The Staff at Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy
Administration and Student Support
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Arden Wilson
Head of School [email protected] BA Geology - Denison University BA Social Studies and Elementary Education - Grand Valley State University Montessori Primary Certification - Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center |
After graduating from Denison University with a BA in Geology, Arden moved to northern Michigan to raise a family with her husband, Colby. She started as an assistant at the Suttons Bay Montessori Children’s House in 1995 and earned her Montessori Primary credential in 1997 from the Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center. She helped integrate Leelanau Montessori into the public sector in 2000 and has served as a guide, director and mentor teacher. She recently earned a BA in Social Studies and Elementary Education from Grand Valley State University. She enjoys hiking, gardening, yoga and her family life with her growing kids.
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Nora Goodell
Office Manager; McKenny-Vento Liaison [email protected] BA Political Science - University of Iowa JD - University of Wisconsin Law School |
Since 2018, Nora has been a parent and volunteer in our school community. While focused on the start up of a new family and vineyard in recent times, she was a practicing attorney in her former life. Nora is a dedicated furniture re-arranger, pursuer of creativity in crafts and interior decorating, adventurer, and connector of people.
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Jessica Vitale
Support Specialist [email protected] BA K-12 Art Education and 6-12 Spanish Education - Northern Michigan University |
Jessica is originally from Detroit, Michigan, but spent 9 years in the Upper Peninsula both in Marquette and Manistique. She and her husband, Tom, have 2 boys, Ethan (18) and Arlon (7). They also have a sweet dog named LB and two cats, Maize and Jag. She lives in Leelanau County, where she enjoys gardening, yoga, creating art and pottery, playing music, and singing. Her favorite ways to stay active are hiking, biking, running and playing soccer. She has been teaching Spanish, Art and Media Publications for the past 6 ½ years and prior to that she spent a few years teaching pottery and art classes at a non-profit art organization in Traverse City.
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Taylor Zick
After Care Director and Support Staff [email protected] BA Women's and Gender Studies - Denison University |
Taylor has been working with children of all ages and immersive himself in outdoor education for over 10 years. He has a sincere passion for deep nature connection and restoring our relations with the plants, animals, and each other. His work and studies brought him all over the world, including studying environmental sciences in Southern Africa and receiving a B.A. from Denison University. He settled in this region to learn the ways of the coyote in the lineage of Apache Elder Stalking Wolf, through Tom Brown Jr. In his time here, he has worked with many skilled educators and learned many survival skills and awareness practices he excited to share and deepen here at The Leelanau Montessori.
Sprouts - Toddler Environment
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Hope has lived in Leelanau County since she was seven years old. She loved growing up in this beautiful county; it aided in Hope's deep love and appreciation for the natural world that surrounds us. She try to spend all my free time outside, whether that be taking her two "fur-babies" for hikes, wake surfing on Glen Lake, rock picking along Lake Michigan's shoreline, or star/moon gazing late into the night. Hope has a deep fascination with the night sky, spending time learning about both Astronomy and Astrology. Hope is also an avid reader and writer, but focuses mostly on poetry. Hope's love for children began when she was eight years old and her little brother was born. Growing up she spent many summers babysitting friends, family, and neighborhood children. In 2021, Hope started her Early Childhood Education career in a daycare setting, then jumped at the opportunity to join this Montessori community. Hope has her Montessori Assistant Certificate and is currently studying her Lead Montessori Certificate.
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Primary Environments - Aspen and Sugar Maple
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Corine Couturier Primary Lead Guide - Aspen [email protected] BA Social Work - Hope College Montessori Primary Certification - Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center |
Corine Couturier has a long passion for the well-being of children and loves to connect children with nature and song. She has been a primary guide at the Children’s House in Traverse City and at Leelanau Montessori. She has also worked with youth as a dorm mother at the Leelanau School and had a child care business in her home. Corine enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, and spending time with her husband and two children.
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Monica is so excited to join the Leelanau Montessori community. Monica has been working with children for many years beginning with nannying while growing up to working for an assistant at the Children's House Montessori school in Traverse City. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher someday. The first time she walked into a bustling Montessori toddler classroom she specifically remembers watching the children gracefully set up a beautiful and inspiring lunch table. It was that day, Monica fell in love with the independent whole child approach to learning.
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Elizabeth Channer
Primary Assistant - Aspen [email protected] BS Psychology - Western Illinois University MS Experimental Psychology - Western Illinois University Montessori Para-Professional - Michigan Montessori Training Center |
Elizabeth is a Chicago native who was a Montessori child herself. She has had the opportunity to explore and live in many diverse settings from Chicago to the rocky mountains of Colorado; however, she is happy to now call Leelanau her home. Elizabeth’s background is heavy in the human services field and includes years of working at a domestic violence shelter and advocating for the survivors living there. Elizabeth believes strongly that each individual is unique and should be treated so. That is one of the reasons she loves the Montessori philosophy so much. Elizabeth and her partner Matthew have two children. Filomena and Era Mae who both attend Leelanau Montessori! When they aren't busy building their own company they like to spend time gardening, cooking, going to the beach, and playing with their animals.
