Montserrat Povill Pacheco
DIRECTOR
Montse can draw upon 20 years of experience working as a teacher and later as a manager with UNICEF, the children’s organisation of the United Nations, in Africa, Asia and America. Previously, Montse was part-owner of the Escola Povill, a primary and secondary school with 500 pupils in her Catalan home town of Olesa de Montserrat. After moving to Mallorca with her family, she dedicated herself to setting up an independent Montessori school on the island. Montse holds a Master’s degree in English Philology and a Master’s degree in Political Science.
Lucy-Ann Carver
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Lucy-Ann has been teaching for nearly 20 years: From 2017 to 2020, she has been the Head of Languages Faculty of Penglais Secondary School, responsible for leading a team of nine teachers in a school with 1,400 pupils. From 2005 to 2013, Lucy has been an Examiner for GCSE English Literature on the Welsh Joint Education Committee Exam Board. From 2013 to 2017, she worked as English, French, Spanish teacher for Penglais Comprehensive School. From 2005 to 2013, she worked as Head of Lower School and English, Spanish and French teacher at Tregaron Comprehensive School. Lucy holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of Wales Aberystwyth and has qualified teacher status (QTS). She holds a Master of Art degree from Essex University in Latin American Art and Architecture, specialising in Modern Art, Surrealism and Cubism. Lucy also has a Spanish and History of Art degree from Bristol University. Lucy has previously worked as a researcher at The Tate Modern and Institute of Contemporary Arts. She has a passion for travel and has enjoyed living in several parts of Spain and South America. In Ecuador, she worked on a teaching project with disadvantaged children in Quito and later spent time living in the jungle in Mindo. Lucy’s daughters are brought up in a trilingual household, and she firmly believes that language skills open doors for our learners. Lucy was born in Swansea, South Wales, and speaks English, Spanish and Welsh.
Alicia Baker
CURRICULUM COORDINATOR, HEAD OF ADMISSIONS, BUSINESS STUDIES (12-16)
Alicia has a Master’s Degree in International Law and Economics as well as an undergraduate Degree in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She was the founding partner of an investment advisory firm in Madrid, and has worked in senior roles at Merrill Lynch, UBS, Baring Brothers, and Chase Manhattan Bank in London, New York, and Madrid. More recently, Alicia founded and managed a British School in Madrid for nine years. She has a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from Nottingham University and has worked as a teacher and in teacher training in British schools in Madrid for nearly 10 years. Alicia is a British citizen who has lived in Spain for over 20 years. She has an entrepreneurial spirit which she will use to inspire our Business Studies students.
Madeleine Rose Kingsbury
CASA LEAD TEACHER (3-6)
Madeleine has 20 years of experience teaching students of all ages, various nationalities, and all levels of English. She has a Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy: Early Years Education from the Montessori Centre International (MCI) and studied for a PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of Barcelona. Maddy holds an Honours degree in psychology from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) degree. Maddy has a continued keen interest in education and psychology and a burning curiosity to know the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of almost everything. She is committed to guiding others to learn and learning herself; she holds the strong conviction that education is a lifelong process, and that it should be a process of joyful discovery – for both children and adults alike.
Catherine Dherville
CASA LEAD TEACHER (3-6)
Catherine is a qualified Montessori guide with an AMI diploma (Association Montessori Internationale) from the Institut Supérieur Maria Montessori in Paris, France. She also has a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Nantes. Catherine did her teaching practice in a bilingual Montessori school in Paris. She speaks French, English and Spanish. Catherine enjoys gardening and grows her own organic food.
Jaime Díaz-Guardamino Coll
CASA ASSISTANT (3-6), MUSIC & SPANISH TEACHER
Jaime is an AMI-qualified Montessori assistant for 3-6 year olds and has a teaching degree in English Philology from the University of Deusto, Bilbao. He has worked as an English teacher since 2001 with a specialization in Business English. Further, Jaime has taught for 15 years at Secondary and Primary levels, including at the Colegio Retamar/Madrid, Colegio Punta Galea/Madrid, and at the Colegio Gaztelueta/Leioa. He has a Master degree in Philology from the University of Deusto/Bilbao, and has previously been a lead teacher in Secondary and carried out teacher training courses. Apart from Spanish and English, Jaime speaks German and Basque. Jaime has a wide knowledge of music and plays the guitar. He has previously taught music in Madrid and Bilbao. In addition, he is a vivid collector of vinyl records and has a lifelong passion for music.
