Faculty & Staff
All of our teachers came to Montessori because of the incredibly positive experiences that their own children had at Montessori schools. This inspired each of them to become trained as Montessori educators, which shows how passionate they are about the philosophy and methods pioneered by Maria Montessori.
Margaret Henry
Founder / Director
For nearly 40 years, Margaret has served as a Certified Montessori lead teacher in the North Shore community. In 2007, she brought her dream of founding a Montessori school to life near her home in Rowley, Massachusetts.
Margaret earned her B.A. from Lesley University. She is certified as an Early Childhood Montessori educator by the Northeast Montessori Institute. Her teaching experience includes The Children’s Montessori School, Newburyport Montessori School, and three years at the Summit Montessori School, in Boca Raton, Florida. Margaret is an active member of the American Montessori Society (AMS) and North American Montessori Teachers’ Association (NAMTA).
Karen Edmonds
Lead Teacher, Children's House 1
Karen has been teaching in a Montessori classroom for more than 13 years. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Merrimack College and completed her Early Childhood Montessori training at Northeast Montessori Institute in 2014. She is an active member of the American Montessori Society.
"I was introduced to Montessori when both my children entered Montessori, and I just fell in love with its philosophy," she says. "I enjoy working with younger children and feel it is such a gift to be a part of their development into confident, self-sufficient learners."
Aida Celebic
Assistant Teacher, Children's House 1
Aida brings 20-plus years of Montessori knowledge, enthusiasm, and joy to the youngest students at NSMS. Her love for Montessori started as a mother of a Montessori student. As she continued to observe the positive impact a Montessori education had on her son, Aida knew that she wanted to share that vision with others.
Aida then completed the Montessori Overview, Toddler Overview and the Advanced Assistant Training with the Northeast Montessori Institute - Rising Stars. Prior to joining North Shore Montessori School, Aida taught at the Newburyport Montessori School from 2003-2019. She joined our staff in 2019. She is an active member of the American Montessori Society.
“Nothing can compare to watching a tentative, uncertain or tearful child on their first day of school turn into a cheerful, confident, self-driven learner," Aida says. "Whether the little one builds a pink tower, does a hundred board, or comforts a friend, each and every student I have seen grow has made me feel grateful for where I am and what I do.”
Michelle Kimball
Lead Teacher, Children's House 2
Michelle has been an educator since 2005 and she brings a range of Montessori classroom experience from Children’s House to Upper Elementary. Michelle trained at the Centro Internazionale Studi Montessoriani in Bergamo, Italy and at Northeast Montessori Institute of Portland, Maine. She also holds a BA in psychology and is an active member of the American Montessori Society.
Michelle embodies the philosophy of “following the child” and this readily shows in the intuitive way that she interacts with children while nurturing their interests.
Rosario Robles Sewell
Assistant Teacher, Children’s House 2
Rosario was born and raised in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. After graduating from college she worked for over a decade supporting children with special needs. She started her Montessori path in 2022 as a Spanish teacher at North Shore Montessori School and quickly grew to love the Montessori method and the enthusiastic environment that the teachers and students create together.
She completed the Montessori Early Childhood Overview and Assistant’s Overview with the Northeast Montessori Institute – Rising Stars that year and became an Assistant Teacher in 2023. Rosario loves to see her students’ curiosity and excitement for learning and is grateful to watch them grow each year.
Patricia "Paddy" Cummings
Lead Teacher, Elementary
Creative and engaging, we were thrilled when Paddy joined as our Upper Elementary teacher in 2017. Paddy is always finding new ways to innovate in the classroom, and excels in bringing out the best in her first- through sixth-graders. She delights in watching them solve problems and choose their own learning paths.
Paddy holds a B.A. English with a Minor in Fine Arts from Saint Anselm College. She is Certified to teach elementary through the North American Montessori Center in British Columbia, Canada. Paddy received a fellowship to the Calderwood Writing Program. She is trained in the Six Traits Writing Course & Common Core by Fred Wolff, as well as the Lucy Calkins writing course. She is an active member of the American Montessori Society.
Prior to joining NSMS, Paddy taught at the Merrohawke Nature School from 2008-2010, and at the River Valley Charter School from 2010-2017. She is also an educator with the Gulf of Maine Institute (GOMI), a local non-profit dedicated to educating and preparing young people to be environmental stewards.