Our teachers.

Ms. Claudia Alonzo

Assistant Directress
Pre-Primary Program Ages 3-6

Ms. Alonzo studied Creative Writing with a focus on poetry at Columbia College Chicago. She worked for Chicago Public schools before moving to the Quad Cities. Ms. Alonzo enjoys writing, reading, movies, shopping, exercising, and going back home to visit Chicago.
 

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: claudia.alonzo@qcms.org
 

Ms. Sarah Balagna

Assistant Directress
Elementary Program Ages 9-12
 

Ms. Balagna has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in English from the Western Illinois University.  Ms. Balagna likes movies, music, dining out and sharing time with friends and family.

Ms. Balagna has been with QCMS since 2007.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289
Email: sarah.balagna@qcms.org
 

Mrs. Elizabeth Bouslough

Educational Directress
Elementary Program Ages 6-9

Mrs. Bouslough has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a minor in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona in Tempe, Arizona.  Mrs. Bouslough has achieved Ages 3-6, Montessori Certification - St. Nicholas Montessori Training Centre, and Ages 6-9, Montessori Certification, North American Montessori Center in Vancouver, Canada. 

Grandmother to 4 children, has been teaching Montessori schooling for 35 years, loves to read, play piano, exercise and travel.

Mrs. Bouslough has been with QCMS since 1977. 
 

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: elizabeth.bouslough@qcms.org
 

Mrs. Angela Carriere

Substitute Teacher

Mrs. Carriere has a Bachelor of Music Education from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.  She majored in instrumental music and plays both the oboe and piano.  Mrs. Carriere has an Illinois State Teaching Certificate for both K-8th grade, and 6-12th grade music programs.  She taught band for 6-years in the public school system.  She has also obtained Ages 3-6 Montessori Certification from North American Montessori Center in Vancouver, Canada. 

Mrs. Carriere was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois.  She is married and the mother of two children, ages 7 and 10.  They have a Chihuahua named Chico, and a Three-Toed-Box-Turtle named Shelly.  Mrs. Carriere has been with QCMS since 2003 and in 2007 moved from a full-time teaching position to supporting the school as a substitute teacher.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: angela.carriere@qcms.org
 

Mrs. Jane Delleman

Directress

Elementary Program Ages 9-12

Mrs. Delleman has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.  She has also achieved Ages 6-12 Montessori Certification from the Midwest Montessori Training Center in Evanston, Illinois.  She has taught Montessori for 16 years.
 

She has 2 daughters that have been schooled in Montessori since one was 2-years old and 4-months,  Mrs. Delleman has been with QCMS since 2002. 

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: jane.delleman@qcms.org
 

Mrs. Diane Fritz
Assistant Directress

Toddler Program Ages 2-3

Mrs. Fritz is a Quad City native who graduated from Central High School in Davenport, Iowa.  She has over ten years of experience in the education field working as an Elementary Teaching Assistant at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Davenport for 1-year, and a Media Specialist Assistant at Holy Family School in Davenport for 3-years before choosing to home-school her two twin daughters the past 4-years.  Mrs. Fritz currently is a Directress Assistant and directs the cultural events for the Toddler program.

Mrs. Fritz is married with two teenage daughters.  They have two cockatiels named Valentine and Oliver.  Ms. Fritz has been with QCMS since the beginning of 2007.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: diane.fritz@qcms.org
 

Miss Danielle Gleason

Directress

Toddler Program Ages 2-4 years

Miss Gleason has also achieved a Photography Certification, Hallmark Institute of Photography in Turners Falls, Massachusetts.  She specializes in pet photography and has 4 photography subjects at home to use as models.  She has two Stanford Shire Terriers named Sasha Darling and Charlotte Carolina.  She also has two cats.  An Alley-cat named George Hallmark Turner, and a Maincon-cat named Marrie Martha.  Ms. Gleason has been with QCMS since 2005.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: danielle.gleason@qcms.org
 

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: anna.hovey@qcms.org
 

Pre-Primary Program Ages 3-6

Mrs. Hubbard studied Physics and Early Childhood Development at Northern Arizona University. Mrs. Hubbard earned her Montessori certification in ages 3-6 in 2005.

Mrs. Hubbard is married with a daughter in the Toddler Program at QCMS. She has joined QCMS as a result of a family relocation from Flagstaff, Arizona.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: sarah.hubbard@qcms.org
 

Mrs. Kealey is a native of the Bay Area in California. She attended Humboldt State University with a social work major. Mrs. Kealey located to Iowa in 1994, and she was a social worker for ten years for at-risk teens with Catholic Charities in Rock Island. She has also worked for Davenport Schools as an Assessment assistant, giving reading and comprehension tests to Kindergarten through 5th grade. Mrs. Kealey currently is an Assistant Directress in the 6-9 year old program.