Cristela Chacón Fernández
CASA ASSISTANT (3-6)
Cristela is a qualified Montessori Casa assistant with a degree from the Montessori Institute in Valencia, Spain. She also has a teaching degree in Theatre from Mendoza, Argentina. Cristela has worked for four years as a Secondary and Primary Theatre teacher in Argentina. She also worked in non-formal education spaces in circus projects as a tool for social transformation for children and adolescents with vulnerable life trajectories.
Jenna Laffin
LOWER PRIMARY LEAD TEACHER (6-9)
Jenna joined us from Great River Montessori in St. Paul, USA, where she worked as the lead teacher for a Lower Primary class since 2018. Prior to that, she was the Lower Primary assistant at the AMI-certified Sunny Hollow Montessori in Minnesota for two years. Further, Jenna worked for four years as English Teacher in a public school in Madrid and in Cadíz, Spain. She was also a Literacy Specialist in the Obama Service Learning Elementary, creating individualised literacy interventions for students from 5 to 8 years. Jenna holds an AMI Elementary Diploma from the Montessori Training Centre in St. Paul, USA, and a Master in Education degree from the St. Catherine University. She also holds a B.A. English cum Laude with High Honors from Dartmouth College, Hanover, USA. Janna has a deep respect for and insight into each child’s individual personality and talents and give them ways to express their unique viewpoints. Creativity, humour, and wonder have always been at the core of her teaching style. Jenna is native in English and fluent in Spanish.
Ancsa Hohol
LOWER PRIMARY ASSISTANT (6-9), CASA SUPPORT
Ancsa holds an AMI 6-12 Teacher Assistant degree from Prague and a Qualified Teacher’s Status (QTS). She has a Bachelor’s Degree for teaching English and Hungarian grammar and literature from the Eötvös Loránd University of Fine Arts in Budapest/Hungary. She joins us from Lotti & Maxim Montessori, an international Montessori school in Budapest. Before that, Ancsa has worked for more than 10 years as creative copywriter at international agencies, at the end as senior copywriter with Kastner & Partners. She tries using creativity wherever possible: when doing actual work with the children inside the Montessori classroom, or when just singing, cooking, doing arts and crafts with them. Another thing Ancsa believes in is the power of stories as they can open up doors in kids at any age. She has also written 8 children’s books herself – one of them is available in English as well.
Jo Roberts
UPPER PRIMARY LEAD TEACHER (9-12), SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS & MMUN COORDINATOR
Joanne has 18 years of experience teaching children from 4 to 11 years in various schools in the UK and has Qualified Teacher Status. She holds a Master of Montessori Studies from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies in the USA, a BA in Learning and Teaching from the University of Northampton and a BA in Childhood and Youth Studies from The Open University. Jo has also completed the Montessori Teacher Studies program by AVE.IK, a Dutch Montessori organization accredited by the Montessori Association of the Netherlands. Before joining us, she worked at the Hugglescote Community Primary School in the UK. Joanne loves swimming and is a qualified swimming instructor.
Tamara Borrás Hernández
UPPER PRIMARY TEACHING ASSISTANT (9-12)
Tamara has a Master’s degree in Pedagogy as well as a university diploma for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from the Universitat de les Illes Balears. Tamara has previously worked with the CEIP Bartomeu Ordines, the Colegio San Francisco, the CMSS Llevant Nord, the Colegio Ramón Llull, and the Educational Pedagogical Cabinet. For a year, she worked in Ireland as an Au Pair.
Daniel Fajardo Reina
TEACHER FOR SPANISH AND CATALAN (3-12)
Daniel es maestro especialista en Educación Infantil y Primaria. Ambas carreras universitarias las estudió en la Universidad de las Islas Baleares (UIB). Tras finalizar sus estudios en la facultad, compaginó cargos de interinidad docente con su crecimiento personal, mostrando interés hacia la Educación Emocional y hacia la pedagogía holística. Se declara un amante de la narrativa española, siendo un gran admirador de la literatura escrita por Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Por otro lado, no es de extrañar verle junto a su bicicleta ya que le encanta pasear junto a ésta y descubrir los hermosos lugares que esconde la isla de Mallorca.
