The following are brief sketches of the people who make OMS what it is.

Betty Hengst is the educational director and co-founder of Our Montessori School. Betty has a B.A. in English from the University of Florida, an M.A. in Education from Long Island University, a Montessori certificate for ages six to nine from Whitby, a Montessori certificate from St. Nicholas Training Centre for ages 2 1/2 to 7, and is permanently certified by N.Y. State in Early Childhood Education for nursery, kindergarten, and grades 1 through 6, as well as in English for grades 6 through 12. Besides her 37 years in Montessori—she taught Montessori for one year at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School, plus 36 years at OMS—Betty taught English in a very innovative high school in Melbourne, Florida. She also holds teaching certificates in Florida and Virginia and each year takes many workshops in Early Childhood Education.

Werner Hengst is administrator and co-founder of Our Montessori School. Werner has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Florida and an M.B.A. from Pace University. While working on his Master’s thesis, he was struck by the amazing similarity between the principles of Montessori education and those of good management. His research, which involved the participation of dozens of Montessori teachers and corporate managers, confirmed this relationship. Werner found that Montessori teachers agree far more often with sound management principles than do actual corporate managers and concluded that corporations have much to learn from Montessori. After 18 years of working as an IBM Systems Analyst and Manager, Werner accepted an early retirement opportunity and has been devoting himself full-time to Our Montessori School since 1987.

Elizabeth Silverman our executive director, begins her twenty-fourth year at Our Montessori School. It’s hard to describe her many talents unless you’ve dealt with her, and then you know. Maybe the place to start is her own schooling—she was a Montessori baby, and it shows! She began with us as a parent doing our extended day program, which she approached the same way she does everything she tackles—by giving it her all, down to planning exquisite snacks and fascinating activities for the children with the love and patience typical of the Montessori person. Elizabeth holds a Montessori certificate from St. Nicholas Training Centre in London. She is our Montessori teacher trainer and developed five workshops the teachers find invaluable, so much so that they are now offered almost every year to teachers and parents as one of our “perks.” Before coming to us, Elizabeth worked for many years as a clinical research technician at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and contributed to two books, Best Bets for Babies and Tips for Toddlers. She takes innumerable workshops in Early Childhood Education every year—goes to every one our teachers go to and then some! She also knows CPR and first aid. At OMS we know how blessed we are to have such a wonderful person capable of getting involved in practically every aspect of running the school, whether it’s showing the school to parents, dealing with various inspections, or seeing that each class has proper coverage during the flu season. We continue to be amazed at Elizabeth’s deep understanding of Montessori’s philosophy, excellent judgment, versatility, and incredible energy, which enables her to deal with numerous subjects at the same time. Only with such a person are we able to continue our determined effort to run the school efficiently, and with a minimum of administrative overhead, so that we can maintain our outstanding student-teacher ratio.

Our Head Teachers:

Cheri Baron begins her sixth year at OMS as head teacher of the senior class and her first year in our new part-time post as spokeswoman and Director of Family Events. She holds a BA in art education from Salem State College, where she received the high honor of being named a Presidential Arts Scholar, and she is certified in art for grades kindergarten through eighth grade in Massachusetts and Wisconsin. She volunteered a whole year in the senior class in order to learn from our former head teacher Clara Marullo, and Clara pronounced her quite simply, “a treasure.” Cheri has taught art at the Beverly School for the Deaf, the Milwaukee public schools, and at UWM College for Kids. She also taught pre-kindergarten and kindergarten at the Crossroads Montessori School and home-schooled her own children for three years, before enrolling them both in our school. She has illustrated two wonderful children’s books: The Wrong Side of the Bed and The First Gift of Christmas and for five years painted murals as a free-lancer. Cheri attended the annual American Montessori Society Conference in Boston where she learned from the best about a new approach to spelling, the interdisciplinary approach to cultural subjects, and the world as a village. To become certified to teach the Jason Project, on which we base our science program, she attended a conference in Milwaukee for curriculum development of the Project and a Yorktown workshop. Cheri’s enthusiasm, exceptional energy level, and thoughtfulness, together with her intelligence and people skills have completely captivated our seniors, who respond to her warm, respectful, caring manner. Several sentences in Cheri’s resume helped us know she was the right person for us…” at the Worchester Art Museum I first witnessed children ignite with passion as sparks of creativity flew…” and “children are not to be molded, but persons to be unfolded.”

