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Author: Alejandro Malespin

Kendalyn Mathews

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

Kendalyn was born and raised in Utah. She went to AISU in high school and hopes to become a Montessori teacher in the future. She was raised with Montessori in the home and has been surrounded by Montessori education as her mother is a Montessori teacher. She loves the peace and independence Montessori teaches children. She has a love of language, cooking, and has always had an affinity for children. An interesting fact about Kendalyn is that she has spent several summers helping her family put on summer camps for International students from China.

Catherine Mathews

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

Catherine Mathews was born and spent most of her life in Utah. She was introduced to Montessori philosophy when her children were young and fell in love with this beautiful education for life. Cathie has been involved in Montessori environments since 2002. She received her Early Childhood Certification through Institute of Guided Studies and joined the MCS staff in 2017. Cathie has taught in Early Childhood and Early Elementary Montessori environments and has enjoyed both. She feels passionate about assisting children in becoming independent learners with an inner drive for discovery in all aspects of their lives. Cathie’s greatest love is her family. She and her husband, Brian, are the parents of 2 girls and 3 boys. She feels the best gig in her life is that of being a grandparent!

Brooklyn Roush

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

Brooklyn Roush was born & raised in Utah. She is an assistant teacher and extended day teacher in toddlers. Brooklyn has been babysitting for about 10 years, & has loved working with children. She chose a MCS, because of the values and teachings. Her introduction to Montessori came from a close family friend, and is interested in learning about the development of children & how to work with them. In her free time, she enjoys movies, basketball, & helping take care of her baby cousins.

Bonnie Bracken

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

Bonnie Stevens Bracken was born and raised in Salt Lake City, marrying Jason Bracken in the summer of 2006. Bonnie received her Montessori education through Montessori World Education Institute and the Utah Montessori Teacher Education Program. She also completed AMS Montessori training at Westminster College. Bonnie has been teaching in the Lower Elementary classroom since 2000, and she loves the creative thinkers at this age! Bonnie’s involvement in Montessori Community School started back in 1990. Although Bonnie is a graduate of Utah State University, she is an ardent supporter of the University of Utah football team. Bonnie likes hiking, boating, reading, going to the movies, cooking, playing sports and watching football. Bonnie enjoys traveling and has been to Japan, Mexico and Costa Rica. She loves the Oregon coastline most of all. A little known fact about Bonnie: she learned to swim before she could walk.

Alejandro Malespin

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

Alejandro is originally from Westchester County, New York, and spent most of his childhood there. After graduating from Rye High School, he attended Colby College in 2016, where he majored in Spanish and minored in Computer Science. In his Junior year at Colby, Alejandro showed off his passion for interactive art by leading the development of a digital art exhibit that was displayed to the public on campus. After graduating from Colby in 2021, he followed his family to Utah where they grew a love for the mountains and the outdoors. Alejandro’s interests include snowboarding, cooking, animation, and video game development. He joined Montessori in the summer of 2022, and is excited to work in such a welcoming environment with an amazing team of people. A little known fact about Alejandro is that his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all share the same first name.

Wynde Klauer

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

Wynde brings a wealth of experience and training to our community. She has a Masters in Education and a Reading Endorsement from Westminster College. She spent 8 years working in an early childhood Montessori classroom and 24 years teaching 1st grade for the SLC school district. Most recently, since her retirement, she has been a much sought after substitute at MCS.

Wynde will focus on working with lower elementary students through December 2022. She will collaborate closely with the elementary teachers to provide supplemental reading instruction to students in their classrooms that would benefit from this targeted practice. In January 2023, she will turn her attention to 3rd years in the early childhood program.

Wynde’s own words, “I am excited to help students gain more skills, confidence, and pleasure with their own reading experience.”

Tori Snarr

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

Tori was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Art History from Arizona State University in 2016. Tori has always believed in the transformative power of art and was drawn to work in the non-profit arts sector after graduating. As a Program Coordinator for an organization that provides arts programming for youth, Tori realized a desire to spend more time working with children and pursued teaching full-time. She completed an educator preparation program in Arts Education and gained experience teaching art in a K-8 elementary school. After relocating to Salt Lake City in 2022, she decided to pursue teaching opportunities in a Montessori setting. Tori values the love of learning and respect for the earth that the Montessori philosophy instills in children. She enjoys creating with clay, reading, traveling, and enjoying time with her partner and their dog.

Tori Calamity

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

Tori was born and raised in Cedar City, at the age of 3 she was given Montessori lessons from her babysitter and loved the ability to learn practical life skills at a very young age. At the age of 5 Tori started taking violin lessons through the Suzuki Violin method, not long after her two younger sister’s followed along and they all grew up playing the violin together. After Tori graduated high school she began teaching private violin lessons to kids at the middle school. From there, she developed a love for kids and started helping out families in town whether it was being a violin teacher, nanny, family assistant or working at a shelter for kids. In 2021 Tori moved to Salt Lake and worked at a daycare with toddlers. Though she loved working there she wanted see what it was like to work with Montessori teachings and decided to come to MCS. Tori enjoys shopping, movies, hiking, cooking and spending time with family and friends.

Ruth Jennings

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

A native of the UK, Ruth has a degree in French and German from Oxford University, England. After graduating, she moved to Louisiana where her two young sons attended the Montessori School for Shreveport. She joined their staff as a part-time French teacher, and became interested in teaching at the Elementary level. She obtained her Montessori Elementary I Teaching Credential from the North Carolina Center for Montessori Teacher Education (AMS) in 1997 while living in Germantown, Tennessee. She has since worked at Montessori schools in Tennessee, New Jersey and North Carolina. She joined MCS in 2013 as an LE Teacher in Wasatch class. She gets immense satisfaction from watching children develop their skills and their love of learning over the three year cycle. In her free time, Ruth enjoys writing, calligraphy, yoga, playing the piano, reading, and travel.

Ruby Chouldjian

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

Ruby has enjoyed following the Montessori philosophy as a certified Montessori teacher in Early Childhood for over 26 years. She has been with MCS since 2000. Ruby obtained her Montessori certifications through the Montessori World Education Institute (MWEI) and Montessori Educational Foundation (MEF) with Utah Montessori Teachers Education Program (UMTEP). She has additional Early Childhood certifications through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies (CGMS). Ruby captures moments of student joy, wonder, and exploration of the Montessori works through her use of photography in the classroom. Parents enjoy seeing what their children are learning and are able to see the Montessori environment through her lens. She has lived in over ten countries throughout her life and fostered a love and appreciation for different cultures and languages from an early age. Ruby enjoys reading and spending time with her husband, two sons, daughter-in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren.