Infant / Nido
Gabrielle Taylor
Infant Lead Guide
I hold an AMI 0-3 (Assistants to Infancy) Montessori Diploma from the Montessori Training Center North East (MTCNE). I have worked at the Bovina Center Montessori School since 2021, first as a Toddler Lead and now as our Infant Lead. I love the Montessori method and pedagogy!
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I have a BA in Education with Montessori Concentration from University of Hartford, CT. I've taught children in gymnastics, I have given swim lessons (I'm a WSI and a lifeguard), taught children to read, babysat local kids, and worked in countless classrooms, including as a cooking teacher at Manhattan Country Day School in Roxbury.
I live with my husband and our two young daughters in Andes, along with our two dogs and two cats.
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I have lived in the Catskills my whole life. My mom raised us on a hobby farm with 3 acres and plenty of land to run around on. That's where my love of being outside started.
Animals are also a big passion of mine. Some of my hobbies include spinning, knitting, weaving, and rug hooking. I have spent my entire life working with children.
I have truly found my dream job in guiding all of our littlest ones and love working at Bovina Montessori!
Becky Manning
Infant Assistant Guide
& Summer School Director
I have a Bachelor Degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies from Gordon College in Wenham, MA. I have lived in Bovina Center on and off for more than 26 years. I got married at Suits us Farm, the same property that is now Bovina Montessori School. If you drive through Bovina Center on any given day you may see me out walking up and down the road.
I have enjoyed working with youth throughout the years. My first job in Delaware County was working at DC-4, the local day care center as the school age afterschool program leader. I then shifted focus to work for Berkshire Farm Services and Center for Youth, with at risk children in Delaware County, which led to me becoming a caseworker. I moved away from Delaware County for a period of time to work as a professional Girl Scout in Ulster and Albany Counties. Moving back, I became an adjunct professor at SUNY Delhi for the Sports and Recreation Department and worked as the Camp Director of Camp Shankitunk in the summers. I then had the opportunity to work at the Catskill Recreation Center for eight years as their Executive Director.
Through all of these positions my focus has been on helping to advance youth development through educational and recreational activities. I believe that all children hold intelligences that they can build on and utilize to make the community and the world around them a better place. I am happy to be part of The Bovina Center Montessori School and helping the next generation of youth here!
Maraya Fisher
Infant Assistant Guide
I grew up in Upstate New York where I was heavily involved in the local dance studio and theater while also participating in the competitive dance circuit. After graduating high school, I continued my dance theatre training at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, before moving to their Los Angeles campus to complete my BA.
After graduation, I joined a variety of dance companies, continuing my love for the arts. While dancing my way through Los Angeles, I began working with children at the local YMCA, which led down the path of becoming a licensed nanny.
While immersing myself in work with children, I was still able to represent the United States two years in a row with my dance company in the World Congress of Dance in Greece and Italy.
Whether it has been participating in afterschool programs, teaching children to dance, or being there to guide them through online school during the pandemic, working along side children has become a lifelong passion like my work in the arts!
Toddler
Tina Turner
Toddler Blue Lead Guide
& Daycare Director
I hold an AMI 0-3 (Assistants to Infancy) Montessori Diploma through Montessori Institute in Denver (TMI).
I am currently completing my Early Childhood Education & Daycare Administration degree through the University of Hartford. I also hold a Permaculture Certification and I love to work with nature education!
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I grew up in the Catskills, where the stunning landscape has always been a source of inspiration for me.
After living in Florida and Atlanta for many years, I am so grateful to have returned home, where I now serve as a Montessori Guide for one of our toddler classrooms and as the School's Daycare Director, overseeing the management of our Infant and Toddler rooms.
I’m a devoted mother, artist, and nature enthusiast.
My professional journey began with over 20 years of business ownership, followed by work in the film industry and then photography and visual arts.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be living my purpose, helping build an incredible daycare opportunity in Delaware County and guiding young children in a nurturing and nature-centered learning environment that is Bovina Center Montessori School.
Mika Taga
Toddler Red Lead Guide
I hold an AMI 0-3 (Assistants to Infancy) Montessori Diploma from the Montessori Institute in Denver (TMI) and a BA in liberal arts education with a focus on Chemistry, Buddhism & Taoism, and Studio Art from Wellesley College in Boston, MA.
