ADMINISTRATION

Tanya Ryskind, J.D., AMS, IMC
Head of School
Tanya has worked with the Montessori Foundation for many years and is an internationally admired leader in the Montessori school community. Tanya brings a broad set of experiences and skills from her years in both the legal and educational fields. Most importantly, Tanya has experience as a Montessori teacher trainer, an International Montessori consultant, motivational speaker, author, and frequent presenter at Montessori conferences around the world. She currently serves on the board of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), the agency recognized by the United States Department of Education to accredit Montessori Teacher Education programs.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Hampshire, cum laude, majoring in Social Services, with an emphasis on counseling. Her minor was in Spanish. She went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. She holds elementary Montessori certification from both the American Montessori Society and the International Montessori Council. Tanya’s continuing studies include Neuroscience and Learning through Harvard University, Oceanography and Meteorology at the State University of New York, Brockport.

James Moudry, M.Ed.
Associate Head of School

Tim Seldin, M.Ed., AMS
Executive Director
Tim Seldin is the President of the Montessori Foundation and Chair of the International Montessori Council. He is a noted Montessori teacher trainer, school consultant, and keynote speaker at scores of Montessori conferences around the world, including the Montessori Foundation’s annual international conference, which is held in Sarasota every November.
Tim has 49 years of experience in Montessori education, beginning with 25 years as a Montessori teacher and Headmaster of the Barrie School in Silver Spring, MD, which was founded by his family in 1932 and which he attended from age 2 through high school graduation.
As President of the Montessori Foundation, he served as Head of the NewGate School from 1993 through 1999, during the years when NewGate was the Lab School of the Montessori Foundation. Tim was, with Harvey Hallenberg, the co-founder and Director of the Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies. Tim earned a B.A. in History and Philosophy from Georgetown University, an M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Supervision from the American University, and his Montessori certification from the American Montessori Society. He is the author of several books about Montessori education. Tim served for many years as an officer on the Board of the American Montessori Society. He is also an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Instructor.

Lauren Speed, AMS
Admin. Assistant Ashton Road Campus
Lauren has her AMS Infant/Toddler Teaching Certificate from the South Florida Montessori Education Center in West Palm Beach, FL. This is her 22nd year at NewGate. She began her Montessori career in 1992 at Counterpane School in Fayetteville, GA, where her children attended.
A move back to Florida brought the family to NewGate, where she spent 16 years with the toddlers. Both of her children graduated from NewGate; her son in 2005 and her daughter in 2007. They have subsequently graduated from college; her son from New College of Florida and her daughter from Florida State University.
This will be her 6th year working with the administration, and she loves it! Lauren is looking forward to another great year at NewGate. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching YouTube videos, jogging, listening to music and watching movies.

Sarah Moudry, M.Ed.
Director of Institutional Advancement and College Counseling
Sarah Moudry is an education innovator whose work is focused on creating education environments and experiences that inspire growth and joy. Her work is rooted in Montessori philosophy and paired with her extensive experience as a designer. Her most recent projects include the founding of Studio June, a Montessori parent and child education center, and Family Friendly Home, an interior design company that creates inspirational home and school interiors.
Sarah’s most recent book, First Foods to Family Meals (2019), provides parents a Montessori grounding to help them include their children in preparing food at home. Sarah has created online courses that help parents, childcare professionals, and grandparents to incorporate Montessori theory into their lives.
In addition to her Montessori Experience, Sarah has worked in the Admission Department at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Sarah, her husband, and their three children love family game nights, creating original pizza recipes, and music trivia!
Sarah has an M.Ed in Montessori education, a B.S. in environment and design, AMI Montessori certification for ages birth to six, and is an Associate Member of ASID. She joined the NewGate staff in 2023.
ASHTON ROAD CAMPUS
Cousteau & Montessori Classrooms
Infant & Toddler Program

Isabelle Bermudez, B.A.
Associate Montessori Toddler Guide
Isabelle joined the Toddler Community in the spring of 2021. She is currently completing her IMC Montessori Infant-Toddler training. A former NewGate student, she brings over a decade of childcare experience as well as a lifelong love and respect for Montessori practices to the teaching team. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Media Production from the University of Florida and previously worked in a safe house as an advocate for survivors of trafficking and exploitation. Outside of school, she can often be found reading, road-tripping and adventuring with her dog, Moxie.