Mrs. Kealey is married with a son and daughter, who have both attended Montessori school. Her family has a Black & Tan Coonhound named Harpo, after the legendary Marx brother. You may also have seen her grilling at Golick’s Meat Market. Ms. Kealey has been with QCMS since 2007.
 

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: jenner.kealey@qcms.org
 

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289
 

Ms. Allison Melville is in the process of completing her Bachelor of Music Education degree at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. She looks forward to her graduation in May 2009. At Augustana, she acts as the choir director of the Catholic mass on campus, and belongs to the collegiate chapters of organizations such as the Music Educators National Conference and the American Choral Directors Association. She also participates in the Augustana Choir and the Handel Oratorio Society. This is her first year with QCMS.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: allison.melville@qcms.org
 

Ms. Ana Luisa Mendoza has her Educational Degree from Miguel F. Martinez University in Monterrey, Mexico.  She also has experience as a pre-school teacher.  She teaches the QCMS Pre-Primary Spanish classes.

Ms. Mendoza was born in Monterrey N, L. Mexico, March 7, 1975.  She has three children: Paolo who is 8, Carlo who is 6 and Franco, who is 4.  Her husband, Gerardo Mendoza, is employed at John Deere.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: analuisa.mendoza@qcms.org
 

Mrs. Rebecca Mertens
Substitute and Extended Day Directress

Mrs. Mertens has an Associate of Arts degree from Southeastern Iowa Community College as well as added course work in Education from Pudget Sound University in Seattle, Washington.  Mrs. Mertens brings 4-years of experience from the public school program in Wentzville, Missouri, and 7-years of Montessori classroom experience from her time in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Mrs. Mertens has 3 children and 2 grandsons with another grandchild on the way.  Ms. Mertens has been with QCMS since 2006.
 

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: rebecca.mertens@qcms.org
 

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Mrs. Sue Willits Smith is a Davenport native. Before her elementary teaching career with the public school, she was a teaching assistant at QCMS, the first Montessori school in Davenport, when it was located at St. Ambrose College.

She retired this last June after completing 28 years with the Davenport School System. We are fortunate to have Sue back at Montessori once again, helping us as a substitute teacher. At home, Ms. Smith enjoys the stimulation and companionship of her two-year old great-grandson, Drake.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289
 

Mrs. Amy Smull

Directress

Pre-Primary Program Ages 3-6

Mrs. Smull has Nursing Training from Southeast Community College in Burlington, Iowa.  She has achieved Ages 3-6 Montessori Certification from Montessori Heartland Teacher Education Center in Moline, Illinois.  Mrs. Smull is active in the QCMS PTU and is currently the PTU secretary. 

She is married with two children who both attend QCMS.  They have a Shiatsu named Roscoe.  She also teaches Sunday School and likes to quilt in her spare time.  Mrs. Smull has been with QCMS since 2004.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: amy.smull@qcms.org
 

Mrs. Tomlinson is currently working towards an Associate of Arts Degree in Business at Scott Community College.  She has achieved a Diploma in heavy equipment operations, as well as, CDI license.  In addition to teaching at QCMS, Mrs. Tomlinson also works for Translations Unlimited as a Spanish Interpreter & Translator.  she has extensive experience working with different age groups and is very well adapted to cultural diversity.

She was born in Chicago, Illinois and later lived in Des Moines, Iowa.  At the of age 12, her family moved to Mexico where we lived for the next seven years before returning to the United States.  Because of this rich experience, she is fluent in both English and Spanish, and has an outstanding knowledge of Latin cultures that she brings to the classroom.

Mrs. Tomlinson is married and has four children.  Carley, the youngest, is in the toddler program at QCMS.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: myrna.tomlinson@qcms.org
 

Mrs. Vasquez has a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Education from Wroclaw University in Wroclaw, Poland.  Ms. Vasquez also brings Polish, German, and Russian into our classrooms. 

Mrs. Vasquez moved to the Quad Cities in 1997 from Texas.  She is married with one daughter and a granddaughter named Jennifer.  She also has enjoyed her 90-year-old mother-in-law being able to live with her and her husband the past five years. Ms. Vasquez has been with QCMS since 2006.

Telephone: +1.563.355.1289

Email: hannah.vasquez@qcms.org
 

The Montessori teacher is educated in these areas:

	Human growth and development.
	Observational skills to match students' developmental needs with materials and activities. This allows the teacher to guide students in creating their individual learning plan.
	An open-ended array of suggested learning materials and activities that empower teachers to design their own developmentally responsive, culturally relevant learning environment.
	Teaching strategies that support and facilitate the unique and total growth of each individual.
	Classroom leadership skills that foster a nurturing environment that is physically and psychologically supportive of learning.