MA Teaching, Elementary Education, earned 27 credits from Western Governors University

BA History and Women's Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies, Oberlin College

Jenny was a preschool teacher at MIS for 13 years. She is now returning to MIS after five years away to further her education and help with her family during the pandemic! She is from Montana. She enjoys meeting people from all over the world. This past summer she was teaching grown-ups from places such as Ukraine, Colombia, Syria, the Congo and Afghanistan. She also gardens and loves to go on adventures. She likes looking at plants, and sometimes she splashes in cold water.

BA Psychology

BA Early Childhood Education

Catalina attended Marymount School in Bogota from 4 years old until 18. She then attended University, graduating with a double major in Psychology and Early Childhood Education. Catalina still dives into complementary studies in both these fields every year. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Catalina moved to Missoula in 2022. Catalina values the learning approach at MIS through play and inquiry. She also enjoys working with colleagues from other places that bring different experiences to their work. Her hobbies include cycling, jogging, hiking, eating delicious food, reading, writing, dancing, spending quality time with friends and family, and contemplating nature.

B.A. Communication Studies, University of Montana

B.A. Fine Arts, University of Montana

Mishel is originally from Guatemala. She speaks English, Japanese, and Spanish and taught Art in Greece for five years at a multilingual preschool. Mishel joined MIS in 2012.

Outside of school, Mishel enjoys traveling, yoga, cooking and spending time with her family.

M.A. Elementary Education - Dual Language Immersion

Lara joins us from Little Canada Elementary School, a Spanish immersion school in Minnesota. As a Spanish language immersion teacher, she has taught kindergarten, first, and second grades since 2018. Lara has a Master's degree in Elementary Education- Dual Language Immersion. She also has a passion for coaching tennis and adaptive sports.

BS Geography

Bárbara is from Venezuela and is a proud graduate of the Central University of Venezuela, where she earned her degree in Geography. Her curiosity for exploring the world has fueled her love for science, nature, and art. She taught science and humanities in middle school in her home country, where she discovered her passion for education and inspiring young learners.  Barbara has worked as an Assistant Teacher at MIS for the past two years and is excited to join our teaching team.

MA Spanish & Education

BA Spanish

Before joining MIS in 2011, John taught children in immersion and bilingual K-12 settings in New York City and Pocatello, Idaho. He also taught in Mexico at the Jesuit University of Guadalajara.

BA Elementary Education

Originally from Great Falls, Montana, Cally received her Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate. She spent a year teaching English in Thailand and four years living and teaching English in Galicia, Spain. She started teaching 4 / 5 multiage at MIS in 2020. Cally loves that at MIS, she gets to work with a diverse group of people from around the world and teaches awesome students. When not at school, Cally enjoys cooking, gardening, and spending time with her cat, Noia. She also loves to bike, go camping, and backpacking.

BA Education/Teaching

BS Civil Engineering

Ismara Maidyd de la Asunción Partidas Aguilar hails from Caracas, Venezuela. She graduated with a degree in Teaching/Education from Simón Rodríguez University and a Degree in Civil Engineering from Venezuela Army Force University. Ismara joined the MIS Middle School team in July 2018.

Ann joined the MIS community in Fall 2026 as the Primary Grades English Literacy Teacher this fall. She brings more than two decades of teaching experience in private schools across Montana and California. Although she has  taught most core subjects from PreK through 6th grade in various capacities, her true passion has always been English language arts. This role is a wonderful blend of the things she loves most: great literature, self-expression through writing, and helping students better understand themselves and the world around them through the power of language. In addition to classroom teaching, Ann has  extensive experience as a curriculum designer and subject matter expert for math and literacy content in the educational technology field, most recently with Imagine Learning.

Krissy Ramirez is a ceramic artist and teaching artist who speaks Spanish fluently and has more than seven years of experience with arts businesses and nonprofits. From 2023 to 2026, she was a Teacher Artist at the Missoula Art Museum, and she recently completed a two-year residency at The Clay Studio of Missoula. She has co-curated an exhibition at the Headwaters Foundation's Confluence Center, led a youth mural program in Silver City, New Mexico, and served on Arts Missoula's BIPOC Arts Advisory Council. Krissy has a BFA from Western New Mexico University and did post-baccalaureate study at the University of Montana. She shares her work through her studio, Rebelware Ceramics.  Krissy joined MIS in Fall 2026. 

Moved to K/1 this year to be an assistant teacher with Cata.  Albany was an assistant teacher in preschool with Diana for two years. Albany is from Venezuela and lives now in Missoula with her husband and young son. Albany started working on a BA in Education last year and continues on that path this year. 

Paula Arocena is a bilingual educator who speaks English and Spanish fluently and has a basic knowledge of American Sign Language and Portuguese. Before joining MIS in fall 2026, she was Lead Preschool Teacher at Rock'N Play Preschool, where she helped young children get ready for kindergarten, with a focus on problem-solving and social-emotional growth. Paula also has a background in children's theater. She directed a school musical at New Hampshire Technical Institute and supported a summer theater program for kids at RB Productions. She holds an associate's degree from NHTI, completed a 120-hour TEFL certificate in 2026.

Devin is the Assistant Teacher for the Primary Grades and is the After School lead. Devin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a concentration in Secondary Education from the University of Montana. Before entering the College of Education, however, Devin already had over 3,000 hours of professional educational experience with children. Devin has worked as a babysitter, a soccer referee for 12 years, an assistant preschool teacher at the YMCA, and a summer camp counselor at the YMCA, working with children ages 5–13. Each of these positions helped Devin develop key skills in management, communication, and instructional flexibility and adaptability.