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Joe Bruno…Director and Founder
Joe grew up in our Nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.. He had
an early introduction to working with children at his uncle’s
day camp, and went on to study Elementary Education at Frostburg State
College in Frostburg, Maryland.
Joe was introduced to the Montessori philosophy soon after college and
was deeply inspired to become a trained Montessori educator. He took
his training in 1975 at The Washington Institute and began what would
be a 32 year career (and still going!) as a Montessori teacher.
After 15 years as a teacher at a local Montessori school in Austin,
the opportunity arose to start his own school…Parkside Community
School.
Joe has had the great honor of witnessing former students of his grow
up and become inspired to take their own Montessori training, receive
their Masters in Education, then return to Parkside to teach alongside
him. Joe gets great joy out of seeing what lovely, inspiring adults
many of Parkside’s former students have become, and he continues
to hold a positive, inspired vision for Montessori education across
the world.
Claire Bruno…Co-Director and Founder
Claire had the good fortune of growing up in Mexico City. The Mexican
culture and the Spanish language are the foundation of her heart. She
did her undergraduate work at the University of Texas where she says,
“it was time to learn to be an American.” She then joined
the Peace Corps and was stationed for two years in Belize and one year
in Guatemala.
Upon returning to the United States, Claire became a midwife in the
Austin area after the birth of her second child. She assisted many families
planning home births for ten years.
Continuing with her interest in the family, Claire took her Primary
Montessori training. She thoroughly loved working with the young child.
As a natural progression, she became the Co-Director of the school that
she and her husband Joe started in 1991, and Parkside Community School
is now in it’s 17th year!
Delia Castillo…Administrator
Delia spent her early years growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but
moved all over the country from coast to coast as the daughter of a
musician. Her many artistic interests led her to study Theatre Arts,
comedy improvisation and writing at various performing arts schools.
She graduated from The New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts in 1992 with
1200 hours in Massage Therapy and related healing modalities. Her cultural
and linguistic interests led her to travel and study around the world
in places like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Southern
Europe and Indonesia. Delia is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and
wishes she knew about 200 more languages.
Having children brought her to Parkside’s door six years ago,
where she has worked ever since, and now has both of her children enrolled.
She wears many hats at the school, from parent to bookkeeper and everything
in between. She feels very strongly that “providing a loving,
respectful and inspiring community environment for children and their
families can build a healthy foundation that lasts a lifetime.”
Shannon Stephens…Front Office Manager
Shannon was born in California and came to Austin with her family in
1989. She received a degree in Social Work from the University of Texas
in 2004. Her love of working around children led her to volunteer at
The Austin Child Guidance Center, and eventually to Parkside.
Shannon has held several administrative positions over the years, and
came to Parkside highly recommended by her former employers, colleagues
and friends to run our very busy front office. Shannon is starting her
second year as part of the Parkside staff and is already a pro at keeping
the office running smoothly.
Harmoni Kelley, Administrative Assistant
Harmoni is another one of Joe Bruno’s previous students who joined
the Parkside staff last Spring as our Administrative Assistant. Having
many fond memories of her Montessori classroom experience as a child,
she found it an easy fit to re-enter the Montessori world at Parkside.
She is a regular substitute teacher in the classrooms, and all-around
support for many areas of the school.
Harmoni has spent most of her life in Austin. She attended the University
of Texas, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Radio/Television/Film
in 2001. After graduation, she pursued a career in music as a bass player,
and currently enjoys playing along with a plethora of wonderful Austin
musicians on a regular basis.
Catherine Sherwood…Upper Elementary Guide
Catherine holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics and fibers from
Southwest Texas State University. She is also a certified teacher in
all art levels and is currently pursuing her Masters in Art Education
from Texas Tech University. She has taught Art classes for adults and
children of all ages for the last ten years in Austin and surrounding
areas.
Catherine has been a part of the Parkside community for longer than
most. She has a friendship that goes back more than 30 years with the
schools founders, Joe and Claire Bruno, and has been a teacher at both
the Austin and Wimberley campuses during the last ten years. She was
the Upper Elementary Assistant for eight years, held the position of
Art Specialist for two years, and is now the lead teacher in our Upper
Elementary Program.
