Children's House
Christine Stevens
Children's House Guide Born and raised in The Hague, Netherlands, Christine taught for 14 years at two public elementary inner city schools before moving to the U.S. to study the macrobiotic lifestyle and cooking with whole foods. She met her husband, John, soon after. They have two daughters, Emma and Felicia. Because their girls went to Montessori schools in St. Paul, Christine was inspired to take the AMI Primary training. She also earned a Master of Education and worked for five years in two schools in Minneapolis. Working with children is her passion, and she is excited to share the satisfaction and joy it brings with the Heartland community. Christine's hobbies include walking and backpacking, singing sacred harp music, and enjoying any form of art. 
Lynette Benge
Children's House Assistant Lynette has enjoyed working with children and families since 1981. After graduating from Minnesota State University-Moorhead with a BS in Art Education (with emphasis in watercolor and paper making), Lynette worked as a preschool teacher, an ECFE home visitor with the Anoka/Hennepin School District, and as a Family Service provider with Rueben Lindh Learning Center in Minneapolis. She and her husband have three children and call River Falls home. Heartland Montessori has been Lynette's second home for the past 18 years. 
Melissa Toland
Children's House Aide Born and raised in Superior, WI., Melissa ventured to River Falls for her undergraduate degree in psychology. She is currently working on her Master’s and Education Specialist degrees in school psychology. She plans on graduating in 2022. Since the age of 10 she has known she has wanted to work in a school in some capacity. Melissa has been working with children since she was 12. Working at Heartland is the perfect stepping stone into her future career as a school psychologist. Before and After Care Specialists
Mary Troemner After School Care Specialist,& Children's House Aide Hi, I'm mary Troemner. vet tech, small dairy goat herder, and mother of three from Spring Valley, WI. I enjoy working with small and large animals on the farm, and homeschooled my kids before working in a 4K Montessori. I am excited to have another opportunity to work with children in a Montessori environment, get to know all the parents and staff, and learn more about Montessori. 
Bridget Andrastek
After Care Specialist Bridget Andrastek has been part of the After Care team and has been a part of this community since December 2016. She is originally from St. Paul, MN, but currently lives in River Falls. Bridget studies Elementary Edication and Early Childhood Education at UW-River Falls. She enjoy working with all children, but has a passion for working with toddlers and younger preschoolers. She plans to graduate by Spring of 2020 and then continue to teach young children. Bridget loves playing soccer, baking, and hanging out with her fiancé and her cat. 
Kassidy Randelzhofer
After Care Specialist Kassidy joined the Heartland staff in 2017. She is a Junior majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Early Childhood. She is originally from Racine, WI. She loves working with children because of their curiosity and unique way of viewing the world. Her hobbies include playing on the Women's Club Soccer team at UWRF, hiking, biking, playing board games, and watching the TV show "Friends." She plans to graduate from UWRF in the Spring of 2020 and hopes to teach Kindergarten some day. |
Toddler Community
Amber Tubre'
Toddler Community Guide Amber earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Luther College and a Master’s degree in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology from Texas A&M University. She was a Program Manager for Outreach and Continuing Education at UW-River Falls for 14 years, working with all aspects of offering programs for early childhood and elementary educators. As the parent of a Heartland alumnus, she has personal experience with and a deep understanding of Montessori education and Heartland. During her time as a Heartland parent, she served on the Heartland Board of Directors, including two years as Secretary, and chaired two separate Heartland committees. Amber completed training at The Montessori Institute of Denver in summer 2017 and now serves as Heartland's Toddler Community Guide, which opened in Fall 2017. She lives in River Falls with her husband, Travis, and their son, Gavin. 
Becca Scott
Toddler Community Assistant Becca joined Heartland staff in 2017 and received training to become a Toddler Community Assistant at the Montessori Institute of North Texas. Long before joining the staff at Heartland, Becca was a student here! She lives in River Falls with her son. Fred, who is a student in the Children's House. 
Kristine Krinke-Acevez
Before School Care, & Spanish Assistant Kristine is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-River Falls with two B.S. degrees in Liberal Arts; Modern Language, field of Spanish; and Communicative Disorders. She has been a part of the Heartland community for several years and assists with school operations, Before School Care, and Spanish. She speaks Spanish at home in West Lakeland, Minnesota with her husband and 2 children. Administration
Meggan Burak Head of School Meggan joined Heartland as Head of School in May, 2019. AMI trained at the primary level, Meggan has been an educator, administrator, and Montessorian for 20 years. Meggan has always had a passion for working with children and their families. She has owned her own Montessori school and worked in Children's House, Toddler, and Nido (infant) environments over the course of her career. She is originally from Cody, Wyoming, but was born in St. Paul and has lived in Minnesota since 1997. She currently resides in Mahtomedi with her Husband, their two Montessori children, and their dog, cat, hedgehog, and chickens. While with her family, Meggan enjoys caring for their chickens, gardening, painting, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, spending time at the cabin, and DIY projects at home. |
"After four years of having my son at Heartland, I have to say it was the best decision I ever made."
—Heartland Parent