The story of Little Hands Montessori
Little Hands Montessori is a bilingual traditional one-room schoolhouse for children ages 3-6. Its program follows the Montessori Method, and children are taught in English and Spanish simultaneously.
In the winter of 2019, the local branch of a Montessori school in Richland, which had opened there 17 to 20 years prior, decided to close. The community was disappointed, particularly the families of students who were in the middle of their three-year education cycle. While there were hopes that a new Montessori school would open, it was unlikely that this would happen before the next school year.
What the community didn't know was that starting a nonprofit, one-room, bilingual schoolhouse was Lee Sanchez’s dream. As a teacher at the Richland branch of the Montessori school, she had established their bilingual program and had built relationships with the parents and students. Lee’s dream had begun in 2010, during her time working with families in the Dominican Republic. She had taken steps to start up a Montessori School House that would serve children from all socioeconomic backgrounds, including the preschool-age children from a nearby orphanage, when medical complications brought her back to the U.S. Though she had envisioned establishing a school abroad and had worked for years toward that goal, Lee loved the community in Richland and saw this as a new opportunity to realize her dream.
In 2020, after Christmas break, Lee held an open meeting to present the idea of the schoolhouse. Encouraged by Lee’s experience and the enthusiasm of the Richland community, a board was quickly formed. On January 16th of 2020 Little Hands Montessori was legally formed.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit during the initial planning and licensing process. As did hurricanes in the Dominican Republic; many of the original school materials collected there (such as a beautiful set of story-telling wooden figures from Mexican missionaries) were damaged or destroyed by flooding. A handful of materials were saved, including the “Little Hands Montessori” Logo that had been painted by Dominican students of Lee’s.
Despite these complications, blessed by the assistance from all the families involved, many donations of materials, and the support of Gull Lake Public Schools, Little Hands Montessori was able to open in time for the next school year. Children were able to begin attending the schoolhouse in August of 2020, in the same church that the first Richland Montessori school had started in years ago, and were greeted by the logo painted by the Lee's Dominican students.
“The Lord's hand has been upon the whole process and He has opened doors through the assistance of so many people. The names of those who have made this possible are endless. The school wildly meets my every dream. We {the staff} could not be more overjoyed with our jobs and the way that we get to spend our days in a beautiful place with these incredible children and families.” - Lee Sanchez, Little Hands Montessori founder and director.
Community connection continues to be of the utmost importance to those involved with Little Hands Montessori. Part of the school’s mission is to be active in community events, support local businesses and organizations, and make positive connections with the area that surrounds our school. One way that this is accomplished is by participating as a Rotarian. Staff and families from Little Hands Montessori can often be found at Richland community gatherings.
In the winter of 2019, the local branch of a Montessori school in Richland, which had opened there 17 to 20 years prior, decided to close. The community was disappointed, particularly the families of students who were in the middle of their three-year education cycle. While there were hopes that a new Montessori school would open, it was unlikely that this would happen before the next school year.
What the community didn't know was that starting a nonprofit, one-room, bilingual schoolhouse was Lee Sanchez’s dream. As a teacher at the Richland branch of the Montessori school, she had established their bilingual program and had built relationships with the parents and students. Lee’s dream had begun in 2010, during her time working with families in the Dominican Republic. She had taken steps to start up a Montessori School House that would serve children from all socioeconomic backgrounds, including the preschool-age children from a nearby orphanage, when medical complications brought her back to the U.S. Though she had envisioned establishing a school abroad and had worked for years toward that goal, Lee loved the community in Richland and saw this as a new opportunity to realize her dream.
In 2020, after Christmas break, Lee held an open meeting to present the idea of the schoolhouse. Encouraged by Lee’s experience and the enthusiasm of the Richland community, a board was quickly formed. On January 16th of 2020 Little Hands Montessori was legally formed.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit during the initial planning and licensing process. As did hurricanes in the Dominican Republic; many of the original school materials collected there (such as a beautiful set of story-telling wooden figures from Mexican missionaries) were damaged or destroyed by flooding. A handful of materials were saved, including the “Little Hands Montessori” Logo that had been painted by Dominican students of Lee’s.
Despite these complications, blessed by the assistance from all the families involved, many donations of materials, and the support of Gull Lake Public Schools, Little Hands Montessori was able to open in time for the next school year. Children were able to begin attending the schoolhouse in August of 2020, in the same church that the first Richland Montessori school had started in years ago, and were greeted by the logo painted by the Lee's Dominican students.
“The Lord's hand has been upon the whole process and He has opened doors through the assistance of so many people. The names of those who have made this possible are endless. The school wildly meets my every dream. We {the staff} could not be more overjoyed with our jobs and the way that we get to spend our days in a beautiful place with these incredible children and families.” - Lee Sanchez, Little Hands Montessori founder and director.
Community connection continues to be of the utmost importance to those involved with Little Hands Montessori. Part of the school’s mission is to be active in community events, support local businesses and organizations, and make positive connections with the area that surrounds our school. One way that this is accomplished is by participating as a Rotarian. Staff and families from Little Hands Montessori can often be found at Richland community gatherings.
