Administration
Head of School – Tamela Irons
Tamela Irons has been involved in education for the last 28 years. She received a B.S. with Honors in Elementary Education and a Minor in Spanish. She holds a Teacher Certification in Education K-8 with and Spanish K-12. Tamela received her Montessori Elementary 1 training at the Education Center of the Rockies and has experience teaching at the primary, lower and upper elementary levels. She has worked as a teacher trainer and has been a Field Consultant mentoring new teachers. Tamela was awarded one of the top 20 under 40 awards spotlighting Montana’s top young business professionals. She also was awarded “Excellence in Education” as one of the most influential teachers through the Bozeman Schools Foundation.
In addition to Tamela’s extensive teaching background, she loves to travel and has lived and taught in six continents. Tamela and her husband love living in Montana with their daughter who attends BSS.
Business Manager – Cressie Ivers
Cressie has lived in Bozeman since 2003 and graduated from Montana State University in 2007 with a B.S. in Business / Marketing. Prior to joining BSS, she was the Finance Officer at Bozeman High School. Cressie has three young boys who are the center of her universe. When not at work Cressie enjoys gardening, camping, biking, and exploring Montana as a family. She also loves a good cup of tea, plants, audiobooks, and bird watching.
Administrative Manager & Enrollment Coordinator – Elizabeth Eilen
Originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I moved to Bozeman in 2017, to pursue a degree in Elementary Education from MSU. Throughout my life, I have developed a strong affinity for working with children. My experience spans seven years working at summer camps in Wisconsin and Montana, and four years in the Bozeman and Livingston schools working as a paraprofessional, outdoor education teacher, and most recently a math teacher.
In the classroom, I fuse my passion for the outdoors and art into engaging lessons, fostering exploration and learning. Beyond school, I love to cycle, rollerblade, cook, and I am actively involved in Eagle Mount’s adaptive ski program.
Upper Elementary
Lead Teacher – Kate Colson (Bio coming soon!)
Lower Elementary
Lead Teacher – Mikal Begnoche
Mikal earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education from Montana State University in 2002 and holds a K-8 Montana Teaching License. She has over 12 years of experience teaching in Montessori schools at the primary and elementary levels, ten of which were at Middle Creek, Montessori in Bozeman. She is an avid outdoors woman and is especially passionate about teaching zoology, botany, and reading. During her free time, Mikal enjoys spending time with her husband, Armand, daughter, Violet, and son, Hans who attend BSS. She also enjoys reading and playing in the woods. Mikal is a lifelong learner and finds everyday excitement in her role as a mother, wife, citizen, and teacher.
Early Childhood
Lead Teacher – Jen Heinemann
Jen, a lifelong Montessori Educator, was raised on the East Coast by a blended family. She chased her father’s Montana roots after receiving her BA from Colorado College and her Pre-Primary Certification from the American Montessori Society from MECR, also in Colorado.
Jen has worn many hats throughout her enriched Montessori early childhood career. She has been a Teacher, a Consultant, a Director, and a Parent Volunteer. She is honored to continue to represent Dr. Montessori’s principles and practices at Bozeman Summit School in the EC Classroom, along with Ms. Shea and Ms. Liza!
Jen is a proud Mom of two young adults, a daughter who is starting Graduate School in Data Sciences in Denver and a son, who attends MSU studying Environmental Studies and Political Science. Both children benefited from Montessori schooling when young along with making lots of mud pies and noise. In her spare time, Jen and her husband, Stefan, spend as much time outside as possible enjoying road trips, hiking, biking, skiing, conversations and sunsets.
Teacher- Emily Thayer
Originally from Hailey, Idaho, Emily recently moved to Bozeman to follow her passion for Montessori Early Childhood Education. After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with BA’s in Environmental Protection and Anthropology and a minor in Spanish, she briefly worked in Corporate Sustainability in the Bay Area. Not feeling at home in a desk job, she found the exact opposite working as a Naturalist on an expedition travel vessel in Southeast Alaska. Here she had her first taste of being an educator and fell in love with sharing the wonders of the natural world with others. After the expedition company went out of business, she became an Assistant Teacher at Pioneer Montessori School in Ketchum, Idaho where she found herself pleasantly surprised to love education and more specifically the Montessori method.
Coming from a mountain town fostered her love for the environment and great curiosity for nature’s interconnectedness. Her love for spending time with children and experiencing the world through their eyes has also been an inspiring constant in her life. She is so grateful to have found Montessori as it so perfectly combines these passions. Outside of school Emily recharges by throwing pottery, baking, playing with her foster cats, watercoloring, and exploring the mountains with her twin sister via ski, hiking boot, bike, or paddleboard.