Faculty & Management
FACULTY
The teacher builds an atmosphere of calm, order, and joy in the classroom and encourages the children in all their efforts.
The teachers at Crabapple Montessori School are AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) certified after completing rigorous and specialized training from centers in the United States and abroad.
Many parents have enrolled their children at Crabapple Montessori School because they know these teachers, have confidence in their abilities, and are very satisfied with the progress their children have made in their classrooms.
The faculty consists of the following:
Primary Education Director
Tutty Feliciano: Tutty has the responsibility to mentor the staff and to work closely with the teachers to develop and maintain the best practices in classroom teaching and management. Tutty is a graduate from Centenary College, NJ and is an AMI certified Primary teacher. Tutty has taught in a prestigious Montessori school in Metropolitan Atlanta for over 30 years. Tutty is well known and highly respected in the Atlanta Montessori community. She has two children and a grandson. Tutty lives in Marietta, GA.
Elementary Teacher
Zahavah Stilman is the lead teacher for our 6-12 Montessori Elementary class. She earned a BS in Sociology with a Minor in Criminal Justice. After six years as a home school teacher to her oldest son and other children, Zahavah decided Montessori education was her life’s passion. She earned her Primary Diploma under the training of Ginni Sackett at the Montessori Institute Northwest in Portland, Oregon in 2008 and earned her Elementary Diploma under the training of Greg Mac Donald at the Montessori Training Center of New England in Hartford, Connecticut in 2010. While completing her Montessori teacher training, Zahavah worked as the Director of Education at a local synagogue where she founded a Montessori based religious program for children and adults. Zahavah is active in her religious community and any spare time is spent with her husband (an Environmental Scientist), daughter (who attends a Montessori school), adult son (who has taught her so much) and standard poodle, Einstein.
Primary Teachers
Anitha Shanmugam: Anitha team teaches in Christine’s class. She has a Bachelors in Business Management and holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute in Atlanta. Anitha has taught as a Lead Primary teacher in the Atlanta area for three years. She lives with her husband and two young children in the Suwanee area.
Beth Camardella: Beth is a Lead Primary teacher. Before joining Crabapple Montessori School, she has been a Lead Primary teacher for six years in the Atlanta area. Beth is a graduate in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University and holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta. She grew up in Roswell, Georgia.
Joni (pronounced “Johnny”) Linch relocated to Georgia from South Carolina where she was the Director of The Clemson Montessori School. She has over 25 years of experience as a Primary (children ages 3-6) Montessori teacher. She has taught in Montessori schools in Ohio, Michigan, South Carolina and Smyrna, Georgia in the Primary classrooms. Joni has also worked as a Director in Montessori schools in Ohio and South Carolina. She is a Graduate of The Ohio State University with Bachelors of Art Education and received the AMI Montessori diploma from Edgecliff College, Cincinnati, Ohio. She loves bringing the passion of learning to the children. Lastly, she enjoys music and has trained Montessori teachers in music for the Primary classrooms. Joni has two grown children and lives with her husband in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Prasadi Jayagoda: Prasadi is a Lead Primary teacher. She earned an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta in 1998. She has been a Lead Primary teacher with Crabapple Montessori School for four years in the past and returns to the school in 2009. Prasadi holds a Bachelor of Science from Sir Lanka. Prasadi is a mother of two young children who attend Crabapple Crossing Elementary school.
After-School Primary Teachers
Alexa Simonovis: Alexa has earned a degree in Interior Design at the Art Institute of Houston in Houston, TX and holds an AMI Primary diplomma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta. Alexa has two years of experience working as a Lead Teacher’s Assistant in a prestigious Montessori school in Metropolitan Atlanta. She is fluent in Spanish. Alexa and her husband reside in Kennesaw, GA and they both love spending a great deal of their free time enjoying the outdoors.
Anisha Hajiyani: Anisha has a Bachelors in Social Sciences and an AMI Primary Diploma, both from India. She has taught in a Montessori school for six years in the Atlanta area. She manages the after-school care program for the Primary students.
Toddler Teachers
Shukti Basu: Shukti is a Lead teacher in a Toddler classroom. She has a bachelors degree in Science and holds a Montessori diploma in early childhood education from Montessori Education of Southern Nevada. She has worked in a Montessori school in Nevada as a toddler teacher and a primary lead teacher before moving to Atlanta. She lives with her husband and son in the Alpharetta area.
