FacultyOur exceptional faculty includes nationally recognized, award-winning, innovative teachers who combine strong teaching skills with specialty expertise. They set the example for other Montessori schools across the country. In Montessori schools, children educate themselves via independent activity. Consequently, the role of our teachers is quite different from that of traditional educators. During training, the Montessori teacher learns to observe each child's total development with patience, curiosity and love. He or she carefully prepares and maintains an environment which is able to support the intellectual, physical, social and spiritual needs of each child in the classroom. As custodian of the classroom, the teacher is responsible for the atmosphere and order of the room, the presentation of materials and for the educational program. According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, early childhood education programs have an average annual turnover rate of 25-50%. On the contrary, the CMS teaching staff has an average tenure of 15 years. Teacher turnover is rare. All have specialized training in various areas. Many are National and International Presenters. The staff at CMS are also on the staff of the Montessori Teachers Institute for Professional Studies, an organization that offers experienced Montessori teachers the opportunity for further education. Read below and get to know us: Wendy Calise
Position
Tenure21 years Education
ExperiencePrimary Classroom Teacher, Elementary Classroom Teacher, Educational Director, Swimming Teacher, Published Author, National and International Montessori Presenter, Consultant for MTIPS, Teacher Mentor, Founder of the Montessori Teachers Institute for Professional Studies, Board Member - Roycemore School Personal HistoryWendy is a Northbrook native having moved to this suburb when she was two years old. She continues to reside in Northbrook today. Wendy is a daughter of the Founders of Countryside, Frank and Annette Kulle. She attended CMS through elementary. Following her time at Countryside, she went to the local public schools for four years and then transferred to Roycemore School in Evanston where she graduated Valedictorian of her class. She is married to Elementary Teacher, Guy Calise, and has three children. Dante, 12 years old, who graduated in 2010 and now attends the Hershey Montessori Farm School in Ohio; Cecilia, 8 years old, who attends CMS Elementary; and Rino, 5 years old, who attends the All Year Montessori Program. InterestsWendy first and foremost loves to read, both fiction and non-fiction. She also enjoys traveling the United States with her family to visit the natural wonders of our country. She is a writer and has had articles published in several professional journals. Wendy runs 25-30 miles per week, though she doesn't love that so much. Veronica ArmentaPositionToddler Teacher Tenure13 years Education
ExperienceToddler Classroom Assistant, Care Club Assistant Spanish Teacher Personal HistoryVeronica was born in Acapulco, Mexico and moved to Chicago in 1989. She has been married to her husband Juan for seventeen years and has four children, Christian 16, Danny 14, Juan Jr. 12 and Jessica 5. She currently resides in Morton Grove. Veronica enjoys working with young children and she likes increasing her knowledge on child development. InterestsOn her "spare time" Veronica enjoys swimming, walking, gardening, bicycle riding and spending time teaching her teenage son how to drive. Michele Aspinall
PositionDirector and Teacher of All Year Montessori Program Tenure21 years Education
ExperiencePrimary Classroom Assistant, CareClub Director, Published Author, Ad Designer, National Montessori Presenter Personal HistoryMichele grew up in Glenview where she later met her "husband-to-be" in high school. Michele began her journey in Montessori at Countryside as a part-time assistant in the before and after school program in 1989. She went on to assist in the toddler, primary and elementary environments. Michele directed the many variations of the school's day care program while earning a BA in graphic art in 1995 from the Illinois Institute of Art. She later earned her AMI primary diploma from the Milwaukee Montessori Institute taught by Hildegard Solzbacher and Joen Bettman in 2000. Michele is a pioneer in the creation of one of the first authentic All Year Montessori models in the US. She began her work on this project in 2000, ten years ago. Since that time she has nurtured and tailored this program into a truly magnificent experience for children who spend much of their lives at school. The program runs from 7:30 - 5:30 for 245 days per year. Over the last two summers Michele presented workshops on her program to over 120 attendees coming from over 16 states and as far as Mexico and Chile. Michele also wrote an article, "The Road Less Taken", which was published in the AMI USA Newsletter in 2001. Michele shared her All Year Montessori story at an AMI conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2002. In addition, Michele spoke about the importance of peaceful transitions at a North American Montessori Teachers' Association (NAMTA) conference held in Austin, Texas. Michele continues to teach in the All Year environment. Michele and her husband Jim live in Northbrook and have two children who attend Countryside. InterestsMichele likes to spend her spare time in the kitchen. Cakes, cookies, pies; you name it and she bakes it! Michele also enjoys antiquing and locating good finds. Jennifer Rogers
