About

Ixora Montessori School in Williamsburg Virginia, provides an authentic Montessori education for preschool children ages 14 months-6 years.

We are an intentionally diverse community of learners, with equity and inclusivity at the core of our guiding principles. We work to especially embrace those communities who have been marginalized or not be well represented in traditional schools.

We work to connect children to the world, themselves, and each other in a nurturing and healthy community with family engagement.

We believe that all families of young children in our community should have access to a high-quality Montessori Education regardless of financial means.

We are a member of the Wildflower Network of schools.

Wildflower is an ecosystem of decentralized Montessori micro-schools that support children, teachers, and parents. Wildflower aspires to give all children and families the opportunity to choose high-quality, beautiful learning environments as they follow life’s unfolding journey.

Please contact us to receive more information about our school and hear about upcoming information sessions.

Our Teacher Leaders

Teacher Leader

Beverlee Mendoza

Founding Teacher Leader

Beverlee was born in Trinidad and Tobago, she began her Montessori journey over 30 plus years ago when she began looking for a preschool for her daughter. Thus began her journey to become a Montessori teacher.

Beverlee worked as an Infant Directress for 10 years, coordinated toddler programs in 2 Montessori schools for many years and worked as a 3-6 teachers for over 20 years in schools in Trinidad, the US and China.

She teaches prospective Montessori teachers and consults for Virginia Center For Montessori Studies in Richmond Virginia in their Early Childhood and Infant/Toddler programs.

Beverlee loves spending time with her family and is a member of the American Montessori Society. She is honored to be the founding teacher leader of Ixora Montessori School and looks forward to bringing Montessori education for all, especially embracing the rich diversity of families in the Williamsburg VA. area and its surrounds.

Qualifications: - M.Ed., concentration in the Montessori Method, B.A. English, Early Childhood Montessori certification, Infant and Toddler Montessori Certification.

Interest: Gardening, Travel, and the arts.

Staff

Cielomar Rodriguez

Administrative Staff

Cielomar Rodriguez comes from the Island of Puerto Rico where she completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Puerto Rico in Geography and Environmental Sciences. She then moved to Virginia in 2006 to attend The College of William and Mary where she earned a Masters and a Ph.D. degree in Marine Sciences.

Today, she is a wife and a mother of two awesome boys.

She first learned about Montessori's teaching methods while searching for the right preschool for her oldest son. She was so impressed, she and her husband decided to enroll him.

She experienced its benefits first-hand by seeing her son's growth and strong educational base he developed from the Montessori's methods.

This led her to believe that every child should have access to a Montessori education.

Because of this, it makes her proud to be part of the Ixora Montessori School and its mission to provide inclusive education of the highest quality.

She is excited to help the Ixora community by facilitating the communication between parents and teachers and by providing guidance to existing and prospective families.

Interests:

Family, cooking, gardening and the beach

Monica Infante

Summer Camp Leader & Substitute

Monica is originally from Peru and has an MBA degree in administration and is a certified Spanish teacher. Monica enjoys working with the toddlers and taught Spanish and Turkish to both children and adults in Turkey. (toddler years to adulthood).

Ketty Mulanga

Toddler

Ketty comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, her first language is French. She completed a baccalaureate in Latin philosophy. Ketty is the vice president of the ONG ENVIPRO which supports children living with disabilities. She has worked as a Sunday school instructor, a secretary in both a law firm and construction company. She is a trained caregiver and is in the process of working on her Montessori Infant and Toddler Training.

Ketty has a real passion for working with very young children and enjoys helping each child progress in all areas of their development – academic, social, language and motor skills. She strives to create a community of learners and feels honored to help nurture their growth in a positive and fun environment, so that they can reach their full potential.

Ketty has been married for 12 glorious years and have four fantastic children ages 11, 10, 8 and 3 months old who attend Clara Byrd Baker Elementary.

Interests:

Singing, playing keyboards, art, watching our children's sports: tennis, volleyball, basketball, and swimming! She also enjoys reading, cooking, listening to music, relaxing at the beach, and spending time with friends and family.

Javase Hargrove

Toddler

Javase has been working with children for over six years, and has an Early Childhood Certificate. She has a passion for helping all children reach their potential and loves to challenge students to be curious and take chances when learning.

Interests:

Playing volleyball, shopping and spending time with family.

Board Members

Joe Cross

Retired Founder of PMA Architects, Cross & Associates, Ltd. (Real Estate and Construction), Director of Development &Construction, Anheuser Busch/Busch Properties whose children attended Montessori.

Michele Mohar

Michele Mohar, MEd, is the director of Virginia Center for Montessori Studies in Richmond, VA and has both her Early Childhood and Infant & Toddler AMS Credentials. She has over 25 years of experience working with children and adults in a variety of educational settings, primarily Montessori. Michele is a former assistant head of school and lead teacher at West End Montessori School in Richmond, VA. She is a frequent presenter on Montessori topics at both a regional and national level and is also the current chair of the AMS Teacher Education Action Commission.

Jocelyn Bell Swanson

Jocelyn Bell Swanson is an educator and humanities specialist, located in Williamsburg, Virginia. Her work with elementary and secondary learners centers around her commitment to nature-based learning, with a focus on stewardship and practical life skills. Trained in the Montessori method, she runs farm camps on her James City County farm alongside a full-time middle school and high school program. She is the Education Team Coordinator and member of the board of directors for the Williamsburg Community Growers (community garden). She developed and now directs the secondary-level training and certification program for adult teachers through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. And most recently, she founded Looseleaf Learning, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to nature education and therapy, for which she serves as Executive Director.

In her pre-teaching career, Jocelyn ran her own marketing business, starting out as a writer/editor. Jocelyn has an undergraduate degree in business/communications and a Master’s degree in education.

Kameeka Shirley

Kameeka is a founding Teacher Leader at Blazing Stars Montessori School and a loan originator for the Sunlight Loan Fund. She holds a B.B.A in Marketing and worked for almost 5 years at Morgan Stanley in New York before joining Teach for America as a 2017 corps member in Jacksonville, FL. Most recently, Kameeka has worked for 3 years in a Lower Elementary Montessori classroom and holds a Florida Professional Educators Teaching License with a Reading Endorsement and course work in English as a Second Language and Gifted. She is currently in Montessori training. She is a certified Nature Based Educator through ERAFANS, trained in the Growing Up Wild curriculum and is currently enrolled in Montessori training. Kameeka is a mother, photographer, amateur naturalist and gardener. She also enjoys fitness and martial arts.

Staff

Teacher Leader

Founding Teacher Leader and Primary Guide