Anne Estes, Head of School
Anne is thrilled to be part of the Creekside Montessori mission to provide high quality Montessori education that is accessible to all. Anne began life as a Montessori child at Lake Country School and in her 20s reconnected with her Montessori roots. For nearly two decades since then she has furthered her education and experience in Montessori education, serving as a guide to children from the ages of 8 weeks to 7 years old as well as teaching adults at the university level. Anne has a B.A. in English Writing from the University of St. Thomas, both the AMI Primary (3-6) and AMI Assistance to Infancy (birth to 3) diplomas, an M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland as well as an M.A. in English from the University of St. Thomas, and a Doctorate of Education from Hamline University. She wrote her dissertation on adult-child collaboration in Montessori toddler environments. Anne grew up in South Minneapolis and now lives in Plymouth with her partner and two young children. She enjoys spending time with family, heading up North to the cabin, and experiencing the wonderful arts and culture of the Twin Cities.
Nicole Olson, Assistant Head of School
Nicole has a wealth of experience in the Montessori community, including most recently as Interim Head of School and Consultant at Highland Park Montessori School in St. Paul. Before that she was the Preschool Director and Lead Teacher at House of Prayer Lutheran Church for 6 years. Nicole spent over 9 years as an Administrator for the Montessori Center of Minnesota, after she earned her BAS in Elementary Education, M.Ed in Montessori Education, and AMI Primary Diploma. Her own two children, who are now 16 and 14, attended Mayflower Early Childhood Center where she served as a Board member for the school from 2012-2016. CMS has a special place in her heart and she is eager to get to know the community! She lives in Richfield with her husband, children, dog named Elvis, and crested gecko named Prince.
Stephanie Melander, Business Manager
Stephanie is incredibly proud to work at Creekside! She is passionate about the school’s mission to serve an economically diverse community and to provide high quality Montessori learning environments that meet the developmental needs of the whole child. This is Stephanie’s seventh year at Creekside, where she has worked directly with children in the Children’s House, and also as a member of the Admin Team. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from St. Catherine University, a Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Studies from St. Catherine University, the AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Center of Minnesota, and a Masters in Education from Loyola University Maryland. She is a proud native Minnesotan, runner, and animal lover. Stephanie lives in St. Paul with her husband and two young children.
Laura Fritz, Family Engagement and Outreach Coordinator
Laura Fritz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the AMI Assistants to Infancy (0-3) diploma from the Montessori Center of Minnesota, and a Masters in Montessori Education from Loyola University Maryland. She truly enjoys changing the world and working for peace through children and the Montessori community. She has served as a mentor, album reader, and school board member; was a Toddler Community Guide for 12 years; and is currently an AMI/USA consultant at the 0-3 level. Laura is excited to return to Creekside in this new role while continuing to lead singing with the children!
Saleha Asim, Administrative Support
Saleha Asim has been working in the Montessori community for the past 25 years. She graduated from the Association Montessori International (AMI) program with a Primary diploma. She worked as a Montessori Guide and Director, plus other roles, for over 17 years before coming to CMS in 2013. Saleha has worked at CMS in a variety of roles, including administrative support and mentoring Montessori teachers. Her hobbies include traveling with her husband and two children along with cooking, painting, and both interior and fashion design. She is proud to be at Creekside Montessori School!
Natalie Friesen, Toddler Community Guide
Natalie holds a B.A. in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Theater and Music, an AMI Primary diploma from the Montessori Center of Minnesota, and a Master’s in Education from St. Catherine’s University. She has her AMI Assistants to Infancy (Birth to Age 3) training and served as lead Toddler Guide for the past two years. Natalie has eleven years of experience working with children in both Montessori and non-Montessori settings and has enjoyed the privilege of working as a Montessori guide at three different schools before finding her home at MECC. Natalie enjoys sharing her love of music, handcrafting, yoga and travel with all of those around her.
