<h2 id="trillium_staff">Trillium Room</h2> ###Guide: Francesca Lowes### ![alt text][1]Francesca Lowes, a west coast native, graduated from Colorado College in 2003. Since then, she has enjoyed working with children in a variety of capacities and in a variety of locales around the globe. She has worked as a one-on-one aide in Vermont, as a substitute teacher and private tutor in Montana and California, and as an English teacher in South Korea. To each experience, she has brought a great degree of intentionality, compassion, and patience.

For Francesca, discovering Montessori education felt like coming home. In 2008, she completed her AMI Elementary training at the Washington Montessori Institute and received her M.Ed from Loyola College in Maryland. While Francesca's professional connection to Montessori education has developed fairly recently, her profound personal alignment with the principles embodied by the approach has been life-long. She feels deeply inspired by the capacity of the Montessori method to support and nurture the total development of each individual child. 

Francesca brings an abundance of joy and enthusiasm to her work. She is passionate about facilitating a dynamic, healthy, and creative learning environment for her students. Her other interests include travel, the natural world, sustainable living, and yoga. She joined the Sunstone community as the Trillium Room guide in the fall of 2008. ###Assistant: Cally Fruscello### Appreciation for the care and development of children began early on right in my family being an older cousin and a young aunt. In my undergrad years, in NY and Italy I studied psychology and art. During those formative years while studying I acquired college credits for working at the university preschool. I moved to Seattle and swung coffee for nearly 3 years, all the time doing child care for friends or working with Art Corps. Given all the years I had worked with children I explored Montessori education and found a position to substitute at a Children's house. I developed a great appreciation for the philosophy and its applied practice. I finished a primary training with NAMC in 2005 and came to Sunstone in 2006. I have since worked as aftercare staff, in the office and now in the Trillium room as the assistant. Outside of the classroom you'll find me dealing/exhibiting fine prints and developing a nutritional consulting program. <h2 id="camassia_staff">Camassia Room</h2> ###Guide: Robert Salazar### Robert returns for his fifth year at Sunstone Montessori after experiencing life in his native Montana for several previous years. Robert has many years of experience as a teaching assistant in both the Lupine and Trillium classrooms. He has also worked with children in a number of other environments, including private tutoring, residential treatment facilities, summer camps, and as a team coach for basketball, football, and baseball. Robert received his BA in psychology from the University of Montana and graduated from the AMI Training Institute in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Robert brings with him into the classroom a great love for the outdoors and an appreciation for the essential role nature plays in our development. He developed an outdoor summer adventure camp which has been attended by several groups of his former Sunstone students over the past few summers in Montana. This program is a unique opportunity to explore rugged terrain, accomplish some serious hiking, and to experience fully the challenges and joys of leaving city life behind for a few days. ###Assistant: Anne Adams### Anne Adams was introduced to Montessori education, Italy, and the Italian language at the age of five. While her mother trained to become a Montessori teacher, Anne spent a very happy year discovering what was in all those boxes on the shelves of her classroom. Now, Anne spends her time with children who are happily exploring and discovering what the elementary classroom - and the world outside it - holds for them. Anne is tremendously inspired by the children with whom she shares her day. As a trained Primary guide, Anne has profound respect for the relevance of the Montessori approach, and she appreciates the opportunity to see it in action. Anne is also an Iyengar Yoga instructor; teaching five classes a week, she is humbled by and grateful for all that she learns from her students. <h2 id="lupine_staff">Lupine Room</h2> ###Guide: Annabeth Jensen### With two decades of Montessori teaching experience, Annabeth Jensen is the guide for the 9 to 12 year olds at Sunstone Montessori School. Along with her rich, experienced background, Annabeth brings much energy and enthusiasm for her work with children. Annabeth began her Montessori career as a primary assistant in Portland. After receiving her training in Washington DC, she stayed on two more years to teach 6-9 year olds. Upon returning to Portland, she taught at the 6-9 level for several years. For the last 13 years, she has been enjoying her work at the 9-12 level. Annabeth's Montessori experience and contributions extend beyond the classroom. She served as president of the Oregon Montessori Association, has presented at local and national Montessori conferences, was presented the Susie Huston Memorial Award from the Oregon Montessori Association for her exemplary teaching and served as a Board member for three years at Childpeace Montessori School. Annabeth received her BA in Psychology from Reed College, her AMI elementary diploma from the Washington Montessori Institute, and her Master's in Education from Loyola College. Prior to her Montessori career, Annabeth practiced social work with indigent adult felony offenders and juvenile prostitutes. A Portland native, Annabeth has traveled extensively in Europe, Northern Africa, Mexico, and Belize as well as traveling and backpacking throughout the United States. She's the mother of three children aged 15, 13, and 9 years. In her spare time she also enjoys yoga, gardening, backpacking, and writing. ###Guide: Jennifer Dannenfelser### Jennifer's entry into Montessori was through the arts. She received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue a career in the visual arts. While an intern at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, she taught art in public schools during the school year, and developed a summer program for the arts at both the elementary and primary levels at Pacific Rim International School, an AMI- recognized Chinese and Japanese language immersion Montessori school. This experience inspired her to get her training. After taking a year off to travel in India and Nepal, she took her AMI training at the Washington Montessori Institute and received her Master's in Education from Loyola University. After she spent five rich years as an elementary guide at Pacific Rim School, Jennifer and her family moved north to Portland in search of a more tranquil, safer, and greener place to live and to join close friends. She and her husband Andrew live in northeast Portland with their five-year-old daughter, Annika, and baby, Mattea, where they grow sunflowers, pole beans, and giant heirloom tomatoes, among many other things. They also enjoy biking, cooking Asian cuisine, hiking, camping, skiing, reading, and laughing together. Jennifer is entering her tenth year as a Montessori guide this fall. She appreciates the endless capacity for personal and intellectual growth inherent in her role as a Montessori guide, and looks forward to integrating her own talents and insights into the vibrant community at Sunstone. ###Assistant: Julia Himmelstein### Julia Himmelstein graduated from Wesleyan University as a Studio Arts major with a concentration in architecture. She moved to Portland in 2005 and spent a year working as French chef before moving to an interior design position. She loves working with children, and enjoys the creative energy that takes place in the Montessori classroom. This is her first year in Montessori, and she is very appreciative of the experienced teachers she works with. Julia enjoys biking, cooking, swimming and crafts. [1]: http://www.sunstonemontessori.org/system/attachments/27/original/2009-2010_pictures_416_Resized.jpg?1264202018 2009-10-19T20:49:10-07:00 Biographies of the Sunstone elementary staff 14 34 false Elementary staff 20 35 ##Other staff## Meet our outstanding staff: * [Children's house staff](/childrens_house_staff) * [Extended care staff](/extended_care_staff) * [Administrative staff](/administrative_staff) 2009-10-19T20:49:10-07:00 elementary_staff