Angela Carr begins her fifteenth year at OMS as head teacher of our infant class. She is a tremendous asset to our team—is warm, perceptive and energetic—three qualities which serve our children well. Angela has completed the St. Nicholas Montessori teacher-training course under Anne Burningham, for which she received the mark of “highly commended,” and is a member of the Mid-Hudson Infant/Toddler Coalition. She takes many workshops childhood development workshops every year, completed the OCFS approved Medication Administration Training Course, and is certified in both first aid and CPR. She has also taught in our summer camp for many, many years. We are constantly hearing from parents about how happy they are with such a wonderful environment for their babies’ first time away from home.

Randa Dobrayel begins her thirteenth year at OMS as head of one of our junior classes, French and Arabic teacher for that class, and French teacher for our nursery/kin-dergarten classes at the Lutheran campus. She received her degree in Education from the French University of St. Joseph in Beirut, Lebanon. Randa taught French for four years at Notre Dame des Soeurs Antonines and taught Arabic for one year in Scarsdale N.Y. Randa successfully completed the Montessori course given by Elizabeth Silverman, takes several workshops in child development each year, and is certified in both first aid and CPR. She tutors French privately. Randa’s initiative, creativity and enthusiasm for learning, which she easily transmits to her students, make her a wonderful teacher, and, to a child, her children declare they love coming to school!

Susan Grasso begins her twentieth year at OMS as head teacher of one of our junior classes. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Pace University, holds a Master’s in Deaf Education, and is a New York state certified teacher for ages nursery through sixth grade (also kindergarten through twelfth in Deaf Education). Susan attended Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshops on cultural subjects, practical life, math and sensorial materials, takes several workshops each year in early childhood education, and is certified in first aid as well as CPR. She taught at Kiwi School and camp, has tutored in English and sign language, and for years has taught in our summer camp. A person of incredible patience, warmth and imagination, Susan is a wonderful asset to our school.

Alice Lee begins her twenty-sixth year with us as head teacher of a Stepping Stones class. Alice has a degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, is a member of the Mid-Hudson Infant/Toddler Coalition, and is a gentle, creative and perceptive teacher for our little ones. Her classroom always reflects the thought and work she puts into having new and enticing ways of helping her children learn how to do the things they so much want to do. Alice has completed the St. Nicholas Montessori Workshop, holds a Montessori teaching certificate from St. Nicholas Training Centre, and a Childhood Development Associate credential (CDA) from Empire State College. In addition, as a refresher course, she completed all five of the workshops Elizabeth Silverman teaches—math, language, practical life, sensorial materials, and cultural subjects four years in a row, and the practical life, language, and sensorial for a fifth year in a row, as well as the practical life workshop for a sixth year in a row. (It adds so much to the workshop to have a top head teacher with years of experience contribute to discussions along with parents and teachers who are new to the philosophy.) Alice also takes several workshops in Child Development each year and is certified in first aid and CPR.

Enza Moschetta-Marricco begins her eighth year at Our Montessori School, this year as head teacher of one of our Steppping Stones classes. For two years she attended The Instituto Magistrate di Formia in Latina, Italy, which is a teacher-training institute, completed Elizabeth Silverman Montessori course, and is fluent in both Italian and Spanish. She is also a member of the Mid-Hudson Infant/Toddler Coalition, each year takes a large number of courses in Child Development, and is certified in both first aid and CPR. She has taught in our summer camp. Enza has proved herself an awesome teacher. She has a natural gift for teaching and is gentle and loving with, and much loved by, our little ones. She fully understands, from her years teaching with Alice Lee, that even the youngest are capable of doing so much more than most people realize, and that they love doing it!

Maggie Payne Monahan begins her twenty-eighth year with us as head teacher in Stepping Stones. For two years she was also head of our Summer Camp for Little Kids, where she did a fabulous job, and for a number of years since has been co-head of the camp in Carmel. She graduated from the Marist Convent School in Ireland, holds a Montessori diploma from St. Nicholas Training Centre in England, and is a member of the Mid-Hudson Infant/Toddler Coalition. In addition, as a refresher course, she completed all five of the workshops Elizabeth Silverman teaches—math, practical life, language, sensorial materials, and cultural subjects, and this year took the latter three as a refresher, which we love, because it is a gift to newer teachers to have a master teacher there to answer questions and contribute ideas from her many years of experience. Maggie takes a large number of workshops in child development every year and is certified in both first aid and CPR. She is a very warm and loving teacher, who has a way of always knowing just how to handle each child.