Sundus Dahir, Toddler Community Assistant
Sarura Yerro, Toddler Community Aide
Sarura works in our Toddler Community, as well as supporting Children's House students in the first part of the morning. Sarura was born in Somalia and moved to Kenyan refugee camps when she was 8 years old. Sarura's father, four sisters, and four brothers still live in the Kenyan refugee camps. "A really difficult life," she says. Sarura grew up and got married in Kenya and had five children there. In 2009, she and her husband and their five children immigrated to the United States to start a new life. These children are now ages 12 to 18. She has three younger children who were born in the U.S. and attended CMS (including her youngest now attending). Before joining Mayflower in 2019, Sarura worked in a childcare center for four years plus worked at Macy's department store and as a home care aide. Sarura lives in Minneapolis with her family and they enjoy walking the lakes and going to the library. She enjoys cooking and her favorite dish to make is chapati (a Kenyan unleavened flatbread) with beans and spinach.
Laura Gerhardt, Children's House 1 Guide
I am honored to be joining the Mayflower community. Originally from Wisconsin, I first came to Minnesota to attend St. Olaf College where I received a B.A. in Psychology and Economics. A spark was ignited to become an educator when as an 8th grader, I had an opportunity to teach a lesson in an elementary school. Honoring that memory, I found my way to teaching in 2005 and haven’t looked back. I have a Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota, K-6 teaching license, and the AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Center of Minnesota. I have served as a Montessori lead guide for the past nine years and am eager to continue my journey at Creekside. I proudly live in the great city of Minneapolis with my husband and our dog Zoe. I love walking around the lakes and exploring all the city has to offer.
Jing Ni, Children's House 1 Assistant
Jing moved to Minnesota a year ago and fell in love with the four distinct seasons. In the spring of 2024, Jing received her AMI Montessori Primary Diploma (3-6) from Montessori Center of Minnesota and is thrilled to work with children. Jing has one year of experience in Toddler Community and Children's House in the Montessori environment. Before that, she spent 8 years working with college students. Jing is a multilingual speaker, she can speak Chinese-Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and English. In her spare time, she enjoys doing yoga and journaling, and she is committed to keeping any environment she is in tidy.
Ted Thompson, Children's House 1 Aide and Before Care Staff
Ted joined Creekside Montessori School in the summer of 2025 to be a part of the serious and loving AMI Montessori program he found here. After getting his Primary training at the Montessori Center of Minnesota in 2020, he has been a Montessori Guide in Toddler Communities and Children’s Houses for the past 4 years, but Creekside stood out to him as one of the exceptional Montessori schools in the Twin Cities. He spent 3 years studying Fine Art Painting at the University of MN, and has been painting for the last 25 years. Lately he has become interested in classical music and tries to attend as many orchestra concerts as he can every season.
Heidi Quiring, Children's House 2 Guide
I am delighted to join the Creekside community. My Montessori journey began 20 years ago when my children attended Alpharetta International Academy in Georgia. I was so struck by the environment and the unique relationship between the teacher and the children that I have worked in Montessori schools ever since. My three children attended Montessori schools through elementary and I have been fortunate to work at both the primary and elementary levels, as an assistant and classroom paraprofessional. Finally in 2018, I received my primary diploma from the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota. I have worked as a primary lead guide the past three years. My hobbies include cooking, painting, decorating, redecorating, and playing with my granddaughter.
Christy Love, Children's House 2 Assistant
Christy is so excited to be joining the Creekside community! She has a BA in History and the AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Center of Minnesota, graduating in 1995. For the past 25 years she has worked in Montessori schools in various capacities, as lead guide, co-teacher, and assistant, in the Twin Cities and Madison, Wisconsin. Christy and her husband, Rick, live in St. Paul with their dog Radar. They have a 19-year-old son, Forrest, who attends college in Los Angeles, California. In her spare time, Christy loves long walks, reading, gardening, travel, and enjoying the lakes of Minnesota.
Charilyn Yaple, Children's House 2 Aide & Afterschool Spanish
Charilyn Yaple is from the state of Morelos in Mexico, but was born here in the USA, in New York City. She studied Educational Psychology and is married and a mother of three. In 2005, she began volunteering as a parent at Joyce Preschool in Minneapolis every weekday and at summer camp, then taught as a Teacher Assistant there until 2008. She also taught Spanish to preschool children in Saint Paul. She then moved on to Tierra Encantada of Seward in the infant and preschool departments and as a Lead Teacher. From 2021 to 2023, she worked as a Teacher Assistant and Senior Teacher at Joyce Preschool, and then at Jardín Spanish Immersion Academy as a Lead Teacher. Before joining Creekside, she taught all ages of students with the Language Sprout program, teaching them Spanish in Minneapolis Public Schools and at Creekside Montessori School. In the evenings, she teaches Zumba Fitness classes, and in her free time she enjoys spending time with her family.
