Faculty and Staff
EDEL KUNKEL, Head of School
Edel is the founder and Head of Mountainside Montessori School. Edel grew up in rural Ireland on a cattle and dairy farm. Her early background is in farm management and animal husbandry. In 1989, she received her AMI Primary diploma from the Montessori Institute of Los Angeles and has since completed the Montessori Administrators training as well as the Montessori Adolescent training. Edel has over 18 years of experience working with children in Washington, D.C., Virginia and her native home, Ireland. She has passed her love of farming onto her daughters Kyla (age 18) and Marissa (age 16) who raise cattle, sheep, and hogs on the small farm that she and her husband, Jim, built outside of Marshall. Edel’s passions for sustainable agriculture and connecting children with nature are reflected in her vision for Mountainside. Edel is a Master Gardener and a Master Naturalist.
SHANNON 
FALLI LASSER, Assistant Head of School
Shannon grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey and New York. After receiving her BS in Biology from the University of New Hampshire, she discovered her great love of the outdoors by way of her travels in Alaska and Colorado. After working in the non-profit sector for some time, she ultimately earned an MBA from Arizona State University and relocated to Virginia. Proud Montessori mother of two wonderful young men (and Mountainside alumni!), Shannon joined the Mountainside staff in 2015 and holds AMI certifications in Administration, 0-3, 3-6, and 6-12. She is driven by a deep respect for all children, their immense potential, and the Montessori philosophy that nurtures it all. Shannon is a lifelong learner and hopes to inspire the children around her to become lifelong learners, as well. In her free time, she loves to read, cook, hike, and spend time with family and friends. It is her hope to offer assistance in whatever capacity is necessary to further the vision of Mountainside and the authentic connections it seeks to cultivate in a fast-paced and ever-changing world.
ALEJANDRA MORALES
, Administrator
Ms. Alejandra has a Montessori Infant and Toddler Teaching Diploma accredited by the International Montessori Council (IMC) and is MACTE accredited. She began her Montessori career in 2016 where she served as a Toddler Lead Guide. She has been successful in opening up 3 Toddler classrooms at different schools since then. After working as a Lead Guide for 5 years she took on an Assistant Head of school role. In 2023 she transitioned to an Interim Head of School role for her community in Ashburn Virginia. Born in Bolivia and raised in the United States, Ms. Alejandra is bilingual in both Spanish and English and enjoys to introducing Spanish songs to the children. Ms. Alejandra graduated from George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Latin American Studies. Her hobbies include crocheting, baking, reading and spending time with family. She is invested in seeing children develop their independence and the way that children and teachers interact and work together as a community in the classroom. Ms. Alejandra strives to create an environment where children and families can feel safe and welcomed.
THEO GRAYSON
, Adolescent Director
Theo joins Mountainside Montessori as a certified Montessori adolescent teacher who has been a head middle school teacher and athletic director at Washington Montessori School in CT. She has over 30 years of teaching experience, including North Country School in Lake Placid, NY, a farm and garden school, Greenwood School in Putney, VT, which is a school for boys with learning challenges, and South Kent School in CT, where she headed the ELL (English Language Learners) program and leaning support program, before teaching for thirteen years at Washington Montessori.
She is passionate about Montessori philosophy and fully embraces student-centered education, where adolescents are responsible for their learning and have the opportunity to engage in meaningful work that allows them to explore and connect with their place in the world. Adolescence is a time of change, passion, exploration, and independence. Theo finds this an exciting time of life for students to harness their energy and focus on what is meaningful to them, while giving them a strong foundation beyond their teenage years to ultimately contribute to the world in positive and healthy ways. At WMS she developed the Hero’s Journey program, based on Joseph Campbell’s work, to provide students an opportunity to explore who they feel they are, who they want to be, and how to purposefully work toward developing that person. Theo believes we learn the most about ourselves when we are stretched, growing the most when we are pushed out of our comfort zone. Life’s challenges are opportunities to discover who we are and discover the choices we have in moments of hardship to become who we want to be. Adolescence is a delicate and exciting time of life.
