Home About Us Our Team

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.

Kayla Jeffrey has joined our team for the 2025-2026 school year as our other Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten class teacher. More on Kayla coming soon!

Chris Wenger teaches one of our two Upper Elementary (4/5/6) clsses. Chris has an MA in Music and his Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and he will also be a student this summer at the Modern Montessori Teacher Education College Elementary 6-12 program. Chris has been teaching music at Butte College and Simpson University since 2006 and has taught guitar through the Music Connection since 2001. He has also been a music teacher for Chico Unified, CORE Butte Charter School, and Children’s Community Charter School.

Marlo Knox Marlo Knox teaches one of two lower elementary (1/2/3) classrooms. Marlo Knox has more than 32 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 Crosscultural 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 is excited to join and has quickly come to love the Sherwood Montessori community. She holds an Associate of Arts in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from California State University, East Bay, and also possesses a teaching credential and Master of Arts in education.

With over six years of experience as a swim instructor and a couple of years working in In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), Lily has honed her skills in providing individualized support. She has extensive experience working with kindergarten through third-grade classrooms, as well as in mild/moderate and moderate/severe classrooms.

Lily believes in empowering students to explore their inherent interests, fostering a love for learning, and encouraging self-motivation. She emphasizes the importance of strong interpersonal skills, creating a nurturing environment where students feel safe to express their personal needs. By modeling positive social interactions, she helps students build informed and meaningful connections with one another. Passionate about collaboration, she aims to work with fellow elementary educators to diversify learning experiences and strengthen the sense of community within the school.

Outside of the classroom, Lily loves spending time with her dog, Jake, in the great outdoors. Her favorite activity is swimming.

portrait of a teacher woman blond hair blue eyes wearing red

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.

Anne has written more than 30 dedicated songs and "jingles" (including the Sherwood School Song) for her elementary classroom, in order to help inspire students' wordplay and imagination, remind them of behavioral expectations, help them memorize and celebrate core concepts in math and science, and perhaps most importantly, model creativity in a way that empowers students to learn to entertain themselves. In 2023, she was a featured presenter at the National AMI-EAA (Elementary Alumni Association) conference, teaching other Montessori teachers her repertoire of song.

Anne has taught at Sherwood for three years, and remains dedicated to refining and enriching her teaching practice.

Stacy Gertz is our Middle School teacher, and our Reading Specialist. She has a Master’s Degree in Literacy, and has been working with reading remediation for decades. She has been a middle school teacher in both South Florida and Northern California. She also subbed for many years in New York (where she was born and raised) while owning and operating two restaurants on Long Island. Stacy also scores the Common Core state exams for many years in ElA, Math and Science.

She is bringing her business background to the curriculum by introducing “Biz World” to her class. She was able to attain a scholarship fund for the program and materials. She coordinates our annual Career Day in the spring. Stacy is also a member of our SMPO Association, our team event planner, and actively fundraisers with her students on a steady basis. Her “Why” for teaching is her passion to empower young people and change the trajectory of the last few generations to become more independent and grateful.

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 are grown now and still maintain friendships with many of the kids they made at Sherwood. In her time off, she enjoys camping with her family and exploring the natural world.

Heather Fisher, Administrative Assistant

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.

Vanessa Aripez is the Office Manager. She has been with Sherwood Montessori since 2016. Prior to Sherwood Montessori she lived in Temecula CA and worked for Temecula Unified School District for 7 years. Vanessa is bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English. She has a daughter, Debora, 21, currently attending UC Riverside and son, Elias, 18, currently attending UC Santa Cruz. Vanessa enjoys spending time with her two kids, coffee, and watching movies, especially action movies. She hopes you stop in and say hello!