Tamiko O'Reilly begins her thirty-third year with Our Montessori School as head teacher in a nursery-kindergarten class. She also will teach Japanese to our senior class this year. Tamiko is the ideal of a Montessori teacher and has a deep understanding of the philosophy and how and why it works so well. She was also director of our Summer Camp for Little Kids for eleven years, where she did a fantastic job. Tamiko cares so much about each child and instinctively knows what each child needs at the moment. In addition, she believes strongly in the value of the Montessori materials and knows how to attract the children to them. Tamiko went to the School of Visual Arts in New York City, holds an A.A. degree in Fine Arts from the University of Texas in Arlington, has taken the Montessori workshop from St. Nicholas Training Centre and completed the St. Nicholas Montessori Course.

Marge Palombo begins her twenty-second year at OMS as head teacher of our nursery-kindergarten class in Carmel. She attended Westchester Community College for two years, and, for eight years, ran a day-care center in White Plains. She also has taught in our summer camp for many years. Marge received her Montessori Certificate, having successfully completed the St. Nicholas Training Centre course, takes a large number of workshops each year, is certified in CPR and first aid, and is certified by the OCFS to administer medication. She also worked with the Yorktown Girl’s Lacrosse Association for the training and advancement of young women in athletics. Marge is an energetic, loving, conscientious teacher.

Alexandra Rundle begins her fifteenth year at OMS as head of one of our nursery-kindergarten classes. She holds a B.S. with high honors in Early Childhood Education from San Diego State University and successfully completed the St. Nicholas Montessori Training under Anne Burningham, as well as Elizabeth Silverman’s math workshop. Alex, who is certified in first aid, has taught at several nursery schools and camps, including the Infant Toddler Center at San Diego State University, one of the first infant/toddler programs in the country. She also studies voice and sings and acts in community theatre musicals. Alex brings excitement and variety to the classes with all her wonderful ideas.

Rosemarie Scholl begins her twenty-fifth year at OMS, heading a nursery-kindergarten class. Rosie previously taught at La Petite Ecole nursery school and took many courses in art and in-service training at Children’s Hospital in the Bronx, where she was a child development worker. She also has headed her own class in our Summer Camp for Little Kids, where she taught for four summers. Rosie holds a Montessori Certificate from St. Nicholas Training Centre and each year takes a large number of workshops. She is certified in both first aid and CPR. Rosie puts her all into teaching and so thoroughly understands the Montessori approach that children really utilize the equipment to the fullest and get along with each other just as the books say they will in the proper environment. She also loves to garden and incorporates her knowledge of ecosystems and conservation wherever she can.

Linda Teach begins her thirty-second year with OMS as a nursery/kindergarten head teacher. She holds a degree from New York University in Early Childhood Education, is a New York state certified teacher, and has completed the St. Nicholas Training Centre Montessori course and workshop. Linda has an additional eleven years teaching experience, including those at Quakerbridge Nursery School and Camp where she was director and head teacher. She is perceptive, sensitive and warm, and has that sense of when to step in with a child and when to hold off that is so very important.

Rose Whitters Whitters begins her twenty-seventh year at OMS as head teacher of a nursery-kindergarten class. Rose has completed the St. Nicholas Montessori course as well as a workshop from Hudson Country Montessori on the sensorial materials for ages18 months to 5 years. Rose has a gentle, calm approach with the children and knows instinctively when a child needs her, and when he or she does not.

Assistant Teachers:

In addition to its Head Teacher, each class at OMS has at least one Assistant Teacher as well as teachers in several other areas such as Art, Music (Choral and Instrumental), Dancing (Ballet as well as Folk and Aerobics), Physical Education, Drama, Chess, and one or more of the following languages: French, Latin, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic and Russian. In the following pages the talents of these additional teachers are highlighted, though most work in all areas of Montessori teaching.

Jamie Cantrell begins her eleventh year at OMS as assistant teacher as well as editor of our newsletter. She attended Fordham University and retired from twenty-three years at Reader’s Digest, where she was an administrator and contract consultant. Jamie attended our Montessori workshops in language, sensorial material, math and practical life and is certified in first aid, CPR, and the administration of medicine. Jamie has many years of experience in teaching religious classes for children at her church. She is a wonder with the child who is occasionally difficult; she knows just how to get their cooperation without locking horns with them, and magically turns a tense moment into peace. In addition, Jamie helps with many other things, including teaching in our summer camp and extended day.

Lesley Carr begins her fourth year at OMS as an assistant teacher. She attended the University of Delaware for three years and is currently enrolled in SUNY-Purchase, where she is majoring in Early Childhood Education. She was previously head teacher at the Bedford Discovery School for ages three and four, worked at the Summer Friends Preschool Camp as head counselor and camp show choreographer and in Our Montessori School’s summer camp. She took ballet and modern dance for twelve years at the Westchester Ballet Company and is also interested in art, pottery, and photography. She takes many workshops each year in childhood education and is gentle with the children, has a lot of initiative, and anticipates problem situations so that she can intervene before they escalate.

