Staff
Amanda Ungerecht - Elm. Physical Ed/Health
Amanda is an “Alaska Grown” woman having been born and raised in Anchorage. After graduating from high school in 1997 she joined the AMS team as a pre-primary assistant, supervised the Before and After School Program, and then switched to being a Toddler Assistant. In 2000 Amanda entered the Entertainment Field as a performer in “Up With People”, touring the United States and participating in Community Service activities.
Amanda lived in Colorado for over two years where she returned to school at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies, earning her Toddler Montessori Certificate. With her heart missing her family and her hometown she packed her goldfish and her worldly possessions in her VW Golf and traveled the Alaska Highway back to Anchorage in 2003. Amanda is currently working on her BA in Art, creates and displays beautiful pieces of stained glass in a local studio, and enjoys spending as much time outside with her dog as she can.
Angie Knowlton - Director of Education
Angie was born and raised in Golden, Colorado, and was introduced to the Montessori approach during her college years. In order to learn more about the method she spent four years as an assistant at the Montessori School of Golden, during which she obtained a Fine Arts degree. Angie went on to receive her Montessori Certification in the 3-6 year old field from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado. While there an instructor by the name of Sue Kennedy (and a former AMS teacher) mentioned to Angie that AMS was looking for a full-time teacher. Angie moved up to Anchorage and taught here for two years before returning to Colorado. There she partnered up with a colleague and started the first Christian Montessori School in the Denver metropolitan area.
Angie returned to Anchorage in 2003 to be closer to her fiancè, and they were married in 2004. She and her husband Brian have now settled into the Anchorage area.
Aniceta Sanchez - Pre-Primary Teacher Assistant
Aniceta was born in the Philippines in the small town of Porac, Pampanga, forty-five miles northeast of Manila, as the youngest daughter of Marciano and Leonila Ayson. Aniceta attended Holy Angel University for three years in the Philippines before working in a dental clinic with her cousin. In 1992 she married Prime Sanchez Jr. and in 1993 they moved to the USA, first to Bremerton, Washington, and then moving on to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. In 1998 they moved into Anchorage where her husband is employed at Alaska Airlines.
Aniceta has worked at the Little Red School, Children’s Montessori, and Midnight Sun Montessori before joining us at Anchorage Montessori School.
Aniceta and Prime have three children, Shalane, Sharleen, and Prime John III.
Betsey Howard - Consultant/Founder
Betsey Howard has been at Anchorage Montessori from its creation in 1977 to the present. In that time she has taken on many roles: as Director, Pre-Primary Teacher, Advisor, and now Kindergarten Teacher. Betsey Received her BA from Miami University (Ohio) and an MEd in Montessori Education from Xavier University (Cincinnati).
Greta Seitz - Lower Elementary Lead Teacher
Greta has a B.A. in Arts from Wheaton College in Illinois where she received an Illinois Teaching Certificate for grades K-8 with an endorsement in German. Her education was focused on developing reading and social studies curriculums and teaching science. She has also completed her Lower Elementary Training at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado Greta has been with AMS since 2005.
Heather Nighswander - Pre-Primary Teacher Assistant
Heather was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. This included being a student of Betsey Howard when Anchorage Montessori School was in two rooms of a church just off of Northern Lights. Heather spent nearly a decade in Washington State and almost half a decade in London and Bradford, England. Heather rediscovered her interest in Montessori when her daughter, Min, was a student of Miss Angie and Miss Micha. Heather is happy to be a part of Anchorage Montessori School again.
Jennifer Dohanos-Walton - Pre-Primary Assistant/Aftercare
Jennifer was born and raised in Westport, Connecticut. She grew up surrounded by farmlands, the ocean, and lots of artists. She grew up loving nature, gardening, the sea, and all forms of creativity.
Jennifer went on to study Art at the State University of New York at Purchase and finished her studies in San Francisco at the Academy of Art College. She then began a career as a free-lance artist, working as an illustrator and graphic designer.
Jennifer has taught Art classes, After School Enrichment programs and Yoga in addition to her Artwork. Her love of teaching grew and she decided to teach full time. She has been teaching for over twenty years.
Jennifer became entranced at the love and wonder involved in teaching young children at the Anchorage Montessori School in 1998 and has been a dedicated and creative staff member ever since.
Jennifer Wagner - Pre-Primary Teacher
Jennifer recently came to us after working five years as a Pre-Primary Teacher at the BP Daycare Center and holds her CDA. She grew up in Soldotna and attended the Philadelphia Biblical University and has a passion for Early Childhood Curriculum Development. Jennifer has completed her Montessori Early Childhood training at Montessori Training of Southern Nevada.
Jennifer loves children, likes to knit and read in her spare time.
Jennifer Whiteman - Toddler Teacher Assistant
Jennifer's family moved to Alaska in 2002. She's married to her high school sweetheart and they have six daughters and one son.
