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

Director, Primary Program Lead Teacher: Minha Yoon

Minha discovered her passion for the Montessori Method after the birth of her nephew Ethan. She committed to creating an authentic Montessori learning environment while providing care for him from infancy to 3 years old. She then left the New York fashion industry to become a Montessori teacher. A South Korean native, Minha’s family immigrated to the United States when she was 9 years old. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, sharing classroom ideas with her husband Brendan, who is also a Montessori teacher (Upper Elementary), and taking care of their two beautiful dogs, Coco and Kong.

Undergraduate Education:
Central Saint Martins in London, UK
B.A. Fashion Design

Graduate Education:
M.F.A Academy of Art University in San Francisco

Montessori Training:
Minha received her AMS Early Childhood credential from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. Before joining Crescent in 2017, Minha taught at Montessori schools in Berkeley, American Canyon and Santa Rosa.

It is an honor to practice Maria Montessori’s educational philosophy, based on the belief that the role of education is not to dictate knowledge, but to assist the natural course of human development. I am grateful to be working with children in this important phase of their growth, assisting in their task of reaching their natural born potentials.

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