Suheir Ibrahim: Suheir is a Lead Teacher in a Toddler classroom. She is a trained ITS Paraprofessional and holds a Toddler Montessori Diploma from Atlanta Montessori Teachers Education. She has several years of experience working with children and has been very active in community organizations. Suheir is the mother of four children and is fluent in Spanish and Arabic.
Teachers’ Assistants:
Anita Desai: Anita has studied Medical Transcription and Business Administration at the Hammersmith and West London College in England. She completed a Child Substitute Teacher Program with the Georgia Early Learning Initiative and the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta in 2003. She has volunteered at the North River Baptist Church pre-school and has volunteered extensively at Sweet Apple Elementary School. She is a Teacher Assistant in Beth Camardella’s class. Anita is a mother of two young children.
Elizabeth Puerta: Elizabeth assists iin the after-school program. She has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and an Associate degree in Applied Science-Business Administration, both from Venezuela. She is an experienced Berlitz Language Instructor and is fluent in English and Spanish. She has worked with children as a private language instructor for several years. In addition, Elizabeth has had a great deal of experience in the business sector. She and her husband reside in Alpharetta.
Maria Idalia Garcia: Maria Idalia is a graduate in Accounting. She has been a Sunday school teacher for several years. Maria is a mother of four children. She assists Suheir in the Toddler class in the morning.
Serette Smith: Serette is the teacher’s assistant for the 6 -12 Montessori Elementary class. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Education with a specialization in Early Childhood from the University of North Texas at Denton. Serette has been married for 14 years and is the mother of twin 9 year-old boys. Though originally from Texas, she and her family love to travel and have lived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Serette loves to read, write and try new foods. On weekends she and her family can be found at the baseball fields, on the hiking trails or home cooking together. Serette is actively involved in her church community.
Polly Thombley: Polly assists in Prasadi’s class. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Polly is a certified teacher and has home schooled her children for 11 years. Polly has also been a substitute teacher in Forsyth County schools for 2 years. Polly assists in Prasadi’s class. She lives with her husband and four children in Cumming.
Vandana Goyal: Vandana is a teacher’s assistant in Anita Shanmugam’s class. She has a Bachelors degree in Science and a diploma in Interior Design, both from India. She also has a Masters degree in Computer Science from Southern Polytechnic State University.. Vandana is a mother of two young children and lives with her husband in Roswell, Georgia. Her older son attended Crabapple Montessori School a few years ago and her younger son is currently enrolled in the Primary program. Vandana has substituted and has volunteered extensively at the school. Last year she was a room mom in one of the primary classes at the school and was a member of Crabapple Montessori Parent Association (CMPA). She is a true believer of the Montessori teaching philosophy and and has been thrilled with the education that her boys have received at this school!
Administrative Staff
Maria Haider: Maria is the founder of Crabapple Montessori School and serves as its Director. She has a degree in Education and has taught Elementary and Middle schools for several years. She also holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta. Maria is responsible for the management and overall administration of the school including supervision of policies and financial affairs. She also works closely with the educational consultants and faculty to design and evaluate school curriculum as well as parent education programs.
Afshan Khan: Afshan earned her Bachelor of Science degree and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of London. She has taught elementary school children for several years. She lives with her husband in Roswell and is the mother of three young children. Afshan serves as an Administrative Assistant in the school.
Maria Carolina Lopez: Carolina earned her degree in Business Administration from Venezuela and has an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta. She has extensive experience in the Banking industry and has taught in Montessori schools for over six years. She serves as an Administrative Assistant.
Nora Gilbert: Nora Gilbert is a graduate of the University of Monterrey, Mexico in Finance and Accounting. She has worked in the corporate world for several years. Nora has been a children’s camp counselor and has 12 years’ experience working with children ages 6 through 9 years in a church environment. Nora lives with her husband and two children in Alpharetta, GA.
MANAGEMENT
Crabapple Montessori School, Inc. is owned and operated by Mrs. Maria Haider and Dr. Wali Haider. They have two daughters, the older one is attending the law school at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the younger one is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology. They have been a part of the Roswell community for the past twenty-three years.
Dr. Wali Haider recently retired from IBM where he was a consultant for the past twenty five years. He was formerly a member of the faculty of Texas A&M and Lehigh University, and worked for Bethlehem Steel Company.
Maria Haider taught Elementary and Middle schools for several years. She took some time off work when her daughters were younger. She then returned to school and became an AMI Certified Montessori teacher. Maria is the School Director.