Prioritizing nature in early childhood education.
About Seeds of Wonder
Seeds of Wonder is a nature-based Montessori preschool in Kittery, Maine that serves children ages 18 months to 5 years in half and full-day programs. Unlike many specialized preschools, Seeds of Wonder is open 12 months a year.
Bringing together two trusted and well-established organizations, White Pine Programs and Brixham Montessori Friends School, Seeds of Wonder emphasizes the missions of each organization while creating a program all its own.
The mission of Seeds of Wonder is to nurture each child’s sense of wonder, curiosity, and kinship with the natural world through a collaborative approach to nature-based Montessori education.
Located at the Kittery Community Center, the program provides an affordable, high-quality nature-based toddler and preschool program based on the philosophies and teaching methods of Maria Montessori and the practices of nature connection. At Seeds of Wonder, teachers and parents work as partners to meet the needs of the whole child.
Our founding organizations
Brixham Montessori Friends School is a Montessori-accredited school serving children ages 2-11, Brixham Montessori Friends School offers a holistic approach to learning where children’s minds, bodies and spirits are nurtured through an enriched Montessori educational program.
White Pine Programs provides transformational nature experiences that forge personal resilience, inspire lifelong commitment to our environment, and connect individuals to community. Programming varies from forest school, to summer camp, to in-school environmental education for students and teachers.
Staff Community
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Marissa Cyr
Lead Nature Teacher, Primary
Marissa has over 10 years of experience in nature-based education. After completing her degree in Wildlife and Conservation Biology at UNH in 2017, Marissa felt drawn to community-based education and spent seven years teaching at White Pine Programs.
Play, seasonal naturalist projects, and storytelling are some of her favorite teaching tools. In addition to her work with youth, Marissa has experience leading young adults on back-country expeditions, and has conducted field research on small mammal ecology and the conservation of New Zealand’s endemic frog species.
Marissa is passionate about naturalist studies (specifically birding!), crafting, sewing, canoeing, and her community, and is thrilled to be working to uplift children through nature, play, and outdoor skills.
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Guinevere Hilton
Lead Montessori Teacher, Primary
Guinevere’s relationship with Montessori began when she was a Primary student herself. She remembers her time in the Montessori classroom as a formative experience that inspired her to seek an approach to education that encourages curiosity, independence, and confidence.
Guinevere developed a love of theater and earned a B.F.A. from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and was also a theater professional for many years. She then worked with children and teenagers creating theater and teaching yoga & movement, as well as working in nature based early childhood programs. She is so excited to be part of the Seeds of Wonder community!
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Kenzie Mager
Lead Montessori Teacher, Toddler
Kenzie was the former SoW Lead Toddler Nature Teacher, and is now building her Montessori credentials to truly align with the SoW hybrid program. She has been working with children for over eight years, with two and a half of those being in nature-based Montessori and Reggio inspired schools, as well as at White Pine Programs.
Kenzie is inspired by the children every day as she witnesses the incredible work they do with the guidance and support of the SoW community. She hopes to help the toddlers build confidence in themselves, practice life skills, and lay the foundation for a lifetime love of learning.
When she isn’t at school, Kenzie can be found exploring New England’s hiking trails, working on jigsaw puzzles, and traveling to new places. She hopes to visit all 63 National Parks in her lifetime. (12 down, 51 to go!)
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Samantha Pooler
Lead Support Teacher
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Bekah Tibbetts
Lead Support Teacher
Bekah is the school’s full-time support teacher, greeting Toddlers in the morning, and then spending most of each school day in the Primary classroom. Bekah comes to us from Austin, Texas, where she spent seven years as a Primary Montessori guide at Hyde Park Montessori. She holds her Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Primary certification, earned at Post Oak School in Houston, TX.
Education has always been Rebekah's passion, but Montessori education truly resonates with her. She believes in fostering a learning environment that empowers children to learn through choice and independence. A recent transplant to Maine, Bekah enjoys spending her free time playing cards, swimming, spending quality time with her nieces, and exploring the outdoors with her husband, Matt. She is excited to bring her Montessori knowledge to our growing school and community.
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E. Young
Lead Nature Teacher, Toddler
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Allie Fitzgerald
Montessori Mentor
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Substitutes Teachers
Cate Bridge
Linda Bruce
Bella Deluca
Becky Holt
Katie Peternell
Michelle Zamarippa
Leadership & Support
Alison Bell, Executive Director
Alison is a Seacoast area native, and longtime and well-known member of the local Montessori community. She brings many years of Montessori teaching and administrative experience to her new role at Seeds. Alison served for twenty years at Brixham Montessori Friends School in the roles of Office Manager, Assistant Director, and Business Office Administrator, while serving seven of those years as the Co-Lead Toddler Teacher. Before Brixham, Alison taught for eleven years at the Children’s House Montessori School in Rye, NH.
Alison is a certified Montessori Infant & Toddler Specialist and holds a degree in Nonprofit Leadership. She also created “Montessori Toddlers at Home:” a Parent Support Group. She feels passionate about supporting young families in their first school experience as well as young teachers in their Montessori journey.
Outside of work, Alison enjoys sharing mischief, puttering in the garden, daydreaming about design projects, being in the sunshine, and spending time with the people she loves.
Ashlee Ray, Childcare Operations Manager (COM)
Ashlee is a passionate early childhood educator with a wealth of experience spanning Montessori, Waldorf, and public school settings. With over a decade of hands-on teaching, she has developed a deep appreciation for how diverse educational philosophies can complement one another to create enriching environments where children thrive.
She holds an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Primary certification, earned in 2018 from Greenville Montessori Institute and has spent more than ten years immersed in Montessori education. In addition to her teaching role, she also assisted with the day-to-day operations of her previous school, gaining valuable experience in school administration. She is currently completing her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of Washington.
Ashlee has relocated to southern Maine from the mountains of Idaho, where she cherished outdoor adventures, particularly mountain biking and soaking in hot springs. Drawn by the opportunity to be closer to family and the ocean, she is excited for this new chapter. She is excited to be joining a learning community that blends the joy of play and nature with the academic strengths of Montessori education.
Board of Directors
Heather Campbell, Treasurer
Hannah Clark
Holly Curtis, Secretary
Rachael DiLorenzo, Interim Governance Chair
Barbara Jenny, Chair
Alica Johnson-Grafe
Suzanne King
Advisor
Roanne Robbins
