Meet Our Team
Crystal Yoder
Director/ Primary Lead
Crystal is the director of New Beginnings Montessori Crystal has over 19 years of Montessori experience. She began her Montessori career in 2006 while studying at the Institution of Advanced Montessori Studies. She received an Early Childhood Credential in 2010. Crystal is owner/director of New Beginnings & spent many years as lead in the Monarch classroom. Crystal has dreamed of opening a Montessori program for many years. With a team of amazing and dedicated teachers, as well as a supportive school community, New Beginnings Montessori has been a dream come true.
Marsha Thomas
Office Administrator
Marsha works closely with families through enrollment Marsha is the office administrator for New Beginnings. Her past work has included positions in the airline industry, real estate, and in private school admissions. Marsha is bringing years of experience to our school and wonderful ideas for the future of our program. She will work closely with new student enrollments, program planning and family communication. She is very excited to be part of New Beginnings Montessori, and to watch young children grow and develop as they benefit from Montessori education.
Taylor Sale
Primary Lead
Taylor is a Primary lead in the Monarch Classroom Taylor graduated from Bridgewater college with a Liberal Studies Major, concentrating on Child Development. Taylor began her childcare experience through her work at Minnieland and interning at Big Brother's Big Sister's of Harrisonburg. Taylor started her Montessori career as a morning assistant, working along side Crystal at a Montessori school and has worked at New Beginnings for the past four years. Taylor is a certified Montessori guide. She studied at the Virginia Center for Montessori Studies.
Kelsey Burgoyne
Primary Lead
Kelsey is the lead teacher in the Hummingbird classroom Kelsey Burgoyne has been in the Montessori classroom for nearly a decade and completed her AMS Early Childhood Credential through the Virginia Center for Montessori Studies. She has her B.A. in Family and Consumer Sciences and Elementary Education from Bridgewater College and is a certified Positive Discipline Early Childhood Educator. Kelsey is an advocate for inclusivity and supporting diverse learners in the Montessori classroom.
Jan Kirby
Early Morning Lead &
Language Specialist
Jan leads the early morning and focuses on Language enrichment lessons Jan began her Montessori career at Winchester Montessori for seven years. She moved to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum to become director of programming and continued directorship for seventeen years. Jan found her way back to the Montessori classroom in 2015. Jan spends her mornings, at our school, focusing on language lessons; concentrating on reading and writing progression. She brings incredible talent and many years of experience to New Beginnings.
Goga Bundalo
Primary Assistant
Goga is the morning assistant in the Hummingbird Class. Goga began her Montessori career in 2016 as a classroom assistant in a Montessori Toddler program, focusing on the development of infant and toddler aged children. After receiving her Infant/Toddler Teaching certification from the North American Montessori Center, Goga moved into a co-teaching position in a Montessori toddler program. Goga is now expanding her expertise in the primary level of Montessori education, where she serves as a primary assistant in the Hummingbird classroom. It’s been wonderful to see how the Montessori philosophy supports children of all ages!
Beatriz Rodriguez
Spanish Instructor &
Afternoon Lead
Beatriz provides a Spanish curriculum catered to all ages Beatriz began her path of early childhood education long before coming to New Beginnings. Ms. B created a successful in-home preschool program. Beatriz found a job opportunity at a local Montessori school and began her Montessori career in 2015. Beatriz was lead for afternoon care, co-assistant in a primary aged classroom and a morning assistant for a toddler aged class. Beatriz provides a Spanish curriculum catered to all ages that attend New Beginnings. She creates engaging circle time gatherings that our children love; full of songs, stories and Spanish vocabulary games.
Blessing Ogbor
Afternoon Assistant
& Music Director
Ms. Blessing leads our Music Curriculum... Ms. Blessing has a passion for music education. She is a vocalist, performer, teacher and conductor. Before moving from Nigeria to attend JMU to further her music career and receive her Masters in Music, she taught music in a Montessori based school in Nigeria. Ms. Blessing conducted the children's choir, directed music clubs and taught music class to children of all ages. Blessing provides music education to our Toddler and Primary classrooms through songs, interacting musical games and instrument introductions.
Soraya Canuto
Toddler Assistant
Soraya is a morning assistant in the Toddler classroom Soraya Canuto was born in Brazil and moved to Virginia in 2017. Soraya has earned a Psychology degree along with Group Counseling and Art Therapy certifications. She worked in the Psychology field for 15 years. Soraya has professional experience working with a non-profit organization in their after-school program for underprivileged K-5 students in Waynesboro, VA. Soraya is currently working on obtaining an Infant and Toddler Certification from the American Montessori Society. She is a Toddler assistant at New Beginnings.
Riley Hebdon
Toddler Assistant
Riley is an assistant in the toddler program. Riley graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in English. Shortly after graduating, she moved to Harrisonburg with her husband, Josh. In 2020, she decided to pursue her passion and become a teacher. Her path led her to Montessori, and in 2024 she became a certified Montessori primary guide with the American Montessori Society. Riley enjoys cooking, music, arts and crafts of all kinds, and spending time with her husband, two dogs, Dignan and Yuna, and axolotl Alvin.
Heidi Jablonski
Toddler Assistant
Heidi is a morning assistant in the toddler program. Heidi is an artist, mother, dreamer, and teacher. She studied Peacebuilding, Theater, and Gender Studies at Eastern Mennonite University. Prior to becoming a mother, she was a teacher assistant in Early Childhood Special Education in Harrisonburg City Public Schools. She has also been involved in Playback Theater for the last nine years with Inside Out Playback Theatre and more recently as a member of Unu Koro, an international Playback Theatre group that meets and performs virtually. Her love of theater has also led her to be a teaching artist at Back Home on the Farm in collaboration with new theater group, Eunoia. Heidi is often found crafting fantastical stories and going for walks in downtown Harrisonburg with her husband, Caleb, and their daughters, Auri and Evie. She is happy to be part of the New Beginnings community as she works alongside the toddler team.
