Our Team
Teresa Shippen teaches one of our Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten classes. Teresa began her teaching career in Live Oak, California working at a three room school out in the orchards. She taught 3-4th grades for eight years, and loved being a part of the community of Live Oak. Teresa left this job to be a stay-at-home mom for her two young children. During the thirteen years that she stayed home she had a third child. Jacob, her oldest, currently attends Chico State and will be graduating this Spring (2016). Jessica is currently a sophomore at the University of Oregon in Eugene and Peter, her youngest is currently 13. Teresa began her path back into teaching Kindergarten at Chico Montessori, a then private school in town. Her Montessori training was a great fit for the way she felt education should be.
Adam Mankoski teaches one of our Transitional/Kindergarten classes. Adam joined our team for the 2022-2023 school year, more on Adam coming soon!
Chris Wenger teaches one of our two Upper Elementary (4/5/6) clsses. Bio coming soon!
Marlo Knox teaches one of our three Lower Elementary (1/2/3) classes. Marlo Knox has more than 23 years of teaching experience. She has earned a Liberal Arts degree with an emphasis in Sociology, a Masters in the Art of Teaching, a Bilingual, Cross-Cultural Language and Academic certificate for teaching in Spanish in California, and a Montessori Lower Elementary diploma. She considers her religious freedom, her role as mother, and her family to be her passion and inspiration.
Lily Follrath teaches one of our lower elementary classrooms. Bio coming soon!
Anne Adams teaches one of our upper elementary classrooms. Anne is an experienced Montessori public school teacher with high expectations who's eager to collaborate with parents to empower students to succeed. She holds an Elementary Teaching credential in AMI (Association Montessori Internationale), the premier Montessori training organization that maintains a direct line to the original working philosophies of Maria Montessori. She also holds a Master's degree in Education from Loyola University.
Stacy Gertz teaches our middle school and is our Title 1 Reading Intervention teacher. Bio coming soon!
Leslie Carey is the Education Specialist. She is in charge of running the Learning Center, is a case carrier for students with an IEP, and also teaches Learning Center English Language Arts groups. Before Leslie started teaching, she was a Substitute Teacher and Substitute Paraprofessional for ages TK-12th for both general and special education. Leslie has received two teaching credentials, Mild/Moderate Education Specialist and Multiple Subject, from California State University, Chico. Before joining Sherwood, she taught first grade, and K-2nd Moderate/Severe Special Education. When she’s not teaching, you can catch her traveling with her husband, spending time with family, or reading a good book in nature. Our Administrative Staff
Michelle Yezbick is our School Director. She taught in Montessori classrooms for thirteen years before becoming Sherwood's first Director when the school opened in 2010. Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and her Master of Arts in Language and Literacy Development from San Francisco State University. Michelle's sons, Ari and George, attended Sherwood Montessori, which was great motivation to come to work each day with the goal of creating a space where authentic Montessori education can thrive. Both boys now attend Inspire High School with many of the friends they made at Sherwood. In her time off, she enjoys camping with her family and exploring the natural world.
Heather Fisher is our Administrative Assistant. She has been with Sherwood Montessori since it's inception and has enjoyed watching it grow into a exemplary Montessori charter school. Heather received her Bachelor of Science degree from Humboldt State University. She has lived in various states before settling in Chico. Her passion for Montessori started when her oldest daughter attended a Montessori pre-school in Minnesota. Prior to Sherwood Montessori, Heather served as the Director of a small Montessori elementary school. All four of her daughters attended Sherwood and attributed their success to the teachers and friends they had at the school.
