Our Staff
Rachael Shaw Marshall, Founding Curriculum Director
With over 19 years of Montessori experience, Rachael brings an extensive knowledge of Montessori pedagogy to our school. Since 2004, she has worked in Montessori classrooms at every age level including five years as an Adolescent Guide teaching Middle and High School at Hershey Montessori. She has also worked as a Primary Guide, Elementary assistant, and a Music and Drama teacher for all levels. Rachael holds AMI Primary and Adolescent Guide certifications as well as both a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education with a Montessori focus, and a Master’s Degree in Theatre. She has worked with the National Montessori Teacher Association to train teachers in Montessori residential pedagogy, and with the Association Montessori Internationale to train Guides working on their Adolescent Guide certification.
MCPM is excited to have Rachael join our team. We are confident that her knowledge and experience will help Mountain City Public Montessori provide a high fidelity Montessori education for our students. Rachel impressed us with her warmth and enthusiasm, her dedication to working with staff and students from all backgrounds, and her exciting ideas for our future Adolescent program. Rachael and her family will be moving to Asheville from Lake Tahoe this summer.
Brittany Wager, Founding Operations and Finance Director
Brittany comes to Mountain City Public Montessori with a breadth of experience in non-profit program management and educational support.
Through her previous work as program coordinator for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, and later as the Southeast regional lead for the National Farm to School Project, Brittany supported schools and families by providing farm to school education and working to increase the number of child nutrition programs purchasing locally grown food for students.
Most recently, Brittany worked as an Occupational Therapy Assistant specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities for Early Learning Partners, where she also served as the Operations Manager.
Brittany has been with MCPM from its very beginning, helping to coordinate the charter application process, and later serving on the founding Board of Directors as Board secretary. We are overjoyed to welcome Brittany into this new role, where we know she will apply her experience, skills, and dedication to provide a warm, stable, and supportive environment for all Mountain City Public Montessori students, staff, and families.