Staff
Bios
 Joseph
Alex, Directors:
BA in American Studies from Colby College, Waterville, ME in 1975: M.B.A. from Husson College, Bangor, ME in 1985; CAS in Educational Administration, University of Maine, Orono, ME in 1989. Joe retired as a USAF Major and commander of 101st Services Flight and former KC-135 navigator from the Maine Air National Guard. He is Treasurer of the Maine Montessori Association and is an Educational Consultant. He and his wife, Joanne, founded the Stillwater Montessori School in 1983. Joe enjoys all sports, especially basketball, raquetball and gardening. He is a high school soccer and swimming official. He and Joanne live in Old Town and have three children; Jessica, Joel, and Julianna.
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|  Joanne
DeFilipp Alex, Education Director and Head Teacher:
1998 Maine Teacher of the Year. Master of Education (Environmental Science Education) from the University of Maine, Orono, May 2001. BA in Art (Cum Laude) from Colby College, Waterville, ME, May 1976. Maine State Certified Teacher (K-8); Montessori Degree from St. Nicholas, in 1979; American Montessori Society certified in 1982. Joanne is on the Early Childhood Education Advisory member for Eastern Maine Community College (Eary Childhood Program). Joanne has taught in Montessori Schools for over 30 years and as a Kindergarten teacher in public school for 1 year. Joanne is an American Montessori Society Intern Supervisor, and has presented numerous workshops and conferences at the local, state and national levels, including the American Montessori Society's 20th Annual Touring Symposia in 2005 and 2006 at various locations nationwide. She also has student teachers and practicum students from The College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine, as well as from The Early Childhood Program, Eastern Maine Community College. Joanne and her husband, Joe founded Stillwater Montessori School in 1983. Joanne serves as Teacher Education Boartd Member for the Maine Montessori Association. She is a teacher member of the American Montessori Society. Joanne is a trained facilitator for STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) and has taught Parenting Courses. She is also a facilitator and workshop presenter for Project Wild ( PW) and Project Learning Tree (PLT). She presently serves on the National Early Childhood Advisory Committeee for Project Learning Tree. For the new early childhood guides for PLT and PW, both just published in 2009, Joanne field tested activities . In 1993, Joanne attended the National Geographic Society's Geography Summer Institute and in 1999 the NGS Alliance Leadership Academy both in Washington, D.C. For Maine Geographic Alliance (MGA), Joanne serves as a Teacher Consultant for both MGA and National Geographic society ( NGS). She presently is Maine's Public Engagement coordinator for the National Geographic Society - led Campaign, My Wonderful World.org since 2006. For the last 3 years Joanne has written articles for the Bangor Daily's Newspapers in Education ExtraExtra Page highlighting geography topics. Joanne was Institute Director for the MGA Summer Geography Institute 2000 and Advance Geography Institute 2001. In 2003, Joanne was the Maine state coordinator for the National Geographic Society's Habitat-Home Sweet Home Project. She is on the Steering Committee for MGA. She worked on the Acadian Series Project in the Bangor Daily News,Spring 2001. She has received the 1994 National Outstanding Environmental Educator of the Year Award from the American Tree Foundation, the 1995 Maine Audobon Society's Teacher of the Year Award from the Maine Association for Child Care for Outstanding Contributions for Quality Child-Care in Maine and a state finialist for the 2002 and 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Education. The fall of 2002 Joanne wrote a book entitled, "I Wonder What's Up There?" on cosmic education for young children. Joanne and her family have been active in Children's International Summer Village. She has been a leader for a village delegation to New Zealand January 2000 and Norway July 2004 and an interchange delegation to British Columbia in 1992 . And most recently was Director of CISV- USA's first International Youth Meeting in the spring of 2009. She also has severd as the Mosaic Chair and run a Passport to the world Summer camp since 2005. She has also serverd as Junior Branch Advisor. In 2005 she and her husband Joe were awarded the Rudie Memmel Chapter Volunteer Ward for CISV-USA. One of her passions is environmental education and she has runan afterschool environmental club since 2001. This year she is teaching the Early childhood Science methods course at UMAINE and having them work with the environmental club as part of the course. Joanne enjoys walking, biking, wildflowers, researching resources, wildlife, hiking, reading and art. and creating units for her classroom. She lives in Old Town with her husband Joe and has three children, Jessica, Joel and Julianna. Additional family members include two cats. |
 Albert J. Duplessis, Lower Elementary (6-9) Teacher:
B.A. in Education from the University of Maine, Orono,ME in 1989; BS from Husson, Bangor, ME in 1980; Maine State Certified Teacher (K-8); Elementary 6-9 Montessori Certificate from Center for Montessori Teacher Training, an American Montessori Society program in New Rochelle, New York in 1991. Al was born and raised in Old Town, Maine. He is a retired Naval Reservist (SCPO ) and presently a Softball Umpire. He has taught at Stillwater Montessori School for 19 years. His other interests include computers, fishing, racquetball, photography, golf, and tennis. Al lives in Old Town with his wife Laura and has four children; Mark, Scott, Luke, and Rachel and 3 grandchildren, Joie Katerine, Carmen Theresa and Josef James.