Jenni Presley, M.Ed., AMS
Montessori Toddler Guide
Jenni holds a B.A. in Print Journalism and Photography from the University of Kentucky. She completed her Montessori Infant-Toddler (0-3) training with the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in North Carolina and earned her Master’s in Education with a specialization in Montessori from Xavier University. Her Master’s research focused on the complementary practices of Montessori and Magda Gerber’s RIE techniques and the ways that respectful, responsive caregiving can facilitate a positive learning environment for infants and toddlers.
This will be her 3rd year at NewGate and her sixth year in the classroom. Jenni lives in Arcadia with her son, Finn, who also attends NewGate. She and her family run a nonprofit farm animal sanctuary on their five acres and share their lives and most of their free time with dogs, goats, pigs, chickens, cows, a cat, and a duck.

Tanya Marie Rotter, AMS
Montessori Infant/Toddler Guide
Tanya Marie has over 20 years of experience working with infants and toddlers. She has worked with parent communities, giving support and informative workshops focused on growing infants and toddlers.
Gandhi Classroom
Early Childhood Community

Brittany Belviy
Associate Early Childhood Montessori Guide
Brittany joined the NewGate community in May 2017. Brittany loves working with children. She is thrilled to join the early childhood team as a Montessori guide in training. Brittany enjoys reading, being out in nature, making jewelry, and spending time with her friends, family, and animals. Brittany is completing her IMC Montessori training

Taffy Howard Harrison, B.A.
Early Childhood Assistant
Taffy is a graduate of Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a B.S. in Human Services with a
concentration in child and adolescent development. She has over 20 years of experience working with
young children. She joined NewGate School in June 2021 and believes the foundation of learning begins
with the freedom of self-exploration and discovery. Taffy brings a calm demeanor, passion for the
outdoors, and dedication to offering students a transformational experience in the classroom. When
Taffy is outside the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. Other
activities she finds comfort in are cooking, swimming, long walks in nature, writing, and the beach.

Mary Loughead, AMI
Early Childhood Lead Montessori Guide
Mary joined Newgate in August 2019. Mary is a graduate of the Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was introduced to Montessori while working as the Operations Coordinator at a Montessori School in Albuquerque. This ultimately led her to attend Montessori Training in 2018. Mary has a long line of experience in Nursing and Nutrition as she worked in the Healthcare and Fitness field before finding her home in Montessori Education. Mary spends time with friends, family, and the love of her life, Louie, her Golden Retriever.
Cassatt Classroom
Early Childhood Community

Kat Ricker, B.A., AMS
Early Childhood Montessori Guide
Kat graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2002. She received her Montessori Early Childhood certification from the American Montessori Society while teaching at NewGate from 2002-2009. She also spent eight years teaching at Island Village Montessori.
Kat is excited to be at NewGate where she believes she can focus on the beauty and philosophy of Montessori. She shares that she has always felt that NewGate is her second family.
When Kat is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband, friends, family, and her cat. Other activities include running, yoga, CrossFit, spinning, swimming, and dancing. She has a passion for vintage clothes and enjoys crafting.

Nan Gramaglia, B.A.
Educator Assistant, Toddlers

Alexandra Gallen, B.S., MACTE
Early Childhood Montessori Guide
Alexandra (Alex) joined NewGate during the summer of 2019. She fell in love with the Montessori Method when her daughter Juliette attended a Montessori primary classroom. Alex has been teaching in the early learning environment in public and private schools since 2007, upon graduating from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Alex also has an Early Childhood Montessori Credential from MACTE/Montessori Live and a diploma from the North American Montessori Center.
She is originally from Lima, Peru and is excited to implement the Spanish language in the learning environment. She is married and has three children, Linda, Juliette, and Thomas, and enjoys traveling, reading, spending time with her family and considers herself a ‘foodie.’ Her daughters will be joining us at NewGate.
Elementary Team

Jennie Caskey, B.A., IMC
Upper Elementary Montessori Guide
Jennie Caskey is a seasoned Upper Elementary Guide at NewGate School. With a decade of experience at NewGate, she holds an IMC Elementary Montessori Teaching Certification under MACTE accreditation in addition to her B.A. in Liberal Arts (Psychology) from New College of Florida. Jennie’s diverse background in music, performing arts, sciences, and education has shaped her approach to teaching, and she artfully integrates the arts and sciences into her lessons. She has a knack for inspiring creativity and turning moments of inspiration into action. When not guiding young minds, you can find Jennie strumming her ukulele, reading, or engaging in philosophical discussions in the garden.

