Kristina Dankoski began her Montessori journey here at RMS in 2003 as a parent and has served the school in many roles, including a member of the Board of Directors, President of the Parents Guild, Mardi Gras Chair, Administrator, and Principal before taking on the role of Head of School in 2021. She holds a BA from Christendom College, a Montessori Core Principles Certificate from Washington Montessori Institute, and Level I and Level II Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Certificates. Kristina has worked in politics, research and writing, marketing, and interior design but knows that God has used this to prepare her for a calling here at RMS. She is passionate about the children we serve and grateful that our work challenges us daily to become more virtuous. She has two grown daughters, both alumnae of RMS.

Becky Winstead holds her AMI Primary Diploma through the Montessori Institute of North Texas in Dallas and also received her Level 1 Certification for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She also holds a B.A. in Drama from the University of Dallas. Prior to joining us at RMS, Becky has been both an Assistant and Lead Guide in Children's House classrooms in Texas, New Hampshire, and Great Falls, VA. Outside of school, Becky enjoys kayaking, hiking, gardening and has dreams of starting her own small farm one day.

Mrs. Jennifer Ashton enjoys living each day as a Primary Directress in the Children’s House. Her passion for Montessori began with her own children’s Montessori education and discovery of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in 2005. She continues to be formed by the principles of Maria Montessori through the Association Montessori International (AMI) and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She is AMI certified at the Primary (3-6) Level and CGS USA certified in all levels of Catechesis from birth to age 12. She is currently in the progress toward completing CGS Formation Leader recognition. She loves sharing these principles with parents and living them with children to collaboratively strengthen relationships between God and the child. Prior to becoming a Montessori parent and later teacher and catechist, Jen worked in the fashion industry developing textile and clothing programs for children! She knew all about the size and dimensions of children but it wasn’t until she was living and sharing her life with them that she began to truly know them and continues to be fascinated by their development and hidden potential.

May Breakall was born and raised in Cali, Colombia and graduated with a Bachelor's Degrees from University of Valle in Physical Therapy, where her two years in the education in human development was the spark that lit her passion for childhood development. During her career as a physical therapist, she especially loved her work with children from birth to school age, as well as special needs children. She came to the US as an international student at Colorado University to learn and perfect her English. There she married her husband of 10 years, and has lived in Colorado, North Carolina, Texas, and now Virginia. An outdoors family, they live in Dumfries with two beautiful children, Thomas and Matthias are also in our RMS community. They love adventures like camping, traveling, hiking, fishing, and everything that includes time in nature. Since having children, Mrs. Breakall discovered Montessori though her appreciation of how important the beginning years are for children. She holds an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of North Texas, an AMI Montessori Core Principles Certificate, and a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education with Montessori Concentration from the University of Hartford Connecticut, as well as a Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Certificate.

Cecilia Drabbant holds an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) diploma in Assistant to Infancy (0-3), as well as AMI certificate in Montessori Core Principles. She also holds a degree in Architecture from Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Bandung, Indonesia, and completed Emmanuel School of Mission in Rome, Italy. Since being introduced to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in 2012, she has received CGS certification in Levels I, II, III, and CGS Infant-Toddler Seminal certification. Additionally, she is recognized as CGS USA Level 1 Formation Leader.

Claire Nguyen who led our Young Children's House in 2019 -2020 will once again be the Directress for our Toddler Community this year. Mrs. Nguyen has been an actively learning and engaged Montessori parent since 2005 and part of our RMS community since 2010. She has been a part or full time member of the RMS team since 2013, filling many roles, supporting the Primary garden environment, as a Level I Catechist, an assistant in the Young Children's House, a directress in the Young Children's House and versatile substitute. She also launched the pilot toddler Atrium program at the Cultural and Catechetical Montessori Association. She studied Psychology at George Mason University. She also holds Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA certificates Infant/Toddler, Level I, and Level II and will begin her AMI Assistant to Infancy (0-3) training this spring. She also is trained in offering Bal-A-Vis-X to children. A mother of 8, she is eager to continue this work as a humble servant to the children and God.

Robert Short is a native of Providence, Rhode Island and was the lead teacher for the Upper Elementary program at Ocean State Montessori School from 2015 to 2022. He studied economics at Brown University where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in 2010 and earned an Elementary I and II Certification through the American Montessori Society at the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative in Lexington, Massachusetts. From 2018 to 2022 he was also was involved in parish ministry at Saint Sebastian Church in Providence, where he served as Director of Religious Education and Pastoral Associate. His proudest professional achievements are building up the Upper Elementary program at Ocean State Montessori School and developing a confirmation curriculum at Saint Sebastian Church. He married his wife Samantha in 2014. His favorite prayer is the Liturgy of the Hours. In his leisure time he enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, and writing. Mr. Short is looking forward to joining RMS and having the opportunity to implement a full vision of Catholic Montessori. Having completed his Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation in 2018, he will be continuing with Level II and III courses over the next summers.

Mary Pat Blanchette was raised in Tully, New York, and graduated with a Liberal Arts degree from Magdalen College in New Hampshire. After her time in New Hampshire, she taught briefly at a private school in Anza, California. In 1994 she moved to Manassas, Virginia to pursue a teaching position at Seton Junior and Senior High School. At Seton, she taught junior high classes and high school Biology. After her time at Seton, she was offered the position at All Saints Catholic Church as the Confirmation and High School Youth Director. While working at All Saints she went back to school to pursue a degree in nursing. In 2003 she began her work at Prince William Hospital as a registered nurse. The majority of her 13 years spent there was on the Orthopedic and Oncology floor. Mary Pat and Sean have sent all of their children to Renaissance. Tim started when he was 5 years old and will graduate from high school in 2023.