Elementary
Lower Elementary - Cherry
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Janelle Cole
Lower Elementary Lead [email protected] BA Elementary Education and Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education - Brevard College AMI Elementary Certification - Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies |
Janelle grew up in Rockford with her parents and younger brother and was homeschooled by her mother. Her education and play at this time was quite self-directed and made full use of experiential, immersive and real-world education. Janelle continued her education on the picturesque campus of Brevard College, located between the Pisgah National and DuPont State Forests. During this time, she cultivated a deep understanding of and love for leadership development and the limitless potential held within outdoor education and experiences. Janelle then spent a year training, traveling and racing professionally as a road cyclist around the United States and in Europe, followed with a carpentry apprenticeship in beautiful Boulder, Colorado... an adventurer's dream come true! She returned to Michigan and enjoyed spending a year with an energetic, insightful class of pre-kindergarten students, delighting in their sweetness and looked forward to the challenge of designing individual strategies to help support their academic and social emotional success. Coming finally to Montessori education was a sigh of relief that accompanies a feeling of coming home for Janelle: of finding an educational philosophy and methodology that I am eager to share with our young people. Janelle completed her AMI Elementary Certification in June 2024.
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Megan Jordan
Lower Elementary Assistant jordanm@leelanaumontessori.org BA Elementary Education, Early Childhood Major - Wayne State University Elementary Montessori Certification - Center for Guided Montessori Studies |
Megan taught for Benzie Central School in Preschool, Kindergarten and 2nd grade as well as homeschooling her 2 oldest children. She working on her bachelor's degree, Megan was introduced and identified with Montessori Philosophy. When the opportunity to become certified as a true "Montessorian" presented, she jumped at the chance to work toward her dream career. Megan lives with her 3 children in Traverse City along with her dad (Grandpa to most) Frieda the cat, and Wiggles the snake. Megan's family likes to cook and share food, float down the river, and jump on the trampoline.
Upper Elementary - Hickory
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Tanya Hill
Upper Elementary Lead Guide [email protected] BA - Montessori Emphasis MA - Integrated Montessori Education American Montessori Certification - Primary AMI Elementary Certification - Montessori Institute Denver |
Tanya was introduced to Montessori education when her son went to a Montessori school in Midland, MI. She was instantly drawn to the Montessori philosophy and pedagogy as he went through his primary class as a four-year-old. Tanya began her AMS training to receive her Primary credential and has taught in a Montessori environment for 26 years. Since her time in Midland, MI, she has served in two other schools. She was at Kingsley Montessori School in Boston, MA. and Esprit International School in The Woodlands, TX. Tanya has a passion for Montessori education and teaching children of all ages. She completed her master’s thesis in Montessori Integrated Learning at Endicott College in Massachusetts where her love for Cosmic education was deepened and informed. When Tanya is not in the classroom, she is at home with her husband remodeling their house and taking care of their “farm” and dogs. She loves to visit her children and grandchildren in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.
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Emily Kotz
Upper Elementary Assistant [email protected] BA English (Creative Writing) and Environmental Studies - Kalamazoo College MS Community Sustainability - Michigan State University MA Elementary Education - Grand Valley State University (in process) |
Emily is originally from Okemos, Michigan and grew up travelling to Northern Michigan with her family to explore the dunes, lakes, and drive-in movie theaters. She has worked in the field of youth development in many roles since graduating from Kalamazoo College in 2015, but became fully engaged with the work of experiential education after having the opportunity to serve in an Americorps position in Seattle, WA. She completed her master's of science degree in Community Sustainability from Michigan State University focusing on the topic of outdoor experiential education learning outcomes. She has a passion for helping youth grow into their authentic selves as they explore and take on challenges in the world around them. She enjoys bike-packing trips, reading, writing letters to friends near and far, and spending time with her cats, Moe and Blaze. She is excited to join the Leelanau Montessori community and can't wait to start learning alongside the upper elementary Hickory students!
Montessori Coaches
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Bethany Sparling
Montessori Coach / Outreach [email protected] BA Elementary Education / Science Endorsement - CMU Upper Elementary Training - Seton Montessori AMI Adolescent Orientation - Train Montessori |
It was in college that Bethany was introduced to educational alternatives and the Montessori philosophy. After she and her husband Jason started a family, she knew that a child-centered approach to learning was a priority for their children. Sophie, Parker and Violet all attended a primary Montessori program and later homeschooled. Bethany and her family moved to Leelanau County in 2014 when she took a position as an Upper Elementary guide at Leelanau Montessori where all three of her children attended. Since then she has taught in both upper and lower elementary classrooms and now serves as an Elementary Montessori Coach. Being an outdoor enthusiast, Bethany loves being with her family in northern Michigan in all seasons hiking, camping, gardening, kayaking, skiing and enjoying the fresh water!
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Lisa Thauvette
Montessori Consultant [email protected] BA - Alma College Masters of Education in Montessori - Loyola College Maryland Elementary 6-12 - AMI Washington Montessori Institute |
Lisa has lived and worked overseas for most of her adult career, from Bangkok, to Buenos Aires, to Brussels. It was in Brussels, Belgium, where she began her Montessori teaching career at International Montessori, first as a lead elementary guide and then as the Head of School for 11 years. Returning to her home state of Michigan, Lisa now coaches teachers and administrative leaders using the same Montessori lens as with children, guiding individuals toward their fullest potential through observation and individualized mentoring. Along the way she co-mingles her other passion of comedic improvisation as a tool to bring joy and levity to teams, conference speaking engagements, and teacher professional development trainings.
