Meet our faculty & staff
We believe any school is only as good as its faculty. These individuals are the essential link between the child and the educational philosophy, the learning materials and the prepared environment. They need to be dedicated, committed "guides" and, through observation, continuously striving to know each child as an individual and must also have the ability to work well within the school community of teachers and parents. Our teaching and administrative staff reflects these attributes bringing a diverse educational background and a long term commitment to MCMS.
Children's House I |
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 Guide Anna has lived in Madison, WI for most of her life. She graduated from UW Madison with a degree in Early Childhood Education, and later attended the Midwest Montessori Institute in Milwaukee where she received her Primary level Montessori training in 1991. She taught several years in Janesville, WI before returning in 1993 to Madison and MCMS where she has been teaching ever since. Anna and her husband have 2 children attending MCMS, ages 7 and 11 and also a son who graduated and is now attending high school. She and her family like to explore different Wisconsin parks where they enjoy hiking, biking and camping. |
 Assistant Kim grew up here in Madison, graduating from West High, and she received her assistant and lead teacher qualifications from MATC. She has been on staff at MCMS since August 1992. Kim worked with Toddlers for 3 years and then moved on to work with the Primary Full Day program for many years. She has now been assisting in the Children's House program for the past few years and has found her home. Kim feels very fortunate to be part of such a wonderful school community for so many years and she is excited to continue working and growing here at MCMS. Both of her children have completed the Children's House program here. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, scrapbooking, camping and spending time with her family. |
Children's House II |
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 Guide Susan is a native of Milwaukee and graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a BS is Speech Pathology/Audiology. While in her Master's program she enrolled her daughter in a Montessori school and decided she would like to spend her working days in a Children's House environment. After completing the AMI primary training at the Midwest Montessori Training Institute, she started working at MCMS in 1988. Since that time she has worked in various Montessori settings in Wisconsin including public Montessori in Milwaukee, a rural setting in Janesville and a suburban setting in Fox Point. She is very happy to be back with old and new friends at MCMS. |
 Assistant This is Meghan's third year at MCMS and she is very excited to be part of the MCMS team. She grew up in Madison and has lived here most of her life. She has a BS in Elementary Education and ESL (English as a Second Language) from Edgewood College. Meghan has worked with children for 13 years in various childcare, preschool and classroom environments. In her free time she enjoys cooking, reading, being outside and spending time with family and friends. |
Preschool Full Day Program |
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 Team Teacher Mary McCusker began as an assistant in a Primary (Children's House) classroom at MCMS in the fall of 2007. Prior to joining MCMS, Mary taught in a preschool, and afterschool program and had a position as a Home Visitation Teacher. She attended UW Madison with a major in Early Childhood Education |
 Team Teacher Maura McHugh is beginning her second year in the Full Day Program. After receiving her degree in Child Development from UW-Madison in 2005, Maura returned to her home in Boston. Maura has been teaching preschool for the past 5 years and completed her M.Ed from Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts in May 2010. Maura is currently participating in the Montessori Assistants to Infancy training in Denver during the summers. She is very happy to be back in Madison. In her spare time, Maura loves running marathons, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. |
 Team Teacher Mallory Powers was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan where she attended Aquinas College. She is now finishing her elementary education degree in Madison. She has been in childcare for the past fourteen years, working with families as a nanny and with children in inner city schools in Brooklyn, New York. She believes she was born to be a teacher and is excited to join the MCMS school this fall where she can practice the Montessori philosophy that she has been studying for the past ten years. Mallory is also excited that her three year old son can attend the school this fall. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, camping with her son, and reading. |
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Lower Elementary (LE) |