PositionPrimary Teacher Tenure16 years Education
Experience
Personal HistoryJennifer's father and mother spent their professional lives in the service of children, families and education. Her father was a high school counselor, coach and history teacher for more than 30 years. Her mother has worked in obstetrics, prenatal health and community education for more than 40 years. After high school graduation, Jennifer began a brief period of study at Oberlin Conservatory, as a music performance major. However, her love of music was not as strong as her love of literature and her interest in the spiritual dimensions of literacy and inspiration. Jennifer transferred to Albion College where she spent five years working on a double major in English and Religious Studies. After completing a Master of Theological Studies at Candler Seminary at Emory University, she enrolled in Primary Montessori Training. She has been a passionate advocate for Montessori education ever since. Jennifer now lives in Northbrook with her husband of 16 years, two sons, and a daughter. Her three children attend Countryside Montessori School. InterestsReading, writing, music, baking Kim Shultz
PositionPrimary Teacher Tenure15 Years Education
ExperiencePrimary Classroom Assistant, Care Club Assistant, Published Author, Dining Room/Kitchen Assistant, Elementary Assistant, Director of Assistants Personal HistoryKim and her husband, Dennis, grew up in a small farming community in Indiana. They lived in California for ten years before returning to the Midwest in 1995. After spending many years in the retail banking industry, Kim decided it was time for a change and began a new adventure in the world of Montessori. Kim received her Montessori Primary diploma in 2007 and was in the first class to graduate from Dallas, TX. InterestsBoating, needlepoint, sewing, baking, reading, karate Kim Anderson
PositionTeacher, Lower Elementary Class, ages 6-9 Tenure8 years Education
Experience
Personal HistoryKim was Born and raised in Des Plaines. She attended Catholic school through eighth grade and went on to public high school. For her undergraduate studies a large state school for her teaching degree seemed most practical, but she wanted a small private school for her masters. After college she taught high school for five years in Elgin. InterestsKim is a voracious reader of fiction, especially historical fiction. She looks forward to wandering and getting lost in used bookstores. She also enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, two teenage sons, an eight year old daughter and two bulldogs. Shopping is always at the top of her list of interests. Guy Calise
Position
Tenure21 years Education
ExperienceElementary Classroom Teacher, Elementary Physical Education Instructor, Swimming Instructor, National and International Montessori Presenter, Consultant for MTIPS, Teacher Mentor, Personal Trainer for Poliquin Performance, Owner - Classic Car Dealership Personal HistoryGuy was born in Providence, RI and lived there until he was four years old, after which he moved to Glenview. He attended Main North and Main East before going on to Illinois State. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in biology. Guy is married to Head of School, Wendy Calise, and has three children: Dante, 12 years old, who graduated in 2010 and now attends the Hershey Montessori Farm School in Ohio; Cecilia, 8 years old, who attends CMS Elementary; and Rino, 5 years old, who attends the All Year Montessori Program. InterestsGuy enjoys playing baseball in the summer. Since his youth, he has had a commitment to personal physical health and maintains a rigorous work out program. Guy also enjoys buying and selling classic cars. Krista Delaney
PositionDirector and Teacher of the Primary Physical Education Program Tenure32 years Education
ExperiencePrimary Classroom Assistant, Elementary Classroom Assistant, Toddler Classroom Assistant, Summer Camp Director, Swim Instructor, Primary Physical Education Director, Toddler Teacher Mentor, Admissions Director, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Reading Tutor, and almost everything else! Personal HistoryBorn in Germany and raised in Northbrook, Krista has two children, ages 13 and 11. Her eldest graduated from CMS in 2009 and her youngest will graduate from CMS in 2011. InterestsReading, Cooking, Keeping Fit Mishelle Ordosgoitia