Jennifer has been teaching young children since 1993 and she's currently working towards her degree in Early Childhood Development. She's also working on becoming fluent in German and American Sign Language.
Jennifer enjoys cooking, baking, vegetable gardening, listening to classical music, singing in a choir, sewing, reading, and playing Mario and Zelda on Wii.
Julie Matthews - Art Teacher
Julie’s passion is creating architectural tile projects. For the past 30 years she has been working in clay. Her focus is exploiting the possibilities of handmade tiles and their application.
Since 1983 Julie has created over twenty major installations including BP Exploration, the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, a concrete and tile memorial project at Kincaid Park, a three-n replica of e sun as part of a planet walk and several “1% for Art” projects.
Julie has been teaching Art at Anchorage Montessori School since 1996. She has a degree in Art and in Elementary Education. She loves working with children and finds their spontaneity is contagious. She strives to incorporate Montessori methods in Art classes and often works with integrating the teacher’s curriculum with Art projects as well.
Julie has a daughter who went through the Montessori program.
Kelly Hamlin - Lunch Supervisor, Elementary Summer Recreation Coordinator and Before School Care Coordinator
She was raised in Alaska and has lived here since 1963, growing up fishing with her father in Southeast Alaska. Kelly has been with AMS since 1997 and succeeds in making the Kitchen area a place of warmth and companionship. Kelly's time outside of AMS is dedicated to enjoying her family.
Kourtney Bartlett - Upper Elementary Teacher
My career in Montessori began at age two when my parents enrolled me at The Montessori School for the Arts and Sciences in Exeter, New Hampshire.
Later I attended college at Wheelock in Boston where I recieved a B.S in Human Development and a minor in Life Science. While at Wheelock I spent a semester working at Duke Children's Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. Upon graduation I became a certified Child Life Specialist. This is a field where specialists are trained to work with children and families who find themselves in medical crisis. A Child Life Specialist works as a member of the interdiciplinary medical team to break down the medical environment and complex medical procedures to families and children. It is my hope that the Upper Elementary program will be able to forge a connection with the pediatrics department and the patients at Providence in the future. Working to empower children facing adveristy is a great passion of mine; and it is also a fundamental concept of the Montessori approach.
After college I undertook Montessori Training at Seacoast Center in Greenland, New Hampshire. I completed my 6-12 credential in 2003. Before coming to Anchorage Montessori School I worked as a Lower Elementary teacher in a public Montessori Charter School in Newburport, MA. After three years I ventured abroad and spent a summer traveling through Asia. I made stops in Japan, China,Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, thus uncovering a great love of travel. Upon my return from my adventures abroad I started a new adventure working as an Upper Elementary teacher at Meeting House Montessori in Braintree, MA. It is here I discovered a love for the Upper Elementary age.
Given that I am a girl who is always up for a challenge and an adventure I now find myself happily anticipating a life in Anchorage. My dog Thorton and I will be arriving shortly and I look forward to working and settling in at Anchorage, Alaska.
Laurie Barkin - Pre Primary Teacher
Laurie has been a pre-primary school teacher for 20 years, the last 10 years as a Montessori directress. Laurie received her Montessori certification in 2000 from Montessori Education Center of The Rockies. She has worked as a classroom teacher, teacher trainer, workshop presenter, as well as a director of a Montessori school she founded. She is committed to her work with young children and offering excellence in education using of the Montessori method, philosophy and materials as the tools for her craft. Laurie has a sincere love of her work as a pre-primary teacher and finds this reflects in her classroom as a joy for learning in her students.
Lissete Mixan - Spanish Teacher
Lissete was born and raised in Peru. She moved to Alaska seven years ago and loves our state. Lissete previously taught Spanish at another Montessori school for four years and was hired by Anchorage Montessori School in 2008. She is a native speaker of Spanish and holds a Level 2 Certificate of Achievement from the Child Development Association in Education.
Lissete has a happy family with her husband and two daughters. Her parents moved to Alaska just last year.
Lissete said that “I am very glad to find Anchorage Montessori School. I love to teach Spanish and I enjoy my job. I work with Toddlers and Pre-schoolers during the school year. I'm very blessed and I thank God for everything that happened in my life.”
Liz Hamlin - Toddler Teacher
She has been at Anchorage Montessori School since 1998, and received her toddler certification in 2003 at MECR in Boulder, Colorado and is now a teacher in the toddler program. She was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and she says her mom (who is also a valued staff member at AMS) is her hero. Liz enjoys spending time with her family and outdoor activities.
Macie Grammer - Secretary/Receptionist
Macie was born and raised in the quaint town of Willow, Alaska, where her family raised and raced sled dogs throughout her childhood. After graduating from Houston High School in 1994 she moved to Anchorage. Macie is pursuing a B.S. in Nursing Science at the University of Alaska. She enjoys the school environment and is considering a career in school nursing. Macie's hobbies include creating stained glass projects, making arts and crafts, reading, camping with her husband (and beloved black lab) during the summer months.
