Meet the Team

Meet Andrea, the owner and Director of our school. Born in Mexico City and raised in Sonora, Andrea moved to Montana in 2010 and loves traveling back home to visit her large family.

 

Soon after moving to Kalispell, Andrea began teaching Spanish and enrolled her daughter in the area's leading Montessori program. Her passion for education deepened as she discovered the Montessori method through her own children. Witnessing the positive impact it had on their lives, she became a dedicated advocate for the approach and decided to pursue full-time teaching. Andrea earned her "American Montessori Society: Early Childhood Credential" through the Montana Montessori Teacher Education Institute.

With over a decade of classroom experience, Andrea has served as a Spanish teacher, assistant, and lead teacher.

 

Outside of Big Sky, Andrea is embracing this busy stage of parenting her preteen kids, Sofia (13) and Alex (11). Her days are filled with driving them to various activities, while weekends are dedicated to travel soccer. She truly treasures every stage of motherhood, as each phase of her kids’ lives brings new joys and deeper connections that she wouldn't trade for anything.

Meet Heather

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Heather has been teaching for 20 years, including 19 years in Montessori education here in the Flathead Valley. She has experience teaching first through third grade, upper elementary, and serving as a school principal. She holds Montessori and K–8 teaching credentials, as well as a Master’s degree in Education.

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Heather loves working with children and believes in creating a classroom where children feel supported, confident, curious, and independent. She enjoys following the Montessori philosophy and helping children grow at their own pace.

Montessori is also a special part of Heather’s family. Her own children attended Montessori starting at age two and a half. Her daughters were also in Ms. Andrea’s Early Childhood Montessori class!

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Outside of school, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, hunting, creating art, going to the theater, and enjoying music. She also loves bringing music, theater, sign language, and Spanish into the classroom.

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We are so happy to have Heather join our Big Sky Montessori family and look forward to a wonderful year together!

Born and raised in Whitefish, Montana, Heidi lives with her husband Mike and enjoys spending time with their growing family, including children and grandchildren. She loves skiing and cherishing quality moments with her grandkids.

 

Heidi began her journey in early childhood education over a decade ago, first working as a chef preparing delicious meals for students before transitioning into the classroom. Known as our multitasker and a loving "grandma" to all the kids, Heidi holds a Montessori Assistant Certification through the American Montessori Society and the Montana Montessori Teaching Education Institute.

 

Recently, Heidi launched her own dog grooming business after completing grooming training at JKL International Institute for Grooming in 2024!

Meet Luna, our spotted-tailed leopard gecko, who officially joined Big Sky Montessori in 2024—quite the leap from her quiet life before! Luna made her grand entrance to the school with a few things in mind: spreading joy and teaching the kids about patience. Though she’s been a little shy at first, Luna quickly became the most popular "teacher" on staff, offering her expert advice on how to lounge, bask, eat worms and crickets and not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

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When she’s not taking a nap in her cozy hideout, Luna loves to provide a calming presence and be the ultimate role model for mindfulness.