School Administration
Head of School
Michael Girodo (M.GIRODO@mvmcharter.org)
Michael is inspired and honored by the opportunity to serve as Head of School for Monument View Montessori Charter School. He is incredibly excited to be serving in his fourth year with such a committed and passionate community of educators, board members, and parents who have put so much heart and soul into creating this amazing school.
Michael is a long-time believer in the Charter School movement. Much like the Montessori movement, whose aim is to nurture the development of the whole child, the Charter School movement aims to bring high-quality educational offerings to diverse groups of children throughout the country in a public school setting.
Before coming to the Grand Valley, Michael resided in Steamboat Springs, where he was the Head of School at Steamboat Montessori. Before that, he was Head of School at Jarrow Montessori in Boulder, Colorado’s first Montessori school. Michael holds a Primary Montessori teaching degree from MECR, as well as a Master’s in Education and a BA in Psychology from Naropa University. Michael has been working in the field of holistic and alternative education for 40 years.
Michael enjoys being part of the Grand Valley community and exploring all the beauty and splendor of the surrounding region with his wife, Joan.
Office Manager
kelsey lindner (K.lindner@mvmcharter.org)
Kelsey was born and raised in Southern California and spent her early years in Montessori and Waldorf inspired schools. She attended the University of Wyoming where she received a BA in Humanities and Fine Arts and played on the women’s soccer team. She moved to Fruita in 2012 and spent a few years working in local restaurants until going back to school and receiving a BS degree in Environmental Science from Colorado Mesa University.
In 2017 she and her partner moved back to Southern California where she spent two years working for a research center at the University of California San Diego. Her twin boys were born in 2019, and they moved back to Colorado in 2020. Kelsey has spent the last three and a half years working for the US Department of Agriculture, and she is very excited to now join the MVM team, as her boys have been students here since 2022.
In her free time, Kelsey enjoys camping and mountain biking with her family, playing soccer, and woodworking.
Lower Elementary Classroom
Lead Teacher
Jenny brey
Jenny is unbelievably excited to be back at Monument View! She taught Kindergarten here from 2019-2022, then left for a short time to pursue other teaching opportunities. Montessori education is her passion, and she is happy to rejoin the wonderful community at MVM.
Originally from Kentucky, Jenny has lived in Colorado since 2003, when she moved here to work as an Interpretive Ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park. Jenny holds a BS degree in Recreation and Park Administration from Eastern Kentucky University; she worked in Steamboat Lake State Park for several years as a Naturalist Ranger, then went back to graduate school at University of Northern Colorado to become a licensed elementary teacher. She has taught preschool, kindergarten, and first grade reading intervention and special education. After moving around quite a bit, she and her husband and two boys settled in the Grand Valley in 2019. They love the small town feel of Fruita and Grand Junction, and they love spending their free time exploring the abundance of public lands that surround us.
Assistant Teacher
Samantha ott
Samantha feels privileged by the opportunity to join the MVMCS staff as the Elementary Assistant, as well as excited to work with the MVMCS team, students, and family.
Before MVMCS, Samantha has perused her passion and training in ceramic arts, as well as led a variety of art workshops. She completed her BA at Metro State University with a BFA in Fine Arts.
Although the Montessori philosophy and methods are new to Samantha, she holds a receptive mind and is passionate about positively supporting students while giving them the knowledge and abilities they need to support themselves.
Assistant Teacher
heather mixon
Heather Mixon is so excited to be here this year, looking forward to great things. She has worked in the school district for eleven years as a Kindergarten Para and also as a Sped Para at Scenic Elementary and Appleton Elementary. She is excited for this school year, and excited to get to know everyone.
Heather was born and raised here in Colorado, and grew up in a little place called Paradox, Colorado. She moved to Texas for about four years, which is where her husband is from. She then decided to move back to the mountains. She has three grown children, two boys and one daughter, and have four grandbabies. Heather and her husband enjoy camping, and go as often as they can. They love spending time outdoors and seeing their grandbabies.
Primary Classroom
Lead Teachers
Ashlie Samson
Ashlie is a graduate of CMU with an AA degree in Early Childhood Education. In her third year at Monument View Montessori, Ashlie is continuing her education, pursuing an Early Childhood Special Education endorsement as well as continuing Montessori studies. She also holds a BS degree in Outdoor Studies and Recreation from Southeastern Louisiana State University.
When Ashlie is not at work, you can find her enjoying dinners with her partner Kevin, skiing in the winter, and taking walks with her two fur babies. She also enjoys every moment she can spend with her three children, who all reside on the east coast.
Assistant Teacher
Sara O’Campo
Sara is joining us this year as our Assistant Teacher in Lower Primary.
She has known Ashlie since she was 13 years old, and she is equally passionate about providing supportive, nurturing care for children. She has years of experience in preschool programs here in the Grand Valley and has been teaching toddlers and preschoolers since 2018. She is originally from Wisconsin where she attended Southwest Tech for Early Childhood education. She has earned extensive credit hours in Early Childhood classes and is committed to continuing her education and learning every day.
When Sara isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children (3 and 9 y/o), traveling, and attending her children’s sporting events.
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