Meet Our Staff
, Founder and Head of School
Whitney Blessing is the founder and Head of School at Cathedral Hill Montessori School. She discovered a true passion for Montessori education upon becoming a mother, as it provided her with good guidance for parenthood. Since then she yearned to share Dr. Montessori’s philosophies with other families, in hopes of building a better future for all children. Although born and raised in Denver, CO, she came to the Midwest to attend the University of MN-Twin Cities where she studied Sociology and English literature.
Whitney holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Training Center of MN, is an active member of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), North American Montessori Teachers Association (NAMTA), and Montessori Administrators Association (MAA). She is on the Board of Trustees for Oak Hill Montessori, reads training albums for the Montessori Center of MN (MCM), and is also active participant in the AMI-MN Heads of School group. Whitney lives in St. Paul with her husband and four delightful children: Gwyneth, 9, Weston, 6, Freya, 3, and Stellan, 1. She enjoys reading, photography, crafts, travel, nature, movie-going, live music, and precious family time.
, Administrative Assistant
Sammie was born and raised in Perham, MN. She moved to Minneapolis to attend Augsburg College, where she earned her B.A. in Philosophy. Her small town upbringing and college coursework nurtured her passion for community and lifelong learning. These values made her very excited to become a part of the Montessori world! She looks forward to learning as much as she can about Montessori and making a positive contribution to Cathedral Hill Montessori School! Sammie currently lives in South Saint Paul. In her free time, she enjoys film, reading on her deck, eating pho, taking walks around her neighborhood, and spending time with friends and family.
, Children’s House 1 Guide
Svetlana was born and raised in Russia. She has more than a decade of experience working with children ages 3-6 in a Montessori Children’s House. She received her AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Center of MN and an M.Ed. from Loyola University in Baltimore, MD. She is also an active member of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and the North American Montessori Teachers Association.
Since moving to the U.S., Svetlana hopes to be part of the upcoming change in early childhood education that has been talked about by professional educators and politicians for the past decade. She finds “alternative” education for young children, particularly the Montessori method, to be very holistic and progressive.
Lauren Nelson, All Day Children’s House Assistant
Lauren was born and raised in St. Paul, MN where she spent most of her time writing poems and climbing trees. She graduated from Valparaiso University in Northwest Indiana with a B.A. in English and a minor in Creative Writing. During this time she spent a semester abroad with St. Olaf College’s Global Program and eventually moved to Los Angeles where she earned her Masters of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California. Lauren also completed the AMI Assistants Course at the Training Center of MN.
Lauren has always had an interest in working with children, but her passion grew significantly after the birth of her goddaughter, Lucy. When she moved into the Cathedral Hill neighborhood and discovered CHMS it felt like fate. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, cooking, photography, and is in the process of writing her first novel. In the future she plans to broaden her repertoire by writing books for children.
, Children’s House 2 Lead Guide
Amanda discovered a love of Montessori in a search for her own continuing education while studying psychology at Metropolitan State University in St Paul. She was drawn to the sensorial aspect of learning and the individualized approach. She later earned an AMI primary diploma from the Montessori Training Center in 2003 while working as an aide at White Bear Montessori School. Upon graduating, she served as part of the community for 11 years in several capacities, including an extended care guide, parent, member of the board, assistant and 4 years as a lead guide. Amanda finds true passion and excitement in finding new ways to learn along with the child and instill a lifelong love of learning.
Currently, she is also enrolled in a yoga teacher training at The Yoga Center of Minneapolis and enjoys bringing the joy of yoga into the classroom with the children. She also enjoys spending time with her three daughters, going hiking, exploring new museums, reading and playing board games.
, All Day Children’s House Guide
Crystal, born in Texas, was also raised in Utah and Mankato, MN. She earned a B.A. from the University of Minnesota in communications and journalism, but also studied interior design and studio art. Later, in her work advocating for adolescents and adults with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, she found that what she loved the most was teaching life-long skills and empowering and supporting families and their loved ones. This led her to an observation of a primary Montessori environment, where she came to realize a deep passion for supporting the natural development of young children.
Crystal later received her AMI primary diploma from the Montessori Center of Minnesota and a M.Ed from St. Kate’s. With experience as both an assistant and a lead guide in a Montessori environment, she also reads training albums and mentors new trainees at the Montessori Center of MN. She is an active member of NAMTA and AMI.
In her free time, Crystal loves to travel, camp, and hike. She loves art (drawing, painting, weaving, and multimedia), sewing, material-making, reading, vintage shopping, watching movies, and seeing live music. On her favorite weekends, she can be found traveling to the north shore or spending time with family and friends. Currently, she lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Aaron, and their cat, Ava.
