Miss Julia Haney
Teacher, Owner, Director
Miss Julia has been a teacher at Montessori Discovery Center since 2012 and has been a co-owner since 2014. She grew up in Salem, attending MDC. After high school she received her BA in Psychology, minor in Spanish, and later receiving her AMS Montessori degree in Boise, ID. She taught Montessori for 5 years in Boise, Idaho before moving back to Salem in 2012 to teach at Montessori Discovery Center. Miss Julia enjoys running, hiking, and the outdoors.
Miss Ann Rogers (Promontory)
Teacher, Owner, Director
Miss Ann has been a teacher, owner, and director at Montessori Discovery Center since 1990. Before MDC, she taught at the Berensford Montessori School of Atherton, and the Montessori Children’s House in Salem. Ann received her AMI Primary training at the Montessori World Institute in California. She has two children, Christy and Steven. Miss Ann enjoys the outdoors, sports and spending time with her family.
Miss Jessica Dent (Electric)
Primary Teacher
Miss Jessica is finishing her student teaching at the Promontory campus this year. She completed her Primary certificate from NAMC in 2018. Jessica is an accomplished barista, and singer. She loves music, and is always full of fun!
Miss Olivia Fee (Promontory)
Primary Teacher, Drama Teacher
Miss Olivia has been at Montessori Discovery since 2009. Prior to becoming a teacher, she was an for many years, and has taken various assistant classes and Montessori workshops. Miss Olivia volunteers as a team manager for a local youth soccer team, and has 4 children. She enjoys camping and spending time at the beach with her family.
Miss Jemima Vanwalk (Promontory)
Elementary Teacher, Art Teacher
Miss Jemima holds a B.A. in Management with an Emphasis in Education. She has an international certification in both Primary and Lower Elementary Montessori, and has been teaching this method since 2004. She has specialized training in dyslexia, neurodevelopment needs, and autism. Jemima is a former instructor for the Corvallis Art Center, and an abstract artist and performance painter. She is the Educational Consultant for Project Global Balance, a group committed to wholeness and balance education. Jemima has 2 children. She enjoys the outdoors with her family, cooking, and exploring Oregon.
Miss Reba Berdakin
Assistant Director
Miss Linda Dehart (Electric)
Substitute Teacher
Miss Linda received her B.A. in Southern California, and completed her Montessori Teacher Certification at the National Center of Montessori Education in Pasadena.She began her career at Glendale Montessori Institute and then at the Montessori Learning Center in Grants Pass. In 1990, she came to MDC. After teaching for several years, she left to expanded her passion for working with children by developing and working in a variety of community education programs. She also studied neurodevelopment in the early childhood years. Her son attended MDC as a child. Miss Linda enjoys ballroom dancing, yoga, and playing with her 3 big dogs.
Miss Christy Ann Rogers (Electric)
Primary Teacher
Miss Christy grew up in Salem, attending the MDC program. After high school she began working at Montessori Discovery Center as a part-time assistant and Spanish instructor. She attended both Chemeketa Community College and Western Oregon University. After college she worked as the head coach for South Salem High School’s dance program. Miss Christy has extensive experience in the arts, having taught ballet with specializations in creative movement, lyrical jazz, break dance and hip-hop. She holds a Montessori Primary Certificate.
Miss Vickie Awalt (Promontory)
Assistant
Miss Vickie has worked with children and Montessori method for over 35 years, and began her training at the Montessori Children’s House in Salem when she was 16 years old. She has taken various Montessori workshops and trainings in Eugene, Portland, and San Diego. Her daughter attended MDC as a child. Miss Vickie enjoys the beach, Sunriver, and spending time with her family.
Miss Sabrina Ford (Electric)
Assistant
Miss Brenda Sterner (Promontory)
Elementary Poetry Workshop Teacher, Elementary Substitute
Miss Brenda is a recently retired chef, and completed the L.B.C.C. culinary arts program in 1998. She formerly taught public elementary and middle school in Colorado and pre-K at MDC. She holds a B.S in elementary education with a minor in English from Texas Tech University, a M.A. in gifted education with a minor in reading and language arts from the University of Colorado, and a primary Montessori certificate from NAMC.
Brenda is a life long poet, journal writer, and enjoys painting and art journaling. She loves cooking regional and international cuisine, and enjoys hiking on both forest and mountain trails with her husband, and their huge sweet German Shepherd.
Miss Judy Austin
Miss Judy is one of the original founders of Montessori Discovery Center! She holds a B.S. in Horticulture from Cal-Poly, and trained in Montessori Primary. After directing the school for many years, Judy retired to help her husband with his soils testing business, and to spend time with her grandchildren! She is still active in both school locations!
Miss Dulce Trussell (Electric)
Teacher, Spanish Teacher
Miss Dulce is bilingual in English and Spanish, and a graduate of South Salem High School. She studied at Johnson & Wales University in Denver, CO. While in high school, she was coached by both Miss Christy and Miss Ann on the dance team. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, dancing, listening to music, and spending time with loved ones.
Miss Lindsay Marie Grenz (Electric)
Teacher
Miss Lindsay is a graduate of South Salem High School, and studied economics at Oregon State University. She volunteers in the community helping families in transition find stable housing and support. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, knitting, and playing with her three cats and her blind dog “Charlie”.
Miss Georgia Simonson (Promontory)
Elementary Teacher
Miss Elizabeth Mendez (Promontory)
Assistant
Miss Elizabeth is bilingual in English and Spanish, and displays her love for children everyday! She aspires to eventually study child development and become an elementary teacher. She has taken various Montessori assistant trainings and workshops. Elizabeth loves baking, arts and crafts, and spending time with her son. She is curious about new places, and would love to travel!
Miss Rachel Scheuermann (Electric)
Assistant
Miss Rachel began working as a substitute assistant at MDC while still in high school. She continues to assist at the Electric Avenue campus, and loves to be around children. Rachel is an award winning singer, having placed in musical theater at the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. She is an avid animal lover, and inspires others through her kindness.
Miss Tamara Webster (Promontory)
Elementary Teacher
Miss Tamara is a Bay Area native and has been living in Salem for 17 years. She earned her Bachelors of Arts degree in Interior Design from The Art Institute of Portland. Tamara has taken multiple courses in Child Psychology and is First Aid and CPR certified. She is a wife and mother to a sweet 4 1/2 year old son who attends MDC and enjoys being in Miss Ann’s class. She loves crafting, baking, going on walks with her family and their pug, Lola.
Miss Lorrie-Ann Morrow (Promontory)
Substitute Elementary Teacher
Lorrie has enjoyed being an instructional assistant in Salem Keizer Public Schools for the last two years, working with elementary students. When not working she enjoys gardening, relaxing with friends, and time with family. Her family includes two grown daughters, their husbands, eight grandchildren, and her husband Mike (of 39 years). Lorrie is looking forward to the adventure of this school year with the staff and families of Montessori Discovery Center!
Dr. Joe Harchenko
Music
Dr. Joseph Harchanko, holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas, two Masters in Music from The Florida State University, and a Bachelor in Music from Auburn University. At the University of Texas, he studied with renowned music educator and pedagogy specialist Phyllis Young. He has taught elementary school programs in Alabama and Texas and was an Assistant Professor of Composition and Music Theory at Ball State University in Indiana, prior to moving to Oregon in 2005. In addition to teaching at MDC, he is the principal cellist in the Salem Symphony Orchestra and runs the Harchanko Music Academy where he teaches cello and violin to all ages. He is currently working on receiving certification in Music Together™ teaching and adapting that curriculum for elementary school.