HMS is pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Cullen as the new Director for the school. Joining HMS in 2011, Katie is coming up on her tenth year as an authentic Montessori educator, having filled roles as an Assistant Teacher, Primary Head Teacher and most recently, Assistant Director.
Stepping into this new role to guide HMS' teachers and students through an authentic Montessori approach, one of Katie's biggest goals is to assist families with a communicative and transparent process in their child's education journey.
Katie comments, "Observing the growth of HMS over the past 10 school years has truly been a wonderful experience and an exciting journey. Aside from being a Montessori child myself, I have been working alongside young children in different environments for over 15 years. After joining HMS in 2011 as an Assistant Teacher, I soon obtained my Infant/Toddler AMS certification from West Side Montessori School in Manhattan and became a Head Teacher for a number of years in both the Toddler and Pre-Primary programs. Filling the role of Assistant Director from 2018-2020 was such an exciting new career change where I felt I had the perfect marriage of my business degree and my Montessori certification. I am thrilled to be stepping into the new role of Director as HMS as I am ready to continue guiding HMS' teachers and students while supporting our community in even more ways. Teaching our future generations is a joy, and doing so through an authentic Montessori approach with an amazing team of staff and certified teachers is the ultimate destination. I am passionate about ensuring that every child receives a high-quality education while assisting our families through the journey at HMS. My goal is to build upon our community, spread the love of Montessori, and continue to instill a love of learning in our students that will enable them to confidently meet the challenges and demands they will face as they become our future leaders."
HMS Founder, Sejal Vora adds "Katie started at HMS from the day we opened our doors. We have had a wonderful working relationship for nearly 10 years. She is an incredible example of an educator that is entirely committed to giving every child the best education possible. She was the natural choice to lead the HMS team, and to be our community and parent liaison."
HMS would like to thank Denise Rosenthal, the Director since 2013, for her expertise and dedication. She has accepted a position at a school closer to where she lives and we wish her the best in her new venture. We thank her for her warmth, hard work, dedication and leadership over the past 7 years. We will all miss her greatly, but wish her all our best.
Concurrently, Kendra Finck has been elevated to Assistant Director at HMS, and, has been with the school since 2013, becoming certified as a Primary Head Teacher in 2015.
Kendra comments, "Working at HMS over the past 7 years has been truly rewarding. With each year that passes it is evident our staff is dedicated to creating a safe and nurturing environment that creates a true love and passion for learning. I am beyond proud to say that I have been a part of creating that. I have been guiding children of various ages over the past 13 years. I earned my AMS credential from West Side Montessori in NYC in 2015. I, like Katie, was also a Montessori child and credit my passion for education to the strong foundation I received as a child. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to create a strong bond between myself, the child and their family. As I begin this new chapter in my career as Assistant Director, and leave the Primary classroom behind, I look forward to building those relationships with the greater HMS community."
Read more about Kendra in her HMS Teacher Spotlight.
Both Katie and Kendra are proud graduates of a rigorous two-year certification program at Westside Montessori School in New York City.