Meet the Staff

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Marja holds a BA (Wellesley) and an Ed. M. (Harvard). She moved to Portland June 1, 2023 and she is originally from the East Coast, however, she considers Seattle "home."

She is a Montessorian at heart and she shares the same philosophy and values (child centered, giving students voice, truly believing that our hope for peace lies in the education of children). She believes the staff at Childpeace truly embody Montessori philosophy in action and not just the word!

Marja spends her free time in nature. Other than children, animals and her family bring her joy.

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Elizabeth moved to Portland from Montana when she was 5 so almost a native, but not quite. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from PSU and Juris Doctorate from Lewis and Clark School of Law.

She loves the non-profit sector so she has worked with several non-profits in her career including food banks and school based nutrition education programs before she came to Childpeace.

As a mom to grown kids Elizabeth is super excited to be working near the hubbub of all the amazing kids at Childpeace.

She enjoys movies of nearly any genre, reading, and spoiling her grand-pets (the pets her kids can't take with them to their current apartments).

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Venus holds an Association Montessori Internationale Assistants to Infancy diploma from The Montessori Institute, Association Montessori Internationale Primary diploma from Ohio Montessori Training Institute, BA Human Studies from Marylhurst University,and an M.Ed. from Loyola University.

She was born in Austin, Texas and originally moved to Portland when she was in middle school. She returned to Portland to have her children and be in an AMI metropolis in 2000.

Venus spent 12 years as the Willow Room Guide, several years as a Toddler Community Guide, owner-operator of a parent education business and my recent School Consultant training through Association Montessori Internationale/United States of America.

She loves the mission and collective commitment to AMI best practice at Childpeace, the collective drive to bring out the best in every staff member, the amazing families she serves and the learning opportunities that come alongside leading and guiding children, their families, and the faculty and staff.

In her free time she enjoys jigsaw and word puzzles, reading, spending time with her family, writing, tasting new wines, and traveling.

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Shazia graduated from Karachi University, Pakistan. She moved to the Unites States twenty-five years ago, and has lived in Oregon for ten years.

Shazia was the Program Director for a publicly funded Montessori program that offered tuition-free Montessori in under-resourced communities. And before that she was a Head of School for a small Montessori School.

She is thrilled that her Montessori path has led her to Childpeace Montessori School. She has always admired Childpeace and its important role as a lodestar and leading example in the Portland Montessori community.

In her free time, Shazia enjoys hiking, summertime camping, cycling and discovering delicious food around town.

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Shae holds a BS in Communications and an MS in Sport and Recreation Management. She is from Portland, Oregon born and raised! She grew up in Beaverton but currently lives in NW Portland.

Shae started her career in athletic compliance and then moved to the Special Olympics in Oregon where she was a program director for participating K-12 schools. She loves working with children and providing opportunities that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in school environments. She then transitioned to various human resources roles and enjoys helping organizations in the compliance, recruiting, and HR space. She is happy to be at Childpeace where she can help grow the HR department, as well as support such a wonderful mission!

Shae has experience in the conventional education space, but not much experience in a Montessori environment. She is so excited to learn from this community and she is continually blown away by how innovative, responsible, confident, and mature the children are at Childpeace. She cannot wait to develop relationships within the community!

In her free time, Shae likes to trail run in Forest Park, cycle around Portland, listen to live music, and spend time on the Oregon coast!

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Emma is a Double Duck and both her BA in English and MA in Journalism are from the University of Oregon. She is originally from Orange County, Irvine and has lived in Eugene since 2015 and Portland since 2021! Visiting Southern California occasionally is nice, but she loves Oregon. Oh and fun fact, she is also a Kiwi, and spent part of her high school education in New Zealand.

She has always worked in the Communications industry, most recently with a PR agency and newspaper journalism prior. Emma has been surrounded by independent schools throughout her life, having attended an Anneliese preschool program before switching to public school and her younger siblings attended a Steiner school program while they lived in New Zealand. The Montessori method sticks out to her because she believes we all learn best when we are guided by our natural interests even into adulthood.

She is so excited to learn more about how to embed this valuable learning style into her day-to-day life.

Emma loves to be outside with her dog, Ghost! They are big fans of hikes and dog parks. She also loves to knit, but she thinks she is not good at it yet.

Coming soon.

Joy moved from New York City to Portland in 1997 and she is the former co-owner of a small, local business where she handled client services, scheduling and bookkeeping.

As a longtime parent in the Childpeace community, she is thrilled to be a part of the team that has been such a positive presence in her family's life.

Joy is an avid tennis player, podcast listener and amateur interior decorator. Most days you will find her rearranging her kitchen in a tennis skirt while listening to The Daily. When she is not moving mugs around, she is often getting beaten at Monopoly by her son Max.

