MMS faculty

Mrs. Moody has been part of the Montessori community since 1992. She graduated from Central Washington University in 1996 with an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Family Studies and Child Development. She received her Montessori Certification from Seattle University in 1997.  Mrs. Moody taught the Pre-K/Kindergarten class at Monroe Montessori from 2005-2023, while also supervising the Preschool/Kindergarten program.  In Fall of 2023, she moved into a full-time administrative role as Director of Monroe Montessori.  She enjoys mentoring teachers in the Montessori philosophy and inspiring the young minds of children.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in her family's cherry orchard in Wenatchee.          

Mrs. Stronczek has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development & Family Studies from Washington State University. For the last 15 years she has worked in social services. Over her career in social services, she has held many positions and has worked with children ranging from toddlers through high school. Before attending college, she worked at Mukilteo Montessori as an assistant teacher in a preschool classroom and really enjoyed the structure and Montessori way! She has two wonderful daughters and her oldest attended Preschool here last year with Ms. Nichol. She loves being a mom, traveling around the PNW and being a COUG!! 

Mrs. Winter received her Montessori training at the Montessori Institute Northwest in Portland, OR. She is also a graduate of Loyola University Maryland (M. Ed), Pacific University (B.A.), and Monroe Montessori School (2002)! After Montessori training in 2016, Anika worked at Sunstone Montessori School in Portland, OR as an all-levels substitute, summer camp program developer and teacher, and upper elementary assistant teacher. In 2020, Anika moved back to their hometown of Snohomish and taught upper elementary at Arbor Montessori School in Sammamish. Outside of school, Anika loves to garden, make quilts, hang out with her sheep, and play music with her partner, Drew. Anika is so thrilled to be back at Monroe Montessori School, where her Montessori journey began over 20 years ago. 

 Mrs. Haworth has called Monroe home for over 20 years and has had the privilege of raising her family here. She has 4 grown children and just last year she became a grandma, welcoming her first grandchild, a little boy. Teaching has always been a passion of hers and she knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a teacher. Mrs. Haworth had the amazing opportunity to teach preschool through elementary aged students for over 15 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary education, and recently received her master’s degree in Elementary Literacy. She is currently enrolled and pursuing her Montessori certification. She is very excited to be a part of Monroe Montessori. 

Mrs. Meadows recently moved to Monroe in 2020 and is a proud mother of two young daughters who both are attending MMS this fall.  Mrs. Meadows earned her bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Washington and then spent a few years working with Pre-K/Kindergarten students at an independent school in Seattle.  It was not long before she realized her passion for education and later earned her master’s degree in teaching from Antioch University.  She taught third grade in the Lake Washington School District for several years before taking a few years of leave to spend time with her young children. In her spare time, she loves adventuring with her family, gardening, and reading.  She is currently finishing her Montessori certification and is very excited and grateful to return to the classroom and begin the unique journey with each of her students.   

Mrs. Lembke started with Monroe Montessori as a teacher assistant in 2018. She quickly earned her Montessori certificate, became a lead teacher, and earned her BS in Elementary Education. She has been working with children and youth with diverse needs and backgrounds for almost 20 years.

She is married with three children - living in Arlington on a small hobby farm with her menagerie of llamas, pigs, goats, rabbits, fowl, and dogs; one of which she is training as a Search and Rescue K9. In her spare time Mrs. Lembke enjoys hiking with her family and volunteering with Search and Rescue. 

  Mrs. Song is an AMS-Early Childhood Montessori certified teacher and has eight years of Montessori experience. Her son has been in Montessori schools since he was 2.5 years old, and she has expressed that he is her driving force for continuing this journey as a Montessori teacher. After years of teaching and witnessing the positive impact of Montessori education on her own child, she finds the beauty of Montessori’s beliefs and philosophies truly deepens her understanding of each child. Over the years, she has continued to develop a passion for fostering children based on individual needs and guiding them through essential milestones. 

Ms. Devine has been leading Montessori classrooms since 1996. She has led both Early Childhood and Toddler classrooms and has taught adult learners at the Bothell based Montessori Education Institute of the Pacific Northwest. Ms. Devine looks forward to each new school year with an eye towards, “What new topics can we discover together?” And “What will I learn about the education process that will best guide the students in my care?” According to Ms. Devine, children are the greatest view into the potential of the future, and she is excited to share in this blossoming time in their life!  Ms. Devine is a mom of 3, and loves to hike, kayak, read and visit beautiful local places with friends and family.