Melvin Blackburn…Upper Elementary Assistant
Melvin received his Associate of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from Northeast
Texas Community College in Mt. Pleasant, Texas in 1994. He then went
on to get his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Oberlin College in Oberlin,
Ohio in 1996. Balancing the intuitive with the empirical, his education
covered a strong balance of upper level mathematics and science along
with the arts.
Melvin’s interest in teaching began when he was a substitute for
the Irving I.S.D. in 2001. After completing some classroom observations
at Mt. Pleasant Montessori School where his mother was a teacher, he
became interested in the Montessori philosophy.
He enjoys many extracurricular activities along with his wife, Kerri,
including camping and enjoying nature. He also enjoys a multitude of
hobbies including model aeronautics, fishing and mixing and producing
computer based music. Melvin is also active in local theatre productions
and an avid skateboarder.
Laura Agnew…Lower Elementary I Guide
Laura Agnew, an Austin resident for 30 years, earned her Bachelor’s
of Arts in French Literature and her B.B.A. in International Business
from The University of Texas.
Upon graduating, she became a professional tap dancer touring the country
with Austin On Tap. She went on to teach dance fitness at Ballet Austin
for 15 years and also became co-owner along with her husband of Austin’s
own Bicycle Sport Shop.
Laura discovered her love of teaching children through her work with
Believe In Me, a local non-profit organization teaching dance in public
schools. She came to Parkside in 2002 as Joe Bruno’s Assistant
in the Lower Elementary Program and the next year became inspired to
pursue further Montessori training.
She received her AMI elementary diploma from The Washington Montessori
Institute and her Masters in Education from Loyola College in Maryland.
Laura returned to Parkside in 2004 and became the lead teacher in one
of our Lower Elementary classes.
David Heroy… Lower Elementary I Assistant
David’s love of the earth sciences and his love for teaching started
in Baltimore, Maryland where he attended, and later worked at, Don Webb’s
Nature Camp. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Geology
from Colgate University in 1995, he taught at the Maryland Science Center’s
Travelling Science Program offering science shows for hundreds of elementary
schools.
David returned to school in 1997 to William and Mary, during which time
he travelled to Bangladesh conducting research on the Ganges River Delta.
Subsequently, he received his Ph.D. from Rice University during which
time he studied the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, which included participating
in two field expeditions aboard the Icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer.
David taught most recently at Lee College in Baytown, Texas, and also
founded a camp with his wife called Blackwood Nature Camp in Hempstead,
Texas before making the move to Austin earlier this year and taking
a teaching position at Parkside.
Camille Latour…Lower Elementary II Guide
Before Camille became a staff member at Parkside, she was once a student
of the school’s founder, Joe Bruno. She graduated from Bennington
College in Vermont with a degree in Liberal Arts, with a focus on Opera
and Acting.
After spending a few years performing both locally and internationally,
she took a position at Parkside in the Afterschool care program in 2002.
In the consecutive years that followed at Parkside, she created and
directed a children’s voice and movement workshop, spent one year
as a Primary Assistant, and spent one year as a Lower Elementary Assistant.
Becoming inspired by the same curriculum and materials that she had
loved as a Montessori student, Camille went to get her Montessori training
at Loyola College in Maryland, receiving her International Montessori
Certification and Masters in Education.
She is currently in her first year as a lead teacher in the Lower Elementary
Program, and her fifth year as part of the Parkside team.
Jennie Marais…Lower Elementary II Assistant
Jennie has been working with children in various ways for more than
eighteen years, from childcare, to camp counselor, and eventually to
teaching preschool.
She received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Media Studies from
the University of Colorado at Boulder with a minor degree in French.
She then went on to get her AMS Montessori Primary training from the
Houston Montessori Center, and returned to Colorado to teach in a Primary
classroom for three years. Jennie was also very involved in teaching
summer day camp and Afterschool programs at the YMCA of the Rockies
in Estes Park, Colorado.
Jennie joined the Parkside staff in the Fall of 2006 as an Assistant
in the Lower Elementary program. She brings her passion of outdoor education,
Geography and peace education to the classroom, and her husband Len
holds the title of “Honorary Parkside Maintenance Man.”
Melanie Moss…Primary I Guide
Melanie was raised in San Antonio and moved to Austin in 1977. She attended
St. Edward’s University and the University of Texas, graduating
with a Bachelor’s of Science in Speech Communication.
She discovered her love of children after being a full time nanny, and
went back to school to pursue her AMI Montessori training, along with
Parkside Director, Claire Bruno. Melanie has been working as a Montessori
teacher in Austin for many years, and has been a part of the Parkside
family for the past seven.
