Meet the Team
Dedicated & Trained
Administration
Trayce Marino
Head of School
Trayce Marino is the Head of School at the Montessori School at Emory. Trayce has a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts from Syracuse University, an AMI Montessori certification at the elementary level, and a Masters degree in Montessori Education from Loyola University. She has been with the Montessori School at Emory for 19 years as both a teacher and in administration.
Trayce has two sons that have come up through Montessori School at Emory.
Kara Hebert
Office Manager
Kara joined the MSAE family in 2019 as an elementary classroom assistant teacher. She is now the Front Office Manager. Kara has been in the education field for many years as well. She spent the first 16 years of her career teaching 5 year old children in a traditional educational environment. She is very passionate about the Montessori philosophy and enjoys reading and playing sports during her downtime. Kara also enjoys spending time with her four adult children continuing to support and guide them.
Iris Feischl
Admissions Coordinator
Nikki Torres
Pedagogical Support Coordinator
Nikki Torres provides pedagogical support at the Elementary and Adolescent level. Nikki has a long history in Montessori education. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hood College (MD), Nikki pursued her AMI Montessori Elementary (ages 6 -1 2) certificate from Washington (DC) Montessori Institute, AMS Montessori Secondary (ages 12-15) certificate from Houston (TX) Montessori Institute, and Master of Education degree from Loyola University Maryland. Nikki has taught at the Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary and Adolescent levels at Montessori schools in Chicago and Atlanta.
Specialists
RoShana Paxton has been in the education field for 24 years. She attended Jackson State University, where she majored in Special Education and minored in Psychology. In 2003, she obtained her Early Childhood degree at Georgia State University. She has a Bachelors in Social Science with a minor in Psychology and a Masters degree in Education with a concentration in Family and Community. RoShana has three daughters (one that is school age) and 2 grandchildren. She loves art,music and sneakers.
RoShana Paxton
Student Support Coordinator
Izzi Robles
Drama Teacher
Izzi Robles is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she majored in Performing Arts and received minors in Vocal Performance and Casting. Izzi has been teaching at MSAE for the past two years and loves these kids! After school, she teaches private vocal and acting lessons. You might also catch Miss Izzi performing in musicals in the Atlanta area!
Toddler Community
Pilar Ossa
Kiwi Class Guide
Pilar Ossa has been a Toddler guide since 2008. She is originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela and moved to the Atlanta area in 2003. In 2007, Pilar finished her Aid to Infancy Training at the Montessori Institute of Atlanta. She has been with us here at MSAE in the toddler community since 2008. “I absolutely love it!”
Samantha Huff
Kiwi Class Assistant
Samantha has been the Kiwi assistant since 2019. She has over 13 years of experience working with young children. She loves her Kiwi toddlers and in her off time spending time with her family.
Sahsani Williams
Kiwi Class Assistant
Sahsani came to MSAE with over 6 years of experience working with young children. She holds an AMI assistants certification and loves working with our Kiwis. Sahsani enjoys art, music and reading.
Stephanie Murphy
Peacock Class Guide
Ms. Stephanie Murphy is an AMI Trained A-I Teacher and has guided toddlers at MSAE for over 20 years. Ms. Stephanie is truly blessed with the gift of patience, compassion, and the desire to touch the hearts, minds and to genuinely enhance the development of young children.
DeJhay Gore
Peacock Class Assistant
DeJhay has over 7 years of experience working with very young children. She loves being a part of the Peacock team and working with our toddlers.
Rosa Johnson
Peacock Class Assistant
After over 15 years as a certified Nursing Assistant Rosa made the transition to helping nurture our littlest age students in the Peacock classroom. She enjoys laughing and singing with them every day. On her off time she enjoys time with her family.
Primary Community
The Hummingbirds
Zsanna Whittaker
Hummingbird Class Guide
With over 7 years of experience working with toddler age children Zsanna brings her patience and love to school each day. She holds Child Development Certification and AMI Foundations in A to I Certification. Zsanna is always looking to learn more about her Hummingbirds and how to give them just wheat they need to grow and develop. In her free time Zsanna enjoys being with her 5 children.
