Faculty & Staff
Heather Moran – Guide, Toddler Community
Heather originally joined CW as a parent in 2007. Her oldest son Colin graduated in 2009. Her youngest son Finnegan will be graduate from CW in 2014. Heather has a BS in Kinesiology from UW-Eau Claire and graduated from the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota in May of 2009 with an AMI diploma in Assistants to Infancy. She became the guide of the Toddler Community the following fall. Heather is also pursuing her certification with DONA International and ICEA as a birth doula and childbirth educator, respectively. She’s truly going to provide Montessori from the start!
Cady Gulbranson – Assistant, Toddler Community
Cady earned her AMS Primary Diploma at the Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs in 2009 and her Masters of Education from St. Catherine’s University in 2010. She joined CW in the fall of 2009 and loves spending her days with the toddlers because the have so much new love for the world. Cady enjoys taking her dog for walks around the lakes and spending time with her family and friends, especially her niece.
Melissa Vasseghi - Guide, Children’s House One
Melissa graduated from the Department of Natural Resources at the University of Minnesota in 1999. She married that same year and had her first child in 2001. She became interested in Montessori education shortly after having her second child. She completed the Association Montessori International training at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota in 2006. After graduating, she has served as a Montessori Guide for the past 4 years. She strives to serve as a model of respect for children everyday.
Megan Feuerherd - Assistant, Children’s House One
Megan received her bachelors’ degree in Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature and Spanish from the University of Minnesota. Since then, she has worked for Americorps as a literacy tutor and as an assistant in another Montessori preschool. In her free time, she enjoys searching for treasures at thrift stores, listening to and collecting records, and being outdoors.
Grace Barden – Aide, Children’s House One
Bio coming soon.
Christina Gray – Guide, Children’s House Two
Christina earned her AMI Primary Diploma at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota in May, 2008. She graduated from Macalaster College in 2003 with a B.A. in History and Elementary Education. Christina is passionate about Montessori philosophy and its role in aiding child development. Her other passions include dance, music, friends, family and the Sunday Times crossword puzzle.
Rachel Ivascu – Assistant, Children’s House Two
Rachel obtained her B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota and her AMI Primary diploma from the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota. Fall and Winter are Rachel’s favorite seasons. In her spare time Rachel enjoys cooking, baking and knitting.
Kate Johnson - Aide, Children’s House Two
Bio coming soon.
Donnette Tanner - Financial Administrator
Donnette joined Children’s Workshop as the Financial Administrator in August, 2008. She has two boys who both currently attend the school. She has a B.A. in Financial Management from the University of St. Thomas and 13 years experience in the insurance and banking industries. Donnette enjoys outdoor activities with her family, running, pilates, traveling, quilting, and scrap booking.
Nicholas Stocco – Head of School
Nick received his B.A. in Geography from the University of St. Thomas in 1996 and his AMI Primary Diploma from the M.T.C.M in 1998. He joined CW in 2000 as a primary Guide and became Head of School in 2008. He has presented workshops both locally and nationally in the areas Geography, Biology, and Record Keeping in the Children’s House. Nick spends his free time chasing his son around at the park and creatively stacking dirty dishes on the kitchen counter.
