Ms. Estelle, Toddler Two
Ellia
Emily
Jordan
Carol
Janely
Lex
Addy
Audrey
Cyan
Taylor Keast, BA, Business Accounting & Art- Lead Teacher - Primary Three Classroom
I grew up in Colorado and moved to Cheyenne in 2015. I worked my way through three bachelor’s degrees (Studio Art, Business Administration and Accounting), graduating from Western State Colorado University in 2012. I have a wide breadth of professional experience in restaurant management, office and human resource administration, accounting and bookkeeping, designing educational and promotional materials, real estate, ceramic art, mountain living, and motherhood. I started teaching at MSC in 2021 when my children began here and am currently working to become certified by the Authentic Institute of Montessori. I am passionate about understanding and respecting all living things. While far from fluent, I enjoy using ASL to the best of my ability with my family and classroom; I learned when I was small from my 2 deaf aunts! I love to play outside in dirt of all kinds, and believe it is our duty as humans to protect the natural world we live in. I am excited to share in childrens’ wonder and discoveries! If there is something they are interested in, we will learn together. The MSC community feels like home and I am very happy to be a teacher here.
Contact Ms. Taylor: primary.three@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Lead Assistant: Ms. Brittany
Afternoon Assistant: Ms. Grace B.
Leah McGaw - Co-Lead Teacher - Primary Two Classroom
Contact Ms. Leah: primary.two@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Afternoon Assistant: Ms. Rachel
administration
Samantha O'Dell, BA, AMS-IT - Co-Assistant Director
Samantha O'Dell started working at MSC in 2009. Samantha has a BA in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood and earned her Montessori Infant/Toddler Certification in 2017. Samantha loves that Montessori focuses on the individual child and their potential, offers mixed ages in the classroom, and fosters independence. Samantha worked as an afternoon assistant, lead assistant and a lead teacher before becoming the Co-Assistant Director. Samantha loves being outdoors, reading and spending time with friends, family and her two cats.
Contact Ms. Samantha: ADSamantha@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
parent Board of directors
Ms. Brittany, Primary Three
Lead Assistants
Brittaney Stewart, BS, AMS - IT - Lead Teacher - Toddler One Classroom
Brittaney has loved being a part of MSC for the past 6years! There are many things that Brittaney likes about Montessori education, but her top two reasons are fostering each child’s independence within the classroom and meeting the child’s needs where they are developmentally. When Brittaney is not in the classroom you can find her taking road trips, spending time with friends and family, or reading a book. She currently has three cat fur babies named Sophie, Rowdy, and Meeka.
Contact Ms. Brittaney: toddler.one@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Lead Assistant: Ms. Kaitlin
Afternoon Assistant:
Georgie Johnson, BA, AMS-EC - Executive Director And Kindergarten Teacher
Ms. Georgie graduated with a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming in 2016. She has worked with a wide range of children, spanning from 6 weeks of age to 3rd grade. Ms. Georgie moved to Cheyenne in 2019 and immediately fell in love with the school's culture and the Montessori Philosophy. She earned her Montessori Early Childhood credential from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in May 2021. Following the child, cultivating a peaceful and caring community, and fostering independence are some of her favorite aspects of Montessori education. Outside of school, Ms. Georgie enjoys supporting local businesses, experiencing music, and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Contact Ms. Georgie: director@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Faith Barnes - Lead Teacher - Primary One Classroom
Faith has been at MSC since February 2020. She worked as a lead assistant in Primary One for 3 years and is now taking over the lead position! At MSC, she has found a love for learning, teaching, and watching the children grow into independent members of a caring community. She is passionate about introducing children to the Montessori philosophy and preparing them for life through a self-paced learning environment.
Contact Ms. Faith: primary.one@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Lead Assistant: Ms. Amber
Afternoon Assistant: Ms. Lexi
Faculty and Staff
Spencer Kelly, BA, AMS-IT, Lead Teacher - Toddler Three Classroom
Spencer first joined MSC in 2009 as an afternoon assistant. Since then, they have worked in a few other preschool environments, however MSC is the place they call home. In prior preschools they have been in the position as afternoon assistant, lead assistant and lead teacher. They got their Bachelor's of Science in Human Development of Family Science in 2015 from the University of Wyoming and finished their Montessori training specializing in infants and toddlers in February of 2023. Their favorite part of the Montessori Method is to foster independence. In their personal time, Spencer enjoys spending time with their dogs, Reina and Kenai, hiking and watching scary movies.