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 Guide As a first year teacher, Anna is so grateful for the opportunity to be working with the staff and families of MCMS. Her mother was a Montessori Primary guide, so Montessori has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember and then some. In 2010, driven by an unyielding desire to continue learning, a goal of sharing what she had been given with others, and many conversations with close friends and family, Anna was inspired to pursue an AMI Montessori Elementary Certification. In May of 2011 she completed the training program at the Montessori Institute of Milwaukee. Anna holds a B.A. in English Literature from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. Marquette's school motto, Cura Personalis, or "care for the whole person", continues to guide Anna in all that she does, as it reinforces a message her parents emphasized all her life: the circumstances from which an individual comes are unique; every person has something to offer; every human being deserves to be treated with respect. Prior to teaching, Anna spent 4-5 summers working with children of all ages at a YMCA summer camp in northern Wisconsin. |
 Assistant Johanna Kenney has spent the majority of her life in the Montessori environment. Born and raised in Chicago, Johanna entered Near North Montessori at age two and graduated 8th grade only to return in 1997 as a middle school teacher. Johanna earned her Masters of Education with a focus on the Montessori adolescent from Goddard College in Vermont and joined the MCMS community as an adolescent guide in 2005. She loves her current position in the Lower Elementary and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to experience the younger Montessori child. It's very helpful in raising her own two children, both of whom attend MCMS. |
Lower Elementary (LE) |
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 Guide Martha is very excited to begin her first year as a lower elementary guide after completing her elementary training at the Montessori Institute of Milwaukee this past year. Prior to this, she received her degree in Art and Child Psychology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and has spent the past 8 years working with children of all ages in a variety of after school and summer youth programs. In her spare time, Martha enjoys being outdoors, making things and spending time with her family, friends and pets. |
 Assistant Marisol joined MCMS during the 2009-10 school year as a classroom assistant in Lower Elementary. She is completing her Associate's Degree in Elementary Education and is interested in continuing on to receive her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education. Marisol finds that her work in the classroom is a great opportunity to apply the skills she is gaining through her schooling. She has chosen education as her career because she has always been grateful for her own educational experiences; Marisol wants to give back to a school community. Marisol is fluent in English and Spanish. |
Upper Elementary (UE) |
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 Guide Carrie is in her 12th year teaching Upper Elementary at MCMS. Upon receiving her AMI Elementary Montessori diploma, she taught Lower Elementary at Milwaukee Montessori School for one year, where she opened the third Lower Elementary class with 12 first year students. Carrie holds a BS in Business Administration and an AB in Mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis. In her first job after college, she taught high school mathematics at University School in Milwaukee. She also coached high school volleyball and basketball for many years. |
 Assistant In his fifth year here at MCMS, Walt is continuing his work with the Upper Elementary class as the assistant, after spending the summer working with younger students in the Summer Splash Program. Walt has worked with kids of all ages for many years and enjoys learning along with the children. He moved to Madison in 2007 from Connecticut with his wife, who works at UW Madison in the field of education. Walt will also continue his work in the Elementary After School Club this year. |
Elementary Physical Education |
Elementary Art |
 Teacher Scott Peterson is an experienced P.E. specialist who just relocated to Wisconsin from Colorado. He holds an advanced certification for corrective exercise from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and has a bachelor’s degree in Dance and Movement therapy from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Corrective exercise is a combination of sports medicine and personal training used to heal injuries, reduce pain and correct posture, and he is excited to share this, as well as his other specialized knowledge, with the students here. Formerly a ballroom dance instructor, Scott is enthusiastic about fitness, health, and dance, and is an accomplished martial artist with a 2nd degree Black belt in Japanese swordsmanship. He currently lives in Lodi with his wife and their two daughters. |
 Teacher Laurie Rossbach is teaching art for a fifth year at MCMS. Laurie has a BS in Art from UW Madison and has worked as a professional artist and art teacher for over 17 years. As well as teaching, Laurie participates in Madtown Liberty Players political theater group. Laurie lives in Madison with her son Rowan (3). |
Spanish Language and Culture |
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 Teacher Elizabeth Bates Javidan was born and raised in Buena Vista, Virginia. She attended Shenandoah University's Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia and completed a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Music Education in 2010. She is currently studying for her Masters of Science in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) at Shenandoah University through an online program. This is her fifth year of teaching, having taught English privately for three years to Spanish speakers from Central America and one year of teaching ESL (English a second language) to at-risk students in Winchester, Virginia. Elizabeth is fluent in Spanish after having studied the language for ten years, attending a prestigious language immersion program at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont for a summer session, studying the language in immersion-style classes at Shenandoah University and interacting with numerous native Spanish speakers from a variety of countries. The love of the language and the cultures that come with it are the two most important aspects of teaching Elizabeth hopes to share with her students for the upcoming year at the Madison Central Montessori School. Ojala que todo vaya bien para todos en la escuela este año! |
