Kristina Dankoski began her Montessori journey here at RMS in 2003 as a parent and has served the school in many roles, including a member of the Board of Directors, President of the Parents Guild, Mardi Gras Chair, Administrator, and Principal before taking on the role of Head of School in 2021. She holds a BA from Christendom College, a Montessori Core Principles Certificate from Washington Montessori Institute, and Level I and Level II Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Certificates. Kristina has worked in politics, research and writing, marketing, and interior design but knows that God has used this to prepare her for a calling here at RMS. She is passionate about the children we serve and grateful that our work challenges us daily to become more virtuous. She has two grown daughters, both alumnae of RMS.

Becky Winstead holds her AMI Primary Diploma through the Montessori Institute of North Texas in Dallas and also received her Level 1 Certification for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She also holds a B.A. in Drama from the University of Dallas. Prior to joining us at RMS, Becky has been both an Assistant and Lead Guide in Children's House classrooms in Texas, New Hampshire, and Great Falls, VA. Outside of school, Becky enjoys kayaking, hiking, gardening and has dreams of starting her own small farm one day.

Mrs. Jennifer Ashton enjoys living each day as a Primary Directress in the Children’s House. Her passion for Montessori began with her own children’s Montessori education and discovery of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in 2005. She continues to be formed by the principles of Maria Montessori through the Association Montessori International (AMI) and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She is AMI certified at the Primary (3-6) Level and CGS USA certified in all levels of Catechesis from birth to age 12. She is currently in the progress toward completing CGS Formation Leader recognition. She loves sharing these principles with parents and living them with children to collaboratively strengthen relationships between God and the child. Prior to becoming a Montessori parent and later teacher and catechist, Jen worked in the fashion industry developing textile and clothing programs for children! She knew all about the size and dimensions of children but it wasn’t until she was living and sharing her life with them that she began to truly know them and continues to be fascinated by their development and hidden potential.

May Breakall was born and raised in Cali, Colombia and graduated with a Bachelor's Degrees from University of Valle in Physical Therapy, where her two years in the education in human development was the spark that lit her passion for childhood development. During her career as a physical therapist, she especially loved her work with children from birth to school age, as well as special needs children. She came to the US as an international student at Colorado University to learn and perfect her English. There she married her husband of 10 years, and has lived in Colorado, North Carolina, Texas, and now Virginia. An outdoors family, they live in Dumfries with two beautiful children, Thomas and Matthias are also in our RMS community. They love adventures like camping, traveling, hiking, fishing, and everything that includes time in nature. Since having children, Mrs. Breakall discovered Montessori though her appreciation of how important the beginning years are for children. She holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of North Texas, an AMI Montessori Core Principles Certificate, and a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education with Montessori Concentration from the University of Hartford Connecticut, as well as a Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Certificate.

Cecilia Drabbant holds an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) diploma in Assistant to Infancy (0-3), as well as AMI certificate in Montessori Core Principles. She also holds a degree in Architecture from Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Bandung, Indonesia, and completed Emmanuel School of Mission in Rome, Italy. Since being introduced to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in 2012, she has received CGS certification in Levels I, II, III, and CGS Infant-Toddler Seminal certification. Additionally, she is recognized as CGS USA Level 1 Formation Leader.

Anna Martell will be joining our Elementary program as co-lead with Mr. Short. Anna Martell was born in Miami Beach and moved to Gainesville, Florida in 2018 to study art history at the University of Florida. During this time, she grew her first garden and fell in love with the rich biodiversity of North Florida. After graduating, she worked with a family of six as a nanny and discovered the Montessori method of education through them. She is currently completing her AMI Elementary (6-12) diploma with The Montessori Institute of Denver. She loves that Montessori education fosters a lifelong love of learning in adults and children alike, especially the sense of wonder and gratitude created in the elementary classroom. Last year, she entered the Catholic church and is so excited to be a part of the vibrant and loving Renaissance Montessori community!

