Carrie Winhoven, proud mother of two children, brings over 25 years of Montessori teaching experience and joy to Saint Philomena Montessori. She has taught students in grades pre-k-9th and was an integral part of starting an adolescent Montessori Farm School. She has a Master’s degree in Education from Xavier University and has served as an adjunct professor at Wright State. She has also taught Montessori teacher education courses for CMSTEP. She holds Ohio state teacher certification as well as four AMS Montessori credentials; primary, Elementary I, and Secondary I & II. As a Level I & II certified Good Shepherd Catechist, she enjoys sharing her Catholic faith with young children. Other activities she enjoys are cycling, kayaking, and spending time in prayer.

Sonja has been involved in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Sunday school program for nearly 17 years. Serving as a teacher and later the director. She has completed Level 1 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training and holds Montessori Assistant Certification from Adrian Dominican Montessori Teacher Institute. She also brings 28 years of billing/finance experience in the healthcare field. Sonja and her husband Dave have two daughters and three granddaughters. Sonja enjoys relaxing at the beach and painting. She is excited to bring Montessori education to the children in our community.

Tori and her husband Andy, and their three daughters, live outside of Fort Loramie. They are members of Sacred Heart of Jesus in McCartyville. On the feast day of St. Cecelia, they dedicated their MTA Home Shrine, “Mother of Divine Healing”. 

Tori has completed Level 1 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training. Tori holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and has experience in administration. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors tending to her flower and vegetable gardens, walking through the woods, and reading books. Her patron saint is Padre Pio, “Pray, Hope, and don’t worry!” She’s happy to be part of the St. Philomena Montessori school community.

Sarah earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s Degree

in Reading Instruction from Wright State University. She is licensed to teach Pre-K-3rd grade and kindergarten for 10 years prior to St. Philomena Montessori. Sarah graduated from Crescent Ridge Academy and is an AMS credentialed Montessori Primary Guide and Level 1 Good Shepherd Catechist. As a teacher, she favors the Montessori philosophy of hands-on, purposeful learning activities and research-based practices, while still providing children the independence they desire. Her ultimate goal is to help children discover a love of learning in a faith-filled environment. She is a life-long member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. Sarah and her husband John have five children. Together, they enjoy family game nights, being outdoors, and reading books. She is a life-long learner whose recent endeavors include gardening, making sourdough bread, and fermenting kombucha. She is blessed to serve the families of St. Philomena Montessori, and grow in her faith along with the children.

Lauren has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Bowling Green State University and is certified to teach PreK-3rd grade. She has had experience working with preschool and kindergarten students for seven years, five of which were in a Montessori school. Lauren became very fond of the Montessori philosophy after just a short time working in a Montessori environment. She is excited to use what she has learned already and continue to learn more in order to provide students with rich learning experiences and truly follow each child’s lead. Lauren enjoys being active outdoors and growing in faith alongside her husband, Cody. She feels blessed to have this opportunity to teach at St. Philomena Montessori School and is looking forward to working with her students and their families.

Laura Niekamp is a lifelong member of Sacred Heart Parish. She is also a member of the Sacred Heart Choir, as she enjoys singing and being involved with mass. She received a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Ball State University and has worked in surrounding skilled nursing facilities for the past 7 years treating patients with language, communication, swallowing, and cognitive impairments. She received her Montessori Assistant Certification from Adrian Dominican Montessori Teacher Institute and Montessori Primary Certification at AMS accredited Crescent Ridge Academy. Laura looks forward to becoming a Good Shepherd Catechist. Laura and her husband Eric have three terrific children, Matthew, Elizabeth, and Xavier. In her spare time, Laura enjoys flower gardening, reading, Sudoku Puzzles, visiting National Parks and spending time with her family. She is excited for this opportunity to use her gifts and work with young children in a Catholic Montessori environment.

Coming Soon!

Anne has taught in Catholic schools for 15 years, and she enjoys the beauty of learning and growing, especially in the Catholic faith. Her students have ranged in age from kindergarten through 6th grade. She attended Franciscan University of Steubenville and holds a teaching license with a reading endorsement. She is blessed to have most of her family living nearby and enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews, even helping to teach several of them at their homes. Anne lives on a farm in Maria Stein with her husband Randy and their son. She is

a parishioner at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, where she sings in the choir. She

also enjoys reading and discussing books, baking, traveling, and solving puzzles of all sorts.