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I was born and raised in the Bay Area of Northern California. The looming Redwoods and expansive Pacific ocean imbued awe and connection to the natural world, and shaped who I am. As a child, I attended an AMI Japanese-Immersion Montessori School, which laid the foundation for my future art practice, which expresses an affinity for sculpting and abstracting basic geometric forms in wood and clay, and in retrospect, clearly has been influenced by the way of life Montessori pedagogy inspires.
While in school, I took time to live at a Zen Center and Farm in California for two years, wherein I practiced quieting the mind and working with the hands. After graduating from college, I moved to Philadelphia to develop my sculptural practice in wood and expand to other materials. While in Philadelphia, I worked in a Primary classroom at a Montessori school, and was greatly inspired by the children diligently working with increasing coordination of hand and mind, developing mind and spirit, and expressing incredible creativity and intelligence as well as care for their environment.
I am so grateful to find myself at Bovina Montessori, and find great joy, fulfillment, and inspiration from working with young children. The staff at this school are deeply committed to serving the child, and caring for and living in harmony with the land, I am inspired each day.
Lucy Stupakoff
Toddler Red Assistant Guide
I was born and raised in England on a horse farm. After having traveled extensively all over the world, I settled in the United States with my then husband and raised our family in Delaware County.
After my children had grown up, I worked in palliative dementia care for over a decade, supporting the elderly.
When working with my last client, I felt it was time for a change and thought working with children - the other side of the human age spectrum - would be interesting. I believe with the help of serendipity, I met Sophie and learned about the Montessori school.
Now I am enjoying another aspect of what this amazing life offers and getting to aid the youngest people in society is a great honor!
Kacy Coyle
Toddler Red Assistant Guide
I grew up in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.
My mother, a teacher, cultivated in me a strong love of learning and imagination. My father, an outdoorsman, ensured I had lots of time outside and an appreciation of nature. I can see how these early cornerstones have led me to this opportunity at Bovina Montessori.
Upon graduating high school, I moved to Nashville, TN to dance as a trainee with Nashville Ballet and continued to call it home for the next 10 years. I transitioned careers, going to trade school for commercial sewing, worked a variety of jobs as a seamstress, and met my husband… it was an eventful and happy decade in the South.
New York is the home state of both of my parents, and a place I was lucky to grow up visiting. It’s allure has held, and my husband and I recently decided to take the leap and make it home. I am excited to deepen my passions and interests in this beautiful landscape– sewing and hand crafts, gardening and environmentalism, energy work, and providing nurturing care to children. It is wonderful that many of these can coalesce within the Montessori classroom.
Elitsa Dimitrova
Toddler Blue Assistant Guide
I was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. I hold a Bachelor degree for Physical Education and a Masters degree for Recreational Sports from National Sports Academy in Bulgaria.
After graduation I worked as physical education teacher with kids between elementary and middle school age. I have never been into professional sports myself, but always enjoyed being physically active and especially in the outdoors.
After moving to the US I chose to work as a licensed massage therapist, which was also part of my education, and I did so for the past 15 years.
I started researching Montessori upon the birth of my daughter. I fell in love with the idea of giving kids a sense of capability and independence, and for them to follow their own developmental capabilities and interests. I’ve been a parent since the school opened in 2021 and I’m so happy to now be a part of the team as well.
Kamryn Farrell
Toddler Blue Assistant Guide
I was born and raised here in upstate New York where I’ve always enjoyed the nature and outdoor activities that come with each changing season. Camping, kayaking, and hiking are a few favorites.
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I grew up dancing my whole life and found a love and appreciation for the arts. I later went on to get my Bachelors in dance as well as Interdisciplinary Arts for Children from SUNY Brockport. I’ve always had a love for children and knew that I wanted to work with them from the day I started babysitting and assistant teaching in the studio from a young age. I began my journey as a dance teacher in Sidney NY teaching a wide variety of styles and ages. Then I began teaching at a preschool enrichment program that had an emphasis on the arts where my love for education bloomed.
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When this opportunity was brought to my attention, I knew it was the right choice. I am thrilled to be at Bovina Center Montessori School as an assistant guide to the toddlers. I’ve always had an appreciation for the Montessori method since I first learned about it and saw it in action back in high school. I’ve worked a variety of jobs but educating and caring for children will always be my passion.
