Our nurturing, well-trained, and experienced teachers honor each child’s individual potential and work to create an environment that inspires children to develop inner discipline, self-assurance, and a love of learning.
Susan Patrick
Young People's Community Guide
Susan is a lifelong Montessorian, beginning her journey at LMS attending from Children’s House through Upper Elementary. Susan returned to LMS to become the classroom assistant in our Young People’s Community in 2002 where she learned her calling was to work with infants and toddlers. Susan went on to direct the infant and toddler program at Room to Grow, a Reggio Emilia based program in Litchfield, where she also served as a teacher trainer.
After 15 years, she returned to her home at LMS as a paraprofessional, and began her AMI Assistants to Infancy Training through the Montessori Training Center of Northeast. She is now the Directress of our Young People’s Community. Susan is a musician and has been teaching music privately for over 20 years. Susan is married to her best friend, Jason, and they have two children, Hunter and Ruth.
Melissa D'Aversa
Young People's Community Assistant
Melissa holds a degree in Environmental Science & Biology. She found her niche in environmental outdoor education. Fostering a love and respect for the natural world in young children is a passion of hers. While Melissa raised her three children, she fed her need for creativity and love for plants by opening a flower shop in Thomaston.
Melissa has worked in education for 8 years, and she says receiving her Montessori Assistants Certification has been the most rewarding experience. Melissa’s son Michael attended LMS, and she is thankful for the opportunity to give back to this amazing community after all it has given to her son.
She enjoys entertaining, gardening, reading, spending time with family and friends, and going on long bike rides.
Danielle Snydar
Children's House Guide
Welcome to LMS Danielle!
Danielle began her journey with Montessori as a child in a Children’s House classroom in Washington state. While in college at the University of Washington, Danielle rediscovered her love of Montessori philosophy and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. After moving to Connecticut, she spent three years in Danbury as an assistant and co-teacher at Hudson Country Montessori. During this time, Danielle completed her Montessori training. While not a native of Connecticut, Danielle spent many summers here visiting her grandparents and has a deep love of the area. When she is not in the classroom, you’ll often find Danielle reading, cross-stitching, gardening or spending time with her family (who all live in Connecticut now, too!)
Kelsey Ferguson
Children's House Guide
Kelsey has enjoyed working with children for over 15 years. She has a BS in Childhood Studies, Montessori Assistants Certificate, and is completing her AMI Primary training.
Outside of the classroom, you can usually find Kelsey spending time with her family, reading, hiking, cooking, and baking. Kelsey brings her passion for baking into classroom where the children (and the rest of our school) benefit from her experience.
Rachel McGinnis
Children's House Assistant
Rachel first became familiar with Montessori when she was looking for a preschool for her son Thomas. After enrolling him in the Young People’s Community (YPC) at LMS in 2005, and her daughter Marley two years later, Rachel attended several parent education meetings and positive discipline classes offered at the school. Wanting to put her new knowledge of Montessori to work, Rachel served as the Aftercare Coordinator for three years before becoming an assistant in YPC in 2011. She now serves as an assistant in our Children's House. She has a bachelor’s degree from Bard College and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida.
Amanda Caron
Children's House Assistant
Welcome back to LMS, Amanda! We are excited to have you with us again.
Bio coming soon.
Grail Kearney
Lower Elementary Guide
Grail is a senior faculty member, an experienced parent, and a Montessori Directress. She received her M.F.A. in printmaking from Hamilton College in 1981, and completed her elementary level Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) training in Bergamo, Italy in 1988. She has taught both lower and upper elementary levels at LMS, The Cobb School in Simsbury, and The Montessori School in Wilton.
Grail has many interests including reading, art, music, travel, and gardening. She lives on a small farm in Litchfield with her husband, their three teenaged children (all of whom attended LMS) and a wide assortment of lively farm animals.
Monika Geerling
Lower Elementary Assistant and Art Specialist
Monika has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from the University of Connecticut. She spent ten years on Nantucket as a teacher at the Nantucket Lighthouse School, and then received a Master’s Degree in Education from Antioch University New England. She returned to the Litchfield area in 2010 and worked as an assistant teacher at the Millstream Farm Middle School in New Hartford, before becoming an assistant in Children's House.
Monika is currently the art specialist for LMS, as well as the assistant teacher in Lower Elementary. Monika holds art programs for children of all ages where they create beautiful and purposeful pieces of artwork. Lastly, she adores her dog, Shanti who may often be found in our Lower Elementary classroom.