Jennifer Darmogray-Lombard, B.S., AMS
Lower Elementary Montessori Guide
Jenn joined NewGate in August 2019. This year is her 30th year in Montessori education. Over the years, she has been a Head of School, Montessori Teacher Trainer, Curriculum Coordinator, Summer School Coordinator, Supervising Teacher, and Parent Educator. She has also taken many hours of professional development in order to continually meet each child’s needs.
Jennifer holds a B.S. in education from the University of Northern Michigan and has both her AMS early childhood 3-6 and elementary 6-12 certifications, with MACTE accreditation. She has been a teacher trainer and received additional training in Applied Behavior Analysis with an Autism specialization. Jennifer is excited to join the NewGate team. “I love Montessori Education!” As Dr. Maria Montessori said, “The essential thing is to arouse such an interest that it engages the child’s whole personality.”
Jennifer believes that her objective as a teacher is to help each child discover the joy of learning and to help the child develop a strong belief in his or her own ability. Each child is encouraged to do his or her best and to have a sense of pride in his or her accomplishments. She also believes it is of primary importance that her students appreciate and respect the differences of others.

Nora Faris, Ph.D, IMC
Lower Elementary Montessori Guide
This is Nora’s 3rd year at NewGate. An educator for the last twenty-nine years, she is currently pursuing her IMC Elementary Teaching Credential through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies and a master’s in Montessori Leadership though the TIES Program at Endicott College. Nora’s education includes a B.A. from Emory University in English and Educational Studies, an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Columbia University’s Teachers College, and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Language and Literacy. Nora started her Montessori journey fourteen years ago at The Montessori School in Chattanooga, TN where she began as a mom and worked as an administrator for her last nine years. Nora enjoys spending time with her husband and three children (two of whom are also at NewGate), as well as hiking, biking, and reading.

Casey Gramaglia, M. Ed.
Elementary Associate Montessori Guide
Casey is thrilled to be joining the team at the NewGate Ashton campus; he is passionate about the Montessori method and alumni from one of the oldest Montessori schools in the country, Whitby School. Casey will be joining Ms. Nora as a guide and working with students and faculty to develop the beautiful grounds on the Ashton campus as he is passionate about sustainable living and agriculture. Casey has a BA in Liberal Arts from Eugene Lang College in New York City, and a post-graduate certificate & MA in international education from Keele University in Staffordshire, England. Cha–Casey’s son–will be joining the NewGate community as well on the upper campus; his wife Nan is an international educator and librarian, the entire family have invested their lives in education and believe strongly that we have to be the change we want to see in the world. Casey is passionate about the outdoors, dancing, snowboarding, trail running, open water swimming, cycling, hiking, multisport, and spending time traveling with his family. He is happy to return to the United States after living abroad and teaching in northern Thailand for nearly 20 years.
Holly Morse
Upper Elementary Montessori Guide
Holly joined NewGate in October 2022. Holly holds a Bachelor of Music from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin. She earned her Montessori elementary teaching credential from the Center of Guided Studies, a MACTE accredited Montessori teacher training program. Prior to coming to NewGate, Holly had various roles starting in 2010 and culminating in a lead teaching position in 2014 at the Meadow Montessori School in Monroe, Michigan. Holly enjoys spending time with her daughter Lucy, who joined NewGate as a junior.
LAKEWOOD RANCH CAMPUS

Jeff Allen, M.A., AMI
Secondary Humanities
This is Jeff’s 12th year at NewGate and his 25th year in education. In addition to his Montessori experience, Jeff has taught English, history, math, and maritime studies in both private and public schools. At NewGate, Jeff teaches History and the Humanities. He holds a B.A. in History and English from Tufts University and his M.A. in Teaching from Simmons College.
Jeff studied Secondary Montessori teacher education at the AMI affiliated North American Montessori Teachers’ Association Montessori Orientation for Adolescent Studies at Hiram College. He is also an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Instructor. Jeff is currently completing the IMC Secondary Montessori Teacher Education Program. His interests include sailing, bicycling, woodworking, and spending time with his family. Jeff has a son who graduated from NewGate and is now at the University of Florida and a daughter in the Secondary program and loves spending time with his family.

