,
where she discovered her love for early childhood education. With more than five years of experience working
with children ranging from 6 weeks to 5 years old, she is passionate about nurturing young minds and
helping children grow into kind, confident, and knowledgeable future leaders. As a lifelong learner,
Shelby has a deep curiosity and a hunger for knowledge. She loves encouraging children to explore, ask
questions, and develop a sense of wonder about the world around them. Outside of the classroom, Shelby
enjoys spending time with her dog, reading, writing poetry, crafting, and adventuring outdoors with
friends and family. She brings creativity, warmth, and enthusiasm to everything she does and is dedicated
to making a positive impact in the lives of the children and families she serves.