We are happy to introduce the new board members who were elected by the community last spring and sworn in at the beginning of the year. This year, we welcome four new faculty board members, two new community members, and one parent member.
Karen Anway [Faculty Member]
An experienced Montessori guide, Karen is currently a lead teacher in Upper Elementary and has worked with several other Montessori schools prior to joining Great River in 2013. She is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Institute for Montessori Innovation, at Westminster College and for Saint Catherine University. Karen holds a Masters in Education from Saint Catherine University, a M.A. in English Writing, and A B.A. in Creative Writing, Literature, and Philosophy.
Ellen Brand [Community Member]
A senior at Hamline University, Ellen joins the board this year as a community board member. She is studying elementary education and psychology with the teaching English as a foreign language certificate and expects to graduate in May 2016. Ellen graduated from Great River School in 2011 and is the first Great River School alumna to join the school board. We are excited to have a former student’s perspective represented on the board.
Victor Cole [Community Member]
Victor has joined the Board this year as community member. He serves as a Community Engagement Coordinator at Metropolitan State University and teaches in the School of Urban Education and Ethnic and Religious Studies Department. He has a wide range of educational background and experience including teaching in elementary, serving as a teacher coach, and professional development facilitator in the Minneapolis Public Schools. Victor holds an M.S. in Education, a B.A. in French Literature, Secondary Education, Political Science, and has completed continuing education programs in Critical Pedagogy and Educational Leadership.
Sarah Hansen [Faculty Member]
Sarah is currently is an A2 math guide at Great River School. Sarah started working at Great River School in 2014. She also works for Concordia Language Villages at Skogfjorden Camp. We are excited for her input as a new member of the board! Sarah holds a M.A. in Mathematics from Saint Louis University and a B.A. in Mathematics from College of St. Catherine.
Nadine McNiff [Faculty Member]
Nadine joins the board this year as a faculty member. She has six years of Montessori Experience and currently serves as the lead teacher in one of the lower elementary classrooms at Great River. Nadine holds a B.S. and Masters in Education from the University of Minnesota, and a 6-9 AMS Montessori certification from St. Kate's.
Jo Montie [Parent Member]
Jo serves as the Director of the SPED online program at University of St. Thomas. Jo has taught a wide range of college-level courses and has served as an educational consultant in P-12 and university settings as a guest speaker, classroom collaborator, and professional development consultant on topics of conflict resolution, collaboration, and inclusive education. As a parent of a Great River student, Jo has volunteered her time to co-facilitate for iRace and is a co-facilitator on the diversity committee here at Great River School.
Anne Springfield [Faculty Member]
Anne joins the board as a faculty member and currently teaches A3 math at Great River. Before joining Great River in 2013, Anne worked as a data analyst and gained experience teaching at several schools in the Twin Cities, New York, and Boston. Anne holds a M.S. in Mathematics with an Emphasis in Education from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) and a B.A. in Mathematics and Spanish from Macalester College.