Meet our Staff!
Anna Ardizzone
Lead Guide
Anna grew up in Bloomington, Indiana and was a proud Montessori child through 6th grade. The daughter of an author and an actress, Anna enjoyed a childhood full of words, creativity, and the expectation of authenticity. She grew up always in a choir, chasing after fireflies in the backyard, and visiting Lopez Island every summer.
Anna had the idea of pursuing writing and illustrating children's books. She attended Heron School of Art Design, but after graduating she realized she wanted to deepen her understanding of child development and so she moved to Portland, Oregon to take the Association Montessori Internationale training. Immersed in the pedagogy of Maria Montessori, Anna found her true calling in this Education for Peace and has been in the classroom ever since. She has worked as an assistant to every age level, but has been Guiding 3–6-year-olds for the past 14 years.
Anna loves creating a learning environment of literacy, focus, and joy. It is a deep honor to be cultivating independence and preparedness in children and Anna does it while infusing love into every day.
Anna is immensely grateful to have the opportunity to join this beautiful community and work with the wonderful team at Orcas Montessori School.
Robert Salazar
Assistant Guide
Robert was raised by a hardworking, strong, single mother, who kept the standards high while holding down many jobs. Robert grew up in Las Vegas, Guam, and Montana. For most of his formative years, Robert was immersed in nature, barefoot and happy.
Robert first heard about Maria Montessori in an Educational Psychology class in Missoula, Montana. While other contributors to Education held pages and pages in the book, Robert was shocked to find that Dr. Montessori only had a paragraph. It was enough to spark Robert's interest and after graduating he moved to Portland, Oregon and by chance found a job opening at a Montessori school. The first Montessori classroom that he walked into blew him away. The creativity, conflict resolution, and the seamless way the Guide seemed to conduct all the energy in the room made Robert feel this work was for him. Robert was an assistant for four years before taking the AMI training in Wisconsin and was given the opportunity to begin Guiding his own lower elementary classroom in 2003. For decades, Robert has brought steadiness, a love for learning, and a dedication to collaboration to the classroom. He has loved watching the a-ha moment that a child has when they discover something, as well as when a child has persevered through a challenge.
After 23 years of leading a classroom of 30 energetic students, helping to grow a small one-room school into a thriving two-campus school, Robert encountered a wonderful opportunity. His wife, Anna Ardizzone, was offered a job at Orcas Montessori School and with it came huge life changes. Drawn to the ocean, forests, and lush wildlife, Robert joined Anna in a move to the San Juan islands and is proud to be assisting her in the classroom this year and be a part of the community of Orcas Montessori.
Maggie Vinson
Photo by Satya Curcio Photography
Director
Bio coming soon!