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STAFF​

Elementary

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Aolani Aguirre

Ms. Aguirre found a love for the Montessori philosophy when her siblings began attending and her mother began working as a Spanish teacher at MVA.  She then decided to pursue a career in Montessori education and to become Montessori elementary certified.  She has been playing the violin for over 10 years and is excited to share her musical talents and knowledge with the MVA community.  

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Griselda Aguirre

Mrs. Aguirre was born and raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. She has been teaching for more than fifteen years. She has been married for 19 years and has three children. She loves to work with children and treats them as her own.  She has a passion for teaching and loves to teach in the Montessori method. She is bilingual, speaking Spanish and English fluently.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and broadening her musical talents.

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Melanie Browning

Mrs. Browning grew up in a very small town in southeast Ohio.  She attended the University of Rio Grande and graduated with a Bachelor's in Elementary Education.  She has taught grades 2-8 including special education for 17 years.  Mrs. Browning has two amazing children.  Her daughter, Jhediah, is 24 years old and lives in Ohio.  Her son, Trae, is 23 and moved to Las Vegas last fall.  She has lived in Las Vegas since 2013 and looks forward to many more years here.  Her hobbies include reading, listening to music, and camping.

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Veronica Cabestany

Mrs. Veronica Cabestany was born and raised in Mexico City.  She earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications, has been married for 13 years and is a mother of three. She studied Chinese for a year in China and radio production in Spain. Mrs. Cabestany began volunteering at her children's school, Montessori Visions Academy, where she fell in love with the Montessori Philosophy. She is Montessori Primary Certified and Montessori Elementary trained as well as the Elementary through High School Spanish teacher. She is excited to be growing alongside her children.

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Lina Habbiyyieh

Mrs. Habbiyyieh was born in Jordan and grew up in Akron, OH. She is bilingual and speaks Arabic fluently. She finds joy in working with children of all diversities and backgrounds. She has over 10 years of experience working with children. She is a positive and diligent person who has an enthusiastic outlook on life. Mrs. Habbiyyieh has a great sense of fulfillment from seeing students develop and grow as individuals. In her personal time she loves being with her husband and two daughters and traveling as much as they can.

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Lisa Knutsen

Ms. Knutsen is a certified Montessori Primary, Lower and Upper Elementary teacher. She also is a certified Montessori Middle School and High School teacher. She holds a BA in Secondary Education and she is currently working on her Master of Education program with an emphasis in Montessori Education. She teaches American Sign Language as an additional language in our Upper Elementary program and continues to work on developing curriculum for the upper level classes. She also enjoys working as a teacher trainer for Montessori Training of Southern Nevada. She enjoys volunteering in her church and throughout the community. She has served on mission trips to Australia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Macau. She recently become a licensed foster parent in Clark County. 

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Kathryn Post


Mrs. Post is from upstate NY, she and her husband moved here to Las Vegas after being stationed at Nellis AFB. She has studied Behavior Therapy and is a Registered Behavior Therapist. She has experience working with children/students of all ages including those with disabilities for over eight years. Mrs. Post is Montessori certified.  In her spare time she loves reading, binge watching her favorite shows, camping and spending time with her husband and friends.

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