Deba has over 30 years of administrative and teaching experience in Montessori schools. Prior to her Montessori work, Deba owned and trained horses, was a legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., and a partner in a political consulting firm in Texas. Deba’s daughter attended Montessori schools from Toddler through graduation.
Michelle joined Thacher in 2004. A second-generation Montessorian, she taught in the Children’s House Program for over a decade before moving full time into administration. Along with her work at Thacher, Michelle currently serves as a Commissioner on the AMS School Accreditation Commission and enjoys collaborating with other Montessori professionals around the country. Michelle and her husband are the proud parents of two Thacher alumni.
He served as the executive director of the Free Software Foundation (Boston) for six years. Peter has also been a director of New Internationalist Trust, and worked in London for BBC Network Radio. Peter and his wife Alison have two sons and enjoy family hikes in the Blue Hills.
Nikki has 12 years of experience as an admissions professional, which includes five years at a Montessori school. Before her career as a school administrator, she spent over a decade working in the property management field as a Paralegal, a Compliance Specialist, and a Property Manager.
During her free time, Nikki loves to dance and listen to music. She spent many years as a performing artist and enjoys sharing her experiences as a former New England Patriots Cheerleader with youth in the community. Nikki was a volunteer cheerleading coach and currently teaches dance in Boston where she lives with her teenage daughter.
During her studies, Kelly taught environmental education in the North Cascades National Park. Kelly’s quest for knowledge led her to a path as a farmer in Colorado, back to Washington State, and Alabama before settling in Boston where she worked to combine her love of teaching and growing food, first at the Boston Nature Center, then The Trustees (of Reservations) and now Thacher Montessori.
When Kelly isn’t in the classroom or garden, she can be found hiking, or skiing and snowboarding in the White Mountains with her husband, son and pooch, Punkin. Kelly is presently studying to be an herbalist and looks forward to sharing this knowledge with the Thacher family.
After college, she spent considerable time teaching instrumental music in New Jersey schools. She actively performs in New England as a Victorian Christmas Caroler and other choral productions in the area. Her passion for the environment led her to teach the importance of environmental and music education as an educator for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, which was founded by folk musician Pete Seeger. In 2016 she co-founded her own non-profit called Ocean Protection Advocacy Kids (OPAK), which provides integrated marine science and art education workshops for students in Southeastern Massachusetts. Melanie enjoys leading music circles in Thacher’s afterschool care and is also an office assistant in the main office. She works with the head of school to support the work of the Development Committee with fundraising efforts for the Thacher Annual Fund. Melanie loves sailing, singing, playing the ukulele, and taking nature walks with her puppy Zola.
She joined our community prior to her daughter Carmen’s Thacher graduation in 2009. Andrea enjoys riding her bike to work as well as windsurfing, crew, yoga and skiing.
She grew up in Braintree, MA and still currently resides there with her husband and three children. Carolynn worked with the pediatric population for over 25 years. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and is an avid Patriots fan.
Mary has over four years of experience working with children and in for-profit administrative positions, including eight years at Pinewood Lodge Campground in Plymouth. Most recently, she has been a nanny/caretaker for three families in the area.
She grew up in Colombia, South America.Vicky misses teaching Spanish at Thacher but loves working in the business office and being a part of the Thacher community. She has 3 children and loves biking, hiking, camping and exploring new places with her family. She also enjoys swimming, writing, photography, and making scrapbooks to preserve memories.
She has 14 years of teaching and administrative experience, including 11 years of experience in Montessori programs. Most recently, she was the lead primary guide at Copper Beech Montessori School and the founder of Pond View Montessori School in her home.
She grew up in an in-home childcare program run by her mother. Sam graduated from Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical High School. She is pursuing her college education in education through online classes.
She has been with Thacher since 2007. In her spare time time she enjoys gardening, decorating, boating and outdoor activities. Kasia loves to spend as much time as possible with her family.
