Our Faculty and Staff:

Primary Classrooms – serving 3 – 6 year olds

Patty Blackburn has a BA in Communications from Western Michigan University. She is certified through the Toronto Montessori Institute, an AMI affiliated program.

She is also trained in:
ORFF Level One Music Training
LINDAMOOD BELL with emphasis in phneme sequencing, language comprehension, and symbol imagery for reading and spelling
Sequential English Education with training in Montessori Applied to Children at Risk (Levels One & Two)
Handwriting Without Tears.

She is assisted by Barb Opsommer and Sherie Mason.

Candy Voigt has a BA from Michigan State University in Elementary Teaching with Endorsements for Child Development, Reading, and Art. She is certified through both the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and the American Montessori Society (AMS) at the Primary Level. She has a Master’s Degree from Walden University in Elementary Reading and Literacy.

She is also trained in:
LINDAMOOD BELL Language/Literacy Learning Process
Handwriting Without Tears.
Michigan Literacy Progress Profile (MLPP)
Literacy Instruction for Teachers (LIFT)
Gesell Developmental Assessment

She is currently finishing Catechesis of the Good Shepard Level I.

She is a member of AMI, the North America Montessori Teacher’s Association (NAMTA), and the International Reading Association.

She is assisted by Tina Stevens.

Pat Taylor has a BS from St. Mary of the Woods in Education. She is certified through the Montessori Institute of Greater Cincinnati, an AMI affiliated program. She has a Master’s Degree in Education from Indiana University/Purdue University with an emphasis in Reading.

She is assisted by Lynette Davison.

Lower Elementary Classrooms – serving 1 – 3 grades

Mindy Banks has a BS in Parks and Recreation from Michigan State University. She is certified through the Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center at the Primary Level and the Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs at the Elementary Level. She has a Master’s Degree from Michigan State University in Literacy Instruction. She also has a K-8 Teaching Certificate from Michigan State University.

She is also trained in:
LINDAMOOD BELL – Seeing Stars Literacy Program

She is assisted by Cheryl Kendall.

Claud Agnello has a BA in Education from Michigan State University with a K-8 Teaching Certificate. He is certified through the Washington Montessori Institute, an AMI affiliated program.

He is also completing an Alternative Energy Certificate through Lansing Community College.

He is assisted by Marie Crutcher.

Upper Elementary Classrooms – serving 4 – 6 grades

Sharon Dhanak has a BA in Elementary Education from Michigan State University. She is certified through the Ohio Montessori Training Institute, an AMI affiliated program. She has a Master’s Degree in Education from Loyola University.

She is also trained in:
LINDAMOOD BELL

She is assisted by Vicki Cassidy.

Daycare House – serving our 3 – 6 year olds

Amy Rautmann is our new director starting in the 2010-2011 school year. She holds a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin. She is also certified at the Primary level from the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center in Evanston, IL.

She is assisted by Carla Martins.

Administration

Mo Newton has a BA in Literature from St. Andrews College. She has a Master’s Degree in Education from Virginia Tech. She also has further Graduate Level training in Education and Counseling at Michigan State University.

She is assisted by Renee Dvorak and Kristi Taylor.