Montessori At Riverton

Faculty

School Administration

Mr. Jeff, Co-founder, Head of School and Director Mr. Jeff holds a bachelors degree in Physical Education, Theatre Education and Secondary Education from Brigham Young University. He continued his graduate studies in Educational Psychology and Secondary Education at Southern Utah University and University of Nevada Las Vegas. He has a Montessori teacher training for ages 6-9 and is currently completing the teacher certificate requirements for ages 9-12. Mr. Jeff is the co- teacher in the Middle School Program and loves to present workshops on the “Montessori curriculum”. He enjoys golf, travel and cooking. He is married to Valerie Whitehead, has 10 children, and 15 grandchildren.		Ms. Valerie, Co-founder and Director Ms. Valerie hails from a ranch in Montana and attended BYU, Idaho. She has Montessori teacher certification for children, ages 3 to 12 and has taught since 1982. She is currently the President for the Utah Montessori Council and is a presenter at Montessori conventions. She taught at the Children’s House in St. George from 1982-1989 and then went on to co-found the Montessori Children’s Club in Taylorsville. In 1999, she founded Montessori at Riverton. She is the co-founder of Utah Montessori Teaching Institute, a MACTE accredited training center. She serves on the board for Private School coalition and Vouchers for Choice. Ms. Valerie enjoys skiing, cooking, spending time with her children and grandchildren, and visiting Montana.
Ms. Rebecca Halliday, Parent Communication, Marketing, & Public Relations Rebecca is a proud mother of two children & various small creatures which grace her home periodically including hamsters, birds, frogs, fish, bugs, & more. Rebecca is known for her love of design, nature, and innovation. She studied at USU & BYU then pursued a career in Interior Design where she has enjoyed working in luxury homes across the nation for over 15 years. She loves to travel & explore and especially loves taking adventures with her children. Her professional experience includes Management, Wedding Coordinating, Floral & Fashion Design, Interior & Architectural Design, Personal Development & Entrepreneurship. Her passions include children, life studies, service, health & wellness, hiking, matters of the heart, reading, & writing.		Ms. Debbie Hildreth, Accounting & Student Management Debbie was raised in Elkhorn, Nebraska where she graduated from High School. She continued her education at BYU, Idaho and Western Montana College where she studied Office Management. Debbie is a wife and mother of six children and now a Grandma. Three of her children have attended Montessori at Riverton. She worked as an insurance agent for several years & is currently licensed in Property and Casualty Insurance. Her and her husband owned and operated their business before being introduced to Montessori at Riverton. She has worked in the front office and taught in the Middle School. Debbie enjoys the outdoors, 4-wheeling, hiking, fishing, and spending time at the family cabin in Montana, and scrapbooking. She is often found cheering on her children while they play sports from Utah to Montana. Debbie has a deep love for nature and a passion for outdoor activities.
Middle School Teachers
Ms. Emi, Teacher Ms. Emi was born and raised in Utah. Growing up she loved school and was involved in dance, modeling and volleyball. Ms. Emi continued her education at Salt Lake Community College after graduating from Riverton High School in 2003, earning her A.A. in History in 2006. Afterwards, Ms. Emi left to serve an LDS mission in Japan, living there for a wonderful 15 months. Being half Japanese herself, the experiencers there enlightened her as she was fully immersed in part of her heritage. In 2010 Ms. Emi earned a B.A. in History with a minor in Japanese from the University of Utah. She joined the MAR family at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year and has loved it!		Mr. Jeff, Co-founder, Head of School, Director and Teacher Mr. Jeff holds a bachelors degree in Physical Education, Theatre Education and Secondary Education from Brigham Young University. He continued his graduate studies in Educational Psychology and Secondary Education at Southern Utah University and University of Nevada Las Vegas. He has a Montessori teacher training for ages 6-9 and is currently completing the teacher certificate requirements for ages 9-12. Mr. Jeff is the co- teacher in the Middle School Program and loves to present workshops on the “Montessori curriculum”. He enjoys golf, travel and cooking. He is married to Valerie Whitehead, has 10 children, and 15 grandchildren.