Sal Catalfamo begins his seventh year with us as chess teacher and is a life-long chess enthusiast who has taught the game in several local schools, adult education programs and after-school programs. He is president of the Northern Westchester Chess Club and a member of the U. S. Chess Federation. As a certified tournament director, he holds chess tournaments all over, and a number of our students have become good enough to participate in them. Sal has captivated his students with his knowledge of and love for the game.

Victoria Concilio begins her tenth year as an assistant teacher in our pre-school program. Vicki holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a major in accounting from Pace University and a minor in math education. She completed the Montessori workshops given by Elizabeth Silverman last year in math and language. She is certified as a substitute teacher for grades kindergarten through eighth grade in Florida where she substituted for several years, and more recently was assistant teacher at Englewood Methodist Pre-school in Englewood, Florida. In her letter of recommendation from the pre-school, we found words we love to hear describing Vicki, such as, “cheerful,” “talented,” “creative,” “patient,” “endless energy,” “fair,” “kind,” “professional,” and “willing and able to tackle every task and efficiently succeed.” And they all turned out to be true!

Nina Eckwerth Eckwerth begins her twenty-third year at OMS, again as an assistant teacher in a Stepping Stones class and as co-head of our summer camp in Carmel where she does an excellent job. Nina took the St. Nicholas Montessori Training Centre course, and refresher workshops in Montessori math, sensorial materials, and practical life given by Elizabeth Silverman, besides the many workshops in early childhood development she takes each year. In addition she holds OCFS certification in administering medication and is certified in CPR and first aid. Nina is a loving, caring teacher who can see both the forest and all the trees when working with children.

Jessica Goldman, who has taught for us for twenty-four years, to our great joy, returned in 2007 to teach in one of our junior classes after a leave of absence. She holds a B.S. degree from New York University in Elementary Education and is a N.Y. State certified teacher. In addition, she holds a Montessori certificate from St. Nicholas Training Centre, and took two Montessori courses in teaching reading using the “whole language” approach from the Center for Montessori Teacher Education, and is certified in both first aid and CPR. Jessica has four years previous experience teaching grades one though five and has taught in our summer camp. She is conscientious, and caring, determined to help each student achieve his or her potential. Another reading specialist who had worked with hundreds of teachers over her lifetime declared Jessica the best reading teacher she has ever known.

Elizabeth Gousse, begins her second year with us, this year as assistant teacher in our Stepping Stones program. She holds a Masters in Human Science and Development from the University of Rhode Island and worked for four years at An Elegant Affair as sales associate and was a financial consultant at Ben S. Cole for two years. She is flexible and conscientious and a big help with our little ones.

Kathleen (nee Morabito) Grean begins her fifth year as our drama teacher. (We wish her and her husband, whom she married this summer, a world of happiness!) Kacey is a well-known radio personality—the “Kacey” of the popular team “Mike and Kacey” who do morning drive time on WHUD (100.7). We are thrilled to see what she has accomplished with our 1st – 6th graders and how wonderfully she works with these budding actors and actresses. The ease and self-confidence they gain in speaking in front of a group is something they will use all their lives. Kacey is finishing her final credits in Journalism at Mercy College. She is a CCD teacher, has run theatre arts workshops for a number of years, is on the Board of Directors at Philipstown Depot Theatre in Garrison, where she acts, directs, and produces plays, and has been a radio announcer on WHUD since 1983.

Patricia Guerrazzi begins her tenth year at OMS as an assistant teacher. She has worked for Prudential Securities, PAMCO Securities and Insurance Service, doing various office jobs, including much work with the computer. She has also taken Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshop on language, takes several workshops on child development each year, is certified in first aid and has taught in our summer camp. Patty has an amazing ability to know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it.

Damarys Hance begins her sixth year as an assistant teacher in Stepping Stones. She attended the University of Puerto Rico for four years, studying education, and worked as a teacher in Puerto Rico for one year. For six years before that, Damarys was a dental assistant. She completed four Montessori workshops given by Elizabeth Silverman in cultural subjects, language, sensorial, and practical life and each year takes several workshops in child development. She is certified in both first aid and CPR. Damarys has a gentle way with our toddlers, and the children love nothing better than hearing her read a story while sitting on her lap. She is excellent at anticipating the children’s needs.

Christine Iaconetti begins her fifth year with us, this year as assistant teacher—she was a lunch teacher with us years ago when her children attended OMS. She holds a Master’s in Management Information Systems from Pace University and previously worked as a computer programmer. She is a much sought-after assistant because of her flexibility and her ability to quickly understand what needs to be done, no matter what the age group.