Amy Kremer-Treibly, M.A. - Secondary Guide
Secondary English
Amy has taught throughout the New Gate Secondary Program since 2002 primarily with English reading, writing and theater projects and has been teaching for 25 years. She is also an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Instructor, Librarian and CAS Advisor. She has spent many years developing the Secondary Program’s experiential learning programs and looks for every opportunity to get students off campus and into the community for learning opportunities. She also leads the annual Drama Immersion Weeks with students at each Secondary level to build memorable theatrical productions in the space of a week. One of her great joys is helping every student find gateway books that lead to a life long love of reading, and she builds every opportunity possible to share books with students from toddler through high school levels.
Amy earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology at Loyola University where she also enjoyed studying Spanish during a study abroad term in Quito, Ecuador and learning about world religions as her minor. She began her teaching career in a refugee resettlement program teaching ESL to adult students from around the world followed by teaching Spanish at the elementary level. While teaching at a Great Books Foundation high school in Arizona, she earned her Master’s Degree in Experiential Education at Prescott College with a focus on building schools and learning experiences to promote engagement, eco-literacy and stewardship.
Amy enjoys her family time, reading, and travel, all preferably at the beach!

Anthony Carrera, B.S.
Secondary Guide, Area of Focus: Science
Anthony joined New Gate in August 2021, moving to Florida from Nebraska. Anthony grew up in a Montessori classroom from the ages of 4-14 which helped promote his passion for the sciences with an inclination toward conservation and animals. He graduated from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2015 with his B.S in Fisheries and Wildlife with study abroad experiences in Puerto Rico performing data collection on the terrestrial and marine life on the island. Anthony joins Newgate with 6 years of professional background working law enforcement for the Nebraska Humane Society as an animal control officer having many experiences with a variety of animals from bobcats to house cats. Anthony is currently completing his Montessori accreditation through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies and is looking forward to starting his journey at NewGate.

Natacha Stutzman, B.S.
Secondary Guide

Gillett Cole, B.A., AMI
Gillett joined NewGate in August 2021 after relocating from St. Paul, Minnesota. He has his AMI Montessori Elementary Teacher Certification from the Montessori Center of Minnesota. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a minor in French. He is a trained Montessori Model United Nations Instructor and a Montessori STEM practitioner. Among his many talents, Gillett is an entrepreneur, co-founding the Twin Cities Closet Company.

Katie Brenna, M.A.
Secondary Spanish
Katie joins New Gate in 2021 with 11 years of Spanish teaching experience in the private school realm. She first discovered her love of world languages as a middle school student, which is one reason why she is really passionate about teaching middle school! Katie is no stranger to studying abroad. Much of her language learning is rooted in field experiences in Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Her experiential education coupled with her academic experiences at both Elon University (B.A. Spanish/International Studies) and Middlebury College (M.A. Spanish Literature) has deepened not only her understanding but also her appreciation for the Spanish language and the myriad of cultures that it represents. In the classroom, Katie is a big proponent of exposing her students to many resources and strategies, so that they can identify and utilize the ones that resonate with their learning style. In her free time, Katie enjoys hiking outside with her family and gardening.
Alicia Mercado-Harvey, Ph. D.
Foreign Language and History Professor
Alicia Mercado-Harvey is a professor of Spanish, Portuguese, and History. Alicia has a passion for teaching young minds. She has taught all levels of Spanish from preschool to college level. She has almost twenty years of experience teaching language and five teaching history. Alicia currently divides her time teaching Portuguese and history at NCF and IB Spanish at New Gate. She graduated from the Spanish and Portuguese Studies Ph.D. program at University of Florida in 2013. Her dissertation about detective fiction as trauma literature will be published in 2022. Alicia is also a fiction writer, with a co-authored novel published in Chile and a second one that will be published in early 2022 with the sponsorship of the Chilean Ministry of Culture. Several of her short stories have been also published in different journals and magazines. She currently contributes with a weekly opinion column for the digital newspaper El Regionalista.


