Office Staff

Diane Musgrove – Director

Karen Wheatly - Office Manager

Jennifer Harrelson – School Secretary

Faculty

                Standing: Manju Gattu, Sasha Harding, Sunaina Mathew, Maria Cuellar

       Seated: Kris Tabrizi, Fouzia Sharif, Roopa Kakkar, Cynthia Adamson, Ana Cornejo

Toddler Teachers

Ana Cornejo – Toddler Lead Teacher

Lain Ellison – Toddler Assistant

Maria Cuellar –Toddler Lead Teacher

Soona Jeong – Toddler Assistant (a.m.)

Jessica Maradiaga - Toddler Assistant (p.m.)

Cynthia Adamson  - Toddler Lead Teacher

Amanda Martin -Toddler Assistant (a.m. and p.m.)

Primary Teachers

Manju Gattu – Primary Lead Teacher

Takia Jackson- Primary Assistant 

Kris Tabrizi – Primary Lead Teacher

Jessica Maradiaga - Primary Assistant

Roopa Kakkar – Primary Lead Teacher

Zulay Sanchez – Primary Assistant

Fouzia Sharif – Primary Lead Teacher

Silvia Leal – Primary Assistant

Elementary Lead Teacher

Sunaina Mathew- Elementary Lead Teacher

Sasha Harding - Elementary Assistant and Intern

After School Support Staff

Gail McAdams – Home Environment Supervisor

Susan Wysocki – Home Environment Assistant

Lindsey Allen - Lunch Bunch, After School Teacher

Diana Morales - After School Teacher

Amanda Smejkal -Subsitute

Laurel Shadbolt - Substitute

TEACHER  FEATURES

Ana Cornejo

 My name is Ana Cornejo. I am joining WMS from Post Oak Montessori where I have taught for 12 years.  I was born in El Salvador as the youngest of six brothers and sisters. I have been married for 15 years to a wonderful man and we are blessed with two boys. Christian, who is 13, has been a Boy Scout since he was 8. He is an 8^th grader at Jackson Middle School. Alexander is 6 years old and is in the Elementary Program at Westside Montessori School. In my spare time I love to cook and garden.

Maria Cuellar

My name is Maria Cuellar and I moved to Houston from El Salvador. I received my degree in Early Childhood Education in 1987 and have been dedicated to the education of young children for nearly 20 years.  I joined WMS in the spring of 2005 serving as an assistant in my present toddler classroom.  I will be furthering my education next summer by attending the Montessori Training and Research Center of Dallas to acquire an AMI Toddler Teacher Diploma. I am really excited to work for WMS as a lead toddler teacher. I have been married for 22 years and I have two sons, Jamie Jr. 17 years old and Alvaro 14 years old.  I am very proud of my family.

Cynthia Adamson

I am very excited about my new opportunity to serve WMS as a lead toddler teacher. I was born and raised in South Dakota.  I then moved to Greeley, Colorado and received my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education.  During that time I also worked for a private Christian school with one to three year olds for 3 ½ years. For one year, I was the lead teacher in the toddler classroom.  I moved to Houston the beginning of 2005 and have worked at WMS for over a year now. I look forward to a wonderful and productive year at WMS.

Manju Gattu

I was born and grew up in India. I earned a Master’s degree in English Literature. In 1993, my husband and I moved to the United States.  I enjoy working with children and always wanted to teach. My husband and I have two children; Nimisha who is 8 and Nikhil who is 5 years old.  

My interest in Montessori began when my daughter went to a Montessori school as a toddler.  From this interest I was inspired to take my teacher training through MEPI in 1998. It is the consistency of a plan, which goes hand in hand with each individual’s need and development that makes Montessori unique.  I strongly believe that Westside Montessori School has perfected that art.  My children prospered here at WMS, which motivated me to take up a lead teacher’s position at WMS. 

Besides children my interests include music, gardening, travel, interior decorating and spending time with my family and friends.

Hi, my name is Kris Tabrizi and I am proud to be back at Westside Montessori School. I began my teaching career as an intern under Diane Musgrove 12 years ago and continued teaching at WMS after earning my AMS degree from the Houston Montessori Center. Like many others, I became interested in teaching after my own daughter thrived in the Montessori environment. She is now at the University of Texas business school and I attribute much of what she has been able to accomplish to getting off to the “right start” in her early education.

My interests include playing tournament Scrabble, piano, and occasionally guitar with some local bluegrass musicians. I have also traveled extensively and have learned to appreciate the diverse cultures that contribute to our world, which are also reflected in the personnel and the student body of WMS. I am delighted to be back “home” at WMS and I look forward to working with your very special children.

I am originally from India and now a proud citizen of the United States.  In India I received my Bachelor of Science in Biology and Education. I also furthered my education and received a diploma in Public Administration. I am happily married and have two daughters. A year after arriving in the United States (1992), I joined the staff of WMS as an assistant.  As an assistant in a primary class, I began my Montessori Primary teacher’s training through the Houston Montessori Center. In 1995 I received my AMS Early Childhood Teacher’s Diploma. I have been teaching as a primary teacher since 1996.  WMS feels like a second home to me.  I love teaching young children.  Every morning the smiles of children brighten my day. 

Sunaina Mathew

I was born and brought up in India. My teaching career began as a 5th grade teacher in India after I completed my Education and Teacher Certification. I have a Master's in English Literature and a Bachelors' in Education and English Literature. My love for teaching and a deep desire to learn more about the Educational System abroad brought me to the School of Education at Oral Roberts University,  Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1997. After my Master's in Education in 1999, I moved to Houston. The same year, I was introduced to the Montessori Method of Education. A Montessori classroom was unique to me; unlike any other classroom I had been in. I started my Montessori journey as an assistant in lower and upper elementary for two years in a school here in Houston. 

In 2001,  I joined  Westside Montessori School as a Lower Elementary teacher and completed my Montessori certification from Houston Montessori Center . This is my sixth year at WMS. It is truly a special place. WMS not only provides and fulfills a child's need for a loving and nurturing environment but also offers a strong academic curriculum for them to be successful wherever life takes them. True to its Mission and Montessori principle, WMS has been committed to instilling a lifelong love for learning in children since 1977 and I feel fortunate to be a part of that commitment.

 My husband and I have a three year old son who attends WMS.

Fouzia Sharif

In 1982 I came to America from Pakistan.  The same year I took the Montessori training at the AMS Houston Montessori Center.  I earned my Masters Degree in International Relations from Quaid-e-Azan University in Islamabad, Pakistan.

I am happily married and have 3 children. Two are in college and one in high school.

 I have worked for Westside Montessori School for fourteen years and feel very blessed to be part of this wonderful school.  I like working with children and feel very rewarded when they experience the joy of learning. The children gain skills by working with the materials in the prepared environment that they will carry with them through out their lives.  According to an unknown author, “for humans, the lifelong apprenticeship with the hands begins at birth.  We are guided by our hands and are indelibly shaped by the knowledge that comes to us through our use of them.”  To teach a child is to touch a life and I wish the best for all the lives that I have touched all these years at WMS.