Claire Nguyen who led our Young Children's House in 2019 -2020 will once again be the Directress for our Toddler Community this year. Mrs. Nguyen has been an actively learning and engaged Montessori parent since 2005 and part of our RMS community since 2010. She has been a part or full time member of the RMS team since 2013, filling many roles, supporting the Primary garden environment, as a Level I Catechist, an assistant in the Young Children's House, a directress in the Young Children's House and versatile substitute. She also launched the pilot toddler Atrium program at the Cultural and Catechetical Montessori Association. She studied Psychology at George Mason University. She also holds Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA certificates Infant/Toddler, Level I, and Level II and will begin her AMI Assistant to Infancy (0-3) training this spring. She also is trained in offering Bal-A-Vis-X to children. A mother of 8, she is eager to continue this work as a humble servant to the children and God.

Robert Short is a native of Providence, Rhode Island and was the lead teacher for the Upper Elementary program at Ocean State Montessori School from 2015 to 2022. He studied economics at Brown University where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in 2010 and earned an Elementary I and II Certification through the American Montessori Society at the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative in Lexington, Massachusetts. From 2018 to 2022 he was also was involved in parish ministry at Saint Sebastian Church in Providence, where he served as Director of Religious Education and Pastoral Associate. His proudest professional achievements are building up the Upper Elementary program at Ocean State Montessori School and developing a confirmation curriculum at Saint Sebastian Church. He married his wife Samantha in 2014. His favorite prayer is the Liturgy of the Hours. In his leisure time he enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, and writing. Mr. Short is looking forward to joining RMS and having the opportunity to implement a full vision of Catholic Montessori. Having completed his Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation in 2018, he will be continuing with Level II and III courses over the next summers.

Amy Angulo will join RMS as a Spanish speaking Primary assistant in 2023-24. She recently graduated from Seton Home Study School in June of 2023. She has volunteered at the Good Shepherd Atrium in Purcellville for two years, with both Level I and Level II children. Prior to that, she a child of the Atrium herself. Growing up in that community increased her love and desire to learn more about the Montessori model. She is excited to expand her knowledge on this front and practice it in her everyday life with the children.

Mary Pat Blanchette was raised in Tully, New York, and graduated with a Liberal Arts degree from Magdalen College in New Hampshire. After her time in New Hampshire, she taught briefly at a private school in Anza, California. In 1994 she moved to Manassas, Virginia to pursue a teaching position at Seton Junior and Senior High School. At Seton, she taught junior high classes and high school Biology. After her time at Seton, she was offered the position at All Saints Catholic Church as the Confirmation and High School Youth Director. While working at All Saints she went back to school to pursue a degree in nursing. In 2003 she began her work at Prince William Hospital as a registered nurse. The majority of her 13 years spent there was on the Orthopedic and Oncology floor. Mary Pat and Sean have sent all of their children to Renaissance. Tim started when he was 5 years old and will graduate from high school in 2023.

Mary Pat completed the Montessori Adolescent Orientation program in 2020 and she also holds a Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd certificate.

She delights in seeing all things grow, vegetables, children, animals, and the prepared adult.

Mary Bond is returning for her second year in the toddler environment and now holds her Level I Certification for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Prior to joining the RMS team, Mary graduated from the University of Dallas in 2019 with a B.A. in English. She moved to Denver, Colorado where she worked various jobs including tech support at the Augustine Institute, literacy support at The Denver Waldorf School, and soccer coach for children. She moved to Manassas in 2022 and loves working with Renaissance's youngest children. In her free time she enjoys reading, running, hiking, snowboarding, and taking care of her family's golden retriever.

A child of the Atrium, I am excited to continue my journey with CGS at RMS! CGS has been close to my heart since the day my parents dropped me off at CGS when I was 6 years old. I soaked in Level II and III as a child and tagged along with my mom as she completed her Level I-III Formation Courses, often playing with the other catechists’ children. I fell in love with CGS and continued to be involved as a catechist assistant throughout my middle and high school years. It was in the heart of the Atrium, in the life of my home parish in Memphis, TN, and in the love of my parents that my passion for the Catholic Faith, CGS, and Montessori Education took root and that I began to be attentive to the stirrings of the Holy Spirt.

