Administration
Melanie Vandermast holds a B.S. in Business, with a major in Marketing from Miami University of Ohio. 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.
Toddler
Barbara Weilbacher has been working at MDS for 9 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.
Claire Hammock is a longtime Montessori Day School parent; Toddler assistant teacher; and Elementary art teacher! She graduated with a B.S. in Sociology from Framingham State University and has an A.A.S. in Education from Delaware Community College. Her focus was on Elementary education and the relationship between home and chances of delinquency. She has aided in the development and implementation of educational story-based activities for children ages 6-18.
Preschool
Emily Vandermast graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in English Literature 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 eight years. 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.
Marianne Cook worked at MDS with Melanie in the classroom for several years before leaving to finish her degree. She returned to us four years ago and now works with Emily, and she just completed her Montessori certification! She enjoys reading, crocheting, traveling, and baking.
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.
Tania Jimenez has worked with the children in all kinds of roles (after care, camps, nannying, etc.) and has been at Montessori Day School for five years with Anna. She comes from a family of 5 and loves outdoor adventuring!
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.
Monica Hernandez Rodriguez has worked with Michelle for 1 year. Monica graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a B.S. in Biology. She has experience leading environmental education and conservation programs in the area, including education camps for girls interested in science.
Afterschool
Kaitlyn Wright is the Lead Teacher at Little House After Care, holding an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education along with certifications in Infant/Toddler Care and Childhood Development. With a strong foundation in early education and a passion for nurturing young minds, Kaitlyn is dedicated to creating a supportive and engaging learning environment for children.
Click here to learn more about our Afterschool programs.
Emma Nelson is currently working on her Bachelor’s degree to obtain her teaching license. She has experience assisting students in daily academic activities and worked as a paraeducator to children with special needs. She has been working with Kaitlyn at Little House for 2 years.
Specials
Music – Kelly Payne teaches all of our MDS students from 18mo to 10 years. Kelly has a Bachelor of Music Education from West Virginia Wesleyan College. She has experience with small group music classes and private one-on-one music lessons for multiple instruments. She also has developed curriculum for vocal summer camp and instrumental introduction classes and prepared students for biannual recitals.
P.E. – Kiaya Robinson teaches ages 4 through 10 years old at MDS. Kiaya graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Sports Studies. She then received her M.S. in Kinesiology with a concentration Sport and Exercise Psychology from UNC Greensboro. Kiaya is an experienced Volleyball and Track and Field coach and substitute teacher at Durham Academy as well as subbing at MDS.
Spanish – Sarah Van Hulzen teaches our Kindergarten and Elementary students, as well as our Little House aftercare 3- and 4-year-olds. Sarah has a B.A. in K-12 Spanish Education from Dordt University as well as a ESL certification. She has experience with managing and teaching in K-12 classrooms as she has been a long term substitute in Durham and Wake County school systems. Sarah is also a children’s translator during annual mission trips to Nicaragua!
Art – Claire Hammock is a longtime Montessori Day School parent; Toddler assistant teacher; and Elementary art teacher! She graduated with a B.S. in Sociology from Framingham State University and has an A.A.S. in Education from Delaware Community College. Her focus was on Elementary education and the relationship between home and chances of delinquency. She has aided in the development and implementation of educational story-based activities for children ages 6-18.