This is Donna’s eleventh year as a children’s house assistant. Prior to her employment at Thacher she worked many years in the food service industry. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, working out and bicycling.
She holds an AMS Primary diploma from Northeast Montessori Institute and an AMI Primary diploma from the Montessori Training Center Northeast. Carla has taught in several Montessori schools, one of which was in India where she spent three years developing a Montessori classroom in an international school. Carla returned to Thacher in 2005. She loves bicycling, knitting, and cooking and baking vegan food.
She also has experience in early education. Brittany loves outdoor activities – in particular going to the beach, hiking and horseback riding. She enjoys spending time with her family and close friends.
She has her Primary AMI Certification from the Montessori Training center of New England. Her interests include visiting museums & galleries, hiking, running and camping.
She moved up to Massachusetts during the following summer and started at Thacher in August. Meg has experience in both general and special education programs in Washington D.C., Virginia, and San Francisco. She has always loved working in education and plans to head back to graduate school for her masters in education. Meg enjoys the outdoors, baking, music, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends.
She began her career at Thacher in 1984. Rosemary has four children, eleven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren with whom she loves to spend time. She enjoys exercising, cooking, photography and independent films.
Originally from New Brunswick, Canada, Jill moved to the Boston area to be part of Thacher Montessori in 2009. Before discovering Montessori, Jill taught in public school. In her free time, Jill enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband and traveling back to Canada to visit family and friends.
She is interested in education and healthcare and hopes to become a children’s speech pathologist eventually. Sarina is a Boston native who enjoys traveling.
After graduation Amy moved about the country finally settling in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Upon her return to the Boston area Amy began her Montessori training and graduated with an AMI Elementary level diploma from the Montessori Training Center of New England in Hartford CT. Amy spends her free time with her three children and enjoys playing dominoes and baking.
She enjoys painting, baking and spending every free moment with her sons, family and friends.
Asha hails from Lawrence, KS and came to Massachusetts to attend Smith College, where she majored in the Study of Women and Gender and minored in Education. She taught preschool in special education and inclusion settings in public school for several years before discovering Montessori education. She earned her AMI Primary and Elementary diplomas from Montessori Northwest. She enjoys rock climbing, hiking, walks with her dog, museums, and reading books over coffee.
During her studies, Kelly taught environmental education in the North Cascades National Park. Kelly’s quest for knowledge led her to a path as a farmer in Colorado, back to Washington State, and Alabama before settling in Boston where she worked to combine her love of teaching and growing food, first at the Boston Nature Center, then The Trustees (of Reservations) and now Thacher Montessori.
When Kelly isn’t in the classroom or garden, she can be found hiking, or skiing and snowboarding in the White Mountains with her husband, son and pooch, Punkin. Kelly is presently studying to be an herbalist and looks forward to sharing this knowledge with the Thacher family.
She worked as an elementary assistant as well as a primary music teacher. She is currently obtaining a business degree. Sophia enjoys singing, dancing, baking, the beach, and spending time with her husband and two children.
She has also completed the NAMTA/AMI Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies. She has over five years of experience in outdoor/wilderness education with middle and high school students.
Prior to joining Thacher, Sally worked at Sacred Heart High School, Dana Hall, and Eliot Montessori. She likes to garden, hike, run, camp, and read.
After college, Adam spent 2007-2009 as an Americorps volunteer, working with City Year Boston and Playworks Boston. Adam came to Thacher in 2009, teaching Humanities in the AP. He completed his NAMTA Adolescent Training in the Summer of 2010. Adam spends his summers as an activity head at summer camp. In his free time he enjoys playing soccer, cooking, and going for walks through the Arnold Arboretum. He currently lives in Roslindale.
Kelley has a Massachusetts teaching license in Elementary and Moderate Special Needs Education. Before joining Thacher, she worked in a variety of elementary schools throughout the greater Boston area. Kelley’s interests include music, dance, theater, cooking and traveling. She is a true animal lover and is committed to being a loving auntie to her 2 nieces and nephew.
