Our dedicated and experienced staff are committed to the growth and development of children, families, and Montessori. We hold ourselves to the highest professional standard. We are the teachers, administrators, and scientists of Violeta Montessori School.

Nuestro dedicado y experimentado personal está comprometido con el crecimiento y desarrollo de niños, familias y Montessori. Nos mantenemos al más alto nivel profesional. Somos los maestros, administradores y científicos de la Escuela Violeta Montessori.

"We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself, this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit."

- Dr. Montessori

Our Staff

Rudy Rodriguez-Roman

Rudy is a passionate Montessori educator. She is a native Spanish speaker from Venezuela. Through her passion for equity and accessibility to high-quality early education for all children, she discovered and fell in love with Montessori education. Starting in Violeta during the spring of 2018, Rudy then pursued her AMS Primary Montessori training. She is serving as the Spanish Speaking Interim Head of School. Rudy loves traveling, walking on the beach, dancing and cooking.

Mardie Hinkley

Mardie is an accomplished Montessori educator with over 20 years of daily, hands-on learning with children ages 2.9-6 years. She co-founded Violeta in 2015 and continues to serve as the Director and English speaking Head of School. Mardie first discovered Montessori while volunteering on the Oglala Lakota Native American Reservation in South Dakota and came to recognize the potential Montessori holds for effective desegregation and for closing the achievement gap. She gained her Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Primary diploma from the Montessori Education Training Center of Arizona (now the Southwest Institute for Montessori Studies). She holds a B.A. in History, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Post Master’s Certificate in Early Education Research, Policy and Practice from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is EEC Director 2 and Lead Teacher Certified. Mardie’s passion is working directly with children and their families, and her investment in individualized learning forms lasting bonds, giving each child the confidence and tools necessary for lifelong learning. She is also a lecturer, trainer, and mentor of new AMI teachers and volunteers with a variety of local charities focused on children, improving parks and serving the homeless.