Mrs. Currie is a Teacher’s Assistant in the 6-9 environment at Dixie Montessori Academy. She is currently attending Dixie State University for her degree in Elementary Education. She has been part of Dixie Montessori Academy since its inception. Mrs. Currie moved to St. George with her family several years ago and is originally from Colorado. She loves to work with children and is looking forward to the coming school year.

Mrs. Munford has ten years of experience working with special needs children. She also has attended Montessori training with a focus on language.

Dorothy was amazed at the difference between Dixie Montessori Academy and the previous schools her children had attended. The positive impact DMA had on her children now has her aspiring to positively impact all the students of DMA.

Dorothy is very excited to share her love of reading with her students and be a part of their educational journey.

Jill Bond began DMA in our Kindergarten environment as a Teacher Assistant and is now part of our 6-9 team at Dixie Montessori Academy. She graduated in 2017 from Dixie State University with her associates degree in early childhood education. This is her second year at Dixie Montessori Academy and she has quickly become amazed with the calm and loving Montessori environment and has enjoyed learning more about the philosophy behind it. She is excited to share her love of reading and learning with the students.

Kaytlin Townes is part of the 9-12 classroom. As of 2017, She is in her second year at Dixie State University. She is majoring in Criminology and Minoring in Digital Forensics. Throughout her high school career she was a peer tutor for students with disabilities. She is eager to work in a Montessori environment and encourage kids to discover their individuality while learning and exploring throughout the school year. She moved with her family to St. George from Seattle 3 years ago.

Mrs. Guerrero is certified as a Legal Interpreter and Translator in English and Spanish from The College of Southern Nevada. She has exceptional interpersonal skills and specializes in Analytical Linguist Data. She has shown her passion and enthusiasm for teaching by rendering 20 years of voluntary service teaching children of all ages at several organizations and schools. She believes all kids deserve to have a harmonious and safe environment to learn and thrive. Two years ago she moved to the City of St. George with her wonderful and supportive husband and her very active 9-year-old and 11-year-old beautiful boys. The one thing her family enjoys the most is the amazing outdoors.

The moment I learned of the Montessori Method, I was inspired to join Dixie Montessori Academy as a Teacher’s Assistant in 2016. The concept of allowing a child to learn at their own pace and encouraging their curiosity was very exciting to me! Having grown up with Dyslexia, I could barely read or spell until I was fifteen years old. At this time my natural curiosity, encouraged by my mother, drove me to pick up my first novel. Enthralled, I struggled word by word through the pages just so I could know where the story would go. Soon, I was reading every book I could find and excelling in school. My new found passion would drive me through university as I explored literature, psychology, education, and theater. I received my BSc. in Theater with the desire to help children in their own journey of self-discovery and following their passions. My favorite part of teaching at DMA is observing a child learning something for the first time and how it excites them. I look forward to the next school year with my students and all the personal growth they will achieve through the Montessori Method!

DanaLee Miner is a Paraprofessional who works teaching alongside Mrs. Smith in a 6-9 year old environment. DanaLee is excited to continue teaching at Dixie Montessori Academy and enjoys all that she learns each day.

DanaLee believes in the importance of early developmental teaching and the awareness of each individual child’s development.

DanaLee has taught students in many different roles for fifteen years. DanaLee’s experience has included special education, ABA therapy and early childhood education classes.

DanaLee is committed to helping both her own children and the children at Dixie Montessori Academy reach their full potential by fostering a supportive learning environment.

Ms. Ricks has had 3 years of experience volunteering in Montessori classrooms. She has been amazed at the difference between the Montessori environment and a more typical school classroom. The encouragement of each child’s individual interests is her favorite part of the Montessori philosophy. 2017/18 will be her first year as an assistant teacher. She hopes to attend some of the Montessori training offered by the school, and become a lead Teacher.

Ms. Ricks is excited to be at Dixie Montessori Academy and to share her love of music, art, and animals with the students.

Mindy Alderman grew up in Southern Utah where her father, (who was a landscape photographer), taught her the beauty of nature. Her mother, (who Directs local plays), taught her to love culture, and the arts. Mindy took these things to heart as she left to study at Southern Utah University. During her time in college, Mindy made a variety of friends from around the world, and studied a variety of subjects including psychology, Art, World Culture, Human Development, and Old time Photography. During this time she also took the opportunity to leave the country for six months to teach English to Taiwanese children in Taiwan. Where her love for working with children grew. Mindy graduated SUU with a Bachelors in Art, and a Bachelors in Early Childhood Development. After completing college Mindy looked into teaching at many different schools and after studying the Montessori method, felt it best described the way children learn. Where upon, she joined the Dixie Montessori Academy team.

Bio coming soon

Ms. Graff joined DMA in 2016 as a Special Education Paraprofessional. She is returning as a Teacher‘s Assistant in our 9-12 age environment. Growing up in Southern Utah she got involved in childcare through church and school programs at a very young age. By the time she graduated she was working full time as a nanny for several families primarily with children with Special Needs. She is passionate about cooking and nutrition and worked at Whole Foods Market in Portland, Oregon for 3 years where she was the Kids Club director. She focused on community outreach with local schools to provide education on healthy eating, the importance of pollination, and the fun of growing your own food. She has worked with the Foundation for Children and Youth with Diabetes, the Whole Kids Foundation, and the Girl Scouts of America. When she isn’t cooking, volunteering or teaching she enjoys singing, photography, and writing. She loves to laugh and firmly believes that a happy teacher makes for happy students. Ms. Graff is currently working on achieving her Teaching certification and hopes to one day become a lead Teacher.

Ms Poynter is part of the 7th grade teaching staff. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Preliminary Multiple Subject Credential from Sonoma State University. Her 14 years experience in education include being a teacher’s aide, a substitute teacher, a tutor for Morongo Indian students, and a private tutor.

When she is not teaching, Linda enjoys, hiking, reading, dancing, and family history.

Ms Poynter is excited to be apart of the Montessori team where she hopes to inspire a life-long love of learning in her students.

Mrs. Wadsworth is a teaching assistant in the 6-9 environment at Dixie Montessori Academy. Her educational experience includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from The Juilliard School and a Master of Arts degree in Dance research from BYU. She has 14 years experience teaching as a professor in the university setting as well as teaching children and youth in private and professional studios. Mrs. Wadsworth’s interest and desire to learn about the Montessori method came as a result of volunteering at DMA. She has been deeply impressed with the intellectual, emotional, and social benefits of the Montessori philosophy and teaching methods. She has seen her own children blossom with enthusiasm, confidence, independence, and creativity in their learning experiences here at Dixie Montessori Academy. Mrs. Wadsworth is delighted to be able to be part of this collaborative process and help the children at DMA access and cultivate this beautiful joy of learning.

Information Coming Soon