Fariya Osman, Children's House 2 Aide & After Care Support Staff
Fariya is from Ethiopia and her first language is Oromo. She moved to the U.S. in 2007 with her father, three sisters and seven brothers. She went to Wellstone High School here in the Twin Cities with Tamira Osman (MECC staff. member). She has four younger siblings who live in Ethiopia. She has previously worked in a childcare with 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. Fariya has three children; her older daughter is in first grade and younger daughter and son may start at Mayflower in November. Fariya's favorite foods to cook are injera (a fermented Ethiopian flatbread), macaroni, and spaghetti. Her children's favorite restaurant is Chuck E. Cheese.
Sarah Walker, Children's House 3 Guide
Sarah first came to Creekside as a parent. She fell in love with the school, the community and the Montessori method. She has a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and Art History from the University of Minnesota and her AMI Primary (Ages 3 to 6) Diploma from the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota. Sarah enjoys gardening, reading and spending time with her family.
Molly Stuart, Children's House 3 Assistant
Molly was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She received her BFA in Fiber Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2023. Upon moving back to Minnesota she found her passion for early childhood education. With previous experience in preschool and kindergarten classrooms, she is excited to join the Creekside community and delve into Montessori! As an artist, she brings a love for hands-on exploration to the classroom. One of her favorite parts of working with young children is witnessing their unfiltered creativity! Outside the classroom, Molly loves fly fishing, sewing and beading, antiquing, and spending time with the people she loves!
Zara Idris, Children's House 3 Aide & Before Care Staff
Zara was born and raised in Ethiopia. She has 3 adult sons and 2 grandchildren. She has 11 brothers and sisters and too many cousins, uncles, and aunts to count! One of Zara's favorite things is being in any kind of nature, because she grew up on a farm, with a lot of animals. She moved to Minneapolis from Seattle in 2007 and started working for Mayflower in January 2011 until now! Zara loves the work, she loves working with our staff and all the children and their parents!
Gaby Orozco-Delmont, Children's House 4 Guide
Gaby was born and raised in Mexico City. After graduating from The Escuela Mundial de Turismo, she lived abroad, studying English and French in Canada for several years. When she returned to Mexico, she taught English as a second language to elementary students. Her educational work also included teaching Spanish to adult foreign exchange students at the Cemenahuac Language Institute in the city of Cuernavaca, Mexico. She has been living with her husband and two daughters in Minneapolis since 2000. She completed the AMI Primary Course at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota in St. Paul, graduating in 2010. She worked as a Montessori Assistant at Cornerstone Montessori and Little Flowers Montessori before finding a great home at Creekside in 2012. She was an assistant for four years, then became a Guide in 2016.
Tammy Ray, Children's House 4 Assistant
Tammy is a 2022 graduate of the 3-6 Diploma Course at Montessori Center of Minnesota. Though her prior background is not in education, Tammy has worked with many children throughout her life, both as a personal caregiver and in her customer service roles. Most recently she has worked for 14 years at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in the security department, where she has both engaged with and protected children with her vigilant always observing eyes, while developing and sharing knowledge in the art world. Working in early childhood education has been a lifelong dream of hers, and she took recent changes in her job structure as an opportunity to make it a reality. In her personal life Tammy is the eldest of three sisters, and a proud aunt to two nieces, four nephews, two great nieces and a great nephew, with one great nephew on the way. In her personal time she likes to read, ride her bike, cook delicious meals, write songs, and is an endeavoring gardener.
Dewita Nuryana, Children's House 4 Aide
Dewita was born on Sumatra Island, Indonesia. When she was 3 years old her parents moved to Jakarta in Jawa Island of Indonesia. She went to school in Jakarta, Indonesia. She was a full time student in college and graduated in 1991. In 1993, she attended a postgrad program and graduated in 1996. She worked in Indonesia after she graduated through 2005 at a private company in Indonesian government. On September 2005 she came to visit Canada and USA for vacation and really enjoyed seeing different things, especially the seasons. Indonesia only has two seasons: summer and rain because her country is on the equator line. In 2006, Dewita moved to the United States of America. In 2015 she started working at Montessori schools and has continued doing so up to the present. She took the CH Assistant Training in 2016 at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota. She has worked with different ages of children at different times of the year. Before care as well as extended day for elementary and junior high children, CH classroom an assistant, CH summer program, toddler summer program, subbing in different classrooms and as school support.
