At Dancing Pines Montessori, our staff and teachers take pride in guiding students’ learning and development. The administrative team is responsible for managing finances and daily operations, while also strengthening connections among families, staff, students, and the broader community. Our teachers and staff share newsletters and posts to our parents and guardians that showcase student accomplishments, as well as organize workshops that give educators opportunities to explore topics such as Montessori education, positive discipline, literacy, diversity, equity, inclusion, and digital responsibility. We also actively support faculty and staff in continuing their professional learning through higher education, certifications, endorsements, by completing clock hours and providing mentorship, as well as trainings and visits to other schools in our surrounding community. We are fortunate to have a dedicated and accomplished group of teachers leading our students through their academic journeys here at DPM.

Kelly Severson Kunz
Owner of DPM | Head of School | Lower Elementary Lead Teacher.
She holds Bachelor’s Degrees in early childhood Ed and Elementary Education. She also has a Master’s Degree in Literacy Education..

Alexandra Pellissier
Director of Operations &
Communications | Part-time Primary Spanish Teacher.
Alex began working in bilingual education at KSD in 2016 and holds a B.A. in Educational Studies Elementary Education from Western Governors University…

Kristine Thompson
Upper Elementary | Lead Teacher
Kris Thompson received her BA in English education from Central Washington University in 2005 ..

Kaleena Santo Domingo
Lower Elementary | Assistant Teacher
Kaleena received her BA in American Indian Studies and Drama from the University of Washington in 2007. She also holds two CDA’s (Child Development Associates).

Heather Neill
Primary | Lead Teacher
Heather earned a Bachelor of Social Sciences from Washington State University and her Primary Montessori Certification from the Montessori Institute of America in Kent, WA.

Gabriella Kiss
Primary | Lead Teacher
Gabriella has her BS and MS from the University of Debrecen in literature, history, and Hungarian grammar.

Kate Lindberg
All Classrooms | Reading Specialist.
Since an early age Kate had been told she was destined to become a teacher. Those repeated nudges eventually became a reality when she graduated from Antioch University in 2008 with a degree in K-8 education.