Robyn Mabus begins her eighteenth year at OMS as physical education teacher and assistant classroom teacher. She holds a degree in Nutrition from Mesa College in San Diego, taught aerobics at Daley Junior College in Chicago, and taught swimming at Camp Kiwi. Before coming to OMS, she was a flight attendant. Robyn completed the Montessori workshop in sensorial materials, one in practical life given by Elizabeth Silverman, and is certified in CPR. Robyn is the perfect person to teach phys. ed.—she’s so fit she’s affectionately known as Miss USA—she has brought much variety and many new sports to our physical education program. She also makes a fantastic classroom assistant because of her upbeat attitude, common sense, and wonderful rapport with children—not to mention the inspiring way she imparts her knowledge of nutrition to the children, who really have started on the road to healthy eating.

Alison MacDougall begins her tenth year at OMS as assistant teacher. She completed Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshops in language, math, practical life and the cultural subjects. Alison previously was head teacher for twenty-three years at the Children’s Station and the Southeast Early Childhood Learning Center both in Brewster. Twenty of those years she worked with Jill Jacobs and Judy Meyer, who are locally famous for their outstanding “Jill & Judy” teacher workshops, which many of our teachers have attended. Alison takes many workshops in early childhood development each year, is certified in CPR, and has taught in our summer camp. During our interview with Alison, one of our mothers whose older child had had her as a teacher walked in and was thrilled to see her as a prospective OMS teacher and said, “Hire her! On a scale of 1 to 10, she’s an 11!” She has, indeed, turned out to be a great addition to our school; she knows how to be aware of the whole room, even while giving individual attention to a single child.

Daniela (nee Zegarelli) Maiello begins her sixth year with us as an assistant teacher, having previously worked in our camp and extended day programs. She holds a BS from Mercy College, where she majored in education, and by December should have her Masters in Literacy for birth through sixth grade. She holds a provisional certificate in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade from NY State and is certified in both first aid and CPR. She has taught in OMS’ summer camp for a number of years and also worked as a teacher’s aide at Lakeland Children’s Center for four years. Daniela has a calm, low-key way with the children—she is never flustered, and has been a strong substitute for us with all different age levels.

Deborah Maricevic begins her fourteenth year at OMS, three of which she was assistant teacher in the senior class. She holds an A.A.S. degree in Secretarial Science from Westchester Community College, has completed first aid and CPR courses for infants and children, all five of the Montessori workshops given by Elizabeth Silverman: language, math, practical life, cultural subjects and sensorial materials, plus one on positive communication. Debi has a wonderful way with children and is one of our most sought-after assistants by her fellow teachers because she is such a strong, self-motivated person. Before her second career as a teacher, Debi was an administrative assistant at Kraft General Foods.

Maribel Marrero begins her first year as Spanish teacher for OMS, having served this last summer as director of our summer camp, where she brought in many interesting projects for the children. She holds a BA degree in Spanish literature (with a psychology minor) from Fordham University, and is currently attending Mercy College for a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has five years’ experience as a cub scout leader and four years’ experience at Clear Lake Scout reservation in Putnam, where she learned to teach many skills and activities. Her experiences as manager and administrator in Estee Lauder helped give her people skills, which were evident from her first visit to our school. Besides being a world-class storyteller, she is also a native speaker of Spanish and will introduce our children to the language and culture in classes that are part of the regular school day. Maribel is certified in both first aid and CPR.

Joan Meagle begins her ninth year as art teacher for the juniors and seniors and assistant teacher in the senior class. She holds a Master’s in Art Education from New York University, a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, and attended Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, besides studying abroad in France, Italy, and Switzerland. She is N.Y. State certified to teach art for ages kindergarten through twelfth grade and attended Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshop on the sensorial materials. Joan is an accomplished artist, having shown her work in many galleries, including a one-person show at The Lawrence Gallery. She is a consultant and art specialist in LEAP (Learning through an Expanded Arts Program). Joan’s skills include lithography, etching and engraving, printing, and photography. Joan puts her all into planning and preparing for her art lessons, and that forethought and organization show themselves in a very smooth-running and rewarding art class for the children. One look at the art work in the halls outside our junior and senior classes, or at the art in one of our many shows gives you an idea of how Joan truly inspires each student to burst into creativity.

