Our Staff
Dedicated to authentic Montessori education, the administration and staff at Cascadia School are highly trained, talented, and love working with children. We believe that great teachers are our best asset.
Administration Team
Danielle Benge (she/her)
Head of School
Danielle Benge
has been involved in Montessori education since 1987 and loves not only the hands-on materials, but particularly the philosophy of students’ hands and minds working together to gain understanding. Danielle has AMI primary certification, a BA in history/minor in Broad Field Social Studies with an emphasis on Secondary Education, and all 3 levels of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training. She enjoys cooking, entertaining, reading, hiking, and binge watching series on Amazon/Netflix.
Susan Szewczyk (she/her)
Office Administrator
Susan Szewczyk
has been involved in Montessori education since 2009 and, as a Montessori parent, deeply appreciates the way it has taught her children to be independent, creative, and inquisitive. She has been active in the Cascadia community as a member of the PTO, Development Committee, Shopper, Chaperone, and Auction team. Susan holds a BA in Psychology from Pacific University and has worked in the field of children’s mental health. She enjoys adventures with her family, history, astronomy, coffee, and chocolate.
Alicia Ginardi (she/her)
Admissions Coordinator, Reading Support, & Billing
Alicia Ginardi
has been involved in Montessori for over 25 years. She values the community and relationships her family has found within Montessori schools and the freedom the children have to explore their individual interests. Alicia holds an AMS primary certificate, studied Biology in Durango, Colorado, and has taken Orton-Gillingham training to support students with dyslexia. Alicia enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, woodworking, reading, and learning new skills.
Joya Hastings (she/her)
Director of Education
Joya Hastings
believes Montessori is highly relevant to children today, and is honored to be a part of a community that strives for kindness and a life-long love of learning. She joined Cascadia as the Lupine guide in 2015. Previously, she guided a 6-to-12 classroom (herding children and chickens). She balances her work with parenting two Montessori-raised teens, enjoying good friends, family, food, music, and books, and just appreciating this insanely beautiful part of the world that she is lucky enough to call home. She holds multiple credentials, an AMI elementary diploma, and a M.Ed.
Support & After Care Staff
Angie Simas (she/her)
Administration Support
Angie Simas
has been part of the Cascadia community since 2008. From 2008-2020 as a parent and volunteer with two boys who went from 1st through 8th grade. Then as a Board member from 2021 to 2025. Angie loves working with the students and staff, and being a part of the Cascadia community.
Laurie Adams (she/her)
After Care
Laurie Adams fell in love with the Montessori philosophy while her three daughters were in primary classrooms, beginning in 1993. They each attended Cascadia and the strong sense of community that continues today has always been deeply valued by her and her family. Laurie was a Toddler Guide for 13 years, receiving her AMI Assistance to Infancy certification in 2007. When she is not working, Laurie enjoys camping, her dogs and her granddaughter.
Addysen Zeller (she/her)
After Care Assistant
Addysen Zeller has been involved with Montessori since she began school in the primary classroom. She is a Cascadia alumni (class of 2019) and greatly values the independence and creativity that Montessori inspires. When she isn’t assisting in aftercare she enjoys reading, cooking and baking.
Lower Elementary Faculty
Jane Piesco (she/her)
Huckleberry Guide
Jane Piesco
has been involved in Montessori education since 2015 and has worked predominantly in Lower Elementary environments. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and is completing her M.Ed in Elementary Montessori through Whitworth University and Montessori Northwest. She believes in the potential of every child and loves guiding them to find a natural love of learning. Jane and her family are transplants from Florida who love growing new roots together in the PNW. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places with her family, snuggling with her two dogs, and finding new hobbies and interests to dabble in.
Jacinda Mathis (she/they)
Huckleberry Assistant
Jacinda Mathis has been working with children in public schools and after-school programs since 2022. She's new to Montessori and excited to learn more about how children learn and grow, as well as how she can support this process. She especially appreciates the sense of community and responsibility developed in a Montessori school. Jacinda has a BA in Japanese from Portland State University and a TESOL certificate. In her free time, she enjoys beading, attending local events and markets, and spending time with her loved ones.
Brooks Sparling (he/him)
Larkspur Guide
Brooks Sparling has been involved professionally with Cascadia School for ten years and is a Cascadia School Alumni (Class of 2009). Brooks loves the hands-on nature of Montessori, the responsibility it promotes, and the love for learning it instills in children. He holds an AMI Elementary Diploma (6-12) from Montessori Northwest in Portland, OR and studied computer science at Western Washington University. Brooks enjoys photography and drawing, singing and playing guitar, and exploring the Pacific Northwest. He also enjoys spending time at Lake Merwin with his dogs, Piper and Ziggy.
Helen Anderson (she/her)
Larkspur Guide
Helen Anderson
has been involved in Montessori education since 2014, when she began work in an international Montessori school near Vienna, Austria. In 2016, she received her AMI elementary diploma from the Montessori Institute of Prague, where she fell in love with the many ways in which the Montessori materials open up a world of learning to people of all ages. Helen has taken an Orff-Schulwerk teacher training and holds a BA in transcultural communication from the University of Vienna. Helen enjoys music, books, good food and time outdoors in the beautiful Northwest.