Contact Spencer: toddler.three@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Lead Assistant: Ms. Haley
Afternoon Assistant: Ms. Samantha J.
Ms. Amber, Primary One
Primary Lead Teachers
Ms. Nicole, Primary Five
Ms. Hannah, Primary Four
Montessori School of Cheyenne
Where exploration fosters a love of learning
Ms. Kaitlin Toddler One
Toddler Lead Teachers
Karla Nelson, AA, AMS-IT, Lead Teacher - Toddler Two Classroom
Ms. Karla has been with the Montessori School of Cheyenne since 2002. She began as a sub and quickly realized she loved working with the toddlers. Her favorite part of Montessori is watching each child's unique personality blossom.
In her spare time, she likes to hike, read, listen to music and paint. She has three children- two adult sons and an 8 year old daughter.
Contact Ms. Karla: toddler.two@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Lead Assistant: Ms. Estelle
Afternoon Assistant:
At the Montessori School of Cheyenne, we feel very lucky to have caring, highly qualified, and loyal teachers and administrators. Many of our teachers have been at the school for over five years and some staff have served the school for 10-20 years. Many of our teachers hold degrees related to children and education and all of our teachers are certified by the American Montessori Society (AMS).
Each classroom has one Montessori-certified lead teacher as well as one assistant teacher.
The strong educational backgrounds and substantial classroom experiences of our faculty make them highly trained and knowledgeable in the area of early childhood education. The Montessori School of Cheyenne supports ongoing professional development for all of our staff through internal and external staff training and other educational pursuits.
Denisha White, Lead Teacher - Primary Five Classroom
Contact Ms. Denisha: primary.five@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Lead Assistant: Ms.
Afternoon Assistant: Ms. Grace G.
Angela Weigel, BA, AMS-EC - Lead Teacher - Primary Four Classroom
Angela began working at MSC in 2018. She believes that Maria Montessori is right when she says "it’s not enough to love a child." Angela's is thrilled to love, nurture and watch the children in her classroom grow. Angela has been a part of the teaching community for 28 years, but is new to Montessori and loves learning new Montessori work right along with her students!
Contact Ms. Angela: primary.four@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Lead Assistants: Ms. Hannah
Afternoon Assistant: Mr. Caden
Additional Faculty & staff
President: Tracy Hucke
Vice President: Jeremy Gross
Treasurer: Seth Davidson
Secretary: TERI CASSIDY
Board Members: Ashlee Martindale, Caroline Shanor, Shaina Case
Contact MSC Board: boardmsc@googlegroups.com
Alyssa Trevathan, BS, AMS-EC - Lead Teacher - Primary Two Classroom
Hello, I'm Alyssa! I've been a part of MSC since January of 2019, contributing my passion for education. With a BS in elementary education earned in 2016 and a Montessori certification in 2021, I'm dedicated to fostering young minds. Outside of work, you'll find me in the company of four adorable cats and an unexpected companion – a snail! Alongside my wonderful husband, I balance my time between various hobbies. From diamond painting and Magic: The Gathering, to engaging in epic D&D quests, my interests are as diverse as they are thrilling. Cooking up new creations in the kitchen and immersing myself in anime worlds are just a few more ways I embrace life's adventures.
Contact Ms. Alyssa: primary.two@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Alaina Blakely, MS, AMS-EC - Assistant Director
Alaina started working at MSC in 2000. She loves the Montessori philosophy because it allows the child to have the freedom to explore his or her surroundings within a safe environment. During her time at Montessori, Ms. Alaina has been an afternoon assistant, lead assistant, and lead teacher. She also worked on earning her Master's degree in Human and Social Services. In her free time, Alaina enjoys running and spending time with her husband and two children, and her dog Zoey.
Contact Ms. Alaina: ADBlakely@montessorischoolofcheyenne.org
Ms. Haley, Toddler Three