Meet Our Team!

Hi! I started my journey with Maine Mountain Children’s House in 2016 as the assistant teacher. It was my first experience in a Montessori classroom, and I instantly knew I was in the right place. From there, I began my Primary Montessori Teacher Training with North American Montessori Center (NAMC), received my Primary certification in March 2019, and became a co-lead teacher in our Primary room for the 2019-2020 school year! In July 2020, I accepted the position of the assistant director.

I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, attended Keene State College in New Hampshire, and received my Bachelors Degree in Mathematics. It was there that I met my husband, Matt, and shortly after we graduated we moved up to Maine! We now live in New Portland with our daughter, dog and cat. We spend our summers in The Forks and on Pleasant Pond in Caratunk in the white water rafting community.

Hello! I am the lead toddler teacher, and have been involved with Maine Mountain Children’s House since graduating college in 2019. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in Elementary school, I think because I had such wonderful inspiring teachers from so early on. I strive to provide a warm, welcoming, and loving classroom each day where the children feel comfortable to be themselves. 

Outside of MMCH I love spending my time with my sons and my husband. Together we enjoy playing outside and cooking together as a family.

lori woodcock
assistant toddler teacher

Hello! I started as an Assistant Toddler Teacher in 2024 and I am loving the community here at Maine Mountain Childrens House. I attended Mount Abram High School and graduated in 2020. I am an Alumni of the first class at MMCH and I attended from the age of 4. My experience with Montessori was really enlightening and gave me the foundation for the rest of my life. I am so excited to be working with the children to foster the same environment when I was here many years ago!

alana mahar
lead primary teacher

Hello! My name is Alana Mahar, and I am the Lead Primary Teacher at MMCH. I live with my husband and our 3 cats: Rubeus, Alastor, and Chai. I enjoy crocheting, painting, and reading. I graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington, and majored in Elementary Education with a concentration in language arts. 

My passion for education stems from my respect and admiration for community engagement. I grew up in a close-knit community that provided every special opportunity I experienced. After observing different school programs and in-school experiences, I discovered how communities revolve around schools and realized how I could combine two of my passions—community service and guiding young people. I want my students to know that they are loved and accepted for who they are, that it is okay to make mistakes, and that they do belong. I am so excited to work with a school that has such a clear vision for student and family support.

laney gardner
assistant primary teacher & after school care coordinator

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to have joined Maine Mountain Children’s House during the 2025-2026 school year as the Assistant Primary Teacher & After School Care Coordinator! I have wanted to work with children for as long as I can remember, this has a lot to do with my family members also being educators! After high school I worked as an after school teacher and camp counselor at Franklin County Children’s Task Force while attending college at University of Maine, Farmington. There is no better feeling than witnessing and influnecing children’s growth.

Outside of MMCH, I enjoy painting, cleaning, cooking, and spending time with my fiancé, Tucker. I am so excited to be here and to get to know the children!

gisele haines
after school care coordinator

Hello! I am Gisele Haines a.k.a Miss Gigi.  I came to MMCH in October 2025 to be an after school coordinator and I have fallen in love with the program.  I also work as an Ed tech 3 in special Ed at KES. I earned my Associates in Science degree in Early childhood Education from Central Maine Community College while being a single mom to two kids and working full time.  Children have always been my passion since I was a teenager. I grew up in a family restaurant business where I learned first hand what hard work and dedication were. I also learned that owning one wasn’t for me! I prefer a classroom to a kitchen any day. However the values my parents taught me became life changing and kept me on the path to getting my degree and always working hard. 

I now live in Avon with my husband Lincoln, 2 cats Dinky and Dobby and my little Sully beans, who is a papillon bichon mix.