Beth Craig grew up in North Dakota and moved to Breckenridge in 1999 to explore the Rocky Mountains. She loves to hike, bike, snowboard, spend time with her husband Marty and their dog Dakota. She earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from CU-Boulder in 2004, with a special interest in Environmental Education for young children. Beth worked as an Outdoor Education Specialist with the Town of Breckenridge teaching weekly nature lessons at Breckenridge Montessori, leading hikes on the local surroundings, camps and after-school programs focusing on science and the outdoor environment. Beth is small-center Director qualified, has her Early Childhood Lead Certification and Level One Early Childhood Credential from the State of Colorado. In May 2011, Beth earned her Montessori Early Childhood Credential through the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies. She is looking forward to continue guiding the children through the Montessori curriculum, while furthering her professional development and goals.

Chanell Murphy has joined Beth Craig as a teacher at the school. Chanell just completed a summer of training at Montessori Education Center of the Rockies. She attended Grand Valley State University in Michigan where she spent her childhood. In 2008, Chanell traveled to Zambia and taught young children for two months and she has spent time as a nanny and tutor. She has worked in early childhood education for nine years including two years at Little Red School House. Channel related, “I loved learning so much during my Montessori courses this summer and am enjoying using the Montessori approach with the children at BMS.” Her favorite things about working in a school are forming close partnerships with parents and their children, and seeing the children develop at their own pace as their unique personalities unfold.

Breckenridge Montessori

American Montessori Society Full Member School

STAFF BIOS

Betsy Hoke, a long time Montessori educator from Evergreen, Colorado, is working at the school on a weekly basis. Her role includes mentoring the teaching staff and consulting with the board of directors. Ms. Hoke was Head of Montessori School of Evergreen for 29 years, leading the school from a preschool of 45 children to a school with 320 students ages 2 ½ - 14. She serves as an instructor with Montessori Education Center of the Rockies, where she teaches Montessori philosophy and classroom management at the early childhood level. In the past two years, Betsy has served as consultant to numerous Montessori schools in Colorado and beyond and she teaches parenting workshops and presents at state and national conferences on a variety of topics. She is excited to share her skills with the Breckenridge Montessori community as she often skis, hikes and cycles in Summit County since she has a condominium in the area.