Caterpillar (3 to 4 Year Olds) Lead Teacher

Kacee is super excited to join the Stepping Stones Montessori School family, having just relocated to Maine from warm and sunny South Carolina and so far, her family loves being here! She has extensive background and experience working with children ranging in ages from six weeks to five years old. She was lucky enough to be a lead and part of an amazing center, Springview Academy, where she was a teacher and then a director. Children are her absolute passion and she loves the rewarding feeling she gets from watching them grow and learn new things each day. When she isn’t at school, she enjoys spending time with her husband of fifteen years and her five year old son, exploring the outdoors and adventuring!

Caterpillar (3-4 Year Old) Assistant

I am so excited to be a part of the Stepping Stones Montessori community. Teaching Early Childhood is my passion. I come to Stepping Stones with thirty years of teaching experience in Early Childhood and a Child Development Associate's Degree. I follow the philosophy of a child centered classroom, where children are given many opportunities to explore and grow in an age appropriate environment. My belief is that children develop lifelong social skills through play and early childhood connections. Every child deserves an early childhood experience that allows them to foster independence and have a sense of ownership in the world they live in.

Teacher Assistant, Chrysalises (4-6 Year Olds)

Miss Patty was born and raised in Maine and graduated from a local High School in 1990. She met her husband shortly after. They’ve been married for 25 years and have two daughters.

For the majority of Patty’s working career, she was an insurance agent. After her youngest daughter was born, she started volunteering at a daycare. When she entered Kindergarten,

Patty started volunteering at her daughter’s school, Hallowell Montessori. In Spring of 2019, Patty started working for Stepping Stones Montessori School as a substitute teacher before her daughter enrolled in first grade at SSMS. It was an opportunity to develop a relationship with staff members and her daughter’s current teachers. Patty says she is living her best life surrounded by such an incredible community of children and staff.

Teacher Assistant, Chrysalises (4-6 Year Olds)

Miss Nici is a graduate of Gardiner Area High School, had specialized training in CNA and radiology and dental assistance. She also was a preschool assistant at Mary Jane’s Nursery School, a kitchen assistant at RSU 18, and a volunteer and employee at SSMS for several years.

Nici has been married for 30 years and has four children, all in their 20s. One child has Aspergers, so Nici has some experience with special needs children. As well, Nici homeschooled for a few years, and was a helper at Sunday school. Nici has recently become a Nana to Riah and she is loving this new role!

Nici loves working with the preschoolers because they show joy when learning new concepts. Their cute smiles and quirkiness make Nici’s day better and more fulfilled.

Teacher Assistant, Chrysalises, (4-6 Year Olds)

Hannah has ten years experience with preschoolers and toddlers. She enjoys watching the curiosity and growth of these ages. Hannah comes to us with a boatload of patience and a kind demeanor. We are so happy to have her calming presence.

She has been riding horses for 30 years. In fact, she taught riding, and that led her to working with children. She is a lover of big dogs as well!

Lead

Toddler Teacher, Hatchlings, (2-3 Year Olds)

Brooke has assisted in many childcare settings, including the YMCA toddler program, and has volunteered at The Sensory Gym. She has nearly completed a degree in criminology and then hopes to explore special education. Brooke brings a huge heart for kids and their big feelings!

Head Chrysalis (4-6 Year Old) Teacher

“We must look to the children as a vehicle for bringing change to humanity. ” Maria Montessori My name is Lanie and this will be my first-year teaching at Stepping Stones Montessori, and I am beyond happy to be here. I am a lifelong learner and so is the Montessori child, which is why both of my children are also enrolled here at Stepping Stones! I am dedicated to my own learning as much as I am your child’s, and I am never not learning. I put a lot of value in fostering a love for reading, a love for the natural world, family, and the importance of positive experiences in childhood! I as an educator and parent know that a parent/caregiver is a child’s first teacher and when family and teachers work together there are so many benefits for the child and their educational journey. Lanie is working toward her Bachelors Degree in ECE and has a range of experience in classrooms with young children.

Co-Director, SSMS, Lower Elementary Head Teacher

B.S. in Elementary Education; Maine state teacher certification K-8; Montessori Primary certification (ages 3-6) through the North American Progressive Teacher Training Center; member Maine Montessori Association; 7 years public school teaching experience, including special education; Co-Founder and Co-Director of Stepping Stones; Head Teacher in Primary classroom from 2001 to 2015. Lower Elementary Head Teacher beginning Fall 2015. Jen has a passion for art and incorporates many STEAM activities into the classroom. A gifted teacher with a open heart, she puts parents and students minds at ease.

Lower Elementary Assistant Teacher and Buildings and Grounds Coordinator

Licensed Massage Therapist, active member of Gardiner Main Street, Board member of Stepping Stones Enrichment Foundation, Educational Technician. 2021-2022 is Jennifer's (aka Auntie's) eighth year in the Lower Elementary Classroom. Jennifer manages our emergency response items, and makes sure we recycle as much as possible! She is also a power house worker for our buildings and grounds, which is no small feat!