Caitlin Roper, B.A., IMC
Secondary Educator
Caitlin joined NewGate School in 2016. Caitlin teaches IB Art, and TOK (Theory of Knowledge), and guides students participating in creative and physical expression. She is a Florida Gulf Coast University graduate with a Bachelor’s in Communication. Caitlin received her Montessori teaching credential (3-6) from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies, a MACTE accredited Montessori teacher training program. When she is not at NewGate, she can often be found going on adventures with her puppy, Oliver, and continuing her lifelong love of learning.


Glenn Grizzard, M.Ed.
Secondary Montessori Guide Language and Humanities
Language and Humanities specialist Glenn Grizzard comes to New Gate by way of Key West, the Appalachian Mountain towns of Asheville and Boone, North Carolina, and his home in Georgia. After spending the Covid years at May Sands Montessori Charter School in Key West, Glenn spent last year teaching gifted children in a public middle school in Asheville. Glenn earned his B.A. and M.Ed. at the University of Georgia. He took his Montessori Secondary training at the NAMTA program in Ohio.
From 2004-18, Glenn launched and taught in the middle school – and also served as the Director – at Mountain Pathways Montessori School in Boone. He also taught educational psychology at Appalachian State University during this period, where he raised his two children, Sawyer and Savannah. Prior to moving to Boone, Glenn taught gifted classes and social studies at a public middle school just outside Athens, Ga. where he had attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate and graduate work. (Go Dawgs!)In addition to his passion for college football, Glenn enjoys golf, travel, and learning all he can about the world so he can share it with kids!


Haley Horton, B.A.
Secondary Montessori Guide: Mathematics
Haley joined NewGate in August 2019. She is a skilled mathematician and science teacher. Haley graduated from the University of South Florida with a B.A. in General Mathematics. Most of her core classes were based in topology and real analysis, and she hopes to be able to integrate that into her classes. In college, she enjoyed participating in quiz bowl as the team’s literature nerd. Haley received her Montessori secondary teaching credential from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies, a MACTE accredited Montessori teacher training program in 2021. She loves classic literature and is always looking for a new book to read.


Isabela Zuniga Sosa, M.A.
Secondary Spanish
Isabela Sosa was born in Cali, Colombia where she grew up surrounded by a big family and a vibrant city filled with arts, culture, and strong community spirit. Isabela’s elementary and high school years were attended at an IB British school in Cali, Colombia, where her mom was a teacher for over 30 years, being a strong influence in Isabela’s life. After school, Isabela would help her mom with the after care program that took place in their house in the south of Cali, to the east of the western mountain range known as the “Farallones de Cali,” joining students and helping in culinary, ballet, art and sports.
After graduating high school, Isabela moved to Colombia’s capital, Bogota, to pursue a degree in Psychology with emphasis in neuropsychology where she worked with kids and the elderly doing neuropsychological evaluations and recommendations. She’s always been passionate about human behavior. In 2008 she completed a master’s in behavioral psychology, and in 2010 she moved to San Francisco, CA, where she completed a master’s in marketing. Prior to joining the NewGate family, Isabela worked in the consumer goods industry in Bogota and San Francisco before moving to Colombia to launch her own natural products company. In 2018, Isabela, along with her husband Neil and daughter Sophia, moved back to the USA from Colombia settling in Sarasota. Sarasota is, like to many of us, a special place for Isabela, and she has enjoyed being an active member in the community while welcoming her second daughter Emma to the family in 2019.
Isabela is a proud mother of 2 NewGate students, and during her free time she enjoys yoga, playing the guitar, and salsa dancing.
GLOBAL CAMPUS