Kate Gnitzcavich
Upper Elementary Guide
Kate graduated from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and a concentration in piano. Working for two years at the Litchfield Public School system, she decided to broaden her scope of education and accepted a position at Litchfield Montessori School as an Upper Elementary Assistant. To support her love of learning and continue her Montessori journey, Kate went on to receive her elementary AMI Elementary 6-12 training and certification at the Montessori Training Center of New England in Hartford.
Kate grew up in Northfield and has many fond memories of Litchfield Montessori School from her childhood. In addition to teaching, Kate enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, and teaching piano.
Gina Hepp
Upper Elementary Assistant & Music Specialist
Welcome back, Gina!
Bio coming soon.
Sam Cochrane
Physical Education Specialist
Sam is our Physical Education Specialist. He is a strong proponent and seeker of lifelong education, and brings with him his diverse background and experiences.
Sam has countless hobbies and interests: ice/roller hockey, cycling, and skiing are his favorite athletic endeavors, while Land and Property management and Human Development have become his largest everyday pursuits. Sam is a certified Bike Instructor, and brings excitement for his lifelong passion to LMS through seasonal bike clubs.
Gloria Vegliante
Spanish Specialist
Originally from Colombia, Gloria holds a Bachelor of Science degree from La Salle University. She began her career as an educator, teaching elementary and middle school science in Bogotá, Colombia. After moving to California, Gloria discovered Montessori education when looking for a pre-school for her children. After spending some years as a parent volunteer, Gloria completed her Elementary certification through the Montessori Teacher Education Center in San Francisco. For five years, she served as both an assistant in the elementary class and Spanish specialist at Golden Oak Montessori in Hayward, California.
After moving to Connecticut, she began working with primary aged children at Brown-Tufts Montessori. Gloria joined the LMS staff in 2016, and currently serves as our Spanish specialist and the aftercare coordinator for our Young People's Community.
Diane Hart
Head of School
Diane came to Litchfield Montessori School with 16 years of experience in education. She taught previously at Cumberland High School in Cumberland, RI and Forbes School in Torrington, CT. She has been a Spanish teacher, elementary teacher, small group reading teacher, and science teacher coordinator. She has also served as the Vice President and Conference Chair of the Connecticut Science Teachers Association.
Diane attended Roger Williams University, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree and holds a teaching certificate with the state of Connecticut in Kindergarten through Grade 6 elementary education. She later received her Master's and Sixth Year degrees in educational administration from Quinnipiac University.
Having sent her own children to Litchfield Montessori School for ten years, Diane feels honored to continue to support LMS in a leadership role. She, like so many others, feels a deep connection to the school, its mission and Maria Montessori's educational philosophy.
Betsy Johnson
Assistant Head of School and Reading Specialist
Betsy has over 30 years of experience in education. She spent 26 years at Rumsey Hall where she taught third, fourth, and fifth grades and was the assistant director of admissions for eight years. She graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Sociology and received a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood and Special Education from the University of St. Joseph in Hartford. She has three sons ranging from high school to post-college age. When not at LMS, she enjoys time with her family, running, and baking.
Donna Fortier
Business Manager and Development Director
Donna attended Northwestern Connecticut Community College where she studied accounting and science. While attending, she received high honors and was a member of the National Honor Society. Before coming to LMS, Donna worked for the controller at White Flower Farm and in the accounting department for Pitney Bowes, as a manager for a startup engineering company. In addition to serving as LMS’s Business Manager, Donna has a small bookkeeping service and volunteers for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. CT Center for Nonviolence.
Donna is also a strong advocate for the other-abled community, providing guardianship and mentoring for adults with special needs. She created and manages the “Snow Flakes in July” fundraiser for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation in honor of her granddaughter, Zoe. It astonishes her that she was given 20 years of learning to advocate and then presented with a granddaughter who would need an advocate!
Donna has two grown children and three precious grandchildren. In her free time, you may find her at the symphony, the New York City Ballet, a Broadway show, or wearing a tie-dye at an outdoor music festival.
Michelle Augustine
Operations, Communications Coordinator & Wilderness Co-Teacher
Michelle comes to us with a BA in psychology and 20 years of business operations and management experience. She discovered Maria Montessori and Charlotte Mason after the birth of her child. Their objectives; respect for the child, born a person, wise & absorbent, really resonated with her. Without alternative education options to her locally, it became her mission to provide a full rounded, gentle, and intentional education for her daughter, in their home.