Theo and her family live on her family farm in Upperville. She is an avid runner, outdoors person, and has competed extensively in running races, two seven-day multi-sport adventure races, and the TransRockieRun, a six-day, 130 miles race along the Continental Divide in Colorado. Theo enjoys animal husbandry and has been involved in various aspects of farming throughout her life. Traveling is another passion, and she spent semesters in Nepal and Indonesia during college. In recent years, she has traveled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with her teenage children.
JAVIER CANIZALES
, Adolescent Guide
As a person passionate about the environment, Javier studied and graduated from Western Carolina University with a B.S. degree in Natural Resource Management (NRM) with a Water concentration. After entering the workforce, he quickly realized that the field wasn’t going to fulfill his ideals for sustainability. This led Javier to seek education opportunities and he began teaching abroad with a focus on science and the natural world. Javier has taught all ages, K-12, within different types of framework, including the International Baccalaureate (I.B.). Having started his educator role abroad, Javier has taught in various regions of the world, including Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Grand Cayman, and Mexico. Through these unique settings, Javier has been able to lead international trips and experiences to connect students to the world in hands-on, relevant ways. Javier was raised in NOVA after moving with his family from El Salvador as a child. He is natively fluent in Spanish and has also spent time teaching language to his students.
Javier looks forward to using Montessori methods within the Mountainside community to be able to help adolescents learn about themselves and discover what drives them to navigate the world.
In his spare time, Javi enjoys live music, playing guitar, puzzling, being in nature, collecting art, and spending ample time with his two girls, his loved ones, and his pets.
REBECCAH GARRETSON, Adolescent Humanities Instructor & Upper Elementary Mentor
HANNAH BUTLER, Adolescent Drama Instructor
Hannah Butler is a theatre educator from the local Fauquier County area. Hannah has been involved in well over 100 productions in her theatrical career, ranging from high school productions to the professional level. She has been working as a theatre educator in her own theatre company, Much Ado About Theatre, since 2017. She has also been involved in teaching theatre skills since well before that with Fauquier Community Theatre’s youth summer programs and at Allegro Community School of the Arts. Hannah has a strong passion for theatre, education, and finding a way to blend theatre into everyday life.
KERRY MOLINA, Adolescent Art Instructor
Coming soon…
ALICE CATLIN
, Upper Elementary Guide & Mentor
Alice grew up in New England, spending a lot of time outdoors camping, swimming, riding bicycles, hiking, and skiing with her family. She still loves the outdoors and has added gardening to her repertoire. While attending the University of Virginia, she planned to become a French teacher, but then discovered Montessori and fell in love with the child-centered approach to learning. She holds two Master’s Degrees in Education, one with an emphasis in Montessori and one in Special Education. She received her Association Montessori International (AMI) Elementary diploma in 1995 and taught at that level for almost ten years after which she was the Elementary and Adolescent Coordinator for a large Montessori school in the Boston area. She became an Elementary Consultant for AMI in 2009 and consults at the national level. When she and her husband decided to move back to Virginia, she took the NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies and taught adolescent students on a farm for over six years (similar to the wonderful farm Mountainside students are privileged to be on). Working with adolescents reinforced her elementary experience and gave her a deeper understanding of the value of Montessori education.
CATE LEWIS
, Lower Elementary Guide
Cate grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes but no mountains at all. She got her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and was lucky enough to be placed in a Montessori school for her student teaching experience. Working with and learning from a wonderful teacher, Cate fell in love with Montessori. The next year she got her AMI Elementary Montessori diploma in Mexico City, and taught for a year in a lower elementary classroom. She had to take a break from Montessori for a few years and worked in various educational settings, but never lost her love for Montessori teaching. Cate is very excited to get back into the classroom and become part of the Mountainside community!
COREY MARTIN, Primary Guide
A Virginia local, Corey grew up and has spent most of his life in the Shenandoah Valley. He feels a special connection to the mountains and finds an excuse to explore the Blue Ridge whenever he can. Corey was raised in a tight-knit family in Harrisonburg and still loves to spend time with his five siblings, niece, and four nephews. His experience helping his niece and nephews grow was a major inspiration for his journey into early childhood education. After trying traditional childcare for a few years, he found Montessori and never looked back. The intentional, methodical, and respectful nature of the Montessori Method called to him and he left his role as an Assistant Guide to pursue an AMI certification. Now finished with training, Corey is eager to continue the Montessori tradition with a new Prepared Environment and a new generation of joyful young minds. Montessori believed children are the greatest instruments of change in our world, and Corey’s life goal is to guide the children in his care toward their highest potential.