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Adolescent Program |
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 Guide Scott's background is in Environmental Education and he came to MCMS from Nature's Classroom Institute (NCI) five years ago. Stop by and visit the Adolescent program anytime. They would love to show you the class garden and the class lunch business. |
 Guide Kirsten is starting her fifth year as an Adolescent Guide here at MCMS. She grew up in Boston. Kirsten has a BS in Environmental Biology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from UW Madison. Kirsten loves to travel, garden and be outdoors. |
Administration |
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 Head of School Vicki was born and raised in the Milwaukee, WI area. After obtaining her Bachelor degree in Elementary Education, she experienced a Montessori classroom firsthand and immediately fell in love with the philosophy. In 1998, Vicki began working at a private Montessori school in Milwaukee, and soon after completed her AMI elementary training for ages 6-12. She went on to pursue two Master degrees, one in Education and one in Educational Leadership. In 2007, Vicki and her family moved to California, where she became the Associate Head of School at a private Montessori school in Santa Barbara. It was during her time in CA that she obtained her primary training (ages 3-6) through North American Montessori Center. In 2009, Vicki became Head of School at MCMS. She shares her family's enthusiasm for being back in the Midwest and is happy to have joined the community here at MCMS. |
 Head of School Emeritus Dorothy received her elementary education degree in 1957 and taught fourth grade in public schools until 1960. In 1970, Dorothy was introduced to the Montessori Method of Education while living in the Netherlands, where her four children attended a Montessori School. Inspired and intrigued, Dorothy took a position as an Assistant to a Primary Directress at Montessori Children's House in Madison in 1977. Dorothy received her AMI Primary Teaching Certificate in 1978, launching her long career with MCMS. Dorothy was a Primary Directress until 1990, when she "retired" from the classroom to devote her energies to Administration. In that role, she worked to grow the school from two Primary classrooms to the comprehensive range of programs offered today. Dorothy retired as Head of School in 2006, but enjoys her present role as a Board member, where she can keep in touch with the school's excellent staff, wonderful children and committed community of parents. |
 Director of Development Laura attended UW Stout in Menomonie, receiving her BS in Early Childhood Education. She moved on to UW Eau Claire where she was certified in Elementary Education. After her daughter was born, Laura became interested in Montessori education. She worked as office manager at a Montessori school in Houston, Texas and enrolled her daughter in the same school beginning at the age of 18 months. When the family moved to Madison, Laura sought out a Montessori school where her daughter could continue and they found themselves at MCMS. This will be Laura's 18th year here at MCMS. |
 Director of Education and Admissions Meghan has been with MCMS since 1993, first as a Primary Guide and now in Administration. She attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN where she graduated with a degree in Studio Art. She received her Primary Montessori diploma from the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota in 1991. After teaching for several years in Minnesota, Meghan moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family and was fortunate enough to discover MCMS! She lives in Baraboo and enjoys the beauty of this part of the state. |
 Administrative Assistant After substituting for a semester in the MCMS classrooms, Rachael is thrilled to now be on board as the school's Administrative Assistant. Rachael received both her undergrad and graduate degrees in Social Work from UW-Milwaukee. A child welfare social worker in another life, Rachael turned her eyes toward New York City in 2007 to pursue her interest in children's media and writing. An avid traveler and hopeless adventurer, she has also lived in Madrid and Berlin which eventually helped her realize how much she missed Wisconsin. Rachael is very excited to now make Madison her home while continuing to work with children in the warm, supportive environment of MCMS. |
 Bookkeeper Sally started at MCMS in the summer of 2010 as the school's part-time bookkeeper. She brings 30 years of administrative and accounting experience to the position. Sally currently owns her own bookkeeping business as well, which keeps her quite busy when she's away from the school. Sally has a positive and enthusiastic attitude, and is always happy to help. |
| Photos courtesy of Amy Jester Photography | |