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 
|
Staff Biographies
Lee Sanchez Lee Sanchez is an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Montessori guide for 3-6-year-olds. Lee received her Bachelor’s degree from Hope College in Children's Ministries and Music and graduated magna cum laude. She has a Masters in Education in World Language Instruction from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and has written her thesis on simultaneous bilingual literacy development in children ages 3-5 Lee graduated from the Maria Montessori Institute in London, England in 2010. She taught in bilingual Montessori schools at the primary and elementary levels in the Dominican Republic for over three years. She has also taught at the first Montessori school in Guatemala and helped to initiate and develop their bilingual program. She volunteered at The Montessori School in 2017 and began working there as a Lead Guide soon after; loving the community and the families. Additionally, Lee created "Hands and Feet Family Music" in Hastings, Michigan, where she is from, in 2016 and has directed and taught Music Together® and/or Canta y Baila Conmigo® (a nationally recognized music and movement Spanish program) since. Beata Guerra Beata Guerra has experience as a teacher, a paraprofessional and an assistant. She’s had a lifetime of working with and caring for younger children (a number of them being younger siblings!). Beata is currently a student at Western Michigan University earning her bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She has a heart for meeting all children where they are at. Beata was a lead teacher at Curious Kids for three years and has also worked with the Great Start Readiness Program and the Summer Learning Camp in Portage, MI. Additionally, Beata embraces culture and heritage, celebrating some wonderful Mexican traditions, such as La Posada, that will enrich Little Hands Montessori immensely! At Western, she served as the Vice President for the Latino Student Alliance leading efforts to unite Latinos and showcase rich culture with the student body. When Beata is not working with children, she loves spending time with family and making Cakepops! Margaret Christensen
Margaret has her 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. Once in MI again she substitute taught. She’s one class short of a Masters in Early Childhood Education from WMU. When her daughters were preschoolers, she worked as head teacher at a parent cooperative in Saranac for a year. She home-schooled them for three years. Margaret has 3 children, 2 daughters, who are 32, 30; and a son who is 20 years old and one grandchild, Rebecca Sanchez. She lives in Hastings. When her son was in middle school she went back to substitute teaching, from preschool to high school Spanish classes for 4 years. Since then, Margaret has received her intensive AMI Montessori assistant training certification from the bilingual trainer, Brenda Gonzalez, at Greenville Montessori Institute. She enjoys traveling; having her husband around more now that he’s retired; and having a daughter in education. Sandy O'Dell
Sandy is an exceptional housekeeper and person. We are blessed to have her and we are excited that the children will have the chance to know her! She is full time this year and will help with snack and lunch! Sandy has a great deal of experience cleaning from Montessori schools to being the Lead Housekeeper at Kellogg Biological Station for over 6 years. She also worked as an Environmental Service Assistant at Borgess Medical Center for many years and was blessed immensely by the people there. In addition to working with us, Sandy works as a Dietary Aide at Life Care Center of Plainwell. She enjoys spending time with her family, her five dachshunds, and redoing old furniture. Also, traveling, especially our Great State of Michigan, baking and photography for fun are things Sandy enjoys in her spare time. |
Board of Directors
|
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!