JULIANA SCHEIDEMANTEL, Primary Guide
Juliana was born and raised in the Northeast of Brazil, between the mountains and the sea. After many years of traditional English teaching, working with students from all over the world, Juliana encountered the Montessori method and found herself tremendously taken with it! She took the first opportunity to investigate the method for herself and chose to move to Los Cabos, Mexico, to work as a bilingual assistant in a Montessori environment. There she discovered her true passion, unlocking the potential of children through proper application of the Montessori method: giving children the keys to the world! Later, she decided to enroll in AMI training to become a Guide and deepen her understanding of the method. In her free time, she loves to birdwatch, do crafts, and spend time with her family. She believes that children have all the potential to do incredible things!
MIMI FUERST, Primary Guide
KATHARINA HOLENKA, Toddler Guide-in-Training
CAITLIN LEOTTA, Lower Elementary Assistant
Caitlin grew up in South Jersey, and moved to Virginia at the age of 21, to farm. She worked on different farms, and became a CNA doing home healthcare for many years. Caitlin was introduced to the Montessori world in 2013 when she lived and worked at Mountain Laurel Farm School. She fell in love with this way of teaching our children. With her family, Caitlin loves hiking and camping, gardening, and also cooking together as much as they can.
PATRICIA DEITRICH
, Reading Support
Patricia grew up in New England, where she developed her love of horses. She spent eight years working in the travel and tourism industry. After receiving her AAS in Natural Resources Management, she worked at both the National and State Park levels in the areas of research and environmental education. A Montessori parent, Patricia started working in the classroom in 2006 and has never looked back. She earned her AMI Primary Assistant’s Certification in 2008, and in 2016 completed the AMI Elementary Assistant’s Certification at Loyola University in Maryland. In addition to her duties as assistant, she also presents programs to the students in the areas of environmental education, art, music, and American Sign Language. Patricia is also a certified tutor using the Susan Barton Reading and Spelling program. She is a Certified Virginia Master Naturalist and her many interests include spending time with her family, traveling and camping, and a love of the outdoors, especially ornithology.
KATHERINE REGEIMBAL, Primary Assistant
MICAELA COCKRUM, Primary Assistant
VIRGINIA RICHARDSON TOURVILLE, Primary Assistant
Ginny grew up in Goochland, Virginia, regularly visiting her grandparents’ farm. In high school and college, she spent her summers and school breaks working at a local preschool where her mother was a teacher. After graduating from Christopher Newport University where she studied psychology and leadership, Ginny attended McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta to earn her Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Christian education. Ginny is an ordained minister, and she served as Pastor for Youth and Children at Vienna Baptist Church for 11 years. While she was pastor, the relationship between the church and their weekday preschool flourished, as Ginny was actively involved in the life of the school. She served as the Office Manager at Vienna Baptist Children’s Center this past year.
Ginny is excited to join the Mountainside Montessori team, as she has admired the Montessori method of education since learning about it in her college courses. She delights in learning with students and watching them embrace their gifts and passions to make a difference in their communities. She enjoys exploring new places, seeing musicals, spending time outdoors, and spending time with her friends and family. She lives with her husband, Paul, and her son, Alexander, who is a student at Mountainside.
CAMMI SECHRIST, Primary Assistant
JESSICA ADAMS, Toddler Assistant & Toddler EDC
ESTEFANI FLORES, Extended Day Care Director
Estefani’s roots come from El Salvador, but she was born in Fairfax and raised in Centreville, Virginia. She enjoys traveling to El Salvador as much as she can to visit family. She is also bilingual in English and Spanish. Estefani enjoys teaching children Spanish and music. In her free time, Estefani loves being in nature, catching sight of beautiful mountain views and enjoys spending time with family and friends. As an assistant teacher, she has created a harmonious learning environment that fosters the growth and development of each child. In 2022, she completed her certificates for Early Childhood Education. In 2024, she was introduced to Montessori and has been amazed with the Montessori philosophy.
RISPA CAMPBELL, Extended Day Care Staff
Coming soon…