Michalynn Thompson - Pre-Primary Teacher
“My name is Michalynn Thompson. Everyone calls me ‘Micha.’ I have lived in Alaska since February 1999. I have a grown daughter named Tomìmyka. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, I enjoy living in Anchorage. I love the diversity and cultures surrounding me. It has been good for Tomìmyka as well to be exposed to children from all backgrounds and cultures; an opportunity not available in Columbus.”
“I have worked for Nationwide Insurance since I was 18 beginning as a mailroom clerk and more recently as a customer service representative for Medicare. That was 20 years ago! I’ve been at AMS since 2000, first as a lower elementary assistant teacher, and now as a Pre-Primary Teacher. I completed my Montessori training at the Montessori Training Center of the Rockies in 2007.”
“For relaxation I like to read, listen to music. I love to crochet and write short stories and children’s stories when I have the time. I’m not much of an outdoors person; I pretty much like to stay at home. In the future I would like to go back to school and get a degree in Art. I want to write and illustrate children’s books; preferably Montessori books.”
Michelle Pass - Pre Primary Teacher's Assistant
I just moved to Alaska from Florida in March. I love it so far. I am 23 years old and enjoy a variety of things. I love to paint and play guitar in my free time. I have 2 years experience working at a Montessori School in Florida. My goal in life is to have traveled all over the world. I have four brothers and a mom and a dad that live in the lower 48. I want to be the best roll-model for the children and grow with them. I have always enjoyed working working with children.
Phil Knowlton - Toddler Assistant & Summer Recreation
Phil is originally from Springfield, Oregon, but moved to Alaska when he was just sixteen months old. He is by far the youngest of seven children and has been an uncle since the age of seven. In addition to his work at AMS Phil is currently studying music education and composition at UAA concentrating in both classical and jazz. Phil enjoys both singing and playing saxophone with his jazz band.
Phil has been with Anchorage Montessori School since the fall of 2007. He thoroughly enjoys working with Liz, Amanda, and Jennifer and interacting with all of the toddler children. In the summertime he divides his time between the morning Toddler class and the afternoon portion of the summer recreation program.
Rosanna Lee, Pre-Primary Teacher Assistant
“Hi, my name is Rosanna Lee. I was born in Seattle and moved to Hong Kong when I was two months old. My family moved to Anchorage, Alaska, when I was five years old where we made a home for ourselves. When I was growing up my sister and I would spend our summer holidays visiting relatives in Hong Kong.
“With the desire to see the world and my love of traveling I moved to San Francisco, California, and joined United Airlines as a Flight Attendant in 1997. During that time I also completed massage therapy training and was certified as a massage therapist; a profession I continue to practice today. After traveling around the world for seven years I had my son Gabriel and decided to resign from flying to stay home to care for him.
“Gabriel started his toddler education at AMS in 2007, and I started as a Teacher Assistant in November that same year. I am very happy to be here as a part of the Montessori community.”
Sheryl Lick - Office Manager, Registrar
Sheryl and her family moved to Alaska in 1998. She joined the AMS community in 2000 when her oldest child, Lauren, attended as a toddler. In 2002 Sheryl became a part of the staff and her other two children began their Montessori journey. Sheryl enjoys being a full-time mom in addition to serving as the Office Manager and Registrar. Sheryl also likes to spend time with her family, scrap booking, and reading.
Tere Obrochta - Pre Primary Teacher
Tere is a native Spanish speaker, born in the Dominican Republic to Dutch and Spanish parents. Most of her childhood was spent in Florida. Tere has a BA degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado, with a concentration in Child Development. She has extensive experience working with children in social services settings and is noy very happy to make the transition to an educational setting. Tere is new to Alaska and has lived in Hawaii, Germany, Alabama, Colorado, and several other states. Tere’s hobbies include hiking, camping, biking, traveling, reading and cooking. She has been married for 20 years and has two beautiful daughters aged 15 and 12.
Tere's recently enrolled at Chaminade University's Montessori Training Program and will be interning with Angie for her Early Childhood credentials.
Usha Motha - Pre-Primary Teacher
I am Usha Motha and I have seventeen years of experience as a Montessori Guide in Primary (Pre-Primary) and Kindergarten classrooms. I have taught in Indiana, Florida and Texas. In addition to my career in Montessori education I've worked as a Librarian at the International School and as a Documentation Officer in Sri Lanka.
I received my initial Montessori diploma from a trainer who was trained under Dr. Maria Montessori in Colombo, Sri Lanka. I obtained my AMI certification from the AMI Training Center in Milwaukee. I have an Associates Degree in Social Science from the University of Pevadeuiya, Sri Lanka, in addition to an Associates degree in Library Science and Documentation from the Sri Lanka Library Association.
In my leisure time I love to cook, read, travel, and enjoy the outdoors.
I look forward to working at the AMS and serving the Montessori Community in Anchorage.