Crestwood Montessori School: Staff Bios

Professional Daycare education including Yoga, Music, Art and Spanish

Mrs. Sheridan Hotung
Head Teacher

Mrs. Hotung attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She received an International Montessori Diploma from Wimbledon Montessori College in London, England in 2002. She then did additional training and field work here in New Jersey through the Princeton Center for Teacher Education after which she earned her certification as an Early Childhood Education Teacher (ages 3 to 6 years old) by the American Montessori Society (AMS). Mrs. Hotung taught at the Primary level at Princeton Montessori School from 2006 to 2009. As she is also a Certified YogaKids^TM Associate, part of Crestwood Montessori School's curriculum will include the YogaKids^TM approach to enhance the children's health, creativity, education and overall well-being. The Yoga poses are stepping stones for math, reading, ecology, anatomy, and music which create even more avenues for learning. All of the elements of YogaKids^TM and Montessori integrate exercise and physical learning with intellectual growth to spark curiosity and the love of learning in each child. To further promote the Montessori philosophy of the interconnectedness of all living things, we will also be including environmental education in our nursery school curriculum.

Mrs. Reema Tandon is a Lead Teacher in our Toddler program and for our After-care Program. Mrs. Tandon earned her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Psychology and Home Science while living in India. While working towards her Master's degree, she got the opportunity to work in a pre-school setting and quickly recognized her love and passion for working with young children. She later worked as a Vice Principal for that same school while also teaching the age group of 2 to 4 years old. In addition to her Early Childhood educator training, Mrs. Tandon holds a State of New Jersey Teaching License for teaching Kindergarten through Third Grade. She is planning to pursue her Montessori Teaching certificate this summer. Mrs. Tandon had several years of Toddler Preschool Teaching experience prior to joining the Toddler program at Crestwood Montessori School in 2009 where her son is also a student in our Primary program. Mrs. Tandon is an extremely creative person by nature and has a self-professed love for Art!

Ms. Crystal Kilpatrick is an Assistant Teacher in both our Primary and Toddler programs. Ms. Kilpatrick earned a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education and Fine Arts from Kean University. She has 8 years of experience working with children in various early childhood settings and extended care programs and plans to pursue a Montessori Teacher Certification in the near future. Ms. Kilpatrick enjoys sharing her passion for the arts and literacy as well as exploring the natural environment.

Mrs. Heather Sherstad-Schaller is an Assistant Teacher for our After Care program. Mrs. Schaller holds a Master of Arts in Education Leadership. She also received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Voldasta State University in Georgia. She has lived in England and the southeastern US where she worked extensively in archaeology focusing on Native American history. While living in Florida, Mrs. Schaller became involved with a school for children with learning differences, emotional disorders, and students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. As an educator, she has played both the role of Assistant and Lead Teacher. Mrs. Schaller has a green thumb and loves gardening, canning, cooking and travelling. She also enjoys playing in the dirt, being in nature and sharing the joys of nature with others.

Mrs. Sujatha Alladi will be a Lead Teacher in our second Primary classroom. Mrs. Alladi is a Montessori Certified Teacher at both the Primary and Elementary age levels. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics, a Master's Degree in Education and has over 12 years of Montessori Teaching experience. Mrs. Alladi has also conducted various parent education workshops on the Montessori Environment both at Crestwood and elsewhere. She is also the mother of two children who have gone through the Montessori Environment.

Ms. Natalie Merritt is our nursery school Art and Music Teacher. Ms. Merritt has been painting for over 15 years. She graduated from the Tyler School of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture, Painting and Drawing. Ms. Merritt worked at Princeton Montessori School from 2004 through 2009 where she played a number of different roles. In addition to being an Assistant Teacher in the Primary classroom, she led the After Care program as well as developed the Music and Movement curriculum for ages 3 to 6.

We are extremely proud of the talented team that we have assembled at our Montessori school, which will allow us to provide a truly unique educational experience for your child as well as our own children. We are also very fortunate to have our Montessori school situated on such a wonderful setting - 35 beautiful acres that allow us to truly explore nature and the environment with the children.