LePort Montessori

Ms. Krista Bartolome is an experienced educational administrator, passionate Montessorian, and first and foremost–a parent. Driven by her strong desire to see children and adults reach their fullest potential, she takes pride in providing the best education possible to the families under her care.

In her free time, Ms. Krista enjoys walking around town with her husband, two young children, and dog Annie; immersing herself in a mystery novel; window shopping for her plant collection, and indulging in new local eateries (recommendations always welcome!).

Lilian is a dedicated and passionate native Spanish speaker from Argentina. She is an educator with a profound love for the Montessori method. Having worked in multiple Montessori settings in North Carolina, Lilian wholeheartedly embraces the Montessori philosophy, fostering young minds with care and dedication in a supportive environment. With a genuine commitment to guiding students toward a brighter future, she finds immense joy in being surrounded by children and creating an enriching atmosphere that nurtures their love for learning. Outside of the classroom, Ms. Lilian enjoys exploring various cuisines, reading, tending to her plants, engaging in genealogical research, and spending quality time with her family. Through her passion for the Montessori method and dedication to young learners, she enables students to grow and thrive in a caring and empowering setting.

Iumari is originally from Colombia and came to the United States at the age of 12. She is fluent in Spanish, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. She is married and a mother of two college graduates, Ian and Natalie, both of whom attended a Montessori school through eighth grade. When Ian was in Lower Elementary, Iumari taught Spanish lessons in his class and fell in love with the Montessori Method. By the end of his second grade year, she pursued her own Montessori journey and has never been happier. Iumari has taught at both the Lower and Upper Elementary levels, and has many years of experience as a lead teacher. She enjoys a variety of hobbies, including cooking, painting, reading, biking, hiking, making ceramics, and taking weekly trips to the beach.

Lian Chen immigrated from China, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree and was an economic lawyer for over 10 years. She has been working in a Montessori school since 2021 and is currently pursuing her Montessori Assistant to Infancy training. Lian loves working with children and, in her free time, enjoys exercising, hiking, and spending time at the beach with her family. She’s excited to be part of the LePort community.

Robin was born in New York, but spent the first few years of her life in Europe, where she attended a Montessori School in Amsterdam. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher. In 1996, after graduating from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in Art History, Robin fell in love with Montessori’s educational philosophy. Her first teaching job was in a program that aimed to mainstream deaf and hard of hearing students, so she acquired skills in sign language. She spent three years teaching lower elementary, three years teaching upper elementary, and then discovered her true passion was in working with middle schoolers, teaching all subjects. Robin has really enjoyed working with adolescents since the early 2000s, and one of her favorite things is for students to visit after high school and beyond and share their successes with her. In 2012, Robin appeared on Jeopardy! in the Teacher’s Tournament, and she is always looking for fun new experiences like that one. She spent a summer in the cloud forest of Ecuador, teaching English to the residents of a small village. In her free time, she is an avid reader who loves to travel, cook, and volunteer.

Mrs. Pilar Costello was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She earned her B.S. in Accounting from Ricardo Palma University, and specializations in Management and Finances from ESAN Graduate School of Business. Mrs. Costello worked for over ten years in the business field until she relocated to United States.

Mrs. Costello became interested in the Education field and the Montessori philosophy through a friend who is a Montessori teacher. She earned her Early Childhood Education credits from Saddleback College and joined LePort in 2014. She completed her AMI Montessori Diploma at the Montessori Institute of San Diego in 2019. In her free time, Mrs. Costello enjoys spending time with her husband and her dog.

Ms. Fatima developed an interest in becoming a Montessori teacher while she was in elementary school. In 2004, she received her Casa dei Bambini Montessori Diploma from Montessori Teachers Training Centre in Pakistan. After moving to California, she worked as an assistant preschool teacher in a private faith-based school in Los Angeles for 7 years. During that time, she also earned her Associate of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education from Santa Monica College. Since moving to Orange County in 2018, Fatima has worked at Montessori schools in various roles. Her interests include baking, learning new skills, and attending arts and craft classes. She also loves to travel and spend time with family and friends.

Ms. Inoka is a certified Montessori teacher with several years of full-time experience in Montessori programs. She has a love for children and a commitment to their continuing, holistic development. Ms. Inoka was inspired to become an educator when she discovered the beauty of Montessori philosophy. Ms. Inoka successfully completed her diploma in Montessori in 2011. She has taught in many Montessori settings, finding success in organizing and maintaining prepared environments for young children. Ms. Inoka strives to create an environment to help children become independent and guide them to be peaceful leaders in their communities. Ms. Inoka loves spending time with family and friends. She loves traveling around the world with them. In her leisure time, Ms. Inoka enjoys painting and crafting.

Karyn holds a Master of Arts degree in German from the University of Oregon, and has over 15 years of experience teaching in English as a Second Language and early childhood classrooms. She also served as Head of School at Montessori preschools in the Atlanta and Portland metropolitan areas for over a decade.

Karyn became intrigued by the Montessori method during her undergraduate studies in education. She maintains a deep interest for this unique approach due to its profound respect for each child’s individuality, careful nurturing of each child’s curiosity, and on-going encouragement allowing each child to reach his/her greatest potential. She joined LePort in 2014, and is thrilled to be taking part in the invaluable work being done to guide children’s learning and development from infancy all the way through middle school.

In her free time, Karyn enjoys spending time with family, movies, music, cooking, and exploring the gorgeous natural surroundings in Orange County.

Lauren Goldenberg was born and raised in Orange County. She attended a local Montessori school from 18 months through middle school, where she studied under Robin Cheney. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art & Design from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master of Fine Arts from UC Irvine. Ms. Lauren is a nationally-exhibited artist, showing work in galleries across Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Tennessee. Her work has been reviewed in the Los Angeles Times and Hyperallergic Magazine. She is an experienced educator, who previously worked with elementary and high school students.

Ms. Lauren found her passion teaching the fundamentals of drawing and painting at the undergraduate level at various universities, where her teaching philosophy was heavily influenced by Montessori pedagogy. She is excited to join the LePort Montessori team and to have the opportunity to work with Montessori students in a way that feels like a “full circle moment” in her career. In her free time, Ms. Lauren makes paintings in her private Los Angeles art studio, enjoys cooking, and goes to the beach with her partner and dog, Murphy.

Mrs. Greaux was first introduced to Maria Montessori’s method in college while assisting an AMI teacher in a lower elementary classroom. Throughout her college career, Mrs. Greaux continued to work as an assistant at both the primary and elementary levels. Inspired and curious she then became motivated to pursue her certification. Mrs. Greaux received her AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Education Center of Arizona in 1999. She also holds a B.S. in Speech and Language Pathology from Arizona State University.

Mrs. Greaux possesses a deep admiration and appreciation for the Montessori Method, believing that it is very fulfilling to help children develop, acquire knowledge, and build character.

Ms. Emma earned her B.A. in Marketing from the University of Thailand, and received her primary diploma from MISD. She has worked with children from 3 to 6 years old for over a decade. Ms. Emma has traveled abroad throughout the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and volunteered at the United Nations Organization. She enjoys learning about different cultures and has studied many languages including French, Japanese, Turkish and Arabic, in addition to her native Farsi. Ms. Emma has a son and husband that make her life colorful, and she enjoys skydiving, biking, skiing and writing in her free time.