Lower Elementary Staff

April Dane- Head Teacher

April holds a MA in elementary education, a literacy endorsement, and is Montessori certified.  She has been teaching for more than 20 years.  This is April's 9th year as an elementary teacher at Foothills Montessori School. 

Melissa Martin- Co-Teacher

In addition to her Montessori certification, Melissa holds a BA in elementary education and a minor in music.  This is her 11th year at Foothills Montessori School.  She spent 10 years working in special education before moving to Las Vegas.

Meghan Kramer- Co-Teacher

This is Meghan's 4th year at Foothills Montessori School.  Meghan has been teaching elementary education for over 11 years.  She has a MA in education and has been a technology liaison for publishing, research, and assessment. 

Nina Jacobi- Head Teacher

This is Nina's 9th year at Foothills Montessori School.  She has a MA in education and a BA in elementary education.  Nina is Montessori trained for ages 3-12.  She has over 18 years of teaching experience. 

Maria Pate- Co-Teacher

Maria is originally from Madrid, Spain.  She holds a MA both in education and linguistics, with an emphasis on foreign language.  She taught in Spain for 2 years and in Las Vegas for more than 6 years.  This will be Maria's 5th year at Foothills Montessori School.

Kerry Gross- Co-Teacher

Kerry has lived in the Vegas Valley for more than 30 years.  She is a graduate of the University of Nevada- Las Vegas and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education with a partial TESL endorsement.  She has over 11 years teaching experience.  Her background includes caring for special needs children, teaching for the Clark County School District, and directing a childcare facility.

Brenda Montoya- Co-Teacher

This is Brenda's 9th year at Foothills Montessori School.  She has an extensive educational background and homeschooled two of her four children.  She completed her Montessori training in the spring of 2008. 

Vickie Winkel- Head Teacher

Vickie came to FMS in 2006.  She received her BS and MA degrees from Brigham Young University.  She has over 11 years teaching experience.

Nancy Crow- Co-Teacher

Nancy has been a believer in the power of Montessori education ever since her two boys attended Montessori Kindergarten and First Grade.  She received her BA in Communication Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an American Montessori Society Early Childhood Credential.  This will be Nancy's fourth year of teaching the Montessori methodology.