She has over six years of Montessori classroom experience, starting in an elementary classroom at Bay Farm Montessori and then as a Children’s House lead guide at The Inly School. When not painting and sculpting, Renay can be found on outdoor adventures with her family and her dog Briggs.
He left a full-time position as a musician with Boston’s Blue Man Group to teach at Thacher. Victor also facilitated the Guitar Circle New England. He was an active participant in Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft school where he received much of his music training (he is the only authorized instructor of this work in New England). Victor is certified by Musik Garten to teach music to young children and has been trained in the Montessori Music Curriculum as assembled by Anna Maria Maccheroni. He is an enthusiast of analog recording, taiko drumming and enjoys improvisational guitar work in various ensembles.
He has 15 years of experience teaching Spanish in the greater Boston area. Mario has been performing with his trio “Radio Mambo” since the late 90s in California and Massachusetts. Mario also enjoys playing soccer, reading and singing on weekends with his family.
She owned a preschool/daycare for 15 years. Kim sold that to pursue her passion… books! She opened a book store called Ugly Dog Books. Her passion continues here at Thacher. When not reading Kim is writing or painting. She writes a monthly column “Book Marked” in the Attleboro, Sun Chronicle newspaper. Kim has also self-published a book, in memory of her dad, “Footprints in the Snow”. She is in the process of getting a work of fiction published. She lives with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Among many other hobbies, Todd loves basketball and music collecting. He is also an active participant in his community.
Her hobbies are traveling and cooking.
She has tutored children from elementary school through college for over 20 years as well as adults preparing for the GED. Anne-Marie enjoys reading and healthy baking. She also loves to travel, talk long walks, star-gaze and share her love of nature with her son and daughter.
She loves art and started her career as a cartographer and drafter. Sharyn worked as a receptionist/office manager for over 12 years, and maintained an active volunteering ethic for the past 18 years. She volunteered at her local library, was a Girl Scout leader, a religious school teacher, and volunteered in many capacities at her local schools and parent’s groups. She is a vice president at her Temple and an active member of her town’s public school music boosters group. When not volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family.
All the world’s a stage. And all the men and women merely players. ~ Shakespeare
Megan is the Drama Coach for the Adolescent Program at Thacher. Ten years ago, she created the emersion curriculum of Theater Arts,
culminating in an end-of-year production. Thacher productions have included every genre from Shakespeare, to contemporary, to this years’ musical, Annie. In 2016, she inherited the position of editor for Thacher’s yearbook and developed a class to help adolescents design an on-demand publication.
She loves working with children and has also worked at the Cambridge Montessori School in the Primary and Elementary classrooms. She enjoys nature, hiking, cooking, arts and crafts, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
She has served as a dental assistant for Quincy Adam Dental Associates (Quincy, MA) and a dental assistant intern a Upham’s Corner Community Health Center (Boston). Marshelle has a dental assisting certificate from the Boston Career Institute. Over the last four years, Marshelle has also been a valued substitute at Thacher in the classroom and in the Aftercare program.
After college, she spent considerable time teaching instrumental music in New Jersey schools. She actively performs in New England as a Victorian Christmas Caroler and other choral productions in the area. Her passion for the environment led her to teach the importance of environmental and music education as an educator for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, which was founded by folk musician Pete Seeger. In 2016 she co-founded her own non-profit called Ocean Protection Advocacy Kids (OPAK), which provides integrated marine science and art education workshops for students in Southeastern Massachusetts. Melanie enjoys leading music circles in Thacher’s afterschool care and is also an office assistant in the main office. She works with the head of school to support the work of the Development Committee with fundraising efforts for the Thacher Annual Fund. Melanie loves sailing, singing, playing the ukulele, and taking nature walks with her puppy Zola.
After returning to New England he worked for Bickford’s Family restaurants for 24 years. Steve lives on the Cape with his large family on a small farm. A jack of all trades, he enjoys shell fishing and gardening.