Michele Modesitt begins her twenty-first year with us as an assistant teacher. She holds a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, and is certified in Pennsylvania in Early Childhood. She also holds a Montessori certificate from St. Nicholas Training Centre and attended Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshops on the sensorial materials, math and language. Each year Michele takes many workshops in child development, and is certified in both first aid and CPR. She has taught ages four through seven in a summer camp in Lake Mohegan and has supervised the crib room for infants to three year-olds at Yorktown’s United Methodist Church, where our main office is. She also has worked many, many summers at our Camp for Little Kids. Michele is an energetic, loving teacher and a great help in the classroom.

Dawn (nee Eckwerth) Sarlo (begins her sixteenth year at OMS as assistant teacher. Dawn has taken the St. Nicholas Montessori Course sponsored by OMS, a refresher workshop on the sensorial materials, is an EMT and long-time member of the Mahopac Falls volunteer ambulance corps and has taught in our summer camp. She impressed everyone with her ability to relate to our little ones, her ready smile, and her willingness to do whatever needs doing. When she’s with children she just glows—it’s obvious she loves what she’s doing.

Adriana Sarova begins her eleventh year at OMS as head of a course in Latin and classical history she has developed for the juniors and seniors, teacher of a Russian language course she has developed for her junior class, teacher of French in our nursery/kindergarten, junior, and senior classes, and as an assistant teacher. She holds a Master’s Degree in Latin, French and English from Commenius University in Bratislava (in the Slovak Republic) and completed Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori course. Adriana taught for twelve years at the Language School of Presov, where her students ranged in age from third grade to adults, and for twelve years at the High School of Presov. She has passed the New York State Teacher Certification Exam and is a NY State certified teacher. Adriana also studied piano for nine years. She simply has amazed us at OMS with her natural, gentle Montessori approach with children and the self-motivation we find so valuable in a teacher.

Krystyna Seweryn begins her tenth year at OMS as elective music teacher, regular music teacher and assistant teacher. She holds a degree in music teaching from the College of Music Pedagogy in Poland, where she taught 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades, and attended a workshop on partnerships with parents. Krystyna is an extremely gifted teacher as well as musician and brings a treasure trove of ideas for teaching music notation and other aspects of playing an instrument in a way that is exciting and fun. When I told her that her “try-out” lesson was exactly what I would envision if I had imagined a model music lesson for this age child and that she was a natural teacher, she told me that her mother, father, grandmother, only brother and sister-in-law are all teachers. So it runs in the family! She has taken Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshops on math (and a refresher!), language, the sensorial equipment, and the practical life material. In addition Krystyna takes many workshops each year, is certified in CPR, and has taught in our summer camp.

Luisa DeVittor Siles, begins her seventh year with us as an assistant teacher, and regular dance teacher. She returned in 2007 after years at home with her child, much to the joy of her teacher/friends who missed her energy and talent. When she worked with us before she was both our physical education teacher and assistant with Tamiko O’Reilly. Luisa graduated cum laude from the University of Ubino in Italy, majoring in physical education, and is certified to teach physical education in Italy, where she was a tenured teacher for nine years. She also is certified in CPR. Luisa taught jazz dance to adults here, has taught ballet, jazz, and tumbling at Dance Magic in Peekskill, taught at Katonah Playcare, and in Our Montessori School’s summer camp. When she first came to us, another teacher remarked, “We’ve struck gold with Luisa!” and, indeed we had. Luisa has an ability with children that is a wonder to behold—she knows exactly the right thing to say to each child at each moment.

Athina Southworth, begins her fifth year at OMS as an assistant teacher. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Pace University, is certified to teach nursery through sixth grade by NY State, and has completed the OMS Montessori workshops given by Elizabeth Silverman in language, math, the sensorial material, and the cultural subjects. Athina is certified in both CPR and first aid and has taught in Our Montessori School’s summer camp. She previously worked as a substitute teacher for three years and also as an office assistant. Athina definitely is a natural-born teacher and relates beautifully to her students.

Deniz Soyuer begins her twenty-first year with us as assistant teacher. Deniz has a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of California and has worked for a time as a draftswoman in Turkey. She holds a Montessori Certificate from St. Nicholas Training Centre, has taken Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshop in the cultural subjects and takes a number of workshops in Early Childhood Education every year. Deniz does a wonderful job getting the children interested in using the Montessori equipment.