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Maggie Donaldson holds a BA in Human Studies from Marylhurst University, a Montessori Primary Certificate from Montessori Northwest, and an Infant and Toddler Certificate from the Montessori Education Institute of the Pacific Northwest. She joined the Childpeace community in 2019 and brings work experience from both Montessori schools and as a nanny, to her role at Childpeace.

Maggie was born and raised in Portland and appreciates the rich history of Childpeace and the excitement that the school community brings to learning from one another.

In her spare time, Maggie enjoys spending time with her family and cooking.

Wendi was born and raised in Portland and graduated from Portland State University with a B.A. in English Literature. Since coming to Childpeace in 1992, she has worked in many different capacities.

In addition to her work with children, she has renovated many houses and owned and operated a furniture store. Her son Thomas graduated from the Children’s House at The Terrace and the Lower Elementary.

Caspar is a very active experimental musician and visual artist. He runs a record label and curates musical happenings all around the PNW. He also loves spending time with his wife/artist Dehlia and their two young kitties Concept and Object.

Coming soon.

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Albert McDonnell moved to Portland in 2009 after living in Juneau, Alaska for 25 years. He joined the Childpeace community in 2011 and appreciates the opportunity to be a part of a team of educators who work every day to help students grow into compassionate, involved human beings.

Albert loves playing music in his spare time. His primary instrument is the upright bass and he loves improving his skills in many types of music including jazz, classical, folk, and everything in between.

Jennifer was born and raised in Portland, OR. Before joining Childpeace in 2016, she worked as a cook at Providence Child Center for Medically Fragile Children. She enjoys parenting her son Conrad, camping, hiking, photography and painting.

Lindsay is an Oregon native, born in Scio. She holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology and a Masters in Montessori Education as well as AMI Primary Certification. She was the Lead Guide and Assistant Director at Happy Valley Montessori School prior to having children.

Lindsay took 3.5 years off from work to be with her children, after which she wanted to transition back into the Portland Montessori community in a more supportive classroom role to allow herself time and space to be present with her family after work hours. Childpeace is well known as one of the top Montessori schools in the country and she is excited to be a part of such a supportive community.

She spends her free time with her family, running, doing yoga, reading, hiking, rafting and camping.

Jennifer has worked at Childpeace since 1993. After completing her Assistants to Infancy training in August of 1998, Jennifer became a TC Guide. She is devoted to children’s causes and is a court appointed child advocate.

Coming soon.

Lynn completed her AMI Assistants to Infancy certification in August 2002. She has been with the Toddler Community at Childpeace since 1997, working as an assistant and, since 2001, as the afternoon supervisor as well. She is originally from the Philippines and is bilingual. Lynn lives in Portland with her husband and her son Jonathan, born in 2005.

Coming soon.

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In 2021, Peiyu completed her AMI Assistants to Infancy Montessori Diploma at Montessori Northwest Training Institute. Her educational background includes two Master's Degrees in Education from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in language and literacy, and TESOL, respectively. Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, Peiyu lived in Philadelphia and Austin before moving to Portland in 2012 with her husband.

Peiyu started her educational journey as an English teacher back in Taiwan. After working with variety of age groups, Peiyu has found her tribe in the young children when she worked as an assistant in a toddler classroom. Peiyu is filled with joy to join Childpeace as she appreciates its long history of commitment to Montessori philosophy and the chance to learn from experienced Montessorians in a nurturing environment.

When Peiyu is not in the classroom, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and camping adventures with her husband and two elementary-aged boys.

Coming soon.

Stephanie has enjoyed being part of the Childpeace community since 2003 as a parent and a CH guide. She is mother to three amazing Childpeace alumni who experienced the toddler community all the way to the middle school.

Stephanie grew up in Pittsburgh and received her Bachelors degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She was an Interdisciplinary Studies major with a focus in Psychology, Education and Creative Writing. She holds an AMI Diploma from Montessori Northwest, and a Master’s of Education in Montessori from Loyola College. Most recently she received a certificate for Montessori Inclusion.

In her free time she enjoys podcasts, reading, cooking, hiking and camping in the beautiful Northwest.

Lena is originally from Tokyo, Japan, where she attended a Montessori preschool during her primary years. She would later go on to intern as an assistant at her old preschool in 2018. She completed her AMI Children's House Assistants Course certification in 2019. Eager to learn more about Montessori philosophy, she took the AMI Montessori Primary training at Montessori Northwest in 2020-2021.

She loves to explore the city and the outdoors, go thrift shopping, listening to music, and being with her loved ones.

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Rachel Heath holds a BS in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an AMI Primary Diploma from Montessori Northwest. She joined the Childpeace community in 2021.

