
About Our School
野花学校坐落在适合步行的街道上光线充足的地方。它们增加了社区中儿童和家庭的存在,因为更狭窄的地理焦点支持步行上学和放学,并与当地游乐场、花园和其他公共空间合作,否则这些空间将在大型机构中使用。我们将“利益相关者”的定义扩展到我们直接服务的家庭之外,我们努力使我们周围的社区对儿童更强大、更健康。


Our Teacher Leaders & Team

Katie Anderson (she/her)
Founder/Administrator
I started my Montessori journey 12 years ago as an assistant in an AMS accredited classroom. I began my AMS Montessori training after 2 years of assisting. I completed AMS Montessori training in Early Childhood Education in 2015 at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education - North Carolina. I became the lead teacher in the same classroom that began my journey; cultivating community amongst the children and their families and honing my craft as an educator of young children. In 2019, I co-founded Hawthorn Montessori. As a Montessori educator, I believe it is my responsibility to show children safety, joy, peace, justice and self-advocacy, so that when they go out into the world beyond our classroom they recognize and gravitate towards those values.
Lasting change and peace start with our children. I hope to build a community of children and their families that expresses the importance of human liberation.
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Dianna Whitney
Assistant Teacher/Administrative Assistant
I found my love of Montessori through my love of farming flowers! My first taste of the Montessori philosophy was during my time working on a family farm in Sandy Mush, NC. After observing the farmers' children using methods of conflict resolution that I had never witnessed children using, I was compelled to find out more! Maria Montessori’s teachings have resonated with me ever since. I have been working in Montessori preschools since 2016 and it has brought enormous amounts of joy and constant learning into my life. One of my very favorite things about this work is having the opportunity to be a safe and respectful ally for the children we teach. I am honored to be able to actively take part in their early learnings of peace and consent as well as being able to participate in making their first experiences in their learning journeys positive and empowering.

Our Board

Katie Anderson
Katie is the current head of school and co-founding teacher-leader of Hawthorn Montessori.

Chad Storck
Chad's daughter attended Hawthorn for three academic years beginning in 2020. Upon her graduation, Chad wanted to continue supporting the Hawthorn school community and is doing so through his role on the Board.

Stephanie Powell
Stephanie (she/her/hers) is a current Hawthorn Montessori parent. She has nearly 19 years of non-profit leadership experience at the local, regional, and national level. Stephanie is Board Source Certified Board Consultant and is the Director of Finance and Operations for the Dogwood Alliance. As a parent, she loves the independence, self-awareness, and confidence that Montessori education fosters in children.

Jeana Olszewski
Jeana Olszewski is founding Teacher-Leader of Azalea Montessori School in Norwood, Ohio, which opened as a primary school in 2019. She has led the growth of Azalea to include a lower and upper elementary. She serves as a part-time Operations Guide for the Wildflower Foundation and supports the growth of new Wildflower Schools across the country. She also serves on the board of Good Shepherd Montessori in Cincinnati as well as Hollyhock Montessori opening in Arkansas.