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Lexi McDonald
Hummingbird Class Assistant
Lexi has a passion for working with our littlest learners. She has 7 years of experience with children and her joy is infectious. Lexi brings her big heart into the class every day. Outside of the school she enjoys listening to and making music.
Cheman Sindi
Hummingbird Class Assistant
Cheman is charismatic and energetic with 6 years of providing educational assistance to students of various levels. She enjoys helping the Hummingbirds realize their full potential. She enjoys spending time with her big family when she is not working.
Primary
The Cardinals
Preeti Nagru
Cardinal Class Guide
Preeti Bhagat-Nagru has been the guide in the Cardinal Room for over 17 years. She received her training at the International Montessori Training Institute, and received her M.Ed. from Loyola College in Maryland. She has a flair for arts and crafts and the children in her class have benefited from it as their handwork is beautiful
Sametra Shavers
Cardinal Class Assistant
Sametra has been with MSAE as a Primary assistant since 2019 and holds degree in Computer Information Systems/Business Administration. She is currently working on her Child Development Associates certification. She enjoys karaoke and dancing.
Sherrunda Jackson
Cardinal Class Assistant
Sherrunda has over 5 years of experience working with young children. She is currently in the process of renewing her Child Development Associates Certification. Outside of school she enjoys spending time with her family.
The Puffins
Kristin Lemmerman
Puffin Class Guide
Ms. Kristin has been with MSAE for over ten years. She graduated from Agnes Scott College in 1992 with a degree in International Relations. She earned her Montessori Certification from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta and her M.Ed. from Loyola University in 2010.Besides writing, Ms. Kristin's hobbies include cooking, gardening and woodworking. She is fluent in Spanish.
Stephanie Taylor
Puffin Class Assistant
Stephanie has been working with children for 18 years. She has her Child Development Associate certification and is currently studying for her BA in Education. She enjoys journaling and writing poetry
Winnifred Nivens-Scott
Puffin Class Assistant
Winnie learned about Montessori in Jamaica and fell in love with the philosophy. She recently joined the Puffins Primary class team as the afternoon classroom assistant.
The Bluebirds
Arzoo Tejani
Bluebird Class Guide
Arzoo earned her B.A. in Education and Commerce in India. After several years of teaching experience in a private school in India Arzoo moved to the US and received her AMI Certification in 2012. She had been with MSAE for over ten years.She loves to spend time with her family and play with her son, Aariz.
Stephanie Taylor
Bluebird Class Assistant
Tonya has been at MSAE for 19 years. She has a passion for Montessori and love for the children in her care. Tonya has participated in AMI assistant training and holds a certificate in guiding Phonetic Reading. Outside school Tonya enjoys cooking, traveling and spending time with family.
Wendy Digard
Bluebird Class Assistant
Wendy graduated from Hunter College in New York with a major in Psychology and minor in Sociology. She loves her work with the Bluebird students and finds joy in each day. Outside school she enjoys being with friends and family.
The Chickadees
Jesse Corley
Chickadee Class Guide
Jesse Corley is in her second year as the primary guide for the Chickadee class. She completed her AMI primary level training at the International Montessori Training Institute of Atlanta and her M.Ed at Loyola University Maryland in 2016. She has a BA in Film and Video from Georgia State University. Jesse has five years of experience working in Montessori primary and toddler environments. In her free time she enjoys exploring life with her two daughters, Cleo and June.
Chickadee Class Assistant
Bridgette Johnson
Chickadee Class Assistant
Bridgette has a been working with young people for more than 15 years. She holds a BA in Behavior Science with a minor in Psychology. Bridgette brings her love or all things creative to the Chickadee community. Outside of school she enjoys spending time with her husband, her children and her grandchildren.
Elementary
The Flamingos
Chelsea Richey
Flamingo Class Guide
Chelsea Richey joined MSAE in August of 2021. She previously taught Lower Elementary at the Montessori Institute in Broward just outside of the Everglades. She received her AMI certification through the Atlanta Montessori Institute after graduating with a degree in Cognitive Psychology from North Georgia College and State University. She always knew she would become a teacher, and as a child enjoyed guiding the neighborhood children on creek hikes or showing them the best way to climb a tree.