Rachel was born in New Orleans and moved to Portland in 2012. She brings many years of work experience as a nanny and in a Montessori Toddler community to her position at Childpeace. She appreciates Childpeace’s strong community values of peace through respectful guidance, a cornerstone of the Montessori ideology.

In her spare time, Rachel loves hiking, camping, hammocking, and reading.

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Stephanie Luke joined the Childpeace community in 2020. She brings a career’s worth of experience teaching children to her position, including positions in childcare settings, preschools, music programs, elementary classrooms and as a long-term substitute for a seventh grade forensics class.

Stephanie is originally from Idaho where she grew up on a potato farm. At Childpeace, she has been inspired by working with Montessori teachers who have spent their whole careers believing in and practicing Montessori philosophy and appreciates the opportunity to continue growing as an educator.

In her spare time, she is almost always outdoors rock climbing, camping, hiking, gardening, and exploring. She also loves reading, deep conversation, and baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Anastasia graduated from Lewis and Clark College, received a Primary Level AMI Diploma in 1995 and worked as a CH Guide at Childpeace from 1995 - 2000. She returned to Childpeace in 2008 as an assistant, and is the parent of three Childpeace students.

Susan holds a BA from Beloit College, in Beloit, Wisconsin. She is originally from Orono, Maine and she has lived in Portland since 1995. Susan discovered Montessori teaching at a school in Seattle where she worked for 3 years.

She loves spending time with her family and friends, playing word games, and traveling when she can.

Shanon graduated from Pacific Northwest College of Art with a BFA in sculpture. She began at Childpeace in 1995, working as an Assistant for the Terrace along with other roles in the community, and has returned after being home with her daughter Charlie.

Shanon’s interests include art, sewing, gardening, canning, camping and playing with her daughter. She also teaches art and craft workshops for Multnomah County Libraries.

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Martina moved to Portland in 2000 from Halmstad, Sweden. She holds a degree in early childhood development from Sweden and will soon receive a diploma from AMI.

In 2021, she did her orientation training with Montessori Northwest and that same year she got employed by Ivy Montessori school where she was at until now when she joined Childpeace.

Martina is really excited to be in the Children’s House joining a community of wonderful children and experienced and passionate educators.

Doing aerial silks, drinking tea, yoga and reading a good book are some of her top favorite things to do. She loves a great philosophical conversation and a long beautiful hike in nature as well as diving into creating an amazing dinner and playing some games.

Coming soon.

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Stephanie Houston holds a BA from Evergreen State College, an M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland, and an AMI Diploma from the Washington Montessori Institute. She was born in Portland and grew up in both Oregon and Washington State.

Throughout her career, Stephanie has been a Guide in Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms in both independent and public schools in Oregon and Nevada. Stephanie loves working with the engaged students, families, and staff at Childpeace.

She also loves to hike, bike, go on walks, garden, and spend time with her dog at the dog park.

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Manamaya was born in Nepal and came to the US/Oregon in 1998. She holds a BA in Linguistics from Reed College. Before coming to Childpeace, she worked as a Research Assistant at Reed College working on research looking at linguistic discrimination in higher education. Additionally, she is a Childpeace alumna and has been an active member in the community between attending CP and working here.

Manamaya loves that the teachers and staff working directly with the students are so passionate about educating the children and that they are dedicated to improving themselves. She also appreciates learning from others who are really dedicated to the Montessori Method and are committed to a high level of excellence. They are also open to guidance and feedback from those around them.

In her free time, Manamaya loves to play music, dance, learn languages, and play video games. She also enjoys hanging out with her friends, eating good (dairy-free) food, drinking tea, collecting pet-safe house plants (mostly Hoyas), writing, art (writing/drawing/painting/ceramics) and spending time with her family and her pets.

Hannah was born and raised in Portland. She spent her first three years at Childpeace helping in the Elementary After school program before moving into her current role as Myrtle room Assistant. She instantly fell in love with the pedagogy of Montessori and especially appreciates the focus on respecting and educating the whole child.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, music, cooking, and finding new, creative outlets.

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Jane holds an Elementary Education Bachelor of Science degree from St. Petersburg College, FL and she is currently working toward an M.Ed. 6-12 Elementary Montessori degree through Montessori Northwest and Whitworth University. She grew up between Hawaii and Florida in her youth and remained in Florida through her adult life until moving to Vancouver, Washington this past summer of 2022.

Jane has worked at a Montessori charter school in the Tampa Bay area of Florida as an assistant in lower elementary and middle school from 2014-2022. Part of the excitement of moving to the PNW was to begin a new chapter in life at Childpeace for herself and her two children who are in lower and upper elementary. She looks forward to growing within the Childpeace community.