Andie Hope
Daycare Assistant Guide &
Primary Aftercare Guide
I am a painter, ecological landscape designer, and arts educator, born and raised in NYC. I received my BA in political science and film studies from Vassar College, and worked for several years as an arts educator and programmer at the Children's Museum of the Arts in lower Manhattan. While volunteering and spending time in community gardens, I started itching to leave the city, and finally moved upstate to learn more about gardening and botany, and to study clinical herbalism at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. I recently moved back to Delaware County and started a landscape design business. I design gardens that are low-maintenance and biodiverse, and educate clients on native plants and ecological restoration.
I am also passionate about nature-based art, and love to weave everything I do into my work as an educator. I make my own natural inks with plants, rocks, and other found materials, and I've taught classes, workshops, and camps on this subject through the Roxbury Arts Group in Delaware County. I feel excited to continue in my role as an arts + nature educator at Bovina Montessori, and to work with Primary age children in the Aftercare program, spending time with them on the beautiful campus and making art together using organic and recycled materials.
Primary
Jess Gilman
Primary Lead Guide
I hold an AMS 3-6 (Primary) Montessori Diploma from the College of New Rochelle and enjoyed the next six years as a lead guide at another Montessori School before becoming the Primary Lead Guide at Bovina Center Montessori in 2021. I have a BA background in art and library sciences from SUNY Purchase, with a focus on drawing and photography
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I spent the first few years of my life on a farm in the Delaware Valley, where I developed a deep love of nature and animals. I then moved to lower Westchester, to begin school and lived there ever since, working and raising two children.
I found Montessori by accident when taking a job as an assistant at a local preschool. I was amazed at how independent and capable the children in the class were and fell in love with the philosophy.
I've also studied gardening, permaculture, and native planting, and enjoy incorporating these skills into the daily life of the children in the class.
I am passionate about sustainability and creating classrooms that focus on reducing waste, composting, caring about the environment, and each other. I also continue to learn American Sign Language, which I include in the curriculum. In my free time I love to spend time with family and all of my animals, volunteer at the library, read a ton, and of course, tend to gardens.
I am so happy to be part of building this beautiful school, living in Bovina, and returning to the country to support outdoor learning!
Emily Cronk
Primary Assistant Guide
I hold an AMI 0-6 (Assistants to Infancy + Primary) Montessori Orientation Certificate from MTCNE.
I grew up just over the mountain in Roxbury, NY. I went to Roxbury Central School and during high school I made a transition to Rotterdam, NY where I went to Mohonasen High School for two years and then finished my senior year at Roxbury Central School. I was in love with soccer from the start of Kindergarten all the way through High School and into some college.
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I have always been infatuated with nature and the outdoors since I could walk. I always wanted to see what was outside of the Catskills so I took some time to explore the country. I packed my car full and sent off on an adventure to Colorado from NY where I lived for some time. From Colorado I moved to Asheville, NC, before returning again to the Catskills.
​I now currently live in Delhi, NY with my fiancée and two kittens. On my free time I enjoy being outdoors; hiking, sitting by streams and taking long walks. I enjoy gardening, listening to music and watching movies and spending time with family.
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I hold a special place for kids and animals in my heart and never could have imagined I’d find this school in Bovina. Montessori has been exactly what I have been searching for for so long!
Sophie Gell
Primary Assistant Guide
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and worked with children throughout High School and College, at Art-in-Parts, and all ages non-profit in Far Rockaway. There, I coordinated workshops with local artists, and helped them transform their professional practice into all-ages lesson plans.
I went to Suny Purchase and hold a BFA in Visual Arts. I've lived in Treadwell since 2020, and have worked in cooking and catering, and construction. I specialize in building cob pizza ovens. My hobbies include building furniture for the house, gardening, and reading.
I am very happy to be at Bovina Montessori, working with little ones again!
Elementary
Lucy Stupakoff
Toddler Assistant Guide
Blythe Czaja
Elementary Lead Guide
I hold an AMI 6-12 (Elementary) Diploma from The Montessori Institute (TMI) in Denver.
I acquired my BA in Agricultural Education with a concentration in Animal Science from SUNY Cobleskill where I graduated in 2010. I worked for 6 years at an outdoor education center in the Adirondacks. While working with outdoor education, I also managed another business called the 1812 Homestead & Farm Museum where children learned the lifestyle of living in the early 1800’s.
