Faculty/Staff

Gail Longo is the Director of the MMLCC, was the founder and owner of Cinquegranelli Montessori School, which opened in 1989. A graduate of Seattle University, Gail is certified in Washington State in elementary and Secondary Education. She has had many years of teaching young children in public and parochial schools, in "co-op" preschools (in affiliation with North Seattle Community college), as well as a Kindergarten position in Brindisi, Italy. While in Italy, Gail had a weekly children’s program on Armed Forces Radio. She performed with and for children in Seattle at folk festivals, libraries, and bookstores. Gail completed her Montessori certification at Montessori Teacher Preparation of Washington in 1988. Gail worked avidly to bring Montessori education to Seattle Public Schools and continues to champion the Montessori alternative for children. In 1999, Gail, along with parents and friends founded the Maria Montessori Language & Cultural Center. It began formal operations in January 2002 as an after school program, housed in the Nordic Heritage Museum. In May 2003, she joined with Eileen Knobbs and Sara Orton of Ballard High School in designing this Montessori lab school; a proposal for the Seattle Public School's Alignment Initiative.

Tjelle Andvik, (pronounced chelly) is our Lead Teacher and program director. She is very excited to be a part of our Montessori program! Tjelle graduated from the University of Washington in 2003, is AMS Certified for the primary Montessori classroom and studied through the Montessori Institute of Education of the Pacific Northwest(MEIPN) with Anne Westrate, our Lead Teacher from 2007-2008. Tjelle has taught the 3-6 groups for five years, from Bellevue to Edmonds, and now brings her experience and vitality to Ballard. Tjelle has had experience with Montessori throughout her life; her mother has taught using the Montessori Method for over 25 years and Tjelle attended Montessori schools from preschool through sixth grade. Tjelle keeps herself busy spending time with her family, gardening, reading and creating new materials for her classroom.

Lisa Place, is the co-teacher at MMLCC. She is thrilled to be a part of our Montessori program! Lisa is a graduate of the University of Washington in 1998, she is AMS Certified, and is in the process of receiving her MEIPN certification. Lisa comes to us from the Eton School in Bellevue, WA where she worked with the pre-K students and is currently receiving her training to work with ages 6-9. Lisa is a newlywed and lives in Ballard and in her free time she loves to walk her dog and she enjoys the outdoors

Donald Barker, is our office Manager. Donald is a graduate from Northwest University in 2000 and a recent graduate from Faith Seminary where he received his Master's degree. He comes to us highly recommend. Donald recently finished an externship in June at the Office of Governor Christine Gregoire in Olympia, WA. Donald has lots of hobbies; he enjoys playing basketball, reading, and spending time with his wife.

Hua Zhang The first job Hua had was a technician at a chemical plant! From a random opportunity, and because of her natural story-telling gift, she became a speaker who preached reform in China in the ’80s. Later she worked as a journalist for 14 years. She started a new life when she joined her husband at Ohio University. There, she picked up traditional Chinese dancing through her own initiative and performed locally. The Athens Messenger and the Post printed her dance photos four times! Hua became a mother four years ago and has been interested in children’s education since that time. Hua finished academic training at Montessori Teacher Preparation (MTP) in Kent, Washington this last summer (2004) and has completed her internship “practicum” at Casa Maria Montessori. Hua enjoys the children and has worked hard and creatively here.  She is currently teaching Mandarin Chinese at the Casa on Wednesday afternoons from 3:30-5:30P.M. 

Joseph Weisnewski is Montessori certified, a composer, and a music specialist. Joseph provides weekly music enrichment.  His curriculum this year is focused on composers.  Joseph uses his experience as a Montessori teacher to create rich, mulit-dimensional lessons at engage our children on many levels.  

Ann Selznick is the part-time office assistant, and the mother of a current Casa Maria student. She has a degree in Mathematics from Penn State University and an eclectic variety of office and management experiences. Before becoming a parent and moving to Seattle, she worked in New York City in the music industry for 15 years. She managed recording studios and later audited music publishing royalties. Ann credits her strong organizational skills to having graduated from Montessori preschool herself!