Administration
Melanie Vandermast holds a B.S. in Business, with a major in Marketing from Miami University of Ohio and an A.A.S. in Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology, a S.U.N.Y. school in New York City. She is certified by the American Montessori Society (AMS) for 3-6 year-olds and received her Early Childhood 3-6 Credential from the North Carolina Center of Montessori Teacher Education (NC-CMTE) in June of 2002. Melanie began teaching in 1999 when she joined Montessori Day School as MDS founder Liz Mallett’s assistant teacher. Since completing her Montessori Credential she has been a teacher at Montessori Community School of Durham and returned to Montessori Day School as lead teacher in 2008 and director of the school since 2010. Melanie has been a member of the American Montessori Society (AMS) since 2002. In Fall of 2020, Melanie left the classroom after more than 20 years of teaching to focus more on her administrative duties.
Heather Epes received her PhD in English from UNC – Chapel Hill with a focus on Writing Center and Radical Pedagogies, and a minor in Critical Theory. Heather received undergraduate degrees in English and Medieval Studies from Duke University and has been certified in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
Heather started out at MDS five years ago as an assistant teacher in an Ages 3 – 6 Room after first deciding that traditional educational spaces weren’t her home, and then surviving cancer. After that series of life changes, she discovered in Maria Montessori the primary school equivalent of her university methodological interests. She added hours in the Little House Aftercare program, and then worked as Administrative Assistant and Admissions Manager before becoming the school’s general administrator. She is proud to contribute to a school that embodies the educational tenets most important to her: respect for individuals and difference, empowerment of individuals and community, and valuing learning as a process by which we become whole and complex human beings finding a meaningful place in the world.
Toddler
Barbara Weilbacher has been working at MDS for 7 years, and, altogether, has more than 20 years of teaching experience in various early childhood settings. Barbara has her bachelor’s degree in Studio Art, with a minor in Sociology from Hollins College. She completed her NC Early Childhood Credentials in 1997, and has training in both Reggio Emilia and Montessori. Barbara is finishing up her Montessori teacher training though the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Click here to learn more about our Toddler Program.
Preschool
Emily Vandermast graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in English and Peace and Conflict Studies. After finishing her degree, she moved to Barcelona and completed her Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certification. While there, she taught English to children and adults at three different schools before returning to Chapel Hill to pursue her Montessori education. Emily has worked in the Montessori Day School Preschool classroom for over six years – two as an assistant, one as a co-teacher with Ms. Anna, and now three with her own classroom. She completed her Early Childhood (3-6) Certification from the Center of Guided Montessori Studies, a MACTE accredited program, in Spring of 2020. Emily enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and spending time with her family and her cats, Penny and Louie. Click here to learn more about our Preschool Program.
Anna Sparks has a Master’s degree in Art History from Boston University and a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in English from North Carolina State University. She holds a K-12 Special Education license from Washington, D.C., and is certified by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), completing her Primary (3-6) diploma at the Maria Montessori Institute in London. She has worked with children and adults as an arts educator at museums in New England and Washington, D.C.; as a college instructor; and as a K-12 special education teacher. She taught in the Primary classroom at the Montessori Academy of Chapel Hill and the Georgetown Montessori School in D.C. before coming to Montessori Day School. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, and working with children and animals in other capacities, particularly as a volunteer for therapeutic horseback riding programs for children with special needs. Click here to learn more about our Preschool Program.
Elementary
Michelle Williamson has a B.A. in History and Sustainability from the University of Florida. She is an AMS certified Montessori elementary teacher who, over the course of her career, has worked in Montessori schools in the Atlanta area, and most recently in Raleigh. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys arts and crafts, and gardening, and hopes to incorporate more Montessori lessons using the outdoor environment. One of her favorite quotes from Maria Montessori is: “We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”
Click here to learn more about our Elementary Program.