May S. Quiles
ENGLISH SUPPORT TEACHER
May holds a bachelor of arts in professional communication and linguistics from the Metropolitan State University in Minnesota, USA. She has a Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) from the University of Cambridge. May has taught English, business English and Spanish in international schools in the USA, Argentina and Spain. More recently, she has worked at the Academia Estudi in Sa Pobla, the Lycee Francais in Palma, the Europa International School in Catalunya and La Miranda, a multilingual school in Barcelona.
Kriss Cunningham
SECONDARY TUTOR & TEACHER FOR ENGLISH, HISTORY, HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (12-16)
Born in Scotland, Kriss has been teaching IGCSE, A Level politics and Cambridge First for Schools English exams in international schools in China, the Netherlands and Spain for over six years. Kriss spent two years teaching English at the Jiangsu College for International Education, Nanjing, and in Zhenjiang, China. Prior to that, he worked in the office of a US Congressman in Washington DC, USA. Before joining us, he worked at the Baleares International College (BIC), where he was Head of EAL and teacher of English Literature, History, and Politics. At BIC, Kriss taught English Literature and History at Key Stage 3 and 4 level, and Politics at A-Level. Kriss has a Master’s degree in International Relations & Politics from the University of Aberdeen, and a TKT Young Learners certificate from Cambridge Assessment. Kriss enjoys art, history, and music and loves spending hours in museums, or listening to his vast collection of music. He has a passion for gardening and nature and spends lots of time in his garden growing a variety of different plants, fruits, and vegetables. He is fascinated by current affairs and world politics with a specific interest in Chinese politics and Asian studies.
Carmen Pizà Roca
SECONDARY TUTOR & TEACHER FOR SCIENCES, MATHS & ICT (12-16)
Carmen has previously pursued a career in science and completed a PhD in Animal Behaviour and Ecology at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She has worked and published widely on ecology, conservation and animal behaviour. At the same university, she taught for four years and found her true passion, education. In 2019, she was nominated for a teaching excellence award. Prior to joining us, she taught secondary math and ICT at Escola Global, including at GCSE level. In addition to a PhD, Carmen holds a MSc in Biology and Environmental Sciences, a BSc in Biology, and is finalizing a MSc degree in Teaching. She lives in Mallorca with her three daughters, her Australian husband and a yard full of animals.
Pauline Coley
SECONDARY TEACHER FOR MATHS (12-16)
Pauline Coley taught at the Baleares International College (BIC, formerly BIS) for over 30 years. While she initially taught most subjects to all age groups, she later concentrated on teaching mathematics to Secondary students. Pauline has a wealth of experience in preparing students for their IGCSEs, with results always above the U.K. average. Pauline was always very involved in the pastoral care of the children. She organised and ran excursions, both on the island and to the mainland and further afield. She holds the firm belief that this pastoral time spent with a mixed age of students is important to their well-being. Pauline has lived in Mallorca since 1984.
Llum Vallès i Fitor
SECONDARY TEACHER FOR CATALAN (12-16)
Llum has a degree in Catalan language and literature from the University of the Balearic Islands. She has previously worked with the publishing house Disset Edició. She has worked as well as youth leader with the youth group Agrupament Escolta i Guia Pedra Viva, as well as with the Granja Escola es Molí d’en Joan Bea. Llum has been a Scout girl since she was five years old, and has a passion for reading, especially fiction. Llum lives in Binissalem.