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 Lola Ellis, Upper Elementary / Middle School Teacher:
Lola was hired last January as an assistant teacher at Stillwater Montessori School in both the lower and upper elementary classrooms. In the 1990's she worked as a teacher's assistant at a Montessori school in Rhode Island. She has also taught English at the high school and university level at the Calverton School and the University of Rhode Island, respectively. Lola received a B.A. from Bowdoin College and an M.A. from the University of Rhode Island, both in English. Lola is a Maine state certified teacher. She lives in Orono with her husband, daughter and son Tucker who is currently a student at Stillwater Montessori School.
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 Linda Hall, Full Time Teacher Assistant with Administrative Duties:
Before joining Stillwater Montessori School in May 2000, Linda was Director of Children's Circle Day Care in Bangor. She has worked in child care since 1982 including Penquis C.A.P. and Headstart in Bangor, ME and York County C.A.P. in Biddeford, ME. Linda received her CDA in Early Childhood Education in 1994. Linda is experienced in all aspects of administration and enjoys working with children. Her interest include children, reading, crafts, cribbage, and the ocean.. Linda has one grown son Daniel and grandson. Linda lives in Hermon with her husband, Norman.
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 Alice Tackett, Assistant Teacher:
Alice grew up in Philadelphia, PA and attended temple University. She graduated in May 2012 with a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. As a child, Alice spent her summers in Hope, Maine attending Camp Bishopswood. She progressed from camper to counselor and has spent 7 summers working in the Performing Arts at Camp. Alice enjoys hiking, spending time with friends and family, dogs, music and board games (especially Cranium!) She's very excited to be living in Orono and working at Stillwater Montessori School.
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 Katie Bears, Assistant Teacher:
B.S. in Elementary Education from University of Maine, Farmington, 2010; Currently finishing her Ms. Ed in Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction at the University of Maine, Orono; Maine State Certified Teacher (K-8). Katie has an interest in organic gardening and recently completed the Master Gardening program with the University of Maine extension program, she puts her new passion to work by providing an experiential learning program in the CISV Community Garden for a group from the Orono After school Program, where they play and learn about gardening, healthy foods, garden vegetables and plants, seasons and the many animals that visit the garden throughout the year. She spent many of her Bangor years swimming, at the YMCA and with Bangor High School, which lead to a lengthy career of life guarding and teaching swim lessons throughout her time at Farmington and Camp Beech Cliff on Mount Desert Island. She continues her work at Camp Beech Cliff as a camp coordinator and could imagine no place better to spend her summers than Echo Lake, surrounded by Acadia National Park and all the beauty that coastal Maine summers bring. Katie lives in Bangor.