Tianna Fain
Flamingo Class Assistant
Tianna joined the MSAE team in 2021. She has a true passion for learning and growing that is infectious to the students she works with. Tianna has completed her Montessori Assistants training at the elementary level and is always striving to learn more. Tianna is also a licensed cosmetologist and does hair and make up in her free time.
The Sandpipers
Stacey Albright
Sandpiper Class Guide
Stacey received her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma and in 1999. In 2004 she began her career in administration at Montessori at Riverstone Montessori Academy in Marietta before moving into the classroom as an assistant and deciding to take the her AMI Elementary training and obtain a Masters of Education from Loyola University. Stacey join the MSAE team in 2013. She has guided students at the Adolescent, Upper Elementary and Lower Elementary levels. She enjoys reading and watching her girls play roller derby.
Josh Roberts
Sandpiper Class Guide
Josh Roberts has been with MSAE since 2021 assisting in the lower elementary classroom. He came to MSAE with over 8 years of experience working with students as a coach and mentor. Josh has a passion for keeping children engaged and active both mentally and physically. He leads the very popular MSAE afterschool running club program emphasizing health, fitness, teamwork, and empowerment. Outside of work Josh enjoys time with his friends and family.
The Emus
Pete Cassanelli
Emu Class Guide
Pete Cassanelli is the lead guide in the Emu Upper Elementary Community. He attended Montessori school all the way through 6 th
grade, and also had the opportunity to live in Mogadishu, Somalia for a year at age 12. He has
also had the opportunity to live and teach in both El Salvador and Bolivia. After college, he
moved to South Florida where he worked as a restaurant manager and high school teacher
before getting his Montessori teacher training in Dublin, Ireland. After teaching 10 years in a
Fort Lauderdale Montessori school, he moved to Clarkston in 2018 and began working at
MSAE. He has one daughter who was married in the summer of 2023! He loves to spend off
time volunteering, reading and watching sports.
RoShana Paxton
Emu Class Assistant
RoShana Paxton has been in the education field for 24 years. She attended Jackson State University, where she majored in Special Education and minored in Psychology. In 2003, she obtained her Early Childhood degree at Georgia State University. She has a Bachelors in Social Science with a minor in Psychology and a Masters degree in Education with a concentration in Family and Community. RoShana has three daughters (one that is school age) and 2 grandchildren. She loves art,music and sneakers.
Jack Marino
Emu Class Assistant
Jack is in his second year as an upper elementary assistant in the Emu class. His experience being a Montessori student from toddler through middle school helps him now guide the students in his care. He enjoys sharing his passion for the arts with unique lessons that engage student's creative side. Jack is currently studying Film Production at the Georgia Film Academy.
Adolescent
Jason Austin
Elf Owl Guide
Mr. Jason joined the MSAE community August 2021. Armed with a passing familiarity with the Montessori philosophy, a love of learning, and the belief that he could make a meaningful impact on the lives of the students, Jason took on the position of Adolescent guide that has since changed his life. With a background in research as a Geologist at the University of Georgia and Duke University, the scientific approach of the Montessori philosophy was attractive to him the first time he encountered it. This interest and practice brought him to the realization that teaching adolescents is the job that he did not know he wanted all his life. Jason enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the outdoors.
Sonya Dotson-Powell
Elf Owl Guide
Mrs. Sonya joined MSAE in August 2022 as the Adolescent Community’s Math Teacher. Her journey to Montessori Education began as the parent of a then primary (now 10th Grade) student. She describes parenting her child during the Montessori School Years as a time of discovery and enlightenment. Specifically, learning about the life and works of Dr. Maria Montessori and seeing up close and personal the impact of her philosophy on the development of her own child.
Her undergraduate and graduate work were in Applied Mathematics (Spelman College) and Mathematics Education (Mercer and University of Georgia). “Getting to explore the world of math with adolescent students is a true adventure and most rewarding.”
Support Staff
Madison Lamb
Kitchen Manager
Madison Lamb is also the Montessori School at Emory Kitchen Manager. Madison has many years of experience working with young children. She often enjoys spending time with her family, friends, reading, laughing and seeking out new challenges. She uses her creativity, love, and passion for cooking to prepare enjoyable meals for our children daily.
Lupe Trujillo
Custodial and Maintenance