Elementary II Teachers
Ms. Valerie, Co-founder, Director and Teacher Ms. Valerie hails from a ranch in Montana and attended BYU, Idaho. She has Montessori teacher certification for children, ages 3 to 12 and has taught since 1982. She is currently the President for the Utah Montessori Council and is a presenter at Montessori conventions. She taught at the Children’s House in St. George from 1982-1989 and then went on to co-found the Montessori Children’s Club in Taylorsville. In 1999, she founded Montessori at Riverton. She is the co-founder of Utah Montessori Teaching Institute, a MACTE accredited training center. She serves on the board for Private School coalition and Vouchers for Choice. Ms. Valerie enjoys skiing, cooking, spending time with her children and grandchildren, and visiting Montana.		Ms. Gimenia Palmer, Teacher Ms. Gimenia is from the Dominican Republic. She enjoys reading and writing her own fiction stories. When she visits her beautiful Island and home she loves to go to the beach with her family and hiking. She came to the U.S. in 2005, looking for a better education. She obtained her Early Childhood training at Days-Spring Montessori in St. George, Ut. She earned her associates degree in Elementary Education from Salt Lake Community College. She currently attends University of Utah where she is going to continue her path of education. She was a teacher in Early Childhood class in Dominican Republic from 2001-2004. She joined to team at Montessori at Riverton in 2006 an Early Childhood teacher, and in 2007 taught Spanish. Gimenia’s experience includes special needs facilitator, team teacher, and spanish teacher. She is married to a wonderful man and loves to be a teacher.

Elementary I Teachers
Ms. Brooke, Elementary One Lead Teacher Ms. Brooke has worked with children since 2000. She is trained in first aid, CPR, child development, prevention techniques, recreation and movement and has earned her Montessori Toddler certification. She has mentored children with special needs, taught pre-school and ice skating lessons, and run a variety of children's off-track camps. In 2003, she worked as a Prevention Specialist and a Recreational Specialist for McMillian Elementary. She began teaching the Toddler class at Montessori at Riverton in 2005, moving into the Elementary One classroom in 2008. Brooke has a passion for camping and anything outdoors. She enjoys being a mom, snowboarding, playing hockey, basketball, and baseball. She tutors on weekdays & loves working with children.		Ms. Britney Jones, Elementary One Lead Teacher Ms. Britney and her husband are the proud parents of 3 sons. She loves the outdoors – especially rock climbing and hiking. She has a passion for the mountains and terrains of southern Utah. She is an avid reader and enjoys cooking. Britney has worked in a Montessori environment since she was 15 years old. She has experience working with children of all ages. Previously she was the assistant director and as presenter for Southern Utah Montessori Teacher Training Center. Sharing the gift of Montessori with other adults is very rewarding for Britney. She is currently working on obtaining her bachelor’s degree. She spent a year teaching English and implementing a Montessori program at Colegio Pan Americano in Patzicia and Chimaltnengo, Guatemala.
Ms. Dawn Wiebold , Teacher and Art Specialist Ms. Dawn was born and raised in Amana, Iowa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both History and German from Cornell College and a Master of Arts degree in German Literature form the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Obtaining her Secondary Education Teaching Certification from Iowa State University, Dawn taught both World History and German to high school students at Urbandale High School for four year. Moving out west, she discovered the Montessori teaching approach while working with Early Childhood students at the Montessori School at Lone Tree in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Since her move to Utah in 2007, Dawn has been working at Montessori at Riverton. She currently teaches in the Elementary One class, occasionally moonlighting as an upper lever Art history specialist with the Elementary and Middle School levels. Outside of school, Dawn enjoys reading, traveling, running, oil painting, and hiking summits and slot canyons.
