Team — Benvenue Children's House

About The Staff

founding director (1949-2020) - Rosemary Richie. ORIGINALLY FROM AKRON, OHIO, Rosemary EARNED HER BA FROM LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. AFTER STUDYING AND WORKING ABROAD IN ROME AND TOKYO, SHE MOVED TO BERKELEY TO PURSUE TEACHING AND RAISE HER FAMILY. ROSEMARY completed her Montessori training with Ursula Thrush in San Francisco. She was certified in both the Kodaly Method and the Orff levels of teaching principles of music to young children. ROSEMARY worked for many years under master children’s folk musician Nancy Raven. She founded Benvenue CHildren’s house in Berkeley over 40 years ago.

Assistant Teacher - John DeSerio. JOHN is from Berkeley. He has traveled and lived around the world but is proud to call the Bay Area his home. An athlete, artist, and student, he is proud to come from such a culturally rich community and has never stopped creating and learning. After playing the Jazz Bass in the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble and Combo, he danced professionally for seven years performing across the United States and internationally. John has since then earned a BA and MA from Columbia University in New York City and completed a MA in Education/ Credential through the Bay Area Teachers Training Institute (BATTI) at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. after working as an elementary school teacher in San FRancisco and Oakland for the past 6 years, he is so excited to be working in early education and cannot think of a more important age to be working with.

DIRECTOR/ TEACHER - IRIS DESERIO. IRIS WAS BORN AND RAISED IN BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, AND GREW UP ATTENDING CAZ FAMILY CAMP WITH HER FAMILY. SHE IS A MUSICIAN, ATHLETE, AND ENVIRONMENTALIST. SHE ATTENDED BERKELEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PLAYED COMPETITIVE SOCCER, SOFTBALL, AND FIELD HOCKEY. IRIS STUDIED CELLO UNDER THE LATE MILLIE ROSNER AND PLAYED IN VARIOUS ENSEMBLES AND QUARTETS WITH THE OAKLAND YOUTH ORCHESTRA (OYO), YOUNG MUSICIAN’S PROGRAM AT UC BERKELEY, AND SAN DOMENICO HIGH SCHOOL’S VIRTUOUSO PROGRAM. AFTER GRADUATING UC SANTA CRUZ WITH A DUAL-DEGREE IN EARTH SCIENCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, IRIS TAUGHT GARDENING AT WILLARD MIDDLE SCHOOL IN BERKELEY AND AT HUNTER’S POINT BOYS & GIRL’S CLUB IN SAN FRANCISCO EACH FOR TWO YEARS. IN 2013, SHE COMPLETED A THREE MONTH INTERNSHIP AT GREENSTRING FARMS IN PETALUMA, CA WHERE SHE LATER SERVED AS A TEACHING ASSISTANT. IRIS FINISHED UP HER TWO YEARS OF TEACHING 4th/5th GRADE AS A MEMBER OF THE BAY AREA TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTE (BATTI), AND TAUGHT IN SENEGAL DURING THE SUMMER OF 2012. IN BATTI, IRIS EARNED BOTH HER CALIFORNIA TEACHING CREDENTIAL AS WELL AS A MA IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION FROM UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC IN STOCKTON. SHE IS COMING TO BENVENUE CHILDREN’S HOUSE AFTER TEACHING KINDERGARTEN FOR TWO YEARS AT THE BERKELEY SCHOOL.