I grew up just down the road from the school on a small dairy farm in Bloomville. My love of agriculture - especially animals and horticulture - extended from my childhood on the farm.
I grew up working closely with my father helping him take care of the animals, tending to the crops, and my personal favorite: making maple syrup.
While I am not enlightening the youth, you can find me wandering through the mountains with my two cattle dogs, or working in my sugar shack on Maple Syrup products. I also enjoy getting my hands dirty in the garden, kayaking in the sunshine or exploring new trails with my mountain bike.
Carley Moore
Elementary Assistant Guide
I hold an AMI 6-12 (Elementary) Montessori Orientation Certificate with the Montessori Teaching Center North East (MTCNE) and a NYS Science of Reading Fundamentals for Educators Certificate from SUNY New Paltz.
Being born and raised in the Catskill Mountains, the woods have always been a place of comfort for me.
I've always held a special place in my heart for children and ever since I was young I knew I wanted to work with them one day, teaching. Starting off as a frequent babysitter, to then becoming a Sunday School for my church. I started out with only two children in my class and now I have ten.
It was through one of my students that I was introduced to the Montessori method. After doing some personal digging and reading, I was in awe. I never knew there was a way for children and teachers to both be genuinely excited about learning and not loathe school. I am very excited and grateful to be a part of this wonderful community.
My family and I moved to Bovina after growing up in Margaretville, NY in late 2021, after my father took on the role of rector at Saint James Episcopal Church in Bovina. When I am not working, I am often at home baking bread, reading, spending time with my family, volunteering at church or spending time with my pups.
Adolescent / Middle School
Taylor Henry
Adolescent Lead Guide
I hold an AMI 12–18 (Adolescent) Diploma from the Montessori Training Center Northeast (MTCNE).
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I grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, and studied Civil Engineering at Southern Methodist University, where I also met my wife, Katie. After undergrad, I earned a Master of Science in Applied Sciences, writing my thesis on student curiosity, and entered the classroom through a residency program and a Master of Education.
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Before my time at BCMS, I spent five years teaching English Language Arts and an applied philosophy course (Theory of Knowledge) to 15–18 year-olds in an International Baccalaureate program. Those years deepened my appreciation for guiding young people as they wrestle with questions of meaning, responsibility, and identity.
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My training and work are grounded in the conviction that adolescence is a formative time when education must nurture the whole person—body, mind, spirit—to prepare young people for meaningful adult life.
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Outside the classroom, I enjoy baking sourdough bread, playing music, and reading difficult books. My greatest joy, though, is time with my wife and our two young daughters—whether we’re on a walk, dancing in the living room, or babbling together.
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It is a great honor to design and build the adolescent program at BCMS alongside a community of families and colleagues committed to adolescents’ growth and flourishing.
Jenny Blonk
Adolescent Lead guide
I hold an AMI Montessori 12-18 (Adolescent) Orientation Certificate, which I received through Train Montessori. I earned a Bachelor of Education in Special Education and a Master of Historic Preservation, both from the University of Georgia.
I’m a transplanted Southerner who grew up in rural Georgia, but I have called New York home for almost twenty years. My husband and I moved from New York City to Roxbury five years ago and have slowly been building our home and settling into the community.
My teaching experience over the last twenty-five years spans a variety of environments, but it wasn’t until I entered a Montessori school fifteen years ago that I felt like I’d found my place. My experience as a Lead Guide in an Upper Elementary classroom helped me to realize how
collaborative, intuitive, and holistic education can be when it is rooted in the deepest human needs. I carried those ideals with me into my next position as a farm-based educator here in Delaware County, where I learned firsthand how authentically students connect with the land, and the plants and animals that grow there.
I am thrilled to return to Montessori education,
especially at BCMS. This community is the convergence of all of the things I hold special and sacred about my role as a guide. I am excited to join the adolescent program and help nurture the development and creative expression of these young human beings!
In my spare time, I enjoy being outside and exploring new territory, either through hiking or travel. I also like reading, making food for people that I love, and searching for treasure at thrift stores or yard sales.
Current Positions Available
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Daycare Assistant Guides - Afternoon Part-time Postions available
Choir Instructor - 4 hours a week, children and/or adults
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String Instrument Teacher - 4-6 hours a week, children only
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