Bonnie Techet, Techet begins her second year with us in a junior class, her seventh year altogether, after working in the public school system. Bonnie was a wonderful head teacher of one of our nursery/kindergarten classes from 1979 through 1984 and previously taught at another Montessori school in Mount Kisco. She completed all course work from St. Nicholas Training Centre, taught by a little old lady from Scotland who had worked with Maria Montessori in her lifetime. Bonnie holds a B.S. degree in Liberal Arts, a Master of Science in Education and Elementary Education, and a Master of Science in School Psychology, all from Long Island University, and holds permanent certification from New York State in Elementary Education for nursery through sixth grade and in School Psychology for kindergarten through twelfth grades. She is also certified in intervention counseling by NY State and the Institute of Psychological Training and published an article, “Reclaiming Children and Youth” in the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Problems. She was a graduate assistant at Long Island University in both elementary education and school psychology, has been a teacher trainer at BOCES, was a teacher and clinical consultant in the Putnam Valley public schools, was a member of the committee on special education, and taught middle school for two years in a multi-age, multi-grade open classroom in Mamaroneck. Bonnie recently completed a course using Powerpoint, a wonderful classroom tool.

Denise Tillman begins her third year as ballet teacher for nursery/kindergarten, juniors, and seniors. She also teaches regular dance (creative movement and more) at our Carmel campus. Denise studied dance with June Evans and Sally McCracken as a child, and later with Don Farnworth as a member of his Young America Dance Company. She also studied the Feldenkrais Technique with Alicia Fortinberry, at the School of American Ballet, with Margaret Craske, and trained with Jack La Lanne in body sculpting instruction. Denise has ballet teacher certification through Don Farnworth and has more than thirty years of previous experience teaching dance. Her experience includes teaching ballet, pointe, jazz, and stretch exercise in her own studio, teaching adult stretch-exercise and creative dance for preschoolers at the Saw Mill River Club, ballet for children, jazz, and modern dance at the NWCA, ballet at World Cup Gymnastics, and dance at the Harvey School. Denise currently teaches at the Westchester Ballet and at Town and Country residence for seniors. In addition to teaching dance, she directed a class in theatre production and gave a class in story theatre at Cavalier Camp. Denise uses a wide range of music to give students exposure and uses pantomime and storytelling to involve students in a very personal way. Years ago when she came to give a trial lesson for us, one little one couldn’t contain herself—she announced, “I LIKE this dance teacher.”

Linda Yen begins her twenty-first year at OMS as assistant teacher. She taught nursery school for ages three through six in her native country, Taiwan, and has a wonderful way with children, plus an ability to know exactly what needs to be done and a willingness to do it. She completed Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshops on language, nursery math and the sensorial materials and each year takes a very large number of workshops in Child Development and Early Childhood Education.

           Many different people make up our lunch and extended day staff:

Laurie Aulicino begins her seventh year picking up lunches for our Yorktown location. She has a degree in business management from Nassau Community College and worked for ten years at Land Owners Abstract Corporation as office manager. She enjoys biking and hiking.

Kalliopi (Poly) Dimitrakopoulos begins her second year helping with our lunch program, where she does an excellent job. She holds a Masters degree in International Economics, Banking, and Finance, worked as a loan administrator and credit analyst in Athens, Greece, and N.Y. City, and is a native speaker of Greek.

Rita Fennessy begins her twenty-ninth year at Our Montessori School in our extended day program. Rita gives a relaxed, homey air to her extended day sessions and is a conscientious, responsible person, a good one to have charge of our little extended dayers. She went to Drakes Business School and previously worked for New York Telephone. She attended Our Montessori School’s “New Ideas in Extended Day” workshop and has helped in our summer camp.

Margherita (Maggie) Fraioli begins her second year in our lunch program. She has a Bachelor’s in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Widener University and worked as a volunteer at French Hill School and her hobby is cooking. Maggie is conscientious and makes every minute count for a smooth running lunch time. Hoyoung (Amy) Grogan begins her second year as lunch and extended day teacher. She holds a degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Legal Studies and is a great help in our lunch program. She is always there on the dot, which is so important with a one-half hour lunch time.

Taube Levy begins her twenty-sixth year in our early morning extended day program. Taube attended CCNY for three years, majoring in education, and has been an assistant in another nursery school as well as counselor of a sleep away camp. Taube has received rave reviews from parents who use our service—one called to tell me how beautifully Taube relates to children and said, “In leaving for work, I couldn’t have felt better if she were my son’s own grandmother!” Taube also has worked in our Summer Camp for Little Kids for all twenty-one years of its existence.

Barbara McSpedon begins her third year in our extended day program. She worked as a student aide at George Fischer Middle School for the last four years, at St. James Pre-school for one year, ran a family day care center in her home, and has worked in our summer camp. She will be one of our snow angels in Carmel, and, since she lives within walking distance, we can count on her even when roads are terrible! Her references all agree, we couldn’t ask for a better person to work with children! Her interests are music, volleyball, and dancing.

