We spend a lifetime standing on the roots we grow during the first six years of our lives. These roots, we believe, deserve the most intentional care.
Our founding team brings together decades of experience from across the country, united by a shared love for the Kearsarge/Lake Sunapee communities and a deep respect for the Montessori philosophy. We are honored to grow alongside your family.
Teacher Leader & Lead Primary Teacher
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Liz is constantly awed by the nourishing nature of the Montessori method. She is proud to teach in a manner that views young children as capable, invites them to contribute meaningfully to their community, honors their inner motivation, and offers them space to make discoveries for themselves. For Liz, witnessing a child unfold along their natural path of development is a unique and wonderful privilege.
Liz’s journey to founding Strawberry Blossom Montessori is backed by a decade of diverse educational leadership. After receiving her B.A. from Dartmouth and beginning her teaching career in Newark, NJ, Liz earned her M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her AMI Primary Montessori certification from Montessori Northwest. She led a Montessori Primary classroom in Oakland, CA for many years before embarking on the school startup journey with Wildflower.
New Hampshire has always felt most like home to Liz. She has spent time in New London since 2005 and moved here permanently in 2023, seeking fresh air, trees, and a tight-knit community for her own children. Her toddler and infant sons are currently the school construction site’s most enthusiastic observers. Liz has a special passion for children’s literature and finds deep fulfillment in supporting parents through the beautifully complex years of early childhood.
Lead Toddler Teacher
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Ariel began her Montessori journey as a three year-old at Washington Montessori School in Connecticut. She was a student there through 8th grade and continues to enjoy a deep connection with the school and community. Having benefited from the Montessori environment for many years, she is thrilled to give back to this community as the Toddler Teacher in a truly authentic Montessori school here in New London.
Previously, Ariel was the head teacher in a Lower Elementary classroom at Southern NH Montessori Academy, a program leader for an outdoor school in the Seacoast Region of NH, and an afterschool program and substitute teacher at Washington Montessori School. Ariel attended The Taft School and received her Bachelor of Arts in History from SUNY Purchase. She earned her Montessori Elementary certification from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies, and is completing her Montessori Infant/Toddler certification with the Northeast Montessori Institute.
Ariel has also worked with children in the outdoors for more than a decade as a ski jumping coach in Connecticut and of the Freeski Team at Mad River Glen in Vermont. In her free time Ariel loves being outside with her husband and two young boys. She will be bringing her love of nature and passion for the Montessori method to the Toddler classroom at Strawberry Blossom Montessori.
Board Members
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Polly is a retail marketing executive and strategist with more than 20 years of experience working at and with the best brands and retailers in the country. As an agency President, her passion is focused on the constant learning and development of her team.
As a community member, Polly brings that same passion to helping build connections and opportunities for her neighbors and friends. She is excited about the opportunity to bring Strawberry Blossom Montessori to the New London community and to help foster that commitment to learning and growth in the next generation.
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As a full-time New London resident, Marcia is thrilled to be a founding board member of Strawberry Blossom Montessori. Marcia brings her innate compassion and nurturing manner to our school community with more than 30 years of experience treating children and adults with physical and cognitive impairments as a Physical Therapist.
As mother of three and a grandmother of one, Marcia understands the daily joys and challenges of raising and educating a family. Serving the local community through high quality, foundational learning resonates with Marcia’s core values.
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Beverlee is the Founding Teacher Leader of Ixora Montessori, a Wildflower school in Williamsburg, VA. In her more than 30-year Montessori career Beverlee has worked closely with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in a variety of teaching and leadership capacities. Beverlee was born in Trinidad and Tobago and has taught in Montessori schools in the US, Trinidad, and China.
Beverlee also teaches prospective Montessori teachers at Northeast Montessori Institute, consults for the Virginia Center For Montessori Studies in their Early Childhood and Infant/Toddler programs, and is a member of the American Montessori Society. She loves spending time with her family, traveling, gardening, and the arts.
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Liz sits on the Board as the school’s Founding Teacher Leader.
Assistant Primary Teacher
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Rebecca first discovered the Montessori method at an open house in Dallas, GA, where she was immediately struck by the empathy and respect for individuality at the heart of the philosophy. This spark led her to enroll her own children in a Montessori school and to begin her professional Montessori journey shortly thereafter. Rebecca served as an assistant Primary teacher at Rainbow Montessori, trained at Northeast Montessori Institute, and eventually spent seven years leading a Primary classroom at Amelia Island Montessori in Florida.
Rebecca, her husband, and their two children have lived throughout the country, but her roots have remained firmly planted in New Hampshire. Her parents' house in Sutton has always been home to the family and served as their landing spot every Christmas and summer, regardless of where they were living at the time. In 2016, Rebecca and her husband moved back to the New London area, where they have loved integrating into the active local community.
A graduate of Colby-Sawyer College with an AMS Primary Montessori certificate, Rebecca is thrilled to join the founding team at Strawberry Blossom Montessori. She looks forward to witnessing how the Montessori method continues to foster independence and curiosity in the community's youngest learners.
Interested in teaching with us?
We are currently hiring.
To apply, please send your resume and a description of your interest in the role to liz@strawberryblossommontessori.org.