Paula C. Escudero
SECONDARY TEACHER FOR MUSIC (12-16)
Paula Escudero is a music teacher with experience teaching groups and individual students of different ages and levels. Paula joins us from the Rock’n’Roll Musikschule in Castrop Rauxel/Germany, where she worked as a music teacher. For four years, Paula has also been the education course director of European Intercultural Youth Orchestra BISYOC, Moor Park/UK. Before that, she worked on a music project in Mozambique. Paula has extensive work experience as a musician, including with AKO Orkest in The Netherlands, the International Regions Symphony Orchestra in Germany, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, and as part of the Duo Guitarra & Contrabajo. Paula has a Master in Music Education from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague/The Netherlands, and a Bachelor degree in Music (double bass) from the Conservatorio Superior de Castilla y León. Further, she holds a Certificate in Early Music Education from the Instituto Gordon de Educación Musical. Paula is committed to providing inspiring and creative music education for students to express themselves through music and enjoy playing and listening to music for their entire lives. She is interested in music education as a tool for social and community integration. Paula has recently collaborated with different social projects and has done my master thesis on music as a tool for social change.
David R. Weiss
GERMAN TEACHER (12-16)
David holds a Diploma in Pedagogy from the Eichstatt University in Munich (KUE) and is a qualified examiner for The European Language Certification (TELC) in German. David also teaches German at Palma College and previously worked at King Richard III College in Portals Nous and the Baleares International College in Sa Porrassa. His experience also led him to spending a year working in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia. David is a qualified pilot and member of the Real Aéroclub de los Baleares. He enjoys playing classic guitar and transverse flute.
Amadeo Orellana
SECONDARY TEACHER FOR ART (12-16)
Amadeo studied Art and Design in Chelsea College and has a B.A in Fine Art in Central Saint Martins, London. Recently, he worked in Mallorca as an artist doing exhibitions, collaborations, window displays, photography, street art and murals. Currently, Amadeo is doing a mural of 100m2 in a socio-educational school in Son Roca with kids from 5 to 19 years old. Check out some of his recent work on Facebook or Pinterest.
Vicenç Colomar Matas
PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER – SECONDARY
Vicenç is a sport coach and facilitator trained certified by Escuela Impacta, and has trained for three years in gestalt therapy. Vicenç is also the owner of the Santa María Tennis Club and a certified trainer since nearly 20 years. He has founded and manages Connect Coaching Empresarial that provides training to enterprises in leadership, motivation, non-violent communication, and conflict resolution.
Ester Oliver Cazorla
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
Ester holds a Master of Science degree in psychological interventions and mental health and a Master of healthcare administration from the University of the Balearic Islands. Ester also has a postgraduate degree on mindfulness for healthcare professionals from Madrid Open University, and an undergraduate degree in psychology, including studies at the University of Sorbonne/France. Ester is currently working as a Cognitive Stimulation Therapist at the Factoria de Somnis. Previously, she tutored tennis players at the Rafa Nadal Academy, was an undergraduate research intern at the University of Edinburgh, a neuropsychologist intern at Son Espases University Hospital, an assistant at the Psychiatry and Psychology Balearic Institute, and a Board member of the Psychology Students Society. Ester is a self-described bookworm, passionate about travelling, an Ironman volunteer, and has so far finished two half marathons.
María Pirovano Peña
HEAD OF OPERATIONS
María has vast experience in international education: Before joining The Montessori School of Mallorca, she was the Assistant Director of Academic Affairs at New York University, Buenos Aires for 10 years. María holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Culture from the Fundación Ortega y Gasset and a Licenciatura en Turismo from the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina. During her free time, she loves cooking and trying out healthy food recipes. Maria also enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading and travelling.
Patrick Nagel
OPERATIONS OFFICER
Patrick has previously worked as an event manager and music teacher. He is the founder of the Rock’n’Roll music school, and co-founder of PAPA Music, a website and music school in Palma. Patrick now studies Psychology and has previously studied Mathematics and Philosophy.
Dr. Thomas Winderl
STRATEGY & RECRUITMENT
Thomas holds a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Vienna, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Liverpool and a Master degree in European Histories and Societies from the Free University in Brussels. He is an internationally active management consultant mostly working for multilateral organisations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Thomas advises the school on strategic planning, recruitment, business administration, ICT and school policies.
Gloria Duque
SUPPORT STAFF
Gloria helps us to keep the school clean. She is the proud mother of two girls and enjoys going to the gym.
Benito Gomez Requena
SUPPORT STAFF
Benito keeps the garden tidy and helps out with anything that needs to be fixed.