Natalie Newell

Head of School

Ms. Natalie joined BBCH as the Maple Room lead teacher in January 2020, and was thrilled to move into the Head of School position in June. Ms. Natalie earned her AMI Diploma and MEd. from Loyola College in 2007, and proceeded to work as both a Montessori Primary teacher and Montessori Head of School. When she is not enjoying her time with the BBCH community, Ms. Natalie loves cooking, baking, making Spotify playlists, and exploring the DMV area with her two children.

Gizelle Sartin

Office Manager

Ms. Gizelle joined BBCH in 2019 and has enjoyed learning about Montessori education. She attended George Mason University and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Public Health. Outside of work, she enjoys cheering on the DC sports team with her husband and taking her cute pup to local dog parks.

Megan Didavi

Lead Teacher

Ms. Megan has 20 years experience of teaching the Montessori primary level. She pursued a second Montessori teaching certificate and switched to infant/toddler. She is amazed by how much children can learn and develop, at such a young age, in a Montessori environment. When she is not teaching, she loves to take nature walks, read, listen to music and cook with her teenage sons

Lead Teacher

Ms. Laura joined BBCH in 2019 as an intern teacher of the Maple Room. She completed her Early Childhood MACTE Program in 2020 and will lead Maple Room this coming Fall. When Ms. Laura isn't teaching, she enjoys playing with her toy poodle, outdoor recreation, practicing yoga and dance, and traveling.

Laura Scheele

Sarah Roberts

Lead Teacher

Ms. Sarah joined BBCH in 2019. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas and now lives in Silver Spring, MD. She is a graduate of Barrie School of Institute for Advanced Montessori studies. She is in her tenth year as a Montessori teacher. In her free time, Ms. Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband, their son, and their two cats.

Lead Teacher

Ms. Aliya has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and Montessori-certified. She loves seeing how children can grow through the Montessori method of education. She worked at Franklin Montessori in Maryland for the last 8 years and just joined BBCH this August. Outside of teaching, her hobbies include gardening, interior decorating, and reading

Aliya Khan

Marnobia Alegria

Assistant Teacher

Ms. Marnobia is from Guatemala and has been working at BBCH since 2015. She has 90 hours of Early Childhood Education training. She loves teaching and likes to encourage children to learn. She believes that "when you can teach, you can express yourself"! Outside of work,

Ms. Marnobia likes to read and draw.

Katie Klein

Intern Teacher

Ms. Katie is from Miami, Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from New College of Florida. She loves to teach because she can guide students to develop the same love of learning that she has, and fostering social/emotional growth to help all be happy and healthy. She is currently attending Barrie School of Institute for Advanced Montessori studies.

Iesha Glover

Assistant Teacher

Ms. Iesha grew up in Washington, DC and attended Trinity University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Relations in Child and Family. She loves teaching because it empowers our youth. Ms. Iesha joined the BBCH family in January 2019 as a substitute teacher and now the full time primary assistant floater.

Israa Alhumairi

Assistant Teacher

Ms. Israa joined BBCH in 2019. She has worked in an after school Montessori program of toddlers. Her hometown is Babylon province, Iraq. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. She enjoys teaching kids and the importance of letting them have fun. She also has her own catering business! Outside of work, she likes to cook and spending time with her family.

Juanita Blankumsee

Afternoon Assistant Teacher

Ms. Juanita has been a substitute teacher at BBCH since November 2018 and became a part-time afternoon teacher in January 2020. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Master of Arts in Education: Curriculum and Instruction specialization in ESL. She became a teacher because she wanted a job that could help people feel good about themselves. Her hobbies are music performance and writing music.