Mrs. Asghar has been working in Montessori classrooms in some capacity since 1989. She was immediately drawn to Maria Montessori’s ideas after she first observed a Montessori environment-she was amazed at the level of concentration and independent work displayed by the children. Mrs Asghar quickly came to appreciate the uniqueness of the Montessori Method, and to believe deeply in the difference that it can make in the lives of children. In 1997, Mrs. Asghar received her AMI Diploma in her then hometown of Hyderabad, India. After moving to the United States, she taught for two years in a Montessori school in College Station, Texas. She then moved to California in 2000 to join LePort’s Huntington Beach campus team as a Head Primary Teacher. In 2008, Mrs. Asghar was promoted to the position of Montessori liaison. While continuing to teach a full class, in her new capacity she also took on the role of offering teachers both administrative and academic support. Over time, her quiet leadership and genuine dedication to students and staff earned her the deep respect of teachers, parents and management. In 2010, Mrs. Asghar was offered, and heartfully accepted, the position of Head of School at LePort School Huntington Harbor. As the Head of School, Mrs. Asghar oversees all operations, and ensures that each student at the school receives the highest quality Montessori education. In her spare time, Mrs. Asghar enjoys playing basketball and tennis with her family, cooking, sewing, and decorating.

Ms. Ana is an educational entrepreneur, homeschooling parent, and lifelong learner. Her experience working with children dates back to her teenage years when she took an opportunity to assist in a home daycare. From that moment, she was inspired to guide young children--particularly toddlers. Her determination for understanding their psychology and behavior led her to fill positions such as Director of Curriculum, Assistant Director, Montessori Specialist, "Parent and Child" Instructor, and Head Teacher in various educational settings. Ana has experience coaching teachers at schools on the east and west coast. She has served as an advisor and guest lecturer for training centers and schools in China and the Philippines, furthering the impact of Montessori education worldwide. Ana received a Montessori Assistants to Infancy Diploma from the Montessori Institute of San Diego. She is an alumna at the University of Hartford and is currently in the midst of Primary training at the Montessori Training Center of Northeast.

When she's not immersed in Montessori, Ana enjoys spending time with her family, exploring nature, and creating art. Ms. Ana believes education happens at every moment and in many forms. She is honored to support LePort's Montessori team as they aim to provide quality education for children across the nation.

When Ms. Ana meets a new student, she frequently recalls a quote by Dr. Maria Montessori: “It is the child who makes the man, and no man exists who was not made by the child he once was.”

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!).

Ms. Ayanthi Ratnayake was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her first experience with Montessori came as a child. She attended the same school where her mother taught primary children. She remembers some of her favorite Montessori materials from childhood: the color boxes and dressing frames. In hindsight, she believes that her experience as a Montessori child has led her to be more flexible in thought and more accepting of others.

Ms. Ayanthi completed her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and worked at a Montessori school and a traditional preschool ever since graduating. She completed her Association Montessori International Diploma at the Montessori Institute of San Diego. In conjunction with her diploma, she earned a Master's Degree in Education with a specialization in Montessori from Loyola University Maryland. Ms. Ayanthi feels strongly that the Montessori approach provides a holistic approach towards learning. She loves that each day of working with young children brings new experiences and growth over time. She enjoys working with the staff to strive for academic rigor with their students.

Outside of teaching, Ms. Ayanthi enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures, trying new restaurants, listening to music, shopping, and last but not least, spending time with family and friends.

Ms. Christine loves education and helping children become successful independent selves. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside and her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Sports and Health Psychology from Adler University in Illinois. Having worked with children and adolescents in clinical settings, after school programs, summer camps, and private tutoring, Ms. Christine stumbled upon the Montessori Method in 2018 at the LePort Montessori Irvine Mandarin Campus. Since then, Ms. Christine has taught and observed at LePort's Irvine Mandarin, Woodbridge, and Westpark campuses. Ms. Christine is excited to return to the beautiful campus of Woodbridge as Head of School.

In her free time, Ms. Christine enjoys staying in with her husband and their two cats, Luna and Artemis. She can also be found at Disneyland catching Pokemon and eating dole whips.

Stephanie McReynolds has served the greater Montessori community for over 30 years. After receiving her training through NCME/AMS under the mentoring of Maria Montessori colleague Hans Tidoni, Mrs. McReynolds began her career as a preschool teacher in La Canada-Flintridge, California. She founded her own Montessori school two years later with an enrollment of 59 students. The school experienced phenomenal growth, expanding to over 285 children and a faculty of 30, serving preschool, kindergarten, and elementary students grades 1-6. The school was commonly utilized by local college students as a model Montessori environment for visiting as they completed their early childhood courses.

A popular speaker, Mrs. McReynolds has addressed parent groups, school forums, and college classes as an effective ambassador for the Montessori Method. Always community-minded, Stephanie helped establish and implement the Propel program for at-risk teens through the STARS program, for which she received the Impact Award. She served as President of her local Little League Baseball
program for 10 years and received the Distinguished Teacher Award from U.S.C. Verdugo Hills Hospital. Her alma mater, Crescenta Valley High School, awards a scholarship in her name annually in recognition of her local accomplishments.

Stephanie holds an Associate of Science degree in Early Childhood Education with honors from Glendale Community College, and an Associate of Science - Child Development Teacher degree with honors from Glendale Community College. She graduated summa cum laude from California State University at East Bay with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development/Child Development Concentration
and will soon receive her Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from the same university. When not immersing herself in everything Montessori, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband Chris, her five children, and seven wonderful grandchildren.

Ms. Lisa graduated from California State University, Long Beach in 2013 with her Bachelors in Child Development and Family Studies. In 2016, she went on to complete her Assistants to Infancy training at The Montessori Institute in Denver, Colorado and her Masters of Education in Montessori Education in 2018 from Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Ms. Lisa began her LePort Montessori journey as an Assistant Teacher in 2013 at our Westpark campus, shortly after graduating from California State University, Long Beach. She went on to open her own classroom in 2014 at our Fountain Valley campus before transferring to our Spectrum South campus in 2018.

Over the years, Ms. Lisa has worked collaboratively with parents and her colleagues to create an optimal learning environment for young children both at school and at home. She views bridging the gap between home and school as a pivotal step in a child's growth and enjoys parent education just as much as guiding young children.

In her free time, Ms. Lisa enjoys spending time with her two young children and husband, going to the beach, and working out.

Ms. Jackie Chang was born in Taiwan and raised in Taiwan and South Africa. She is fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese and English. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. In addition, she has always enjoyed experiencing and learning new things and therefore also studied music, business and theater production during her college years.
Ms. Chang’s early childhood education experience started in 2007 with a group of elementary children in an English learning center in Taiwan. Since then, she continued working with children ages 1.5 to 13 in various school settings, including Montessori schools, bilingual schools, English and Mandarin immersion schools, public schools, play-based schools and language learning centers.
Through her many years working in different school settings, she found her true passion in Montessori education. She observed how children enjoyed working in Montessori classrooms and is still fascinated about how children progress within a Montessori environment. Ms. Chang received both her Association Montessori Internationale Primary certificate and Elementary certificate at the Montessori Institute of San Diego.
After teaching for 13 years, she stepped into educational leadership roles, focusing on teacher and parent coaching, program development and school administration. Outside of work, she enjoys baking, playing instruments and spending time with her loved ones and her cats- Lala and Picasso.