Leadership
Faculty
Faculty Emeritus
Board of Directors

Leadership

Crescent Montessori is lead by a volunteer board of directors and a committed group of primary parents. Roles and jobs are completed by this caring and dedicated Montessori volunteers.

Faculty

Primary Program Lead Teacher: Tatiana “Tati” Manderscheid

Tatiana first fell in love with the Montessori Method while searching for preschools for her daughter. While observing a Montessori classroom, she was struck by the hands-on, individualized experiences that the lead teacher created for each child in order to facilitate independent play and foster self-sufficiency.  It was after this classroom observation that she knew she had to apply her passion for education to help children reach their full potential in all areas of life—cognitive, social, emotional, and physical. A former public school teacher, Tatiana has extensive experience working with children from primary to high school age. A mother to a toddler herself, she is thrilled to be joining the Crescent community and excited to provide a rich, joyous, and nurturing environment for students. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, reading, cooking, and practicing yoga.

Undergraduate Education:
The University of Chicago, B.A. English Literature

Graduate Education:
Boston University, Master of Arts in Education

Early Childhood Training:
UCLA Early Childhood Education, Basic Core Program

Montessori Training:
North American Montessori Center

I strive to help each student become confident, creative, and flourishing members of their community through Montessori’s unique approach to education. I am honored to work with children in the important role of Lead Teacher, and my goal is to instill a love of learning and personal growth in my students and myself.

Faculty Emeritus & Founder and Director: Karin Neihoff

Karin Niehoff founded Crescent Montessori School in 1994. Formerly a teacher at Vintage Country Day School, which closed in 1994, Karin carried on the Montessori tradition at the Pre-School level for 12 years before opening the school to Elementary classes in 2006 and to a Middle School class in 2014.

Montessori trained at all levels from pre-school through adolescent, Karin continued in the dual role of Teaching Head of School until her retirement at age 70. Today the school continues her legacy of an authentic Montessori pre-school class in its original location at the Sonoma Community Center.

Gaining non-profit status for the school in 2010 and successfully guiding the process for being awarded full WASC accreditation status for the upper grades in 2011 and again in 2017 count as her professional accomplishments. She brought memorable creative programs like Art In The Garden, Roots of Empathy, Spring and Holiday shows, Orff Music Performances and Culinary Arts to the school to enhance the students active learning while engaging the community of families.  The blessing of a wonderful and productive career that spanned 44 years in the Montessori classroom surrounded by curious, happy learners, inspires Karin to continue on the learning path at Art Farm Sonoma where she continues to learn, paint and be surprised by the everyday work of art.

Faculty Emeritus: Pam Higi

Pam has 40 years of Montessori teaching experience, and taught at Crescent since it opened in 1994 through 2017.

Montessori Training:
Pam received an AMI Montessori Diploma in 1975 from the Montessori Institute of Los Angeles. She has been a Montessori Directress for the past 40 years, teaching in Southern California, Santa Rosa and at Crescent.

About Pam:
Pam walked into a Montessori classroom for the first time when she was 14 years old. She was babysitting for a family who were realizing their dream of opening a Montessori classroom in southern California. Pam spent that summer helping the family convert an old house into the beautiful three classroom Montessori school. There was a lot of work to do, including painting, sewing curtains and tending three children as the old house transformed into a school not so different from Crescent Montessori. This transformative experience introduced Pam to the discoveries of Maria Montessori, and she knew that becoming a Montessori Directress was the work she wanted to do.
Working with the families and staff of Crescent Montessori as we support children through an essential time in their development is an honor and joy. Crescent is a nurturing and supportive place to learn through discovering, which brings out the best in me, and all of us!

Board of Directors