Keely Wirries

head of school

Erin Cherry

facilitating administrator

Erin is serving as an administrator for her fourth year, after two years of teaching primary students at DMS. A graduate of UCLA, she taught elementary-aged art programs throughout California for five years, worked in costuming for film and television, and founded + ran a successful graphic design business. Outside of work, she enjoys baking, oil painting, and renovating her mountain home with her husband, two dogs, and three cats.

Abbie Foley

Program Director

Abbie brings a history of over seven years at DMS working in Elementary classrooms to her new role of Program Director. She has her Montessori Teaching Certification from the North American Montessori Center as well as certificates in Understanding Interventions and Therapies in a Montessori setting from MMPI, and the Science of Reading from AMS. She is excited to be expanding her work at DMS to all classrooms where she will be supporting and promoting the Montessori methodology implementation, facilitating professional development, and supporting families and students with accommodation plans. 

Frances Serrano

roadrunner Classroom Lead

Frances was the Director at the SER Child Development Center and an Early Interventionist & Case Manager with New Vistas. She has a degree in Early Childhood Development, is a parent of six children, and has served the Santa Fe Early Childhood community for over twenty-five years in various capacities including teaching at SFCC and First Presbyterian Child Development Center.

DeAnn Meadows

Los pollitos Classroom lead

DeAnn has her Early Childhood Development Certificate and Associates in Arts of Early Childhood Education, as well as her Infant/Toddler Certification through NAMC. She has worked in the Early Childhood Development field for over ten years. She is native to New Mexico and resides outside Santa Fe with her husband and their son.

daniela merediz

aspens classroom Lead

Daniela has over 8 years of experience working in Early Childhood Education and Care supporting physical, emotional, and intellectual development for children of various cultural backgrounds and academic capabilities. Daniela has her Early Childhood Development Certificate and an Associates in Arts in Teacher Education. In her free time, Daniela enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Jackson Mauzé

aspens classroom Facilitator

Jackson Mauzé is a retired education volunteer of both AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, and a former Early Head Start home visitor. Whether as a teacher, social worker, or soccer coach, his passion is encouraging creative expression in young people by providing them with equitable and enriching structure. Jackson graduated from Davidson College with a BA in Anthropology in 2016 and is currently completing his MA at St. John’s.

augusta durham

pinon classroom lead

Augusta has a BA in Gender Studies from the University of Texas & a Master’s in Montessori Education from Loyola University. She has worked in Montessori schools since 2015, and has her Certification from the Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies. Augusta is passionate about working alongside children to create a community that supports every child’s needs.

Aria Chiodo

pinon classroom facilitator

Aria has been working with kids in various capacities since she was a teenager in Taos, from working in day cares and summer camps to being a nanny for families. She received degrees in film studies and writing while living in New York and taught college-level freshman writing courses. She returned to New Mexico in 2021 and is excited to be part of the Desert Montessori community. 

christine boston

Lower Elementary Classroom facilitator

Christine has worked in education in many capacities for over 12 years, starting as an Environmental Educator and Forester in the Peace Corps. Christine has primarily worked in a Waldorf Educational setting as a Gardening Teacher, Preschool and Kindergarten Teacher and as a Substitute Teacher working in Music, Language, Science and Math. Christine enjoys all the wonderful outdoor activities that New Mexico has to offer. In the wintertime she works as a ski instructor at Ski Santa Fe and enjoys a good cup of tea while knitting, sewing and doll making.

Lucy Keehn

Upper Elementary Classroom Lead

Lucy has 5 years of experience working in education and has a Masters of Elementary Education from Prescott College. Since graduating with a B.A. in Geology, Lucy has worked both as an educator and as a scientist. In her spare time, she enjoys rock climbing, gardening and pottery.

Sean Martinez

Upper Elementary Classroom facilitator

bio coming soon!

Daniel Lockley

Music teacher

Daniel has been studying and performing music since he was 10 years old. Growing up in Santa Fe, and attending the Waldorf School ensured that he was exposed to a lot of musical styles from an early age. His true passion was discovered when he began learning Zimbabwean Marimba in 1997. Since then, he used marimba as a vehicle to perform and teach all over the country and beyond! In 2010, he taught marimba in the Portland Public Schools through an organization called Ethos Music Center. He later taught in Boulder, CO with the Kutandara Center, a non-profit dedicated to teaching Zimbabwean music. Thanks to Kutandara, Daniel was able to work with students of all ages and from all walks of life as well as a number of excellent schools, including CU Boulder, and Regis University.

Judith Mace

Spanish Teacher, Nature Teacher

Judith’s passion for the Spanish language begin in 1995, when she studied abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico and in Malaga, Spain, and taught ESL in Venezuela. She holds a BA as well as a Masters in Education with emphasis to teach foreign language. She holds an AMI Montessori Certification and over 20 years of experience teaching Spanish. Judith enjoys hikes with her dog, gardening, meditiation, and traveling.

kaitlyn kitts

aftercare teacher & afternoon support

bio coming soon!