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.
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 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.
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 20 years of teaching experience, some in administration, with 15 of these years in Montessori programs. Most recently, she was the lead primary guide at Copper Beech Montessori School in Jamaica Plain and the founder of Pond View Montessori School in Dedham. Clarissa is passionate about advocating for Montessori and natural child development in all aspects of her work with families. When not at Thacher, Clarissa enjoys spending time adventuring out and about with her son (a Thacher elementary student), creating in dance and art in her community, and visiting family in sunny Florida when ever possible.
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 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.
Cassandra has been working in primary classrooms since 2011 and has previously worked in traditional settings. In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys skiing, traveling, and baking.
She enjoys painting, baking and spending every free moment with her sons, family and friends.
She moved to Massachusetts after graduating college in 2016 and has worked at Thacher ever since. Meg has experience working in both general and special education programs in Washington D.C., Virginia, and San Francisco. Meg enjoys being outdoors, baking, music, painting, and reading.
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 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.
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.
Bridget was introduced to Thacher through student teaching in 2015. She became a Classroom Assistant until 2019 and after graduate school, she rejoined the Thacher Team as a Lead Guide in Lower Elementary. In her free time, Bridget enjoys spending time outside with her 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Ten years ago, she created the emersion curriculum of Theater Arts. Thacher productions have included every genre from Shakespeare, to contemporary. As of September 2020, Megan is stepping into the role of AP full-time assistant. She will continue to work with students in drama and public speaking.
Serena has a passion for working with students of all ages. She brings with her to Thacher a wealth of experience teaching and mentoring students online and in-person in subjects including English, Reading & Writing, Public Speaking, Debate, Literature, and her personal favorites, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.
She studied and worked in Beijing for several years as a young professional. Serena has unique cultural and linguistic insights on what it takes to learn foreign languages successfully. Above all, Serena loves inspiring her students wherever they are in their language learning journey.
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.
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 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.
Tom has coached soccer, basketball, and track and field at the middle school and high school level and has won numerous MIAA State Championships in Track and Field for Pembroke and Plymouth North HS. He studied Mindfulness at UMassMemorial Medical Center and Lesley University and is pursuing an MEd in Food and Nutrition from FSU. He was inducted into Milton High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame for Soccer, Basketball, and Track and Field.
Tom enjoys spending time with his wife of 20 years and two teenage sons cooking, exercising, watching international movies, and reading on the beach.
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.
Her hobbies are traveling and cooking.
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.
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.
2020 marks Donna’s twelfth year at Thacher. Prior to her employment at Thacher, she worked many years in the foodservice industry. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, working out, and bicycling.
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.
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.
In his role at OunceIT, Jeremy advises many of the Boston area’s independent and charter schools, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and start-ups. In many cases, his consulting relationship with schools involves him taking on an internal role as Director of Technology and building a tech-embracing culture from the inside out. Jeremy has been a cook, a pilot, a classroom educator, and now enjoys spending his time hiking, running, and with his wife (who is a teacher) and son (who attends Thacher).
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.
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.