, All Day Children’s House Guide
Kate was
born in Northfield, MN and lives in Saint Paul with her husband Colin. Kate graduated with a BFA from the College of Visual Arts, and has also earned an AMI Primary diploma and an AMI Assistants Certificate from the Montessori Center of MN.
Kate has worked in the All Day Children’s House program since the beginning. Kate’s creative background allows her to introduce many new and wonderful art projects and music to the children. In her spare time, she loves the outdoors, singing, playing her harp, and creative art activities.
Clara Iwaszek, Children’s House 2 Assistant
Clara has been a member of the CHMS community since it was founded in 2011. She is Saint Paul native who lives with her husband Geoff and two daughters, Mirabelle, 8, and infant, Phoebe. In her spare time, Clara enjoys spending time with her family, riding her bike, arts and crafts, traveling, trying new recipes, and supporting the local music scene. She earned a B.A. in Child Psychology from the University of MN and Clara plans to pursue an advanced degree in Family Psychology. She also completed the AMI Assistants Course training from the Montessori Training Center of MN.
, Toddler Community Guide
Maegan was raised in Fargo, ND and came to the Twin Cities to earn a B.A. from the University of MN. She earned her AMI Assistants to Infancy diploma from the Montessori Institute in Denver, CO. Maegan will go on to complete her Masters in Montessori Education through Loyola University in Baltimore, MD. She is also an active member of the Association Montessori Internationale.
In her free time Maegan enjoys cooking, reading, and working on her newly purchased home, though a vast majority of this time is spent working toward completing the virtually endless number of sewing or craft projects she has begun and hopes to someday finish.
Laura Tracy, Toddler Community Assistant
Laura grew up in Elk River, MN and attended Cloud State University to to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She previously worked with adults with Cerebral Palsy and developmental delays while living in St. Cloud, then moved to Minneapolis and began working in a Toddler Community at a Montessori school, where she served as the lead teacher for a year. Laura approaches her work with calm enthusiasm and is excited to get to know all the toddler children!
Elspeth Lucas, Toddler Community Extended Day Assistant
Elspeth was born and raised in Chattanooga, TN. Though she has lived in many different places, she is now happy to call Minnesota “home”. Elspeth attended Valparaiso University, where she began a major in education, and later received a B.A. in English. After graduating, she traveled to South Korea to teach English to elementary school students in Daejeon. It was there that her love of working with children in an educational environment was cultivated. In her free time, Elspeth trains in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and enjoys reading, writing, and playing board games.
Sonja Frogner, Aide
Sonja was born in Rochester, MN. She studied cello and piano through high school and competed for several years in Odyssey of the Mind. She graduated from Wellesley College, near Boston, with a B.A. in Studio Art, before moving to the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
While volunteering at Early Childhood and Family Education classes in St. Paul, she discovered what a delight it is to work with children. Recently, Sonja completed the AMI Assistants Course at the Training Center of MN. In her free time, Sonja is a runner and enjoys archery, ultimate frisbee, reading, travel, and trying new restaurants.
, Parent-Infant Community Coordinator
Lara was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. Her Montessori journey began when she attended a local Montessori school as a child herself and re-ignited after college when she found herself back in a Children’s House as a classroom assistant. It was then she knew she had found her calling. She completed her Montessori training at the Center for Contemporary Programs in 2011 and in the fall of 2014, completed her Master’s in Education, both at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. Her undergraduate work was in art and theatre, and she continues to enjoy both in the free time she has, though most of her time is spent tending to her lovely family. She loves being a momma to her son, Kanoa and daughter, Zoe, both of whom attended the Parent Infant Community here at CHMS. Now, it is a great honor to serve as a guide and resource to others on their journeys through parenthood by sharing her love and passion for the work of Dr. Maria Montessori.
Julia Davidson, Children’s House 1 Assistant
Julia Davidson was born in Lawrence, Kansas and lived in the Twin Cities for 5 years while she earned her degree at Macalester College. During her time in the Twin Cities, Julia worked for Saint Paul Community Education and the YWCA, teaching children’s dance classes. A product of an early Montessori education, Julia has frequently returned to Montessori settings, teaching art a Montessori summer camp and working with children who attended Montessori schools. After a wonderful summer spent in the CHMS Toddler Community, Julia moved to Oakland, CA for two years to earn her graduate degree in dance. Now permanently resettled in MN, Julia is delighted to join the CHMS community once again as the Children’s House 1 Assistant.
Julia fills her free time with as much dance as will fit. An advocate of movement education for children, she is currently an assistant teacher with Young Dance and soon to be a creative movement teacher with Plymouth Parks and Recreation.
