Our Staff

When Julie first encountered Montessori, she was a nanny for a KMS family. While working for them, Julie volunteered at the school. She listened to readers, drove on field trips, and substituted in the classroom.

In 1999, Julie started working as an assistant in the classroom for three years.  She then went on to do her Montessori teacher training through Northeast Montessori Institute and earned her primary Montessori AMS teaching credential. Now in her twenty second year here at KMS. She also holds an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from KVCC and earned her BA from UMA in Applied Science with a minor in Early Childhood Services.

She enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching the Red Sox, and working with flowers and plants. You might even spot her selling and taking tickets at many different Winslow High School sporting events. Julie resides in Winslow with her cat, Pumpkin.

Maureen Vashon has been an Assistant Teacher at KMS since 2004. She graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1990 and moved to Pennsylvania shortly after. Maureen first encountered the Montessori method of teaching at a preschool in Pennsylvania and worked there for two years before having twin boys and moving back to Maine to be closer to family. Once she was back in Maine, she finished her Montessori training and started working at KMS in 1999.

In March of 2000, Maureen left KMS to have her youngest child. Once all her children were in school full time, Maureen returned to KMS as the Assistant Teacher in P-1 with Julie, where she continues today. Maureen has loved being in Julie’s class and has really enjoyed developing her teaching skills in every area of the classroom. She loves watching the children blossom as they grow in Montessori and especially likes doing music and movement with the children any chance she gets!

In her spare time, Maureen loves to sing and is in a community band and sings at church. Maureen also loves to give back by volunteering throughout the community in various capacities. She lives in Winslow with her husband Mike, and three boys, who all attended KMS.

She began her journey in education by receiving an associate’s degree in Biotechnology. While working in the Bioscience field, she soon realized it did not suit her. As she moved on to pursue a BA in Biology, she also began working as an Assistant Teacher, here at KMS, in 2005. It was that position that led her to switch gears and complete a BA in Early Childhood Education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. She also earned an AMS primary credential during her 10 years as assistant to Mary Lou Ogden.

Having seen firsthand the value of the Montessori education for her child, she feels privileged to continue this work in her current role as Head Teacher to provide a solid foundation for continuous growth for other children.

Katie is a Maine native, growing up right here in Central Maine. She studied elementary education at the University of Maine at Orono.

Her very first teaching job was here at KMS as an assistant teacher in the elementary classroom in 2005. Not only did she fall in love with all things Montessori, she decided she would like to pursue her own certification and become a head teacher. That very next summer, Katie began her Montessori teacher training and became the primary 3 classroom teacher that fall. She later went on to earn a Masters of Education from Endicott College in Beverly, MA.

Katie is a mom of two young children, a daughter and son, who both attend KMS. She loves spending time outdoors and staying active with her family.

Elizabeth considers herself a “Montessori native,” as she attended The Montessori Children’s House of Morristown, NJ, from primary through sixth grade. A passionate Montessorian, Elizabeth has been involved in the Montessori community working in all levels of classrooms from primary to middle school.

Elizabeth graduated summa cum laude from The State University of New York with a B.S. in Environmental Science. She holds an AMS teaching credential for Elementary I-II, as well an M.Ed in Special Education. Elizabeth is a proud faculty member at the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative, a renowned Montessori training center based out of Lexington, MA. In the classroom, Elizabeth finds great joy in cultivating vibrant, inclusive classrooms where children’s natural curiosity, creativity, and leadership skills flourish.

Outside of the classroom, Elizabeth enjoys cooking, homesteading, and yoga. Elizabeth resides in Madison, Maine with her husband and a menagerie of animals.

Megan grew up in central Maine and has recently returned. Megan has a B.A. in Art Education from Montana State University and completed her Montessori Certification in 2001. She began her Montessori journey as a substitute in a small school in Montana, where she instantly fell in love  with the environment and philosophy and determined to get her certification.

Megan has two amazing children and enjoys exploring Maine and getting outside.

Bridget started her career at Waterville Public Schools after graduating from the University of Maine at Farmington.

After ten years of teaching Title 1 Literacy and Kindergarten, she transitioned to teaching at KMS and has completed her Elementary Certification at METTC.

Bridget lives in Benton with her husband and two sons and enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her family. Both of her sons attend KMS.

Dan graduated with a degree in economics and statistical marketing from Kent State University. After graduating he worked as a construction project manager in Cleveland and NYC. Dan was looking for something more fulfilling and always wanted to teach. He had the opportunity of observing an Upper Elementary classroom and was immediately hooked.

After a few years of traveling and working seasonally in the outdoor tourism industry, Dan began his AMI Montessori Elementary training at Montessori Northwest in Portland, OR. Dan also completed his M.Ed In Montessori Elementary Education from Loyola University in Baltimore. Upon graduation, Dan lead a 1st through 6th grade classroom in White Salmon, WA, for three years and was able to teach all levels of Montessori elementary education.

Dan and his partner moved to Maine during the summer of 2021 and he is excited to continue his Montessori teaching journey in the Upper Elementary classroom at KMS. Dan loves inspiring children to believe in themselves and to discover how they learn. Dan hopes he can instill a lifetime love of learning in all of his students while showing them the wonder of the universe.

When Dan is not working, he can be found cooking, mountain biking, skiing, reading, and climbing. During the summer Dan and his Partner love Bikepacking in the wilderness around the world.

Amy Bley earned a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies, with a minor in Fine Arts, from the University of Maine at Augusta. She has experience teaching and working with children from Temple Beth El Hebrew School in Augusta and teaching Fine Arts and Theater at Arts After School, a program based out of Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney, ME. Most recently, she served as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the program First4, at Educare Central Maine. Amy served as a Classroom Support Mentor, focusing primarily on helping young children develop social and emotional skills to help mitigate the effects of trauma and ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). 

Amy is currently undergoing Montessori Teacher Training for grades 1-6 through the AMS accredited training program, METTC (the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Coalition) in Lexington, MA. In her free time, Amy enjoys spending time in nature, hiking, foraging, and canoeing. She is also an avid reader and artist, generally drawing, painting, sewing, and working with other fiber mediums.

Jen has an M.A. in Art Therapy from Lesley University in Boston. She worked as an art teacher
and art therapist in New Hampshire and as an art educator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
prior to relocating to Maine. She finds that the process of art making is where the greatest
learning and growth can happen. This philosophy is in wonderful alignment with Montessori’s
teaching philosophy. Jen lives in Hallowell with her husband and two daughters, all artists at
heart.

Joe has a BA in RTVF from Oklahoma State and an MA in International Studies from the University of Kansas. Maine is the latest stop in a life of many landscapes, including twenty years living in Budapest, Hungary. His background  in the military, private business, and education prepares him to assist in keeping the operation of the KMS smooth-running.

Winter means cross country skiing, summer means hiking, canoeing and camping in beautiful Maine.