PositionDirector of Foreign Language Programs; Spanish teacher for Elementary, Primary and All Year Montessori Programs Tenure1 year Education
ExperienceSpanish tutor for Richard Bland College, Editorial Assistant for the Peace Operations Training Institute. Personal HistoryMishelle grew up in Cartagena, Colombia as part of a large family, including 2 younger sisters and 27 first cousins. She attended a single school during the first 14 years of her education, developing strong and lasting friendships with her classmates. Mishelle moved from Cartagena to Virginia to attend college in 2002. After college she worked for a former professor for three years before she moved to Illinois. She has enjoyed her first year living in Chicago. InterestsPlaying tennis, volleyball and golf; traveling and learning about new cultures; and teaching Spanish! Joseph Francavilla
PositionMusic Director Tenure10 years Education
ExperiencePiano Instructor, Chorus Director, Composer, Performer, Published Music Arranger, Piano Technician Personal HistoryJoe was born and raised outside of Washington, DC. As a child he began his musical studies on guitar, and a few years later, piano. While in college he also studied voice, harpsichord, and organ. After graduation, Joe worked for several years as a professional performer and accompanist before joining the staff at Countryside. He and his wife Stacy live in Evanston. InterestsIn his spare time, Joe enjoys playing the piano, reading, humor writing, running, and hiking in the Rocky Mountains. He also enjoys every manner of taking things apart, including recently disassembling and rebuilding a harpsichord. Karen O'Malley
PositionDirector of Admissions/Business Manager Tenure13 years Education
ExperienceExcept for teaching, there isn't much she hasn't had her hands on! Personal HistoryBorn and raised in the Chicago area, Karen and her husband have 3 grown children and 2 grandchildren. She has worn many hats at Countryside but her passion is introducing new families to the school. InterestsKaren enjoys running, boating, biking, window shopping and spending time with her family and friends. Jim Aspinall
Position
Tenure4 years Education
ExperienceTechnology Leasing, Equipment Portfolio Management Personal HistoryJim grew up in Glenview, recreating as many John Hughes scenes as possible. He works at CMS with his wife Michele, who works right down the hall. He has two children, one in AYM and the other in the elementary class. InterestsBike riding (all kinds), running, White Sox, endurance events Lisa Sanden
Position
Tenure19 years Education
ExperiencePrimary Classroom Assistant, Primary Classroom Teacher, Teacher Mentor, Swimming Teacher, Published Author, National Montessori Presenter Personal HistoryLisa grew up in Glenview, behind the old Pier One. She spent most of her childhood running the neighborhood with the 20 other kids from her street and the neighborhoods nearby. Once, she found 40 small frogs in a pond and happily brought them home to her mom, thinking mom would be just as thrilled. An error in judgment, perhaps, but definitely an indication of her love of the natural world. Lisa now lives with her husband of 11 years, their fabulous mutt Dodger, and the last of four children at home, who goes off to college next fall. She is beginning a new adventure this year, leaving the class after 19 years and moving into the office where she will be working on marketing and development. InterestsLisa is working towards a Masters degree in human development, and enjoys taking yoga classes, boating and swimming. Frank and Annette KulleFoundersFrank grew up on the South side of Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in General Engineering and Business Administration. He met Annette on her first day of college and they were married one week after graduation. They spent two years in Germany in the Corps of Engineers where he talked Annette into her first camping adventure in a pup tent in Italy. The rest, as they say, is history. They have camped all over the US and Canada including Alaska and the Yukon; they camped in Europe; and have been four-wheel drive camping in Australia five times! Annette is a native of Chicago. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Math. She and Frank have been married for 47 years. Annette and Frank have three children, Krista, Jay and Wendy, all former CMS students, all happily married (Brian, Misty and Guy), all former CMS students, and seven grandchildren, Riley, Dante, Rogan, Gianni, Cecilia, Christian, and Rino. Annette likes to think of them as one for each day of the week! |
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Office: (847) 498-1105 Fax: (847) 564-1709
info@countrysidemontessori.org