In her free time she enjoys karaoke, photography, dabbling in different arts, learning her way around Portland, and exploring scenic destinations with her husband and three children.

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Daniel Withers holds a Double Major in Linguistics and Psychology with high honors from the University of Arizona. Hel and his wife moved to Portland from his hometown of Tucson, Arizona in 2018.

Daniel has worked in a variety of roles in Montessori education from PE teacher, to Lifeguard (yes there was a pool at his school in AZ!), as well as teaching Algebra, and working in Special Education.

Daniel appreciates the dedication that the highly trained and passionate staff have on the students here at Childpeace.

In his free time, Daniel loves relaxing with his wife and two cats, reading, gardening, learning new crafts, and spending time in nature.

Coming soon.

Josh is the assistant in the Upper Elementary Larch Room. Josh joined Childpeace in 2002 and has worked in both Lower and Upper Elementary programs. He has an AMI Primary diploma from the Montessori Institute NW and a BA in music from Portland State University.

Josh has toured and recorded professionally with several bands including the Five Fingers of Funk and Tezeta Band. Josh enjoys woodworking, blacksmithing, felting, all kinds of art and gardening.

Katie joined Childpeace in 2006 after teaching Spanish for several years in a variety of independent schools throughout the Northwest. Here at Childpeace she has enjoyed creating and implementing the Spanish program used in the elementary classes.

Katie graduated from Carleton College with a B.A. in Spanish literature and studied in Morelia, Mexico and Madrid, Spain. She also spent time on a fellowship studying cooking in the Spanish Basque country.

In her free time, Katie enjoys gardening, sewing, cooking and spending time with her husband, Chuck and daughter, Libby.

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Chantal grew up in Berkeley, California and holds a degree in Cinema (Animation emphasis) and Sociology from San Francisco State University. She moved to Oregon in fall 2016, and arrived in her new home right on her birthday.

After graduating, she worked with kids of all ages at an afterschool and summer camp program called Techsplosion, where she helped to upgrade the stop motion animation program and encouraged kids to collaborate while building Lego battle robots, programming video games, and creating animated shorts. Her passion for animation and hands on production techniques led her to work with Phil Tippett, who created stop motion effects for the original Star Wars trilogy, and at Laika Studios, where she helped create 3D printed elements for the Golden Globe winning film Missing Link.

Chantal is excited about helping kids to learn to think critically and creatively about the artistic process and to achieve their goals! She loves the schools focus on social justice and equity as well. For her, art can be a jumping off point to science and engineering, and learning to think critically about what materials are best for a given project helps kids build their independence and creativity. Besides all that, art is just plain fun!

Chantal also enjoys gardening (growing plants she can eat is her favorite!), baking and chocolate making, and trying new art materials and techniques.

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Gabriella is from Salem OR and moved to Portland in 2021. She was previously a Special Olympics Intern. She is excited to learn and collaborate with guides working with students, and be a part of a successful school supporting students in their learning.

In her spare time, Gabriella enjoys backpacking, hiking, playing volleyball, snowboarding, and surfing (any activity she can do outside with others).

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Brianna Jayne was born and raised in Los Angeles before moving to Oregon seven years ago. She holds a degree in Communications Disorders and Sciences from the University of Oregon and worked as a Paraeducator at a local Montessori school. She fell in love with the Montessori philosophy and strongly appreciates the ideologies around the development, growth, and independence of individuals, as well as the approachable educational philosophy that serves every child.

Brianna spends her free time exploring the art, culture, and outdoor activities of the Pacific Northwest and expressing herself through dance, music, and painting.

Regina was born and grew up in a small town in the Austrian Alps. She holds an MA in Medical Anthropology, a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, and completed the NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies. Regina worked as a humanities guide in Montessori high schools and middle schools, and taught in an international program in Beijing, China. She enjoys cooking, yoga, traveling, hiking, and camping with her family.

Jon came to the middle school in 2012 after taking the NAMTA Orientation to Adolescence. He holds a Masters in the Art of Teaching from the University of Alaska and a BS in Business Administration from the University of Montana. Jon is our middle school specialist in STEM-based work; he enjoys teaching physics of the bicycle, fisheries management and working in the greenspace.

Chara holds a BA from Tufts University and BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She is originally from Providence, R.I. and has lived in various cities before moving to Portland in August of 2020. Chara loves riding her bike on urban trails, baking bread, learning to play the ukulele, looking at and making art, and spending time with
her family.

Jenny was born and raised in Eugene and graduated from the University of Oregon with her MA in Education. She moved to Portland in 2007 and taught math at the Young Men's Academy at Jefferson High School, da Vinci Arts Middle School, and a local public Montessori charter school. She loves spending time with her husband and kids, going on adventures, swimming, hiking, and working on house projects.