Co-Heads of School
Long-time teachers Fiona McDonnell-Rouse and Kelly Pitoscia-Legiec, are the owners of Long Hill Montessori School. Together they believe in the three core values of Long Hill Montessori; confidence, independence and peace. With those values in mind, Long Hill Montessori students learn to think critically, work collaboratively, and to be empowered - skills that prepare children for success in today's world.
Fiona Rouse
Mrs. Rouse was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland where she received her training at the London Montessori Center in Dublin. She specializes in education for children ages 3-9. Upon moving to America, Fiona worked at The Albrook School in Liberty Corner, NJ for 13 years. She is a mother of 3 children.
Kelly Legiec
Mrs. Legiec has Early Childhood Education and English degrees from Kean University, as well as, her Montessori Certification from the American Montessori Society and her Montessori Administrators Certification for West Side Montessori School. She has serves as Vice President of the New Jersey Montessori Association Corporation. She began her teaching career at Diamond Hill Montessori School in Berkeley Heights, NJ. She is a mother of 2 children.
Teachers
Meghan Love
Mrs. Love is originally from Las Cruces, NM, where she grew up dancing classical ballet and earned her BA in Theater Arts from New Mexico State University. She spent 15 years in NYC, starting her own non-profit theater company, getting her MA in Dance Education: American Ballet Theatre pedagogy from NYU, and working in the education department at American Ballet Theatre. She has taught ballet for ages 3 through adults at the JKO School at ABT, the Mason Gross Extension Division at Rutgers University, and the Franklin School for the Performing Arts in Franklin, MA. She is the mom of 2 young kids and loves being in NJ.
Megan Chester
Mrs. Chester grew up in Basking Ridge, and still resides there today with her husband and two children. She received a BS in Early Childhood Education from West Virginia University. Megan went on and received her Toddler Montessori training from Princeton Montessori. She worked at The Albrook School in Basking Ridge as a toddler teacher for over 10 years.
Anupama Bhatia
Mrs. Bhatia was born and raised in Virginia. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Virginia Tech, and a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University. She is a graduate of West Side Montessori School’s Teacher Education Program and is certified to guide ages 3-6.
During her time away from the classroom, Mrs. Bhatia writes short stories, reads novels, and watches Bollywood movies in her cozy living room.
Diane Londono
Mrs. Londono is a native of Colombia. Her fluency in the Spanish language coupled with the Montessori Method facilitates children through the various stages of language development. She completed her assistant training at the Princeton Center for Teacher Education. Diane is a mother of 3 boys and enjoys singing and conversing with the children of Long Hill Montessori School in Spanish.
Janet Waiman
Mrs. Waiman has spent the last 17+ years of her professional career working with children. Besides teaching the Montessori method, she is also trained in the Kumon learning program, where she formerly worked as a reading and math instructor. Janet completed her Montessori assistant training at the Princeton Center for Teacher Education. Janet also completed the Early Childhood Education program at the Montessori Center for Teacher Development in Morristown and is certified by the American Montessori Society. This is her 11th year with Long Hill Montessori School.
Christine Raymond
Mrs. Raymond has been a resident of in Long Hill for over 14 years. She originally received her Montessori Certification in 1999 from the St. Nicholas Training Center at Christopher Academy. Prior to her career at Long Hill Montessori School, Christine has worked at Lil' Reading Scientists as a reading instructor for 11 years and at Rainbow Montessori for 5 years prior to her time at Long Hill Montessori School.
Anuya
Anuya was born and raised in India, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Tourism. After completing her studies, she began her career in corporate HR, working with multinational companies. Later, she pursued her entrepreneurial ambitions as a business partner in a travel company specializing in corporate and leisure travel.
In 2013, Anuya moved to the United States with her family when her husband began graduate school. She became an active volunteer in her children’s schools, dedicating her time to helping students with reading, teaching art, and organizing sports and cultural events. Her passion for working with children is what brings her to LHMS.
Anuya lives in Long Hill Township with her husband, their two sons, and their dog.
Erika Zecca
Mrs. Zecca was born and raised in Hungary. She has a great connection with young children. They gravitate toward her because of her loving nature. She completed her Montessori training in 2018. Before joining Long Hill Montessori. She spent two years in London, England, caring for two wonderful children, and most recently at The Children's Montessori Academy in Springfield, NJ. She lives in Berkeley Heights with her husband with their three children.
Lee Ann Gerrato
Mrs. Gerrato is our yoga teacher. She has a bachelor's degree from Penn State University. She is married with 3 daughters. When her daughters were all heading off to college, she decided to get her yoga teacher certification. She completed the 200 yoga teacher training at Lifetime in Berkeley Heights in 2018. She now combines her love of children and love of yoga to guide the students through a weekly yoga practice.
“This is an incredible school with fantastic teachers who are caring, nurturing and have extensive training in the Montessori method. Our children have thrived here and we could not be more pleased.”