Julie Christensen is the Director of Co-Curricular Programs at MMS. He is an active fiction writer, with short stories published in a number of literary magazines for adult readers. Originally from Monroe, WI, Abby studied writing and psychology at Drake University in Des Moines, IA before recently moving to Milwaukee. During that time, Heidi began teaching undergraduate students and fell in love with education but wanted more one-on-one time with students to develop strengths and weaknesses. In her free time, Alona enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors with her family. She is a big college football fan (Oklahoma State Go Pokes!) His students have won multiple Scholastic Golden Key Awards and have had their work published in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Catie Barksdale received her degree in Teaching for the Deaf from ISU.

She received her undergraduate degree from Lawrence University and her American Montessori International (AMI) Montessori training from The Midwest Montessori Institute where she studied under the late Hildegard Solzbacher. She loves Wisconsin and spends her time working out, cooking, and listening to her favorite podcast NPR. has served as the Head of School at Milwaukee Montessori School since 1999. In her own time, Harper works with senior and memory care communities to create process-based art experiences (read: she helps grown-ups play and get messy again). As a current CH Playgroup Teacher, she loves working with toddlers whose work is spontaneous and honest, and she feels it is important not to underestimate what they can learn. She is excited to be part of the MMS community! Madeleine is originally from central Illinois and moved to Milwaukee in 2015 for college. When not at school, Sierra also enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and has a passion for the environment and volunteering; having previously worked with Homeless Connect, The Wisconsin Humane Society, and local community cleanup projects. Montessori is a method of education based on self-directed activity and hands-on learning. Georgia Kane began at MMS in 2012 as a student teacher in the art room. Sierra Falkowski was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, and grew up traveling yearly to different parts of the country. Additionally, she spent five summers as a camp counselor with the Jewish Community Center of Milwaukee. Outside of school, Marie is interested in religious studies and meditation. Honored as, Excellent Student of the Year for her research during Masters, Deepali was delightfully welcomed as a teaching faculty in Vaze College when she returned to the institute from which she earned her Bachelors degree. Not only is she excited to help her students understand grammar and composition, but she also looks forward to exploring with them how throughout the centuries. Kara loves to travel, and her favorite place to visit is her grandfathers childhood home in Switzerland. Anoma lives in New Berlin, with her husband and three children who have all graduated from MMS. Hannah graduated from Marquette University in May of 2019 and is originally from Salinas, California. He also has worked as anindustrial electrician, a home-builder, and an engineering consultant. She takes great joy in her children-a biological daughter and a bonus son that came into her life when she met her husband. Madeleine is an avid fan of animation, classic literature, and many different types of video games. Cece Sullivan has been a Montessori teacher for many years and taught at a number of different Montessori schools in the Milwaukee area. Her masters degree in Music Education is from UW-Madison. David Swanson grew up in Chicago. Her time at MMS started fresh out of college, after graduating from UW-Madison, as a classroom assistant teacher in Lizz Loders room and soon afterwards she began immersing the younger students in the wonderful world of Spanish! Learn more Cece happily joined the staff at Milwaukee Montessori School in 2009. He plans to continue his own education by earning a Masters Degree in Mathematics. Upon graduation in the summer of 1989, Kathy began working at MMS in the Toddler Program and remained there until the fall of 2021 when she decided to semi-retire. Inspired by her mothers charming narrations and experiences about her students, Deepali stepped into the world of education completing her Bachelor of Education from the University of Mumbai.