Little Hands Montessori Team
StaffLee Sanchez
Director, Lead Guide & Music Teacher 
Beata Guerra
Spanish Speaking Assistant / Secretary 
Margaret Christensen
Literacy Support Specialist 
Sandy O'Dell
Little Hands Housekeeper 
Teresa Blakemore
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Lee is the founder, director, and lead teacher at LHM. She grew up in Michigan and received her bachelor’s degree in Children’s Ministries and Music from Hope College, graduating magna cum laude. Lee’s master’s degree from Concordia College (Minnesota) is in Education in World Language Instruction; she wrote her thesis on “Simultaneous Bilingual Literacy Development in Children Ages 3-5.” From Concordia, Lee went on to study at Maria Montessori Institute in London, England, graduating in 2010. From there, she began teaching in bilingual Montessori schools at the primary and elementary levels in the Dominican Republic. She also taught at the first Montessori school in Guatemala, helping to initiate and develop their bilingual program. In addition to founding LHM, since returning to Michigan Lee has created “Hands and Feet Family Music” in Hastings, and has directed and taught Music Together® and/or Canta y Baila Conmigo® (a nationally recognized music and movement Spanish program.) Outside of school, Lee can be found spending time with her daughter and family, playing piano, or stand-up paddle boarding on the local lakes and rivers. Beata is our Spanish speaking assistant and the school secretary at LHM. She has completed Montessori Assistants training for ages 3-6 years. Simultaneously to being the LHM assistant, she is completing her Bachelor’s degree in social work at WMU. Beata is the oldest child of 6, which gave her a lifetime of experience working and caring for younger children.In the summer of 2022 Beata completed the first semester of AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) training in Barcelona, Spain, and she will return to Spain next summer to graduate and become a fully accredited Montessori guide at LHM. Beata embraces the Montessori method and how deeply it enriches children’s lives. Witnessing the bilingual development in the children at LHM is an invaluable experience for her.
Beata’s professional experience with children is broad: she was a lead teacher at Curious Kids for three years, and worked with the Great Start Readiness Program, as well as the Summer Learning Camp in Portage, MI. Beata embraces culture and heritage, which greatly benefits the planning and celebration of cultural events at LHM. When Beata is not working with children, she loves spending time with family. Margaret, fondly known by the children as “Mrs. C.”, is our literacy specialist at LHM, working for the school seven months of the year. Margaret has a B.A. in Language Arts from Hope College. She earned her teaching certificate for K-9th grade at the same time.
After graduating and getting married, she worked at a Montessori Children’s House in Conroe, TX, where she received hands-on instruction and then took over a class as a lead guide. Margaret received her intensive AMI Montessori Assistant training certification from the bilingual trainer, Brenda Gonzalez, at Greenville Montessori Institute. Additionally, Margaret has nearly a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from WMU. Margaret has raised 3 children and homeschooled a couple of them exceptionally for a few years. She is a proud grandmother of Rebecca Sanchez. Sandy is our exceptional housekeeper and child-care aide. She is a wonderful person and a blessing to the children and the school. Sandy has raised three children on her own, which built her strong intuition for children and her big loving heart. Sandy has a strong record and valuable experience cleaning for Montessori schools. She previously worked long term as the Lead Housekeeper at Kellogg Biological Station and as the Environmental Service Assistant at Borgess Medical Center. Her professional achievements include multiple development trainings in the areas of cleaning and childcare. Most recently, she completed courses in caring for grieving children and received a Montessori Assistant Certification from Adrien Dominican Teacher Education Institute.
Sandy enjoys spending time with her family, her five dachshunds, and refurbishing antique furniture. She loves traveling and continues to visit many places in our Great State of Michigan. Sandy has wonderful talent in baking and photography. Teresa has been teaching for about 20 years at varying levels from infant to elementary, and has spent the last half of that time teaching the Montessori method in mainly Kentucky and Michigan. She is our substitute teacher and short-term literacy specialist. Teresa takes over for Mrs. C., keeping the children updated with extra literacy support in the winter months when Margaret is in Florida. Teresa is fully trained as an AMI Montessori guide for 3 - 6 year-olds from the Montessori Institute of San Diego, as well as certified in Montessori Inclusion for Elementary through the Montessori Medical Partnership for Inclusion.
Teresa’s undergraduate degree is in Early Childhood Education. She has a Masters of Education from Loyola University in Maryland. Teresa brings us uniquely helpful literacy instruction techniques with her certification as an Orton-Gillingham instructor. She was educated in that method through the Michigan Dyslexia Institute. In her spare time Teresa enjoys knitting and spending time with her two dogs, Happy and Kona. She has a small farm with chickens and ducks, and loves traveling, creating Montessori YouTube videos, and camping. |
Board of Directors
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OFFICERS
Andrea Zerilli / Chair (Fundraising Committee) Lindsey Koch / Treasurer Maren Uggen / Vice Chair (Fundraising Committee) Holly Belt / Secretary (Fundraising Committee) |
DIRECTORS
Michelle Oswald / Marketing & PR Chair R. Lee Sanchez / School Director and Teacher (Fundraising Committee) Ashleigh Wendzel Dan Belt Paula Park (Marketing Committee) Ashley Kloote (Marketing Committee) Natalie Buckhout (Fundraising Committee Chair) |
The board normally meets monthly the fourth Wednesday of each month. Contact Andrea Zerilli, Andrea.M.Zerilli@gmail.com, to learn of the time, location or zoom link for a given month (it changes). Anyone is welcome to visit and contribute to the conversation!