Early Childhood Teachers
Ms. Jessica Rawlings, Early Childhood Lead Teacher Ms. Jessica was raised in St. George, Utah. She graduated from Pine View High School and then attended Dixie College. While at Dixie College, Jessica was an assistant teacher in ballet classes and a Montessori toddler class. She was offered a dance scholarship to attend Southern Utah University. During her senior year, she was awarded “most outstanding theater student in academics.” She graduated in 1995 with a major in Theater/ Dance and a minor in Teaching English. After college, Jessica taught ballet to students of all ages. She developed a renewed interest in Montessori and earned her Early Childhood certificate in 2000, teaching her intern year at Montessori at Riverton. In 2002, she moved to Massachusetts and taught in the three to six year classroom at St Anne Montessori. Jessica has two children, a fabulous husband, and an energetic cat. She loves dancing, zumba, reading books or all sorts, and sunsets.		Ms. Rosemary , Teacher Rosemary was born and raised in St. Louis, Mo. where she attended Florissant Valley Community College for two years, majoring in Fine Arts. She and her husband have 13 biological children and 2 adopted grandchildren. The two grandchildren have been attending Montessori at Riverton going on six years. Working as a substitute was the impetus to achieve certification as a Paraprofessional in 2008 through the Institute for Guided Studies in Camden, SC. Rosemary is known for her expertise and love of nature & gardening. She often spends her early mornings with her hands in the dirt, planting flowers at the school grounds. She has deep love for children and much experience in working with children of all ages.
Ms. Alicia Karoly , Teacher Alicia was born and raised just outside of Rexburg, Idaho. She was homeschooled with ballroom dance experience. During her schooling years she was on an Extreme Ballroom dance team and traveled while winning an assortment of medals. She attended Jefferson Montessori High School which allowed her to also travel and receive knowledge of the world around her. In 2008 she attended BYU –Idaho and was being given the chance of becoming a Montessori teacher of which was her dream. She worked at Light House Montessori School in 2009. Alicia and her husband recently moved to Utah, they are the proud parents of an adorable infant, and she is pursuing her dream with children and Montessori Education.		Ms. Sommer Chappell, Teacher Ms. Sommer is excited to be working at Montessori at Riverton. Previously, she was the owner and Directress of her own Montessori-based Preschool for the last four years. She developed a unique curriculum that had a huge success rate in excelled learning and creativity. She was trained in the Toddler class at The Montessori of Lindon and has worked at various Preschools throughout Utah over the past ten years. She lives in Saratoga Springs with her husband and five children, two of which attend Montessori at Riverton. Sommer has a love for singing and has performed in New York and at various venues across the nation. She has a creative background in musical theatre and dance. Sommer is committed to helping children develop a life-long love for school and learning by encouraging their innate curiosity and building their self-esteem.