Amanda Riemondi…Primary I Assistant
Amanda was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, but spent her early childhood
years in the Florida Keys. Amanda’s mother started a Co-op Preschool,
where she attended as a small child. During her elementary and High
School years, Amanda cultivated a very strong love of art and attended
a small art school in Miami so she could remain close to her family.
She immersed herself into the study of sculpture, photography and especially
painting, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The International Fine
Arts College in Miami, Florida.
Amanda fell in love with Austin when she came to visit and decided to
move here, where she met her future husband through her friendship with
the Bruno family. She became convinced that she should work at Parkside,
and joined the community as an Afterschool Guide for several years before
entering into the Primary classroom as an Assistant.
Toni Norton…Primary II Guide
After graduating from High School in Houston, Toni came to Austin to
attend the University of Texas. During that time she took an Assistant
teaching position at Austin Montessori School, which inspired her to
become a Montessori teacher. Toni graduated with her Primary training
from the Toronto Montessori Institute in 1980. During her nine years
at AMS, she also led the first Primary Afterschool program, and headed
their first toddler class.
Later, Toni travelled to Rome, Italy where she taught ESL for a language
school and developed her own private teaching practice. She later taught
for the British Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Upon returning
to the U.S., she obtained a degree in Italian from U.T. while continuing
to teach ESL and pursue a second degree in English.
Five years after the birth of her two children, Toni returned to work
full time at Parkside as Joe’s Assistant in the Lower Elementary
classroom. She remained co-teaching in the Lower Elementary classroom
with Laura Agnew for two years, after which time she returned to work
with the Primary group. Toni is happily in her second year as a Primary
Guide at Parkside.
Carrie King…Primary II Assistant
Carrie was born in Cincinnati, Ohio but grew up in Houston with her
two older brothers. Her parents are of Taiwanese and Sicilian/French
descent. In her youth, Carrie studied dance for many years, including
ten years of classical ballet training at the Houston Ballet Academy.
Carrie graduated from U.T. with a B.A. in Anthropology, after which
she spent some time abroad in Taiwan teaching English to children. Upon
returning to the U.S., she took a position at Parkside in the Afterschool
program.
She later entered into the Lower Elementary program as an Assistant
for four years, and has spent the last three years assisting in the
Primary Program. Carrie is celebrating her ninth year teaching at Parkside
this year! She currently lives in Austin with her husband Grant and
their dog, Tela and enjoys nature, music, travel, art and family time.
David Heath…Robotics, Computer Animation Instructor
David Heath is our Computer Animation and Lego Robotics teacher.
He has taught these subjects to grades 1-6 for many years at Parkside
and other local schools, as well as being a trained Montessori Primary
teacher for the past 12 years. David holds many degrees, including an
MA in Public Administration Management, a BS in Math with a Minor in
Physics from Washburn University. He has also studied Electronics and
Engineering, and was a NASA Quality Management Facilitator and Youth
Educator.
David has a long term respect for the child’s natural driven interests
and a real talent for getting children enthusiastic about group learning
and team building in order to accomplish extraordinary things.
David has been a part of the Parkside Austin staff for 10 years, and
a part of the Parkside Wimberley staff for 4 years.
Sara Beth Cole…P.E. Teacher, Afterschool Guide
Sara Beth grew up in Southeast Texas and moved to Austin to attend the
University of Texas. While studying at U.T., she volunteered in various
Phys. Ed. Classes in the Austin Public School System, and worked at
summer camps teaching sports and outdoor activities. In 2005 she received
a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology and was ready to put theory
to practice.
Sara Beth joined the Parkside Staff this year, coordinating a fully
integrated Physical Education program into the school curriculum, as
well as joining Alyssa Kirwan as part of the Afterschool care team.
Alyssa Kirwan…P.E. Teacher, Afterschool Guide
Alyssa grew up in Orlando, Florida and attended the University of Central
Florida where she received a Bachelors of Science in Physical Education
and a National Coaching and Fitness endorsement. While attending school,
she volunteered in various P.E. school programs and interned for one
year as a P.E. teacher, and still found the time to work as a camp counselor
at a girl’s sports camp.
Alyssa is working along with Sara Beth Cole integrating a new Physical
Education program into the Parkside curriculum, as well as being part
of the Afterschool care team.
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