Lydia Dumais, M.S.
Secondary Science & Art Montessori Guide
Lydia Dumais teaches high school science and art. She is also an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Instructor. This is Lydia’s 6th year at NewGate. She graduated from New College of Florida with a double major in Biology and History and an M.S. in Biology from Clemson University. She presented academic papers at the Florida Conference of Historians and New Scholars. Part of her undergraduate research included working with wild sea turtles in Costa Rica as part of international conservation efforts.
Lydia is a Secondary Montessori Teacher. She is a lifelong learner and earned the IB Diploma in high school; she brings enthusiasm, hands-on learning, and a spirit of keen intellectual inquiry to the secondary program. She works on conservation projects in her spare time, including working with leatherback sea turtles, gopher tortoises, and wetlands water quality monitoring.
Pam Chan, B.A.
Secondary Mathematics
Pam has taught math at the upper elementary, middle school, and high school levels for many years in a variety of settings: public and private, accelerated and remedial, in small groups, in large classes, and one-on-one, most recently in a Montessori Adolescent Program. She enjoys helping students explore the connections and overlaps between algebra and geometry and, as a result, gain depth of knowledge in both of those mathematical disciplines. She loves seeing all sorts of students gain confidence in their abilities as mathematicians. Pam graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in Mathematics and International Studies. She did her undergraduate honors math research in number field theory and its application in the proofs of certain cases of Fermat’s Last Theorem. In addition to her experience as a mathematician, she also taught English to students of all ages during a two-and-a-half year adventure living in China. Now Pam lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and three children. She enjoys cooking, reading, spending time with friends and family, and being outdoors.



Katie Brenna, M.A.
Secondary Spanish
Katie joins New Gate in 2021 with 11 years of Spanish teaching experience in the private school realm. She first discovered her love of world languages as a middle school student, which is one reason why she is really passionate about teaching middle school! Katie is no stranger to studying abroad. Much of her language learning is rooted in field experiences in Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Her experiential education coupled with her academic experiences at both Elon University (B.A. Spanish/International Studies) and Middlebury College (M.A. Spanish Literature) has deepened not only her understanding but also her appreciation for the Spanish language and the myriad of cultures that it represents. In the classroom, Katie is a big proponent of exposing her students to many resources and strategies, so that they can identify and utilize the ones that resonate with their learning style. In her free time, Katie enjoys hiking outside with her family and gardening.


Elizabeth Hale, B.A., AMI
Global Campus Co-coordinator, Montessori Guide Humanities
Elizabeth joined the Global Team at NewGate in July 2021 excited to investigate how her experiences guiding and supporting Montessori adolescents would translate to the online learning format. Since her first AMI training for children 3-6 years old (1997) and teaching for many years in Portland, OR she has resonated with the strong frequencies of respect, care for the environment, personal accountability, peace, and gratitude that permeate the Montessori prepared environments. Further AMI training, for the elementary years 6 – 12 year olds (Bergamo, Italy, 2003), sparked her earnest desire to work with adolescents which has led her to cultivating a fifth adolescent community in Global. Elizabeth is an avid journal keeper as well as being a lover of conversation and story. Long walks by the ocean and through the forests bring her great joy as does spending time with her daughter.


Amy Kremer-Treibly, M.A.
Global Campus Co-coordinator, Experiential Community Based Learning Facilitator
Amy has taught throughout the New Gate Secondary Program since 2002 primarily with English reading, writing and theater projects and has been teaching for 24 years. She is also an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Instructor, Librarian and CAS Advisor. She has spent many years developing the Secondary Program’s experiential learning programs and looks for every opportunity to get students off campus and into the community for learning opportunities. She also leads the annual Drama Immersion Weeks with students at each Secondary level to build memorable theatrical productions in the space of a week. One of her great joys is helping every student find gateway books that lead to a life long love of reading, and she builds every opportunity possible to share books with students from toddler through high school levels.
Amy earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology at Loyola University where she also enjoyed studying Spanish during a study abroad term in Quito, Ecuador and learning about world religions as her minor. She began her teaching career in a refugee resettlement program teaching ESL to adult students from around the world followed by teaching Spanish at the elementary level. While teaching at a Great Books Foundation high school in Arizona, she earned her Master’s Degree in Experiential Education at Prescott College with a focus on building schools and learning experiences to promote engagement, eco-literacy and stewardship.
Amy enjoys her family time, reading, and travel, all preferably at the beach!