About Our School

Carrie Winhoven, proud mother of two children, brings over 20 years of Montessori teaching experience and joy to Saint Philomena Montessori. She has taught students in grades 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 two 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 certified to teach Pre-K-3rd grade and has taught kindergarten for 10 years. Sarah is a certified Level 1 Good Shepherd Catechist and is currently working toward a Montessori certification for Primary. As a teacher, her ultimate goal is to help children discover a love of learning. She favors the Montessori philosophy of hands-on, purposeful activities and research-based practices, while providing children the independence they desire. Sarah and her husband John have three sons and together they enjoy walks in nature, reading, cooking, and playing games. She is always learning new things like gardening, making sourdough bread, and fermenting kombucha. She is very excited to be part of the staff at St. Philomena Montessori.

Lauren has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Bowling Green State University and is certified to teach PreK-3rd grade. Although she is a first year teacher, she has had experience working with preschool and kindergarten students for six years, four 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 plans to complete Good Shepherd Catechesis training next Spring. Laura and her husband Eric have two terrific children, Matthew and Elizabeth. 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.

Mariana lives in Sidney with her husband, Ryan, who were recently married in April. She graduated from Seton Home Study in 2020 and has received Montessori assistant training. Mariana has always loved working with children and was a nanny for a beautiful family in Minster before starting with us. She is so excited to implement what she has learned during her Montessori training to help all her students develop into the amazing young people Christ calls them to be. Mariana is also a wedding decorator assistant with KB Design and Consulting LLC local here in McCartyville.

In her free time, Mariana enjoys singing, running, dancing, staying active, being outdoors, spending quality time with family and friends, and learning about her Catholic faith. She is honored to be a part of St. Philomena Montessori and to serve all the children and their families.

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.

Jennifer Francis lives in Minster. She and her husband Greg have been married 26 years and

have 5 children ranging in age from 25-8 years old and are grandparents to a grandson with

another grandchild arriving at the beginning of the new year! Jennifer is a graduate of Lehman

High School and says her Catholic education was a blessing and which has molded her into the person she is today. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Disorders from BGSU and when her 3rd child was born with Down Syndrome, she decided to go back to college and obtain a certification as an Early Intervention Specialist from the University of Dayton. In her 16 years of teaching, she has taught Kindergarten, 2nd grade and Special Needs Preschool in both public and private Catholic school settings. She finds great joy when praying with children or teaching them about the Catholic faith. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family going on walks, dancing, reading, watching movies, or playing cards and board games.

Jennifer looks forward to immersing herself in the Montessori method of education and says,

“When the Lord speaks, he speaks in whispers. I am truly humbled that the Lord has whispered for me to continue my life journey at St. Philomena with these young children and astounding staff members. We are all called to be servants. I hope to be that servant to help guide the children of St. Philomena in their education and faith.”

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!

Maggie and her husband are trained and experienced Catechists of the Good Shepherd program. She has five wonderful children. Her oldest two are attending St Philomena. She holds a bachelor’s degree focused in painting from the University of Ashland. She hopes God can use His gift of art in her life to give back to the community.  She loves Jesus’ words “to seek first the Kingdom of God,” and to her, teaching His Kingdom of love and forgiveness is the pearl worth giving everything for.  She can not wait to grow more in love with God alongside her students. Being a Minster native, Maggie and her family are so grateful to have recently moved back to raise their children with all their extended family, amazing friends, and this rich Catholic culture which is a true treasure in this world.  “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God.”(1Cor10:31)