My love for CGS was nurtured in college as I attended Saint Louis University (SLU) in St. Louis, MO and had the opportunity to continue volunteering with CGS at St. Francis Xavier College Church. College Church and SLU provided rich soil to continue my formation with CGS as I completed Level I and Level II Formation Courses with Ann Garrido.

After graduating with a B.A. in Theological Studies and minor in Psychology, I continued to pursue my love of Theology and parish ministry through the University of Notre Dame’s Echo Program. As part of my formation with Echo, I served as an apprentice catechetical leader in the Diocese of Camden, NJ for two years, learning the trade of parish ministry at Christ the King Catholic Church in Haddonfield, NJ while obtaining a M.A. in Theology.

Following this grad school experience, my love of parish ministry and CGS coincided as the Holy Spirit led me to Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna, VA.  I have directed Faith Formation there for the past 9 years and have been blessed to serve in Level I-III Atria during most of my time there, while also incorporating CGS into the Children’s RCIA, parent formation, and adult Confirmation preparation. During my time with OLGC, I completed my Level III CGS Formation Course with Donna Turner. While volunteering with OLGC Youth Ministry, I met my husband Jonathan and we were married at the start of the pandemic at our 10-person wedding, with lots of friends and family tuning in virtually. In September 2021, we welcomed our daughter Natalie Therese into the world!

Mindy Herbek began her Montessori journey when she first observed a primary environment for a college assignment. In that moment she decided to become a Montessori teacher. After graduating from George Mason with a degree in education, she completed the American Montessori Society Early Childhood Certification Program and went on to teach at Montessori of Chantilly/Gainesville for several years. Mindy decided to stay home with the birth of her daughter Kora and then son Noah.  After hearing about RMS from a family member, she and her husband took a tour of the school, and both immediately felt this was a home away from home. Mindy felt it was a blessing to be a parent at RMS, where the Montessori philosophy is applied in teaching children the truth of God in the atrium.  Now, Mindy is delighted to join the kind and caring staff at RMS and excited about the beautiful outdoor campus full of potential for learning alongside the children about God’s creation.

Sandra Medina began her Montessori journey as a parent in our RMS community. Along with her experience as an assistant in the RMS Children's House, she has also completed her Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation. She brings a beautiful heart of a servant and fluent Spanish immersion to her work with the children.

Hello! I am Claire Mello, and I am delighted to be rejoining the Renaissance family where I have the privilege of assisting your beautiful children in the primary environment. My love for Montessori was sparked during my time at Christendom College where I graduated in 2017. I went on to complete my Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Certification in 2019. My husband, two children, and I became full-time nomads in 2020 and travelled around the United States in a 42 ft. motorhome. Our travels brought us full circle back to Virginia where I am excited to share all of my stories and experiences with the children. I am currently working on completing my AMI 3-6 primary diploma through the Montessori Institute of North Texas.

Natalie Mirus has lived Montessori education and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd since the age of two and a half. She has experience as an assistant in multiple Level I and Level II/III weekly Atriums, as well as a substitute assistant in Toddler and Primary here at RMS. She holds a Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd certificate and brings a joyful spirit and enjoyment of working with children to RMS.

Krista Schroer is an experienced Montessori mom of six with a background in education and working with young children. She holds a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Evansville and has years of experience working with children, as a tutor, special education pre-kindergarten teacher, and classroom assistant. Ms. Krista holds a Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd certificate and brings her patience and flexibility to the RMS team.

My name is Elisa Simon. I just graduated from Christendom College this May. I am originally from North Carolina but I am excited to be married this June and moving to Manassas. I was a Philosophy major at Christendom and love all things Josef Pieper. Moreover, I have a great love of dance, chocolate, and tea. I have been working at John the XXIII in Front Royal as part of the Christendom Teaching Practicum. I am excited to continue working according to the Montessori model. I look forward to joining the RMS community and getting to know you all!