He lives with his family in Randolph MA and has 6 grandchildren (who call him Papa Boo). Bill is an avid Red Sox and Patriots fan.
Otelindo Lopes is from Cape Verde. He has a certificate in Electrical and
welding services. Otelindo works as an assistant chef during the day and
will be cleaning Thacher at night. He has extensive experience cleaning and
cooking. In his free time, Otelindo likes to read, workout, and his favorite
day is Saturday.
Vanessa is a professional flutist and co-owner of an entertainment agency, Music Management. She is on faculty with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and on staff at Milton Academy. Both Vanessa and Dave are huge, unabashed Star Wars fans.
She lives at Pakeen Farm with Farmer Dave in Canton. Caro loves reading, snowboarding, writing, travel, friends, chocolate and coffee.
She is a national Adult Basic Education consultant. Her areas of expertise include working with Adult English Language Learners, education and career counseling, assessment and accountability, evidence-based professional development, and program management. Marie teaches classroom and online courses and provides technical assistance in professional development for a variety of clients nationally. She is a presenter at workshops and conferences on issues, including classroom assessment, data use, English language literacy, and program development. Marie’s experience includes work as a classroom teacher, program director, professional developer, and project manager for local and nationwide initiatives.
Currently, she has three daughters attending Thacher and her fourth child, let’s just say, is enjoying her pre-Thacher days. Her involvement as a volunteer at the school has been heavily in fundraising – as chair of the Teacher Parent Association in 2014-2015; and co-chair of the Spring gala in 2016-2017. Caren enjoys swimming, and “reading a good book,” along with traveling with her family.
He joined the Thacher Board of Trustees in 2016. He has been a member of the finance committee since 2015, has recently become the chair of the buildings and grounds committee, and has also volunteered at the school in several ways over the prior years. He is currently the general manager of a large electrical distribution company and has 25 years of experience in business management. Paul lives in Milton with his wife Gail and his daughter Julia. Julia is a 2017 Thacher graduate. Paul enjoys vacationing with his family, and is an avid skier and golfer.
She began her teaching career at Old Colony Montessori in Hingham and received her Montessori training at Seacoast Center in Scituate. Pat holds a certificate for the 6-12 program. She joined Thacher’s staff in 1993 and retired from teaching in 2017. Pat joined Thacher’s board in 2018. She lives in Norwell with her husband, William, her daughter, Liz and her grandson, Will.
The Board welcomed Quentin as a new trustee in 2018, where he is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. Quentin has two sons at Thacher. He and his family have been a part of the Thacher community since 2012. He is a director of an investment team for a real estate investment firm. Quentin and his family live in Roslindale, MA. He enjoys woodworking, cooking, brewing, and sports of all kinds.
He currently serves on the Board and Loss Control Committee of the Independent School Compensation Corporation, a self-insurance workers compensation group that insures over 170 nonprofits schools, colleges, and cultural institutions. He has also been president and treasurer of a nonprofit boys’ camp in Maine, treasurer of the Massachusetts Association of Nonprofit Schools and Colleges, and chair of the finance committee of his local church. Rick enjoys fly-fishing, antique clock repair, and trying to keep up with his English setter puppy. He and his wife, Charlotte, live in Dedham.
She joined Thacher’s board in February 2017. Susan taught at a variety of independent Montessori schools as a Children’s House teacher before heading a preschool/kindergarten Montessori program in the Holliston Public schools. She served as Head of School at Julie Billiart’s Children’s House in Woburn and at the Montessori School of Northampton for 22 years before retiring in June of 2017. Susan is a founding member of Montessori Schools of Massachusetts; she has also given workshops and has worked as a Montessori consultant.
The board welcomed Carl Treichel as a new trustee in June 2017. Carl’s daughter, Neve, graduated from Thacher’s Adolescent Program his son, Miles is also is a Thacher alumnus. Carl currently works as Senior Manager Development for Emerging Technologies, and is a member of the MEDITECH Security Board, working on corporate security and risk mitigation.