Maura and her husband Joe live in Minster with their two sons. Maura has been teaching for 13 years, in both public and private schools. She has a strong passion for Catholic education and is excited to be able to share her faith with the students everyday. Maura has primarily taught music and also has a M. Ed. in Curriculum and Teaching. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and reading. She is excited to join the St. Philomena team!

Susan and her husband Tony have four children and live in Osgood. She received her Montessori Assistant Certification from Adrian Dominican Montessori Teacher Institute and plans to complete Good Shepherd Catechesis training next Spring. Her dedication to her Catholic faith is evident as a third order Carmelite. Susan has taught religion for approximately 20 years at St Nicholas parish. She has made Membership in the Schoenstatt movement and continues to serve as a group leader. It gave her great joy to lead a former St. Philomena student to make her Covenant of Love as a kindergartener! She is co-host of the Marian Spirituality program on Radio Maria and in the process of making a CD for Lighthouse Media on the Schoenstatt movement. She feels growing up in a large Catholic family, her devotion to the Blessed Mother, and her call to a deep prayer life have been instrumental in her journey.

In her spare time, she reads about the lives of the saints and other good spiritual books.

She feels very blessed to have been called to this great work as a Childcare Coordinator at St Philomena Montessori and knows it is making an eternal difference.

Ally is a member of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. She is a mother of 3 boys under the age of 6, who all attend St. Philomena Montessori. Ally is a graduate of Fort Loramie High School. Ally has a passion for fitness and living a healthy lifestyle through being active and eating holistic foods. She has coached middle track, and has worked as a personal trainer/ group fitness instructor in Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, and in the Cincinnati/ Dayton area of Ohio. Ally will share these skills as our new St. Philomena gym teacher. Ally enjoys spending time with her sons, JJ, Ari, and Theo and her husband, Bryce. Their new family hobbies have been trying to start a garden and raising chicks.

Lyndsay Richey is a Board-Certified Music Therapist who graduated from The University of Dayton with her bachelor’s degree in Music. As a Music Therapist, she works with a variety of students in Darke county in addition to having a few private clients. She has been a member of Sacred Heart parish her whole life. Lyndsay has been the Youth Choir director at Sacred Heart for 9 years and the Adult Choir director for 7 years. Lyndsay and her husband Tyler have two rambunctious boys. She enjoys spending time with her family and crafting in her free time. She feels very blessed to have been called to teach music at her life-long parish’s school.

Tracy Hall is an enthusiastic and dedicated educator with over 20 years of experience teaching science at Lehman Catholic High School. She holds a license for K- 12 Life Science and has a M. Ed. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University. With a passion for fostering curiosity, creativity, and a love for science in young minds, she likes to create a classroom environment that emphasizes hands-on learning and real world applications. She believes in creating an engaging atmosphere where every student feels valued and inspired to learn. 

She joined the Catholic Church in 2016 and is a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. 

Tracy and her husband Craig have two children, Nathan and Allie. Nathan and his wife Michala have a daughter, Grace. Allie and her husband Logan have a son named Beckett. She enjoys camping, reading, gardening and spending time with family. She is looking forward to working with the staff and families of St. Philomena Montessori!

Marea Van Tilburg is a devoted Catholic, passionate educator, and lifelong learner. She has thirteen years of experience of working with the dyslexic population. She has taught from pre-k - twelfth grade in a one-on-one setting. She has also worked in after school programs with diverse cultural backgrounds. She is Certified in the Orton-Gillingham Academy, and is a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist through the Center of Effective Reading Instruction. She has a Bachelor of Science in Education from Wright State University. She is currently working on a Masters degree program at WSU. Her life long goal is to become a Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy. In her spare time she enjoys spending quiet time with my Lord, time with her family and friends, learning, singing in the choir at Immaculate Conception Church, cantering, crafting, fishing, camping, hiking, and kayaking.