Mrs. Diaz grew up in Mexico where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and management. After college, Yani immigrated to the United States and has resided here ever since. Upon becoming a mother to her now four-year-old daughter, she was introduced to the Montessori methodology of learning and was immediately impressed with its deep understanding of how children learn. At this point in time, she began to do more research into Montessori philosophy and soon earned her early childhood Montessori certification from the Montessori Institute for Teacher Education in Federal Way. Mrs. Diaz would like you to know that receiving her Montessori certification has been one of the best experiences of her life, and she is passionate about teaching young children with the Montessori methodology. She has been working as a Montessori lead teacher/guide since 2021 and believes that “children are the best teachers, and as guides we continue to learn every day from them.” Since receiving her Montessori certification, Mrs. Diaz has continued to take coursework related to early childhood education and strives to continue learning to be the best she can be at what she loves doing. She is fluent in Spanish and is currently enrolled in a course called Teaching Spanish through the Montessori Method. She also enjoys sewing and will soon begin ukulele classes. She is excited to meet you all and has begun teaching at MMS during our summer program this August.

Miss Reina has been a member of the Monroe Montessori community for the last 17+ years, starting as a second grader in the lower elementary program.  She has been on staff at our school during her high school and college years and has worked in every classroom on campus. Reina recently graduated college with honors with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She also has extensive experience in our early childhood classrooms with both toddler and preschool ages.  In addition to her state teaching certificate, Reina is currently finishing her early childhood Montessori certification and is looking forward for the opportunity to help your children gain a strong educational foundation under her guidance.

Ms. Fermin was born in Washington and raised in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. She has been teaching Spanish since 2009. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in arts, with a minor in Literature. Ms. Fermin has been working with children for many years and started as an assistant at MMS. She received her Montessori teaching certificate so she could become a lead teacher. Ms. Fermin loves to be a teacher, and enjoys watching children grow, learn and develop to their greatest potential. She admires children’s energy, creativity and honesty. To Ms. Fermin, working with kids is fun, and they motivate her to be a better teacher every day. In her free time, she likes to hike, go to the river, take pictures, and enjoy the beautiful nature of the Pacific Northwest!

Mrs. Venkatesan has been a teacher for over a decade, dedicating herself to Montessori education - volunteering, assisting and leading classrooms. In 2017, she earned her Montessori Certification, further deepening her knowledge and dedication to this transformative method of education. She believes in the power of a prepared environment to foster independence, confidence and a lifelong love for learning in children. Her goal is to inspire young minds by creating a space where curiosity is encouraged, individuality is respected, and learning happens naturally through exploration and discovery.

Mrs. Venkatesan grew up in India before moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2000. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a master’s degree in public administration there. When she is not in the classroom, she loves to cook, travel, sew and spend time with her family.

Mrs. Halim was born in Indonesia and recently moved to Washington with her husband. Upon earning her master’s degree in psychology in 2015, she worked in human resources for more than 9 years. Mrs. Halim has always enjoyed working with children, a love fostered while helping her mother run a daycare for 5 years in Indonesia. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, baking, traveling and experimenting with the culinary arts.

Mrs. Anderson has lived in Washington her whole life and grew up in Kirkland.  She and her husband have been together for 14 joyful years and are blessed with a bright and spunky 6-year-old daughter. She enjoys spending as much time with her family as possible as well as baking and adventuring in the mountains. This is Mrs. Anderson's 3rd year at MMS and spending time in the classroom always puts a smile on her face. There is nothing quite like watching a child as they learn and grow, she stated. She is grateful to be a part of such a great community here at Monroe Montessori and looks forward to a wonderful school year.

 Mrs. McBride has worked as a tutor and a nanny for many years and attended the Elementary program at Monroe Montessori as a child. She received a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Washington with a teaching certification and endorsement in special ed. She loves working with children and watching them progress throughout the year. Mrs. McBride is passionate about reading and literacy. She enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, playing video games and spending time with her dog Leo!