VMS Staff
The staff at Vancouver Montessori School is made up of dedicated individuals from a broad range of educational and professional backgrounds. Our teachers approach education with the development of the individual needs of each child in mind. Our lead teachers and administrator are all AMI/AMS certified and trained in the Montessori philosophy, child development, and curriculum. The experience and dedication of our staff contributes to making Vancouver Montessori School a community where children flourish.
Administration
Trisha
Director
Trisha knew from a young age that she would dedicate her life to serving youth. Soon after graduating high school, she had 3 children of her own. Through her adult life, she held many roles working with children. From working in the public school system, to owning a daycare of her own, she has worked with youth in many capacities.
She came to VMS in 2017 as an assistant, with many years in childcare under her belt. Working in the VMS classroom cemented her belief in the Montessori Method. Since then, she has taken on the position of Assistant Director. As an administrator, she not only brings her administration skills, but her obvious love for working with children.
Trisha graduated from Grand Canyon University this past year, and holds a Bachelor of Education. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, and spending time with her children, grandchildren, and friends.
Rahela
Assistant Director
Rahela is our longest running employee, and came to Vancouver Montessori in 2001. She was born in California and came to Washington when she was five years old. She has stayed here in the PNW ever since. Her love for working with children is evident through her interactions with students at VMS. Rahela has seven brothers and four sisters. Among her favorite things are: Spending time with family (she loves being around her nieces and nephews), cooking and baking, traveling and shopping.
Support Staff
Grace
Grace has been working with children since graduating from Central Washington University in 2004. She found her way into a Montessori classroom in 2006 as a primary assistant in Issaquah WA. She instantly wanted to learn more about the pedagogy and began taking an online Montessori training program based out of Seattle. Her family life moved her to Illinois in 2012 where she continued her Montessori career as a primary assistant and graduated from the American Montessori Society training program from Seton Montessori Institute in 2016. She was a lead guide in the classroom for 8 years and has now taken on the role of director of education and curriculum coach here at VMS. She supports the children and staff in all the classrooms and has truly enjoyed her time seeing children flourish in the Montessori environment. In her spare time, she can be found reading, playing board games with her two children, and going on adventures with her husband.
Joyce
Joyce came to us with 22 years of experience as a paraeducator with Evergreen Public Schools. She moved from Seattle to Vancouver in 1999. Joyce has a daughter, a son and a grandson who she enjoys spending time with. Her grandson is the love of her life.
Gladiz
Gladiz came to Vancouver from El Paso, Texas. She made the move to Washington to be near her family. She is truly excited about the NW weather! Gladiz comes from a family with five siblings who she loves to spend time with as well as her nieces. She brings the skill of being bilingual in English and Spanish to our community. Her other interests are cooking, coloring and dancing.
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