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Laura Kinmont

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Early Childhood Staff, Staff Bios.

Laura was born and raised in Utah and also lived in Colorado for eight years. She discovered the amazing Montessori method of education in 2006 when her two children attended a Montessori school. During this period, she witnessed the growth and independence of her children, and after reading the Montessori Method by Dr. Montessori, she decided to take training through the Institute for Guided Studies.

Laura has worked in Montessori classroom environments since 2006, from toddler through high school. She has Montessori certifications in Lower Elementary (6-9) and Early Childhood Level (3-6) from the Institute for Guided Studies. She enjoys aspects of both but loves the Early Childhood level for its variety of materials and the discoveries children find in learning to read for the first time, exploring the sciences, and becoming increasingly independent.

Laura later became an Adult Instructor for the EC level with IGS and loved working with adult learners. Laura holds a Bachelors in Education from Thomas Edison College and a Masters in Education from Westminster College. Laura is thrilled to be a part of the amazing community at Foothill Montessori. Laura and her husband, Ritchie, live in Roy and are empty nesters. They have three grown children and love being grandparents. Laura enjoys traveling, e-biking, walks, and musical productions and enjoys diving into new books!

Sydnie Baker

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Staff Bios, Toddler Staff.

Sydnie grew up in both Nashville, Tennessee, and Oakland, Kentucky. A graduate of culinary school from UVU and former pastry chef, she continues to share her expertise through her work with a small catering company. Since bringing her son to Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake, Sydnie has been drawn to the welcoming environment and dedicated staff, inspiring her to jump in as a substitute and now toddler support guide. An interesting fact about her is she loves to travel and has been to the Bahamas, India, London, and Fiji.

Teresa Reed

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Admin Staff, Staff Bios.

Teresa was born and raised in the Sugarhouse area of Salt Lake City, and loves the nostalgia of coming home to the community she loves. She has spent most of her adult life raising her 6 children, and running the accounting and office procedures of several different businesses along the way. Teresa loves the outdoors, spending time with her family, reading good books, and spending all her money on her grandchildren.

Kara Rasumussen

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Staff Bios, Toddler Staff.

Kara grew up in Sandy, Utah, playing outdoors whenever possible, no matter the weather. She follows a legacy of her mother Kristie Jensen and sister Annie Hays in her passion for Early Childhood education. Since the fall of 2020, she has worked in many classrooms at Montessori Community School while working on her degree at the University of Utah. In May of this year, she graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental and Sustainability Studies—Food Systems and Community. She is thrilled to be joining Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake as an Extended Day Guide in the Stars class and an assistant in the Outdoor Classroom for the 2024-25 school year and hopes to inspire love for nature and growing food along the way.

Doug Reed

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Admin Staff, Staff Bios.

Doug’s introduction to Montessori was in preschool, where he attended the Gigerbarad House in North Salt Lake, UT, which was a Montessori school. Doug graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Utah and has spent most of his career starting or helping startup companies become financially stable and successful. In July of 2024, Doug and Teresa Reed, along with Catherine and Brian Mathews, purchased FMSL and are excited for the future. Doug has been married for 33 years to his sweet wife Teresa, and they have 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. They also have 3 grandkids, with another one due in October. His hobbies include doing anything with his kids or grandchildren.

Noah Gessel

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Early Childhood Staff, Staff Bios.

In the spring of 2024, Noah graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies. In the past, their experience with children has involved teaching swimming, gymnastics, and nannying. Being in a school environment has been a dream of theirs. Noah hopes to support the school and staff in any way and provide a unique learning experience. A little known fact about Noah is that their father is in the military and so got moved around the country a lot as a child.

Claudia Navarro

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Infant Staff, Staff Bios.

Claudia is from Argentina and is a mother of two youngsters who are her pride and joy. She studied preschool teaching with more than 25 years of experience. She worked as a director in her hometown. She lived in Miami for four years, where she worked as a toddler’s lead teacher. She is interested in working in Montessori Education, and she loves her profession because children are the future. From 2023-24, she worked in the Toddler program and now also supports the Infants class. Claudia is active, professional, responsible, and likes to travel and take on challenges.

Mary Sam Barth

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Staff Bios.

Mary was an FMSL student 2005-2013! Growing on the method she applied it to many parts of her life, especially professionally. She has worked at a variety of places, such as YMCA Counselor, & Stagehand. Mary is excited to return to her roots and help kids find their spark as her teachers did for her! She now attends USU, set on a Music Production degree, Belmont (Nashville, TN), to help others grow their spark. Mary’s a graduate from SLSPA, 2022. Mary was SBO Pres, on hope squad & more!

Carmen Sosa

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Staff Bios, Toddler Staff.

Carmen was born in Peru, where she studied psychology until life brought her to Utah almost 12 years ago. She was looking for schools for her daughter when she found the Montessori method. She started working at a Montessori school in Park City, where she founded their infant program, and completed her AMS Infant and Toddler Montessori Credential at the Westminster College Institute for Montessori Innovation (IMI). With 9 years of experience working with infants and toddlers, she believes that Montessori education is making a change in the world. In her free time, Carmen enjoys spending time with her family, her 4 children, 3 of them teenagers and one infant, hiking, camping, eating, and cooking.

Meg Mathews

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Early Childhood Staff, Staff Bios.

Meg was raised in Utah County. She completed two years at Brigham Young University before joining Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake in January 2023. Meg is excited to be working on her Early Childhood Certification through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies and expects to receive her certificate in the summer of 2025.

At home, Meg enjoys spending her time with her husband and their young daughter. When she finds the time, she loves to create by illustrating or carving custom linocut prints.