Colleen Wilkinson, Elementary Guide
We are thrilled to introduce Colleen Wilkinson, the foundational guide leading the launch of the new Creekside Montessori Elementary Program.
Colleen joins us with an energizing blend of deep Montessori commitment, decades of hands-on experience, and a genuine passion for the whole child.
Colleen's qualifications reflect a career dedicated to excellence in education:
- Deep Montessori Commitment: She holds an AMS 3-6 Early Childhood credential and is currently completing her rigorous AMI Elementary (6–12) training through the Montessori Institute of North Texas. This blend of training ensures a seamless transition and continuity from the Primary years into the Elementary plane of development.
- Decades of Experience: With over twenty years in education, Colleen holds a BA in Liberal Studies with an emphasis on Education, Sociology, and Psychology, alongside a Texas Generalist teaching credential.
- Diverse Background: Her Montessori journey began at one of Houston’s most established schools, where she rose from an assistant to the Director of Early Childhood. She also brings invaluable experience from the public school sector, where she spent several years teaching elementary grades, leading campus-wide initiatives, and focusing on teacher development. She has also contributed to AMS and AMI initiatives, co-authored a book on inclusion, and is a frequent presenter and speaker at Montessori conferences.
This unique background gives her a powerful foundation in literacy, math development, and the critical skills of the elementary age, all while keeping her work grounded in the core Montessori principles of independence, intrinsic motivation, and profound respect for each child’s natural trajectory.
In addition, Colleen has been a trusted consultant for Creekside for several years. In her consulting work, she has been providing schools nationwide with her expertise in areas like trauma-informed practices, classroom management, and school operations. Now, she is dedicated to channeling that insight directly into our own community.
As a parent of three, Colleen brings a strong partnership mindset to her role. She believes that a child's success is a shared goal, and she is committed to transparent communication, mutual trust, and building a joyful classroom culture rooted in curiosity. Colleen and her family are thrilled to officially be part of the Creekside community. She is eager to nurture a truly authentic elementary experience for every child who joins the Creekside program.
Misty Rowan, Support Staff & After Care Co-Lead
Misty Rowan was born and raised in Minnesota and loves to call Minneapolis her home. She began working at the Lake Country Montessori School in 2016, where she discovered her love of working with children. In 2007, she completed her Montessori Classroom Assistant training. And she started working at Creekside Montessori in the summer of 2020. In 2022, Misty graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's of art, which she hopes to use to pursue teaching as well as volunteering /working with kids and community art projects.
Deja Barber, Support Staff and After Care Co-Lead
Deja Barber was born in Minneapolis. She began her journey at MECC in fall of 2015 and later received the AMI assistants training certificate. Deja enjoys time in the gym and most of all loves getting together and spending time with all of her loved ones.
Gina Hoffman, Support Staff
Gina was born and raised in St. Paul, where she currently lives. Montessori has been a part of her life since she was nearly 5 years old as she was a Montessori student all through grade school. She graduated with her B.S. from St. Catherine University in 2014 and began working in a Montessori environment as an assistant that fall. She received her Montessori Assistants certificate in 2016 and graduated with her Montessori Primary (ages 3 to 6) lead teacher diploma this past May. She enjoys reading, shopping, hanging out with friends and going to concerts.
Mingus Robson, Support Staff
Mingus was born in Minneapolis MN, and has lived here all his life. Mingus enjoys helping and working with people. He worked as a Customer Service member at Lunds and Byerlys grocery store and as a PCA and Resident Assistant in various homes for people with disabilities. In 2015, Mingus earned his AA degree in Liberal Arts from Minneapolis Community and Technical College. This is Mingus’ third year working at MECC and second year working as an Assistant in the After Care program. Mingus completed several Montessori workshops, and loves to connect with children and watch them grow. Mingus looks forward to working with the Mayflower children and parents to help support and guide them using the Montessori techniques.