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 Kate Noonan, Assistant Teacher / Montessori Intern:
Kate was born in Vietnam but grew up in Old Town, Maine. She attended the University of Maine and has her degree in social work. While in college, she traveled abroad to Denmark and did an internship with Global Work with Immigrant Kids (GWIK). She also interned at Adoptive and Foster families of Maine. Kate has taught swim lessons, worked at a children's summer camp, worked as a behavioral health professional, and a nanny. She enjoys sports, traveling, reading and being with friends and family. Kate worked this last year as a substitute teacher. Kate is currently getting her Elementary Montessori Training and is interning under Al Duplessis. Kate is very excited to be joining the Stillwater Montessori staff!
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Special Instructors
 Cyd Dyjak and Ann Ross teach Creative Movement and Dance for all programs. They have been with Stillwater Montessori School for over 19 years. Both Ann and Cyd are professional dancers and teach Modern Dance at their studio, Danspace, in Old Town . Ann, with an MA in Dance, teaches at the University of Maine . Cyd, with an MA in Physical Education, owns and operates the Absolute Soccer store in Old Town . He is also the Orono varsity girls’ soccer coach. They live in Orono with their daughter Analies.
 Dan Barrett, Music Instructor
Dan Barrett teaches low brass instruments, music theory, and chamber music at the University of Maine, and also music classes at the Stillwater Montessori School. He enjoys performing as a trombone soloist throughout the country, and with his jazz quintet, which can be heard at venues in the Bangor area. He also leads the Maine Trombone Collective, a large group of professional and student trombonists that perform throughout the state. His career has included performances with the Utah Symphony, the Bangor Symphony, the Boston Brass and many other ensembles, as well as solo performances with the Carson City Symphony, the University of Maine Symphonic Band, the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra, the Utah Premiere Brass Band, and as a guest artist at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington D.C. He has also played with great jazz musicians including Bob Mintzer, Conrad Herwig, John Fedchock, Ingrid Jensen, Phil Markowitz, and Byron Stripling. He was a national finalist in the Music Teachers National Association Brass Solo and Chamber Music competitions.
Dan attended the University of Nevada, Reno and Brigham Young University, where he received Bachelors and Masters Degrees in trombone performance. He received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University where his doctoral research focused on the music of Daniel Schnyder. When not involved in music, he is usually playing ball, wandering in the woods, or sledding with his sons, Cole, Andrew, and Grant, and his wife, Ann.
 Valerie Wallace, Art Instructor
Valerie is a native of Orono and holds a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design where she majored in Illustration. She attended Colorado State Univ. in Fort Collins for her freshman year, where she competed for the varsity swim team. She has been teaching art for 6 years in various capacities. Most recently, she substituted for the Orono HS art teacher for the spring semester. She has also taught Intro to Studio Art at the Univ. College of Bangor as a substitute. In addition, she taught painting at the Suzanne Smith Elementary in Levant. Primarily, she has been teaching lessons out of her studio to students from 4 to 70. She finds success teaching the same way that she learned at RISD regardless of age. Students work from life or photographs as much as possible to learn the fundamentals of drawing and painting. At the same time, it is important to never lose sight of the joy of self- expression. Valerie is also a working artist who specializes in painting, photography, and papier machet. Most notably, she is responsible for the murals, puppet theater, and Little Red Ridinghood sculpture at the Orono Public Library. She has done volunteer teaching at Asa Adams Elementary and for the Abnaki Girl Scouts, donated artworks for fundraisers, and has coached little league softball and for the Canoe City Swim Club. She has also been the Artistic Director for the OPL Pixie Promenade for 4 years. Valerie lives in Orono with her husband Tim and their 4 children Calvin, Daphne, and twins Veronica and Ruby. She enjoys following her kids in their athletics and other activities, walking her dogs and being in her hometown.
 Shellie Batuski, Spanish Instructor, Shellie grew up in Baltimore and graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a French major and Spanish minor. During those years, she deepened her knowledge of foreign languages by living and learning in Spain, France, Mexico and Israel. She went on to the University of Maryland Law School and was a practicing attorney for many years. A few years ago, she retired from law practice and returned to her love of languages. She now teaches Spanish, French and Hebrew to children and adults through classes and private tutoring. Shellie is married to David Batuski and lives in Orono. Their daughters Lisa and Aimee attended Stillwater Montessori's Primary and Elementary Programs.
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