Toddler School Teachers
Ms. Jen Kerr, Teacher Jen grew up on a farm in Western New York as the 5th of 6th children. She was exchange student to West Germany and continued to travel throughout Europe as a young adult. She graduated from the University @ Albany with a degree in Social Welfare, and has been working with children & their families ever since. She relocated to Utah with Jostens Photography in 1998 and was introduced to the Montessori Method of education soon after. Jen has been trained through the Utah Montessori Teacher Education Program and the Northern American Montessori Training Center. She has been with Montessori at Riverton in the Toddler community since 2009. Jen met her husband at a New Year’s Eve party and they have been married since 2001. They are the proud parents of 2 children. She feels blessed that her children are able to come to work with her! A little known fact about Jen: She is a closet Barry Manilow fan!		Ms. Rachel Jensen, Teacher Ms. Rachel grew up in South Jordan, Ut. She taught the “Mini Miners” preschool at Bingham High School and there discovered her love for teaching children. She graduated this year with degree in Early Childhood Education for Brigham Young University. She met her husband in high school and they’ve been married for 3 years. They are so excited to be expecting a baby boy in December. Rachel enjoys running, Disney movies, Lake Powell, Cooking, Eating, and the Food Network. She has a green thumb and enjoys working with plants and flowers. Rachel enjoys working with young children. This is her first year working in the Toddler class.
Specialists
Ms. Gimenia, Spanish Specialist Ms. Gimenia is from the Dominican Republic. She earned an Associates degree in Psychology from Universidad Technologica de Santiago. She was a teacher's aid in an Early Childhood class for a Montessori school in the Dominican Republic from 2001 to 2003, and then became a teacher for the Early Childhood class from 2003 - 2004. Ms. Gimenia came to the U.S. in 2005. She performed her Early Childhood training at the Dayspring Montessori in St. George, Utah. She was a teacher in the Early Childhood class at Dayspring Montessori from 2005 - 2006. Ms. Gimenia joined the Montessori at Riverton in 2006 as an Early Childhood teacher and in 2007 taught the Spanish classes.		Ms. Sheny, Music Specialist Sheny was born and raised in Shelly, ID on a potato farm. She grew up moving pipe, during harvest time and having fun snowmobiling in the winter during the off season. She moved to Utah to attend LDS Business College where she met her husband. They now have 3 beautiful daughters. They moved to Monterey, CA and enjoyed living on the beach. They have recently moved to Utah. Sheny loves being a “Military wife” and enjoys supporting her husband and so many others in the fight for freedom. Sheny attended LDS Business College while working for IKON Office Solutions being the sole support and analyst for over 200 plus service technicians in ID, MT, UT, WY, Nothern CA, and MN. In her spare time, she Sheny has been known to dance for over 13 years. Her expertise includes ballet, clogging, baton, jazz and drill. She has a great love for music. She enjoys playing the piano & clarinet and singing. This love for music and movement is now shared with all the children at Montessori at Riverton.
Ms. Holly Johnson, Music Specialist Holly teaches music for 1st through 8th grades. Weekends she hikes or backpacks in the mountains and WATCHES her family fish. She loves to throw elaborate parties and celebrate every holiday from Chinese New Year to Rosh Hashanah. She teaches entertaining courses for adult education, and life skills and motivational classes at the House of Hope. Her favorite entertainment is a good book, or snuggling up with one of her many animal friends. She holds a Master’s Degree in World History from the University of Utah. She plays twenty one instruments passably, though none well enough to join the symphony. She has taught music previously at U Can Learn Private School and art and P.E. in the public school system. In a former life she was a junior executive at an international hospitality firm, a conference planner, and an adult educator. She left this life to pursue her passion with her own children, which turned to a passion for other people’s children.		Ms. Terra , Computer Teacher Ms. Terra enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, blogging, and video editing in her spare time. She and her handsome husband are the proud parents of 3 great kids. They spend most of their time having fun together because isn’t that what life is all about! She has been at Montessori at Riverton for 3 years and LOVE IT! Terra is known to be a “techie” and is excited to be currently teaching computers at the school. She is often found researching as much as she can & keeping the school updated. Terra has a love for children of all ages and enjoys teaching and training.
Facilitators:
Ms. Kathie Cox, Facilitator Ms. Kathy is originally from Rochester, New York. She moved to Sandy in the spring of 2011. She and her husband are the proud parents of three girls and one granddaughter. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, sewing, reading, and outdoor activities. She is currently working on remodeling her home and enjoying it! She is also working on her bachelor’s degree through Western Governors. She is certified in Montessori and has a deep love for the philosophy and curriculum. Kathie is known for her smile and positive nature. She enjoys working with children of all ages and especially children with special needs.		Ms. Pat, Teacher Ms. Pat was introduced to Montessori in April of 1987 when she was asked to be a substitute teacher. She taught at Montessori Children's House in St. George, Utah for 13 years. She worked at Bare Foot Montessori in St. George, Utah for seven years where she became head teacher and program director. Ms. Pat earned her Early Childhood certificate from Day Spring Montessori in St. George, Utah.

Before & After Care Teachers:
Ms. Jessica Harding, Before & After Care Teacher Jessica grew up in Roy and Layton, Utah. She graduated from Northridge High School. She then went on to study at Weber State University. Jessica then moved across the country to upstate New York where she attended Broome Community College where she studied accounting. Later she met her husband in Salt Lake City and they are now enjoying their life with 2 busy children. Jessica enjoys spending time with her children. She loves to sing and is currently learning how to play the guitar and write music. Between her music, children, and her husband … her home is filled with wonderful family noise.