Pre-Primary Teachers & Staff

Central Montessori Academy – Toddler, Preschool and Elementary in Northwest Cincinnati

We are an independent Montessori school nurturing and developing young scholars from toddler through sixth grade.

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Pre-Primary Teachers & Staff

Star Room

Lizzie Roth
Star Room Faculty

I have been in the Star Room at CMA since 2015 and I am excited to start another school year! I have my undergraduate degree in Montessori Education from Xavier University. I enjoy animals and nature and I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in teaching biological sciences through the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) at Miami University. When I am not doing school related activities (for my teacher or my student roles!) I like to spend time with my family, friends, and various animals. I enjoy cooking, baking, and listening to music.

McKenzee Wilkins
Star Room Faculty

My name is McKenzee Wilkins, I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The University of Cincinnati. I have been part of the Pre-Primary support team since 2013 and through my time at CMA I have developed a love for watching students learn and grow in an environment that caters to them. In the future I plan on pursuing my master’s degrees in psychology. I took a year break for some self exploration which brought me back home for a new journey as an assistant in the Star Room. I look forward to supporting the students in the Star Room on their educational journey.

Earth Room

Mollie Peters
Earth Room Faculty

My name is Mollie Peters and I am a teacher in the Earth Room. I have a Master’s degree in Montessori Education from Xavier University and hold my credential in early childhood from American Montessori Society for 3- 6 year olds. I have been part of the CMA family since 2015. I love the Montessori philosophy and our ability to “follow the child” as their interests/needs develop and mature. As a teacher, it is so rewarding to guide and observe children during the three-year cycle. The sense of community at CMA is amazing! In my spare time I enjoy reading, spending time outdoors with my family and love all types of animals.

Sara Thomas
Earth Room Faculty

Hi! My name is Sara and I have been a part of the CMA family as a parent and teacher since 2015. My love of Montessori began when I attended Montessori school as a little girl. I love the methodology, never tire of how children absorb information at this age, and find great importance in the fact that we meet the individual child where they are while challenging them appropriately.

I received my BS in Psychology from Mt. St. Joseph University. With this degree, I worked on an inpatient children’s mental health unit and was a counselor to at-risk youth before becoming a Program Director at a motor skill development facility. A few years later I decided to further my education and headed to Xavier where I received my M.Ed. in Montessori Education with a 6-9 credential. I have teaching experience in both 3-6 and 6-9 Montessori classrooms, and have taught virtually to children all over the world!

Outside of school I enjoy spending time with the people I love and our dogs. I also like baking, camping, geocaching and, on rare occasions, binge watching Netflix. We also foster dogs for a local rescue, which has proven to be very challenging, but incredibly rewarding!

Sun Room

Danielle Wren
Sun Room Faculty

My name is Danielle Wren. I graduated from Xavier University in 2020 with a degree in Montessori Education. I have always enjoyed working with young children and I can’t wait for my second year at CMA as the head teacher in the Sun room! I chose to become a Montessori teacher because I loved the idea that as educators, we need to follow the child and complete lessons based on the child’s needs and interests. All children are unique, so they deserve a unique learning plan! I love all the areas in a Montessori classroom, but my favorite area is Math. I love working with or observing the students working at the bank and creating large number problems you typically wouldn’t see in a traditional classroom setting. In my free time I enjoy reading, relaxing with my dog, spending time with my family and friends, and being outdoors! I am looking forward to this new adventure in the 2021-2022 school year!

Sheila Bohnert
Pre-Primary Assistant

My name is Sheila Bohnert and I’ve been with CMA since August, 2019. My first year I was a Floater working as needed with the Toddlers, Pre-Primary and supporting the Aftercare Program. In 2020 I transitioned to being a Toddler Assistant in the Moon room working with Ms. Jena.

Although my degree is in Computer Science, I’ve wanted to teach and work with Toddler and Pre-primary children at a Daycare or as a teacher since I graduated high school. In a round-about way, I was able to fulfill my desire to teach as a stay-at-home mom with my 4 children and babysitting toddlers.

I loved being a part of the Toddlers’ growth and learning. Then in 2021 I had the opportunity to work with Pre-Primary as an Assistant Teacher. Having been a part of the Toddler team and now working with Pre-Primary is truly a long-awaited dream come true. I am very lucky to be able to see those beautiful faces and watch them learn and grow every day.

Cindi Yonts
Pre-Primary Assistant

Cindi Yonts was born in Columbus, OH, and raised in Bellbrook, OH. She is a graduate of Morehead St. Univ. She left OH after High School, and is just now returning after 30+ years. Her husband, Jim, spent 27 years on active duty in the US Army, and is now a DOD civilian, and will retire soon. They have lived in several states in the USA, 2 years in Saudi Arabia, and 4 years in Germany.

She’s been at student at Shippensburg Univ (PA) and Old Dominion Univ at Quantico Marine Corps Base (VA). She received her Montessori teaching certificate from NAMC, Vancouver, Canada. Cindi has been in the Montessori world for over 10 years. She was a Montessori teacher in Enterprise, AL, And a teacher’s aide/substitute teacher in Maryland. Prior to her Montessori experiences, she was in the public school setting in FL, AL, LA, VA and with DODD’s schools in Germany.

She has 2 children, Amy and Nicholas….Amy lives in MD; Nick lives in OR She has a favorite puppy, Ollie, who is very spoiled.

She loves being in the Montessori classroom!!