She thinks kids are so fun to be around every day because nothing is ever the same. Prior to moving to Milwaukee, she and her husband moved with their three children more than twenty times in a thirty-year period. She also enjoys eating out with friends and family and playing with her cat, Sapphire. He then became a part-time employee working during the summers and over various breaks throughout the school years. Mary Beths children and ten grandchildren are the joy of her life. There, he combined his love of the outdoors with his love of math and teaching. In her free time, Kara enjoys biking, hiking, and attending Brewer and Packer games. Before working at Milwaukee Montessori School, she was the store manager at Pet World where she took care of all kinds of animals and even helped to train the staff on how to care for the animals at the store. She strives to create an atmosphere of calm, order, and joy in the classroom. What drew Madeleine to MMS was the unique learning environment that the school offers the children to grow and learn in. She later moved to, and worked in, the bustling heart of downtown Milwaukee, and has now happily rejoined suburban life in the city of West Allis. As for the future, she looks forward to showing her paintings at galleries and creating childrens books. Exploring the Montessori curriculum with the toddlers is her favorite part of the job, but having her daughter here at school with her is another great perk! Chris Gauger began working at Milwaukee Montessori School in 2006. Carinas passion has always been helping people of all ages which is why she worked as a Critical Care Technician at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit. This is Nakiyahs first time experiencing a Montessori school and looks forward to the opportunities and adventures MMS will bring. One reason Harper loves to work at MMS is the Montessori philosophy of following the child. She is also an enthusiastic reader and food lover. Being a Milwaukee Montessori parent for nine years, she was excited by the opportunity to be a part of a great team and to contribute to the Childrens House Program. Pete has a loving wife and enjoys time with his 8-year-old stepson. Katie recently bought her first home in West Allis and is getting married in October of 2015. He enjoys being able to help foster the needs of all students, while also guiding them to reach high yet achievable goals. Katia moved to Milwaukee in July of 2018. Morgan Hemming grew up in Wauwatosa and has worked in childcare for the last three years. She enjoys teaching in Childrens House because she loves the excitement and enthusiasm the small children bring into the classroom each day. Asia loves her position at MMS because of the kids she gets to work with every day! She received her bachelors degree in exercise and sports science in 1997 at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. She grew up in Milwaukee, WI with her mother and five sisters. She thoroughly enjoyed the rigorous liberal arts curriculum and chose to major in English Literature and Writing Composition. During her free time, she loves to be outside with friends and family and take time for self-care. Although she is originally from Brookfield, she moved to the great state of Texas to study at the University of Dallas. In her free time, Lisette enjoys swimming, hiking, and singing. With all of these skills, shes looking forward to stimulating our youngest students creatively! She also served a three-year term on the Professional Services Committee for ISACS helping to develop and create professional development opportunities for faculty and staff at member schools. Her favorite part of teaching, whether it be in a classroom or in a studio, is seeing the students excitement as they learn something new! Deepti Arora grew up in India, and after earning a Bachelors Degree in Education from the Rajasthan University in 1999, she taught middle school language and moral science at Central Academy School in Alwar, Rajasthan for two years. Brittany uses her degree in IT at Milwaukee Montessori as the Business Office Assistant along with working in the Accounts Payable department. He then went on to attend Pius XI Catholic High School just down the road. Her children attend the school as well, and considers it a privilege to watch them grow. Ms. Goreckis clay sculptures and paintings are known for their brooding and humorous symbolism, and she has had them shown extensively in the Milwaukee area as well as Washington D.C. As much as we love having her smiling, sweet personality here every day, we are excited for her to embark on a new journey soon! She has been working with children for most of her life, through babysitting and daycare. She is dedicated to answering parent concerns, building a rapport with families, and assisting the administrative team and the Head of School to the best of her abilities. She has several years of childcare experience and has spent the last few years working as a massage therapist and stylist. In her life outside of MMS, Alesa loves spending time with her husband and son (MMS class of 33! Lizz is firmly committed to the mission and life of Milwaukee Montessori School and she enjoys attending school events, seeing them as opportunities for a more casual, relaxed time to get to know the families of Milwaukee Montessori. She says that she vividly remembers taking the first bite of her first days pay and deciding right then that she would be a teacher when she grows up. Debbie has been our Business Manager since 1999 when she moved to Milwaukee with her family from Ohio, where she worked in the Development/Business office of another school. After successfully graduating from Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Evan attended the Conservatory Program at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI., under the direction of Matthew Michelic of the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra. Kathy and her husband, Chris, have two wonderful children. With nearly a decade of experience under her belt and continual extensive research on the best foreign language teaching practices (CI, AIM & TPRS) Seorita Gutirrez is known for building healthy brain habits in her classroom as well as allowing artistic expression with students. She has a Bachelors Degree in Accounting and a Masters Degree in Education. Jenna is delighted at the idea of helping toddlers grow and learn within the program! Carina Pabon came to Milwaukee Montessori School in December of 2016 as the Front Desk Administrative Assistant. Cote is well-versed in guitar, bass, lap steel, ukulele, mandolin and various percussion; and may be found performing his own original compositions ranging from folk to avant-garde electronica solo and with various ensembles. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Karen earned a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from the UW-Milwaukee in 2001 and was the recipient of the prestigious Logan Travel Scholarship in 2000. Oftentimes on weekends, you can find her and her husband out on the water. Shes played many sports throughout her life and enjoys being active (a perfect fit for MMS!). Katie started at Milwaukee Montessori School in 2013, bringing ten years of previous work with children. During that time, her children were attending MacDowell Montessori School. She continually stays active whether its going for long runs or playing soccer with her 10-year-old cousin! Spoken in complete Spanish, the children learn the language, traditions, and the culture of Spanish speakers. Click herefor more information. Millie is passionate about the outdoors and has spent many summers out in the woods building communities and creating safe, challenging, and fun experiences for young people. Science is an integral element of the Montessori curriculum. In her free time, you can often find Courtney crafting with her Cricut machine, reading through massive piles of books she has checked out from her local library, or out and about at various thrift stores seeking unique treasures to bring home! In 2016 she volunteered at La Causa Crisis Nursery and the year prior she co-coached her younger sisters basketball team. His other passions include wakeboarding and working out. She is sure that there will be many thrilling years working with the children. Ashley hopes to learn more about the children here at MMS and aims to help them grow as individuals. She has also spent time working at a Milwaukee Public High School in a 9th-grade algebra class as an assistant teacher and personal tutor. All of Cheryls four children graduated from MMS, starting in the Toddler or Childrens House Program.

Micha is from Cushing, Oklahoma, where she spent her entire childhood and graduated from Cushing High School in 2003. Catie utilizes her teaching experience here at the Milwaukee Montessori School where she has been involved for over 15 years. Examples include: 1) utilizing American Sign Language to provide visual support, solidify comprehension, increase retention and scaffold options for participation without English use, 2) incorporating Animated Short Films to engage learners via the storytelling method: Movie Talk, where students listen, write, & verbally respond to prompts about sequencing, accuracy of detail recall, inferencing and their own lives, 3) emphasizing the importance of the phonetic nature of the language and using exaggerated facial expressions to attain accurate pronunciation til it becomes more natural for learners and is no longer necessary to act it out and 4) embodying song and literature where one rapidly acquires vocabulary, perfects their pronunciation and finely tunes his/her eyes and ears to a new language.



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