STAFF

JOLAHNA GAMBLEWOOD (she/her/hers)
Jolahna graduated from WWU in 2004 with a degree in Environmental Education. She came to Montessori teaching when she began as an assistant in a Lower Elementary Montessori classroom. She found that the Montessori philosophy resonated with her own beliefs about education. She completed her Lower Elementary Montessori certification through the Montessori Education Institute of the Pacific Northwest (MEIPN). After taking some time away from the classroom to start a family of her own, she returned to the classroom at the Early Childhood level, again pursuing certification through MEIPN. She loves working with the 3 to 6 age group and is inspired by young children's wide-eyed curiosity about the world and their love of learning. When she is not in the classroom, Jolahna enjoys spending time in the garden with her kids, cooking with her family, riding bikes and exploring the nearby mountains and forests.

EMILY COLBY-HUTCHISON (she/her/hers)
Emily has been working with children for over 15 years. She co-ran the therapeutic art and play program at Lydia Place for five years and has spent the last ten years as a Montessori Educator. She has her certificate from American Montessori Society and a bachelors in psychology with a focus on child development and human memory. She has two children of her own who attended a Montessori preschool. She adores working with children and seeing the curiosity and joy they have and loves how children are unapologetically themselves. They live in the moment and show their excitement, fears, delight, and frustrations. Her passions (aside from teaching and her family) are for art, travel, learning about different cultures, studying neuro divergences, gardening, and drinking tea.

ALEX WIECKING (she/her/hers)
Alex graduated from Western Washington University in 2021 with a degree in History/Social Studies and a plan to teach Secondary Education. After discovering an opening at Blue Heron for an Assistant Teacher that same year, she quickly fell in love with the magic and humor of preschool and elementary students, as well as the intersectional care of the Montessori philosophy. She is currently working on completing her Master's in Elementary Education. When she is not in the classroom, she can be found singing, rock climbing, or curled up with her cat and a good book.