Staff


​Fernwood Montessori faculty and staff work in a collaborative manner to provide children with a fully rounded and unparalleled education. All staff members are dedicated to the welfare of all children and passionately contribute to their growth and development. Our diverse staff provide additional culture to our already rich community. 

                                                          

Elizabeth Mohan
Head of School
director@fernwoodmontessori.com
Diploma, AMI Elementary, Washington Montessori Institute
M.Ed. Montessori Education, Loyola University, Maryland

Elizabeth has over  20 years of experience in Montessori education, having served as a lead Montessori Elementary teacher, an administrator and  Head of School.  She holds a Master's degree in Education from Loyola University and an AMI Elementary Diploma from Washington Montessori Institute. Elizabeth has lived and worked overseas and has traveled extensively. She enjoys sharing her experiences of other languages and cultures with the children.  Outside of school, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her 5 children and training for marathons and ultra-marathons. 

                                                               

Shaheen Somji
Administration
admissions@fernwoodmontessori.com

                                                               
Lisa Ruas
Lead Elementary Guide
Elementary@fernwoodmontessori.com
B.A. Biology, St. Olaf College
M. Ed. Montessori Education, St Mary's College

Coming to us from the San Francisco Bay Area, Lisa is an experienced early childhood and elementary Montessori teacher, having recently completed her masters degree in Montessori education at St. Mary’s College in California. While originally born at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, Lisa grew up in Tampa, Florida, where she also attended Montessori schools as a child, from preschool through sixth grade. Lisa is passionate about Montessori as not just an effective learning method for the classroom, but also a philosophy and way of life. 
 
While Lisa has always been interested in teaching, she initially taught English as a Second Language to high schoolers in Japan and international adults in Berkeley, California before rediscovering Montessori and beginning her training. Lisa is an unabashedly introverted plant mama, and lover of meandering days and sun puddles with her beloved cat, Coconut. Outside of school, you can often find Lisa enjoying a long hike, gardening, or writing while relishing a nice mug of hot tea. 
                                                                  
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Diana Silva
Primary Lead Guide
Primary2@fernwoodmontessori.com
Diploma, AMI Primary Diploma, Sri Lanka
B.A.  Early Childhood Education/Child Psychology

Ms. Silva is a native of Sri Lanka and has over 40 years of Montessori experience.  She has taught in Virginia, California, and Maryland, as well as in Sri Lanka. She earned her AMI Montessori Diploma at St Bridget’s Maria Montessori Institute, and her degree in Early Childhood Education/ Child Psychology from the Open University of Colombo. With a strong Montessori foundation and years of experience, Ms. Silva hopes to provide the children a warm, secure, peaceful and a rich environment in which curious young children have the opportunity to develop a favorable attitude towards learning. Ms. Silva likes to meditate and go for nature walks. She likes to have fun with the children, read stories with a good moral and teach human values to these wonderful little ones.
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Debbie Kelsey
Primary Lead Guide
Primary1@fernwoodmontessori.com
Diploma, AMI Primary Diploma, Washington Montessori Institute
B.A.  Sociology, Hillsdale College

Ms. Kelsey was born in California into a Naval family. Her elementary and high school years were spent between Newport, RI and Bethesda, MD. She and her husband lived in Philadelphia for 10 years before moving back to Bethesda to raise their two boys.  She received her BS in Psychology and Sociology from Hillsdale College and her AMI Primary diploma from the Washington Montessori Institute (WMI). Ms. Kelsey’s family is all very athletic, and they have enjoyed running races as a family. After her boys were grown, she took up triathlons and very much enjoys swimming, biking, and running in her spare time. Her youngest son lives with his wife in California and her oldest son lives here in Maryland.

                                                                  

Allison Manuel
YCC Lead Guide
ycc@fernwoodmontessori.com
Diploma, AMI 0-3 Diploma, The Montessori Institute, Denver
M.Ed. Montessori Education, Loyola University, Maryland

Allison Manuel has been working in early childhood education in the DC area for 13 years. She holds a Masters Degree in Education focusing on Birth-3 from Loyola University and an AMI 0-3 Diploma from The Montessori Institute in Denver. She is also the first RIE® Associate in the DMV area and appreciates the ways RIE (Magda's Gerber's approach of being with young children) and Montessori complement one another. She's a mom to three Montessori children, loves to play outside with her family and is originally from North Carolina. She's appreciative to all her Montessori and RIE mentors who have taught her about being with children, especially toddlers and infants, in a respectful way.