Cindy Bass
is Ridgeline's Principal. Cindy has
been a teacher for 30 years (first grade for five and kindergarten for
25). After she retired in 2003, she worked at Pacific University
for a year and a half teaching several classes that included the
Montessori approach in the curriculum, as well as supervising student
teachers. She then spent another year and a half as Assistant
Principal at Monroe Middle School.
Chrystell Reed
will
share administrative duties with Ms. Bass. Chrystell has a Bachelor’s
degree in Hotel Administration, and more than ten years of office
management experience She recently received her Montessori
Administrator certification from the Houston Montessori Center. She
joined Ridgeline in 2001.
Paula Naas, Teacher of
Kindergarten
Paula Naas
graduated from the
University of Northern Colorado with a degree in elementary education. She
went on with studies in early childhood and was an assistant in a
pre-primary classroom at a private Montessori School. She will complete her
Montessori training this year, with the Montessori Educational Institute of
the Pacific Northwest, in Seattle. Paula has been with Ridgeline since
2002, as an assistant in Lower Elementary and subsequently as a co-teacher
with Diana Fitzer, in the kindergarten classroom.
Cheri Spies, Teacher
of Lower Elementary (1,2,3)
Cheri
Spies
Cheri Spies has AMS Montessori Certification in Early childhood (3-6) and
Lower Elementary (6-9), Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Master
of Education in Early Childhood Education, Special Education (ECE) license
and Reading Instruction Endorsement. She is also Oregon State licensed.
As one of Ridgeline’s two founding teachers, she has a special interest in
reading instruction, and particularly enjoys teaching science. In her more
than 25 years of teaching, Cheri has helped develop seven Montessori
preschool programs and 2 Montessori elementary programs, so she has been a
wonderful asset to us as we grow. She teaches students, ages 6-9, in the
Lower Elementary Classroom. Cheri's instructional assistant is Azusa
McMullen.
Azusa
McMullen,
a.k.a. Satsuki and Kaede's mom, has been working
in Cheri's classroom for 4 years, mostly as a parent volunteer. She also has
a daughter in high school that was one of the original students of
Ridgeline, back when there was only one classroom and around 30 total first,
second and third graders. In her spare time she enjoys bike riding and
sewing.
Azusa was born and grew up
in Sendai, Japan. She gives Japanese lessons every morning which the
students thoroughly enjoy. She is also looking forward to cooking and doing
more Origami with the students in the class.
Iris
has been fascinated by Montessori since the birth of her first child in
1959, and started a Montessori-inspired K-1-2 school in Boulder for her
three daughters to attend. In 1976 she was AMS certified through Seattle
University and has worked in several different schools since then. She
reports that Cheri's class is the best setting she has ever worked in.
Eric Bear,
Teacher of Lower Elementary (1,2,3)
Eric Bear,
is a master's level, state-certified
teacher who is completing his Montessori
certification.. Though 2002-2003 marks
Eric's first experience with a classroom of his own, he is by no means
inexperienced. He has worked as an educator
or a counselor in a variety of settings, and was a highly
sought-after substitute teacher before joining Ridgeline. Eric teaches children ages 6-9 in the Lower
Elementary classroom.
Sarah Todd
has been working in Montessori classrooms from
the Toddler level through the Upper Elementary level for more than 10
years. She has a B.B.A. in Economics with a focus on Forecasting and
Statistics as well as Montessori certification at the Lower Elementary
level.
Diana Fitzer,
Teacher of Lower Elementary (1,2,3)
Diana
Fitzer has more than fifteen years experience teaching in
Montessori classrooms. She has previously worked in private Montessori
schools in Texas and Oregon. She came to us in 2004 as a lower elementary
assistant. In 2005, she and Paula
Naas joined
together to start up and teach our stand-alone Kindergarten class.
Alison Armstrong is
Diana's assistant. Ali is going on her fourth year here at Ridgeline
as a Lower Elementary Instructional Assistant. She has been working in
Montessori schools for nearly 9 years, starting with the Toddler program as
well as Primary and Lower & Upper Elementary. Ali enjoys sharing her Peace
Education curriculum with the students, which includes healthy communication
and social skills through conflict resolution. She is certified as a
children's yoga instructor, and has been teaching yoga to children for
nearly 7 years. Ali has a B.A. in Individual and Family Studies from the
University of Kentucky, and plans on receiving her Montessori Certification
to teach Lower Elementary.
Janell Heidenreich, Teacher of
Upper Elementary (4,5,6)
Janell Heidenreich is a
Montessori-trained and Oregon-certified educator with more than 20 years of
experience teaching children from preschool age through grade 6. Before
coming to Ridgeline from Indianan in 2001, Janell
taught and was a lead teacher
in public Montessori in Indianapolis.
She also
was principal of two K-5 traditional public schools . Immediately prior
to moving to Eugene, she directed the education program of the Children's
Museum in Indianapolis. She is thrilled to back in the classroom, teaching
our upper elementary students (ages 9-12).
Janell's
instructional assistant is Adriene Phillips.
Adriene Phillips,
who has been with the
school since 2001.
Jennifer
Wyld, Teacher of Middle School Classroom
Jennifer is an AMI elementary trained Montessori Guide and an Oregon-certified teacher
with more than 19 years of experience educating ages 3-15. She has previously
worked in private Montessori programs in Texas and Oregon. Upon joining us in
2003, she enrolled in a AMS-affiliated training program for junior high school
(ages 12 to 15) Montessori teachers at the Houston (TX) Montessori Center.
During 2006, she also participated in the North American Montessori Teacher’s
Association (NAMTA) Orientation to Adolescence. She guides the Middle School
class at Ridgeline, comprised of 7th and 8th graders where
she gets to work and play with adolescents almost every day!
OfficeManager/Bookkeeper/Community
Coordinator
Kayla
Bergfeld,
Office
Manager, has been dedicated to Ridgeline for the past five
years. She volunteered as a parent for the first two years
and has been working in the office for the past three years.
She is also a parent of three Ridgeline Montessori students,
the eldest of which is a recent Ridgeline graduate.
Kwija Lee
has been an active volunteer and is now the
bookkeeper for Ridgeline.
Cynthia Friedman is
Ridgeline's Community School
Coordinator. Cynthia is a parent at Ridgeline with Three students at the
school.
Specialists
Physical Education
instructor
George
Cox,
is also a
teacher-trainer at the
University
of
Oregon, rejoins us this year as
Ridgeline's P.E. teacher.
Jennifer Searl is
the director of choir, which will be open to all upper lever and
middle school students. Jennifer is a parent and has served as a substitute
music teacher here.
Jim Robinson
is Ridgeline's art teacher.
Ridgeline's K-Lower El Spanish Teacher is Katja Kohler.
Jonathan Bilenki is
the Upper El and Middle School Spanish Teacher.
Carmen Coleman
is the
Reading Specialist and Cyndy Meno
is the Special Education I.A.