Lower Elementary Lead Grade 1 Teacher

Kayla Washburn lives in Richmond with her husband Elijah, her daughter Magnolia, and dog Blu. She is blessed to be part of a very large extended family that enjoys spending time together as of ten as they possibly can! Kayla enjoys reading, playing with Magnolia and blu, spending time at the ocean and at the family camp.

Kayla graduated from UMA in 2019 with her K-8 teaching degree. For the last 8 years she has worked in public education ranging from providing 1-1 instruction to children with autism, aiding in a Kindergarten classroom, and teaching first grade for four years.

Throughout her career, she has felt a consistent pull toward Montessori education, and she is super excited to start her journey here at Stepping Stones. She considers it a privilege and a joy to teach and spend the school year with your child. She looks forward to learning, laughs—and growing skills, knowledge, and friendships!

Co-Lead Teacher, Middle School

​B.S. in Mathematics Education and Music; M.S. in Counseling; private music teacher for 20+ years; Pineland Suzuki School staff member; Head Teacher in Upper Elementary/Middle classroom since inception in 2005; 4 years public school counseling experience; music minister at St. Michaels Parish; previous high school and college level mathematics instructor. Mike is passionate about history in and would go back 200 years if he could! He is currently writing an historical fiction novel entitled The Ways of Heaven about a young girl who lived in Mike’s family’s home (right beside the school).

Administrative Assistant

Miss Angela is our go-to gal! She keeps the school from falling to pieces on any given day. She is our friendly face and master of efficiency. She is also a member of a hip hop band, The Shizzle. Angela is mother of 3 past students at SSMS & Cushnoc Academy. She used to be called the Random Task Specialist, and she is able to wrangle photocopiers out of any refusal to cooperate!

MIddle School Head Teacher, Art Teacher,

and Aftercare Assistant

Tandy grew up in Virginia, mostly, and then traveled around a good bit until she decided she liked Maine the best. (She also met her husband Chris in Maine, so that worked out pretty well, in retrospect.) She has always loved art and literature. Tandy went to Hollins University back in the day, with every intention of becoming an archeologist. The classes on ancient art led her to studio art, and then to studying everything from the earliest art up to modern what-not. She also got a little distracted and fell in love with English literature and philosophy as well. (She’s like that.) Tandy ended up majoring in English. (She could have been a double major, but she barely got one thesis done in time. Those things take a while…. She’s over it now. Mostly.)

After some time working with Maine’s Community Colleges, Tandy decided perhaps education was what she truly wished to pursue. They supported her, most kindly, as she got her Master of Science in Education from Thomas College. She also ran a private tutoring business for a while for literacy, specializing in helping folks with dyslexia. She is now a literacy interventionist for Augusta Schools as well.

Life-long learner extraordinaire, Tandy has also taken innumerable courses on drawing, painting, watercolor, and whatever other artsy thing attracts her magpie-like attention.

Tandy is also a sucker for volunteering. Her current community affiliations include: Literacy Volunteers of Kennebec (LVK Ambassador, Tutor Trainer, Meeting Facilitator, Researcher, Volunteer Tutor, Event Volunteer, Workshop Coordinator and Presenter, previous Board Member, and member of Board’s Committee on Tutor Support); Stepping Stones Montessori School Lego Robotics Coach; and Board Secretary of the Kennebec Valley Arts Association.

She has a beautiful son, Jack, who has been at SSMS since pre-K and is now in 7th grade.

Co-Director and Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator

​Head teacher in Lower and Upper Elementary Program for many years, B.S. Elementary Education; Maine state certification K-8; Montessori Elementary certification (ages 6-9) through the North American Progressive Teacher Training Center; member Maine Montessori Association, Maine Academy for School Leaders, past Pineland Suzuki School staff member; author of an adult literacy lesson handbook, Secretary, NA Sher Foundation; past Secretary, Augusta Babe Ruth; 12 years public school teaching experience; past state coordinator of the Maine Ending Hunger campaign; Co-Founder and Co-Director of Stepping Stones since 2001; Head Teacher in Lower Elementary classroom from 2003-2015. Carrie is passionate about curriculum, geography and most importantly, providing a top-notch school environment for all of our learners.

Spanish Teacher and Upper El Assistant

Emory Burke is excited to join the team, assisting with Upper Elementary and teaching Spanish.

Emory studied Spanish in high school, college, and in Peru at an intensive Spanish immersion program. They love learning other languages and about other cultures, and are excited to share this with the students. Emory has worked with children and teenagers in various settings including leading middle and high school programs for a church, volunteering with refugee and immigrant children and their parents, and recently, working with after school social, emotional, and physical education programs at the Alford Youth and Community Center. Emory loves living in Central Maine with their dog and two cats! Outside of school, they are often hiking, road tripping, reading, or hanging out a coffee shop. 

Hello! I am Brittani, I live in Farmingdale with my husband, teenage son, newborn daughter, and our three cats! I have a strong love of learning, reading, being creative, photography, organizing, listening to music, being outside, taking care of people, CATS, and trying new things! I have in my past worked as a PSS/PCA caring for people, at a Head Start with preschoolers, and I have spent many years as a nanny before and after having my own children. I love children and watching them grow and respond to love and nurture - just discovering the world with them! I look forward to becoming part of this wonderful team and getting to know everyone!