Valerie Nielson begins her second year in our Parents’ Night Out program. She holds a Bachelors Degree in communications with a minor in French from Fordham University and is currently working for an AA in Early Childhood Education. She has coached both soccer and basketball, years ago was an assistant in Tender Care Daycare Center, and has taught arts and crafts to children ages 4-10.

Jamie Palevic begins her ninth year at OMS. In observing Jamie with the children, even from the first days, we saw that she is as confident and helpful as a teacher with many years of experience, and is a very strong part of her team. Jamie has completed Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori course.

Jennifer Sabatini joins OMS this year in our lunch program. She holds an AA degree from Herkimer County Community College where she studied to be a paralegal, which she has done for several law firms. Jennifer also plays the flute.

Phyllis Sattler joins OMS this year in our lunch program. She holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Fordham University and is permanently certified as a New York State Teacher. She has tutored children in all subjects and grade levels and has thirteen years’ experience in teaching and supervising, including at the Howard Haber Early Learning Center, the Sullivan Diagnostic Treatment Center, and the Bedford Public Schools. Phyllis also has worked as a companion to the elderly. She enjoys acting and gardening and participates in the Midnight Run, which feeds the homeless in NYC.

And our nurses:

Janet Eisig begins her sixteenth year at OMS. Janet received her B.S.N. from Northeastern University and her Master’s Degree from Pace University as a family nurse practitioner, and has worked at the Hudson Valley Hospital Center, New York Hospital, and Montefiore Medical Center. Currently, she is working part-time at a pediatric practice in Garrison. She does a great job in making sure all the children under her care get the immunizations they need and in keeping our records up-to-date.

Susan Mantione begins her third year as our nurse from the Yorktown School district. She holds a BSN from Adelphi University and worked at White Plains Hospital in orthopedics and neurosurgery for fifteen years. Sue does the screenings recommended by the Department of Education for our kindergarten through sixth grade—for vision, hearing, and scoliosis. She also makes sure immunizations are up-to-date and deals with the cuts, scrapes and tummy aches that come with the territory.

And in the office:

Diane Dobbins will begin her ninth year as secretary in our office. She attended Baruch College/CUNY and Berkeley Secretarial School. She completed Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshops on cultural subjects, practical life, and sensorial materials. Diane was a Girl Scout leader and taught an after-school art program. Diane previously was a secretary for Pepsi-Co, worked free-lance as a home “organizer,” and started her own gift-basket business called “Service with Distinction.” We first met Diane through the two latter jobs and were impressed with her integrity, flexibility, and organizing skills, which have been a great asset in our office.

June Willis begins her twenty-ninth year with us as bookkeeper, registrar and purchasing agent. June previously taught business courses on the high school level. She is a careful, conscientious, and versatile person and her organization helps everything get done, even on the busiest days. June’s job includes logging in and following up on tuition payments, as well as dealing with the vendors who sell goods and services to OMS. Her unique combination of politeness and firmness has served us well over the years. June has a B.A. in Secretarial Sciences from Barrington College, Rhode Island, and a N.Y. State teaching certificate in Business Education.

Behind the Scenes Support:

Anna Kumanan begins her fourth year with OMS. She is completely responsible for getting our web site up and running, doing both the design and technical work involved and she continues to be our Webmaster. Anna holds a Master’s degree in computer science from Pace University and took Elizabeth Silverman’s Montessori workshop on cultural subjects. She previously designed web sites as a software engineer. When she occasionally substitutes in the classroom, we appreciate her calm, quiet approach with the children.

Nancy McDaid begins her seventh year with OMS, this year as our school photographer and snow day notifier. We are proud to claim Nancy as one of our own—she was a student at Our Montessori School many years ago. She attended King’s College in Pennsylvania where she was on the Dean’s list and attended the Montessori workshops that Elizabeth Silverman taught.

Liala Sardo begins her second year with OMS, this year doing layout for our newsletter, which has upgraded its look from “desktop”! Liala holds a BS in TV-R production from Ithaca College, where she minored in psychology. She also studied at the School of Visual Arts in NYC, Suny Purchase, and Westchester Art Workshops—all art courses. She is a graphic designer, and worked at Wendy Tittel Graphic Design, Sunburst Communications, and the Museum of Broadcasting (now the Museum of TV and Radio). She plays the piano and guitar as hobbies and speaks Italian, loves to cook and loves to solve puzzles.

If you have read this far, first of all, congratulations! Secondly, you now have a glimpse of the special qualities of the teachers at OMS. The richness of their backgrounds and their true interest in how children learn and grow in a caring, stimulating, positive environment is so evident. Each is handpicked to contribute toward making Our Montessori School “A Happy Place to Learn.”

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