We are proud of our staff at Northstar Montessori and the expertise they bring to caring for your child.

Ms. Tami Ms. Tami is the steadfast leader of the Northstar Crew.  She has over 20 years of experience working with children and has owned and operated Northstar Montessori Preschool since late 2004. Ms. Tami received her American Montessori Society Early Childhood Credential from Adrian Dominican Montessori Teacher Education Institute in 2005 and she received her Child Development Associates certificate in 1998.  In her free time, Ms. Tami enjoys spending time with her husband, Kelly and two children Nikkole and Sierra as well her extensive, extended family in the area and many friends.  Ms. Tami's other interests involve attending child development trainings, maintaining the school property, making dolls, and doing a variety of crafts.

Mrs. Mary Mrs. Mary is one of our lead classroom teachers at Northstar Montessori.  She received her American Montessori Society Early Childhood Credential from the Adrian Dominican Montessori Teacher Education Institute.  She has worked in the area of Montessori Education since 1999.  Mrs. Mary is also a Waldorf trained teacher.  Mrs. Mary received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the St. Joseph's College in Standish, Maine.  In her free time, Mrs. Mary is a professional portrait artist and her special interests include creativity development, music (including composing), researching diet and health, fitness and ways to foster imaginative alternatives to the television.  Mrs. Mary is married to "Mr. Tim" and is the proud mother of three grown children, Adam, Joshua and Diana.  Mrs. Mary is also a proud grandmother to Caly and Lucy.

Ms. Vicki Ms. Vicki is one of our lead classroom teachers at our Northstar Montessori.  She received her Montessori instruction at the Adrian Dominican Montessori Teacher Education Institute in Adrian, Michigan. Ms. Vicki also holds her Bachelors of Science  degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  Prior to having her three children, she taught grades one through three for ten years in the public school system in Illinois.  After raising her children up in the Traverse City area, she relocated to Saline, where she still resides. Ms. Vicki loves teaching, gardening, the arts, to travel, and the Chicago White Sox.  Now that her children are grown, she has every intention of putting the pedal to the metal as often as she can get away!

Mrs. Gloria Mrs. Gloria is one of the lead teachers at our Northstar Main location, and has been with us since 2007.  She was trained at a prestigious   Montessori Training Center in Monterrey, Mexico.  She worked for 8 years in her hometown of Tampico, Mexico.  During those years, she combined her teaching and guiding of 4 to 6 year old students with activities as a Montessori trainer to the school staff.  She is currently taking Psychology classes at Washtenaw Community College. Mrs. Gloria is happily married to Pat.  She is the proud mother of Sandra and Victor, and proud grandmother of Valeria and Monserrat.  In her free time, she enjoys landscape painting, reading books from Latin American authors, and sharing a cup of coffee with her husband on their back patio.  Her passion is her culture.  Her precious treasure is a smile from a little child.

Miss Jill Miss Jill, one of our teaching assistants, began her Montessori training during the 2004-2005 school year, when she attended the Adrian Dominican Montessori Teaching Institute.  She is currently working hard on completing her Montessori albums for her certification from the American Montessori Society.  She is also attending the Washtenaw community College to Eastern Michigan University transfer program for elementary teacher education as a literature major.  She has been working at Northstar since 2003. Miss Jill enjoys watching movies, going on long walks, listening to a wide variety of music and spending time at her parent's house on Crystal lake.

Ms. Shawn Ms. Shawn is the lead teacher of the Toddler Program.  She comes to us with over 10 years of experience in various daycare settings.  She has extensive experience working with children from birth through age 12, as well as with children who have special needs, including ADHD, bipolar disorder and diabetes. Ms. Shawn has recently completed her Child Development Associate program as well as the Secondary Education Program at Washtenaw Community College.  We are proud to say that Ms. Shawn graduated with Honors!  Shawn lives in Saline with her two children, Hunter and Skyler.

Ms. Manjula Ms. Manjula comes to us as a Montessori intern and is an assistant teacher in Mrs. Mary’s classroom.  She recently finished her training at the Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center in Rochester Hills, Michigan.  In addition to her Montessori training, Ms. Manjula has received her Bachelor’s of Arts in English, Music, and Sociology and a Master of Arts in Instrumental Music (Sitar) from Kurukshetra University in India.  Further, Ms. Manjula holds a Bachelor’s of Education from Anna Malai University in India, with majors in English, English as a Second Language, and Social Studies.  In her free time, Ms. Manjula is a member of the Multicultural Committee of Canton, Michigan.  She also works with local organizations to bring Indian music and cultural events to the public.
Ms. Cris Ms. Cris, one of our teaching assistants, has lived in Saline for 13 years.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree in P.E. from Wayne State University in Detroit.  She has 8 years of experience teaching preschool and kindergarten.  She has been married to Randy, a car dealer, for 27 years.  They are the proud parents of 4 children, ranging in ages from 14 to 23.  Cris’ spare time is spent involved in her teenage daughter’s cheerleading and dance extracurricular activities.  She also enjoys going on long walks and reading.
Ms. Sandy Ms. Sandy facilitates the after-care program.  She comes to us with over 10 years of experience working as a food service assistant and as a crossing guard for the Saline School system. Ms. Sandy is a life time resident of Saline.  She is happily married to Kevin.  They are the proud parents of two grown daughters, Carrie and Elizabeth.  They are eagerly waiting for their first grandchild.