Primary
Amanda Elliott
Head Montessori Teacher (Primary)
Ms. Amanda Elliott has known since early childhood that she wanted to be a teacher. While other children were dreaming of being a ballerina or an astronaut, she was dreaming of having her own classroom. Amanda has been working with children in different capacities for over fifteen years and graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Eight years later she was introduced to the Montessori Method which opened her eyes to all of the possibilities for children. Amanda attended the Montessori Institute of San Diego and Loyola University of Maryland to earn her Montessori Certificate and Masters of Education with an emphasis in Montessori respectively. She believes strongly in the Montessori Method and looks forward to growing as a guide in the Montessori environment.
Yessenia Ramirez
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Yessenia Ramírez was born and raised in California. She is currently attending Orange Coast College to pursue her education in early childhood. Working with children has been a passion of hers growing up around other children and being a role model. She plans to transfer to a four-year college to further her education in early childhood. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Ruth Stephens
Head Montessori Teacher (Primary)
Ms. Stephens, born in Erith, Kent, England, came to the U.S. in 1980. She received her A.A. in Early Childhood Education from State University of New York, Farmingdale, and her B.S. in Education from C.W. Post, Long Island University, New York. After four years in New York, Ms. Stephens moved to Southern California. She continued her education and earned her AMI Diploma from The Montessori Institute of Los Angeles in 1986.
Ms. Stephens brings to her teaching a wealth of enthusiasm, experience and talent. She is deeply committed to the Montessori method and continues to attend seminars, refresher courses, and lectures to deepen her understanding and appreciation of Maria Montessori’s approach to education. She has long been an active equestrian, and has a great interest in travel, the arts and nature. Since 1986 Ms. Stephens has been a teacher right here in Orange County, and has been a Head Primary Teacher at LePort Montessori since 2009.
Ms. Stephens brings to her teaching a wealth of enthusiasm, experience and talent. She is deeply committed to the Montessori method and continues to attend seminars, refresher courses, and lectures to deepen her understanding and appreciation of Maria Montessori’s approach to education. She has long been an active equestrian, and has a great interest in travel, the arts and nature. Since 1986 Ms. Stephens has been a teacher right here in Orange County, and has been a Head Primary Teacher at LePort Montessori since 2009.
Melanie Zea
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Melanie was born and raised in California and has her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education, as well as her Associates Degree in Psychology from Santiago Canyon College. She is continuing her education to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Spanish. Ms. Melanie has been an Early Childhood Educator since 2019 and found the passion for teaching primary aged students when she began volunteering at her local elementary school during high school. In addition to having a passion for teaching the future generations, Ms. Melanie also has a passion for business. She currently owns her own small business and dreams to expand it in the near future. She loves continuing her studies and her education by finding opportunities to travel, learn, and grow. In her free time, Ms. Melanie loves going to the beach, going on boat rides, going to amusement parks, and most importantly spending time with her family.
Anoma Panditha
Head Montessori Teacher (Primary)
Ms. Anoma Panditha was born and raised in Sri Lanka and moved to the United States with her family in 2005. She was interested in Montessori education after caring for her two children. Before her Montessori teaching, she worked in the accounting field in Sri Lanka. She attended Irvine Valley College and Monarch Bay Montessori Academy. Ms. Panditha has been teaching Montessori since 2016 and enjoys watching the children grow in a normalized prepared environment. Outside of work, she loves hiking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and two children.
Carol Hasbun
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Carol Hasbun was born in Guatemala, Central America and moved to the United States in 1996. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in Guatemala and decided to continue her education in Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California to earn her early childhood development units. Ms. Carol loves learning and earning as many early childhood development units as she can while also receiving multiple Associate Degrees, including a degree in World Languages. Her love and passion for teaching young children began while raising her son and daughter. In her free time, Ms. Carol enjoys traveling, spending time with her husband, her two children, and her four conure birds and one budgie. She also loves trying new foods and can be found at Disneyland or Universal Studios on her days off.