Meet Us

Piper Garcia

Administrative Director

Administration

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“The education of children does not aim at preparing them for school, but for life.”

- Dr. Maria Montessori

Zara Araboff

Principal

Josie Perez

Administrative Assistant

Ms. Josie Perez is from Brownsville, Texas. She has been with Montessori Moments for the past eleven years. She has worked as teacher assistant in all classes, including toddler, primary and elementary. She has also worked as afternoon coordinator and is currently the administrative assistant. She is married to her high school sweetheart and has three children. She enjoys fishing and traveling.

Patricia Guerra

Lead Teacher

Ms. Patricia Guerra lived in Mexico until age of twelve and then moved to Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor in Economics and a minor in Spanish. After moving to Houston and starting a family, she received the Texas Educator Certification as a Bilingual teacher. Ms. Guerra completed the coursework for the lower elementary Montessori Certification at the Houston Montessori Center and is excited to be a part of the Montessori Moments family. She enjoys spending time with her husband and her two children who are currently attending Montessori Moments.

Veronica Mata

Lead Teacher

Emilia Pitter

Assistant

Rikki Enriquez

Lead Teacher

Kasie Clifford

Assistant

Ms. Emilia Pitter has worked in the Toddler Community since the fall of 2005. She is a native of Venezuela where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991 from U.P.E.L. After moving to Houston in 1998, she worked in childcare for 3 years before joining the Montessori Moments family. She enjoys watching her son play baseball at Mayde Creek High School and has a daughter attending NYU.

Primary Class (3 years – 6 years)

Brittney Stevenson

Assistant

Ms. Brittney Stevenson began her interest in childcare during high school where she participated in the “Ready, Set, Teach” program. Upon graduating in 2007, she immediately began her career in the childcare field. She joined the Montessori Moments family in March of 2010 and we are excited that she has decided to continue her education at HCC in January 2011 studying education.

Loraine Orta

Lead Teacher

Ms. Loraine Orta has been a Montessori Primary teacher since 1985. She’s a graduate of the Houston Montessori Center and joined the Montessori Moments family in 1995. Loraine has been a great asset both in and out of the classroom due to the fact that she also has her Director’s Certification and had played that role at other Montessori schools. She is the mother of two, Madicella and Jeremy, both Montessori children, and enjoys outdoor activities as well as finding outlet for her creativity.

Clara Payan

Lead Teacher

Cecilia Cuneo

Lead Teacher

Ms. Cecilia Cuneo is a native of Peru. She became interested in Montessori education at the University of Lima while studying accounting and Special Education. After moving to Houston in 1991 and beginning her family, she received her Primary Certification in 2000. She joined the Montessori Moments family in 2010 bring with her 10 years of experience as a Lead Montessori teacher. She enjoys cycling and spending time with her husband and son.

Cora Thompson

Assistant

Elementary Class (6 years - 9 years)

Ms. Zara Araboff was born in Tehran, Iran. Her family moved to Spain in 1980 where she completed her high school education at an international school. Zara moved to Houston in 1982 to attend the University of Houston, and it was there that she was first introduced to the Montessori philosophy while studying Developmental Psychology. In 1993, when her children were five and two, Zara decided to open her own school. With her knowledge of Montessori, she knew it would be the ideal educational setting. For the past 18 years she has lovingly nurtured this school that she started for her own children, striving to provide the best possible environment for all children.

Ms. Piper Garcia was raised in Florida and attended Santa Fe Community College where she received an AA in Pre-Engineering. After moving to Houston in 1991, she met her husband, Alex, and then joined the Montessori Moments family two months later in January of 1994. Piper has two sons, both of whom attended Montessori Moments through the third grade. She enjoys spending time with her family and attending their various sporting events.

Ms. Rikki Enriquez was born and raised in Galveston. She moved to Rosenburg and began working in Montessori education in 2004. She joined the Montessori Moments family in 2007 and completed the course work for the Toddler Certification in 2010. Ms. Rikki still lives in Rosenburg with her two children, Elizabeth and Colin and enjoys movies, music, books and trivia!

Ms. Clara Payan moved to United States from Argentina, where she worked as an English teacher to small children, in 1990. She became interested in Montessori Education after the birth of her first daughter Ines, and received her certification from the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in 1994. She and her husband, Trini, have lived in Houston since 1995 and she became part of the Montessori Moments family that fall. Besides being a Primary teacher at the school, Ms. Clara also teaches our extra-curricular Spanish classes. Both her daughters, Ines, 19, and Clarita, 11, are graduates of our Elementary program, and her 5 year old twins, Elena and Lucas, are currently in the Primary program. Clara enjoys spending time with her family at the beach and snow skiing.

Ms. Cora Thompson was born in Luling, Texas and moved to Houston with her family in 1999. She began working in childcare in 2003 and joined the Montessori Moments family in 2005. She is currently attending Lone Star College for nursing. Ms. Cora enjoys shopping, working out and watching football!

Kacie started her Montessori Career in 2004 after graduating high school. In 2006, she received her Montessori Toddler Assistant Certification and began working in the Toddler Community. After four years, she became a Primary Assistant Teacher. Kacie came to work at Montessori Moments in January 2011. In her free time she enjoys being in her yard, playing with her dog, and spending time with friends and family.

Tracy Raney

Developmental Gymnastics

Madicella Orta

Assistant

Ms. Madicella Orta is Ms. Loraine’s daughter and has been a part of the Montessori Moments family since her mother joined us in 1995! She officially began working with us in March of 2007 and not surprisingly, went on to complete the course work for the Primary training in 2009. “Madi” is married to Stephen and has a daughter, Lana, who is in the Toddler Community, and an infant son, Landon, who will be enrolling June of 2012!

Vanessa Vasquez

Assistant

Ms. Vanessa Vasquez joined the Montessori Moments family in 2002 after graduating from Parkview Baptist High School. She is a natural in the classroom and we are excited that she is currently pursing Primary Montessori Certification at the North American Montessori Center.

Carol Zmick

Music

Ms. Carol Zmick hails from Pennsylvania, where she earned a degree in music education followed by a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has worked as a permanent substitute in public school elementary music as well as a pre-school music teacher for the last ten years. She has also taught private music lessons throughout her career. Carol has been with Montessori Moments since 2008, is married with two sons and has lived in California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arkansas and Texas.

Enrichment Classes