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Author: Alejandro Malespin

Bonnie Bracken

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Elementary Staff, Staff Bios.

Bonnie Bracken is a lifelong resident of Salt Lake City, Utah. With over three decades of experience in the Montessori community, she began her journey as an Extended Day guide while pursuing her university degree. This early exposure ignited her passion for children and the Montessori Method. Bonnie has taught in both Early Childhood and Upper Elementary classrooms, but she finds the Lower Elementary age group particularly rewarding.

Through her dedication to Montessori education, Bonnie has completed coursework at the Montessori World Education Institute, the Utah Montessori Teachers Education Program, and most recently, the Institute for Montessori Innovation at Westminster College. In addition to her classroom teaching role, she has also served as a teacher intern grader and tester.

When she’s not immersed in the world of Montessori, Bonnie enjoys indulging in movie nights (for the popcorn), exploring the Oregon coast, spending quality time with family, and embarking on fishing and camping adventures with her husband, Jason, and their beloved dog, Archer.

Tori Gebler-Calamity

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Infant Staff, Staff Bios.

Tori grew up in Cedar City, Utah, and has been working with children of all ages for the past eight years in many ways of teaching and caring for children. Tori wanted to learn more and help children develop in their growth through Montessori and started working at the school in 2022. Tori is now very happy working with toddlers. When Tori is not working, she loves spending time with her husband doing various activities such as cooking, exploring the outdoors, shopping, and traveling to visit family.

Ruth Jennings

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Elementary Staff, Specialty Staff, Staff Bios.

A native of the UK, Ruth has a degree in French and German from Oxford University, England. After graduating, she moved to Louisiana, where her two young sons attended the Montessori School for Shreveport. She joined their staff as a part-time French teacher and became interested in teaching at the Elementary level. She obtained her Montessori Elementary I Teaching Credential from the North Carolina Center for Montessori Teacher Education (AMS) in 1997 while living in Germantown, Tennessee. She has since worked at Montessori schools in Tennessee, New Jersey, and North Carolina. She joined FMSL in 2013 as a Lower Elementary Teacher. In summer 2023, she completed the first level of “Take Flight,” a dyslexia training offered by the Shelton School in Dallas, Texas. She gets immense satisfaction from watching children develop their skills and love of learning over the three-year cycle. In her free time, Ruth enjoys writing, calligraphy, yoga, playing the piano, reading, and traveling.

Maria Reynosa

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Elementary Staff, Specialty Staff, Staff Bios.

Maria was born and raised in San Salvador, El Salvador. She and her husband moved to Utah in 2001. They have three children. Maria has spent many years working with young children. Maria has taught Spanish at McKee Language School but currently tutors children from preschool to elementary school ages in Spanish privately. Maria has a bachelor’s degree in Preschool Education and a degree in Communications and Journalism. Maria’s favorite hobbies are reading, music, watching movies, and traveling.

Madison Christensen

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Staff Bios, Toddler Staff.

Madison is a returning support guide in the toddler department. She started working at FMSL in the summer of 2022. She loves Montessori because it gives one the opportunity to observe the children foster their own independence and make big and small achievements every day. Outside of work, Madison loves to spend time with her family, go on hikes, and be outdoors! She is looking forward to seeing all the returning and new students this school year and observing their love of learning and growing over the school year.

Joshi Haskell

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Admin Staff, Staff Bios.

Joshi (pronounced Yoshi) Haskell has been in a multitude of roles within Montessori; as a student, child of staff, secondary teacher, part of leadership teams, a toddler parent, and now as Assistant Head of School. She brings a wealth of experience and passion to her role as Assistant Head of School. A proud alumna of Montessori herself, she earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah in 2005. Joshi furthered her expertise by completing the NAMTA/AMI Introduction to Adolescent Studies in Cleveland, OH in 2012 and the CMSTEP Curriculum course in 2016. Joshi’s commitment to nurturing students is evident in every aspect of her professional journey. Outside of the classroom, Joshi is an avid outdoors enthusiast, an artist, and enjoys quality time with her son, husband, family, and friends. Her blend of professional experience and personal interests makes her a dynamic and engaging educator. She is excited for the opportunity to support in the growth and development of students, colleagues, and families of Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake.

Donda Hartsfield

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Specialty Staff, Staff Bios.

Donda has been working as an outdoor educator for the last 17 years, designing and facilitating a four-season outdoor program for ages 3–12. She specializes in developing hands-on engagement and exploration of nature through ecology, biomimicry, gardening, and direct interaction with nature in all seasons. Donda facilitates learning through interactive materials, activities, games, and natural discoveries, with an emphasis on local exploration of habitats, lab experience, and field trips. She loves seeing children connect with nature and learn from it through curiosity, exploration, and creativity.

In 2023, Donda completed the Biomimicry for Educators program through Learn Biomimicry, which has fueled her passion for inspiring children to lean into nature’s genius as mentor, model, and measure.

Donda enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, dancing, gardening, writing, and tea parties.

Daniela Ramirez

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Infant Staff, Staff Bios.

Daniela was born in Mexico City (D.F.), Mexico. She was raised in a small desert town in Ridgecrest, California for most of her life. In 2013, she moved to Salt Lake City with her family. She is the oldest in her family and has two younger siblings. She has three Pomeranian dogs named Charlie, Princess, and Oso (Osito). Fun Fact: she’s always been interested in the medical field, but being with children has always been her passion. She’s worked with children for over 10 years and has earned her certificate in Early Education. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and goddaughter, baking desserts like churro cheesecakes, chocoflan tres leches cakes, etc. She likes to make custom floral bouquets, shopping, makeup, and spending some time in the great outdoors.

Cinthya Barajas

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Early Childhood Staff, Staff Bios.

Cinthya Barajas was born in Baja, Mexico. She worked as an ESL teacher at a private school for 6 years, in which she taught students from 1st through 6th grade. While teaching, she attended the University of Baja, where she obtained her degree for teaching English in elementary schools. She moved to Salt Lake City in February 2001 and continued her education at Salt Lake Community College for an introduction to Utah schools. She joined the FMSL staff in 2007 and received her Early Childhood Montessori credential through the North American Montessori Center (NAMC). She really enjoys being part of children’s educational development, which is extremely rewarding. She truly believes that learning should be fun and a memorable experience, and therefore activities, songs, and manipulative materials should be used to reinforce and develop the children’s learning capabilities. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the movies, plays, music, and spending time with great friends.

Carson Woodard

Written by Alejandro Malespin on . Posted in Elementary Staff, Staff Bios.

Carson Woodard has nurtured young minds at Montessori Community School since 2018. His dedication to his craft deepened in November 2023 when he earned his Upper Elementary credentials from the International Montessori Council.

Beyond the classroom, Carson’s passion for language takes center stage. When not inspiring young minds as a Montessori guide, he explores his love for writing and poetry. And to balance his intellectual pursuits, Carson enjoys spending quality time with his partner, her two kids, and their dog, Anubis. He is an adventurous person, often found snowboarding, backpacking, climbing, running, or simply soaking up the beauty of the outdoors.