Mary Pat completed the Montessori Adolescent Orientation program in 2020 and she also holds a Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd certificate.

She delights in seeing all things grow, vegetables, children, animals, and the prepared adult.

Mrs. Valerie Behrendt is from Colorado, and made her way to Virginia with her family in 2021 in line with her husband's career in the US Space Force.  Since being in VA, Valerie has had the opportunity to be a Stay-At-Home-Mom to her two children, Nora and Blaise, who have both been RMS students since they were each 18 months old. Prior to becoming a SAHM, Valerie spent her time working in a variety of healthcare settings to include areas of emphasis in psychology and surgery. Since being in VA Valerie finds that children are at the center of her passions and she enjoys spending time helping children explore their world around them and supporting them with the practices inherent to Montessori. In her leisure time, Valerie enjoys being creative in her kitchen trying out new recipes for her family, as well as being outside in any way.

A child of the Atrium, I am excited to continue my journey with CGS at RMS! CGS has been close to my heart since the day my parents dropped me off at CGS when I was 6 years old. I soaked in Level II and III as a child and tagged along with my mom as she completed her Level I-III Formation Courses, often playing with the other catechists’ children. I fell in love with CGS and continued to be involved as a catechist assistant throughout my middle and high school years. It was in the heart of the Atrium, in the life of my home parish in Memphis, TN, and in the love of my parents that my passion for the Catholic Faith, CGS, and Montessori Education took root and that I began to be attentive to the stirrings of the Holy Spirt.

My love for CGS was nurtured in college as I attended Saint Louis University (SLU) in St. Louis, MO and had the opportunity to continue volunteering with CGS at St. Francis Xavier College Church. College Church and SLU provided rich soil to continue my formation with CGS as I completed Level I and Level II Formation Courses with Ann Garrido.

After graduating with a B.A. in Theological Studies and minor in Psychology, I continued to pursue my love of Theology and parish ministry through the University of Notre Dame’s Echo Program. As part of my formation with Echo, I served as an apprentice catechetical leader in the Diocese of Camden, NJ for two years, learning the trade of parish ministry at Christ the King Catholic Church in Haddonfield, NJ while obtaining a M.A. in Theology.

Following this grad school experience, my love of parish ministry and CGS coincided as the Holy Spirit led me to Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna, VA.  I have directed Faith Formation there for the past 9 years and have been blessed to serve in Level I-III Atria during most of my time there, while also incorporating CGS into the Children’s RCIA, parent formation, and adult Confirmation preparation. During my time with OLGC, I completed my Level III CGS Formation Course with Donna Turner.

Anne Konstanty recently graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville, where she studied mathematics and classics. She discovered a passion for working with children while working as a camp counselor at St. Ambrose Summer Camp, where she has worked for the past three years. Upon learning about Montessori, she knew it was something she wanted to be involved in, and she is excited to begin her first year working in a Montessori environment.

Sandra Medina began her Montessori journey as a parent in our RMS community. Along with her experience as an assistant in the RMS Children's House, she has also completed her Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation. She brings a beautiful heart of a servant and fluent Spanish immersion to her work with the children.

Mrs. Claire Mello began her time at RMS serving the Primary children as an assistant before the birth of her first child. After several years away, she rejoined the Renaissance family in 2022. Her love for Montessori was sparked during her time at Christendom College where she graduated in 2017. She went on to complete her Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Certification in 2019. With her husband and then two children, she became full-time nomad in 2020 and travelled around the United States in a 42 ft. motorhome. Their travels brought them full circle back to Virginia where she shares all of her stories and experiences with the children. She completed her AMI 3-6 Primary Diploma through the Montessori Institute of North Texas in 2023. 

Miss Felicity Poczatek is is one of ten children and graduated Seton Home Study School in 2022. She loves art, music, and being creative. She has worked with infants and toddlers in a variety of settings and loved being a part of their growth. She is very excited to be an assistant in the Toddler classroom and watch them learn as well as learning more in depth the beauty of the Montessori way of life. 

Miss Alison Poisson graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a
history degree in the education program. Since completing college, she has served in multiple schools, searching for one that not only educated on an academic level but rather served children holistically. She finally found Renaissance Montessori School and is happy to join RMS as a Primary Classroom Assistant in the 2024-25 school year and continue learning about the Montessori model. On the side, she  is currently training to become a doula, with the dream of helping mothers prepare for birth and heal postpartum. Her other passions include baking, running, reading, and hiking!

Krista Schroer is an experienced Montessori mom of six with a background in education and working with young children. She holds a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Evansville and has years of experience working with children, as a tutor, special education pre-kindergarten teacher, and classroom assistant. Ms. Krista holds a Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd certificate and brings her patience and flexibility to the RMS team.

Elisa Simon graduated from Christendom College. Originally from North Carolina, she moved to Manassas after college. She was a Philosophy major and loves all things Josef Pieper, as well as dance, chocolate, and tea. She started her Montessori journey at John the XXIII in Front Royal as part of the Christendom Teaching Practicum. Elisa brings her sweet smile, calm, and hard working attitude to the RMS team.