Katie Yancey (she/her)
Larkspur Assistant
Katie Yancey first became interested in Montessori education when her daughter attended a Montessori school as a toddler. Katie appreciates the calm ‘buzz’ of the Montessori classroom; the coexistence of independence and responsibility that supports confidence, self-discipline, and community-mindedness in young learners. Katie has a Bachelor's degree in Sculpture and a Master’s degree in Contemporary Studio Art. Prior to coming to Cascadia, she taught children’s sewing camps for youth in her community. In her free time, you can find Katie diving into a new creative project, taking her dog Willow on long hikes in Forest Park, or building forts with her daughter.
Michelle Gronewold (she/her)
Lupine Guide
Michelle Gronewold
has been involved with Montessori education since 2017, when she earned her Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level I certificate. She completed her AMI Elementary Diploma in July 2025 and is currently finishing a Master’s Degree in Education from Whitworth University. She also holds a Master’s in Pastoral Ministry from St. John’s University. Michelle is passionate about the Montessori philosophy, particularly the idea of the child’s self-construction. Outside the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her five adult children, reading, hiking with her chocolate lab, Birdie, and playing pickleball.
Jennifer Adams (she/her)
Lupine Assistant
Jennifer Adams
has been involved in Montessori education since 1993 when she began attending a primary classroom as a student. She appreciates the freedom of the Montessori classroom and the opportunities for children to follow their interests and learn at a pace that is comfortable to them. She has a BA in English. When not at school, she enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her family.
Upper Elementary Faculty
Patricia DeCorsey (she/her)
Trillium Guide
Patricia DeCorsey
has been involved in Montessori education for over 10 years and her goal is to encourage an independent, self-motivated community of children who are excited about learning and work. She holds an AMI elementary diploma from the Montessori Institute of Milwaukee, has taught in London and Atlanta, and spent 22 years directing the Early Childhood Music and Dance program at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She loves reading, watching films, hiking in this beautiful part of the country, and going to museums.
Brandi Nester (she/her)
Trillium Assistant
Brandi Nester learned about Montessori in college and has been involved ever since. She loves the independence and opportunities to learn life skills that Montessori provides for the children. Brandi has an AA degree in Early Childhood Education. She is very excited to be at Cascadia and to be working with the upper elementary age group. When Brandi is not at school, you will usually find her spending her afternoons walking and playing with her two dogs.
Kim Kuhle (she/her)
Willow Guide
Kim Kuhle
has been involved in Montessori for over 20 years. She appreciates the freedom that Montessori gives kids to move around their space, ask questions, be in tune with their own bodies, and explore what excites and fascinates them. Kim has a BS in Education from The University of Portland, an AMI elementary diploma from Montessori Institute of Milwaukee, and a Washington state teaching certificate (elementary and secondary). She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, gardening, and bird watching.
Amy Lilly (she/her)
Willow Assistant (mornings) & Reading Support
Amy Lilly
has been involved in Montessori education since the mid 1990s and has always been interested in the way Montessori gives children a concrete foundation upon which to build their knowledge. She has Primary Training through the Montessori Teacher Preparation of Washington and recently completed Orton-Gillingham training to be a tutor for students with dyslexia. Amy’s hobbies include trying new arts and crafts projects, designing succulent gardens, canning (especially unusual flavors like peach/sage, strawberry/vanilla, and pear/ginger), and textile arts.
Kasy Bautista (she/her)
Willow Assistant (afternoons) & Student Support
Kasy Bautista
has been in public education for the past few years. When she learned about the Montessori philosophy, she immediately fell in love with this way of teaching. She finds great value in giving children the freedom to explore their interests as well as teaching them self-accountability for their progress. Kasy has a passion for teaching and has been involved in reading education for both Spanish and English. In her spare time, Kasy can be found running outdoors and hanging out with her dog, Riley, and sipping on a tasty coffee.
Middle School Faculty
Amy Renae Ballard (she/her)
Middle School - Cedar Guide
Amy Renae Ballard has been involved in Montessori education since 2010 and is fascinated by the way Montessori conceptualizes breaking large ideas down into small parts to stimulate student learning. She has a BA in mathematics, an AMI adolescent certificate, and has spent most of her teaching career at international schools in both West and East Africa working with students from around the world. Outside of school, Amy Renae likes to celebrate nerdy holidays, preserve and culture food, make music, and spend time outdoors.
Lars Sandåker (he/him)
Middle School - Cedar Guide
Lars Sandaker
has been involved in Montessori education since 2011 in both elementary and adolescent programs. He has completed the AMI adolescent orientation and started a thriving Montessori adolescent program just outside of Oslo, Norway. He is very enthusiastic about the way the Montessori method allows for more freedom, agency, and curiosity in the way that children learn. Lars enjoys reading, writing, playing music, playing sports like basketball and running, being out in nature, hiking and camping, and producing the podcast "Lars og Pål" (mostly in Norwegian).
