Montessori Team

Administration/Office Staff

The administrators, Adele Fondo and Muriel Owens, are the owners and on-site directors. They are at their desks daily to ensure your needs are met, as is the vision and mission of Maitland Montessori School. During operating hours, you can almost always expect to reach a live human (no elaborate phone menu to navigate!) and receive a prompt answer to your questions. We are responsive and always welcoming to feedback.

Our office staff includes:

Lydia Dunkle, Education Assistant and Registrar
Tina Leslie, Office Administrator
Stuart Owens, Business Administrator

They are here to answer billing, enrollment, policy, and events questions; resolve IT issues; schedule appointments and parent-teacher conferences; and more. You can expect to be treated with courtesy and respect and that requests will be fulfilled in a timely manner.

Our Teachers

The staff of Maitland Montessori School is dedicated to helping your child become the person he/she is meant to be. What makes this team so special?

Teachers are well trained in Montessori philosophy and materials.
Low staff turnover means you have consistency over the three-year cycles.
Teachers are trained for the level at which they teach, and some are trained for multiple levels.

Preschool/Kindergarten

Kathy Beresheim
Luann Bertizlian
Guinevere Brightwell
Joselyn Concepción
Tara Crosby
Carrie Manthe
Lourdes Jacks
Debbie Sanchez-Barre
Shelby Dixon
Suzanne Gerber
Cecilia Pfeiffer
Gayl Williams

Elementary/Middle School

Grades 1-3
Wendy Babinchak / Yelimar Becerra / Becky Flanagan / Migdelis Hanja / Danielle Marcum / Esther Prado

Grades 4-6
Stephen Owens / Laura Pingston / Sunny Day Talbert

Grades 7 and 8
Angela Mathis

Our Specialists

Specialists enhance the Montessori curriculum with their expertise and talent.

Our specialists are:
Greg Little, Music and Movement
Becky Sego, Chorus and Band
Ms Migdelis Hanja, Art 1st-3rd grades
Ms Laura Pingston, Art 4th-8th grades
Esther Prado, Spanish 1st-3rd grades
Nora Sands, Spanish 4th-8th grades
Ms Yelimar Becerra, PE 1st-3rd grades
Ms Danielle Marcum, PE 4th-8th grades
Michael Galgano - IT specialist

Parents and PTO

Our team of experienced administrators, office staff, teachers, and specialists our joined by our school parents and the PTO. With volunteer activities and support, they further enhance our curriculum and special activities like WinterFest and our end-of-the-school-year musical.

After-School Activities Instructors

Your child has the opportunity to take advantage of after-school instructors’ expertise through a variety of optional after-school activities.* Most of the instructors are not part of our regular staff. The instructors are appreciated for the quality of their classes and instruction.

Our on-campus after-school activities instructors are:
Becky Flanagan and Angela Mathis, Book Club
Sunny Day Talbert and Yelimar Becerra, Robotics Club
Mel Veazey through Impact on the Road and Drama Club

Our off-campus after-school activity instructor is:
Kenny Bonnett, Jr. through Dreadhead Sports, Soccer and Track

* Please note there is a fee separate from the Maitland Montessori School fees and tuition for each after-school activity. The fee for each activity is determined by the respective instructors. Also, not all activities are offered for all age groups.