The Curriculum
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Practical Life Pouring, buttoning, sweeping, sewing. Daily living skills build focus, coordination and independence. Lessons in grace and courtesy teach children to care for others.
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Sensorial Develops and refines the five senses and builds a foundation for writing and math. Each scientifically designed material isolates a specific quality, such as color, size or shape. This focuses the child's attention, helping them sort, classify, order and develop vocabulary to describe the world around them
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Language Children build vocabulary and the skills needed for writing and reading. Writing comes first. Using hands-on materials, they learn letter sounds, how to combine sounds into words, how to build sentences and how to use a pencil. Once these skills are in place, reading follows naturally.
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Cosmic Education History, geography, science, art and music come together in lessons about our community and the world, with a special focus on African, African-American and Latino history and culture. Children come to appreciate the diversity of our world and respect all living things.
The Prepared Environment
The teacher carefully selects and arranges materials, presenting them in sequence to meet each child's developmental needs. The classroom has child-sized furniture, a full set of Montessori materials and enough space for children to work in peace, alone or in groups.
Younger children learn from older ones and take on new challenges by watching them. Older children reinforce their learning by teaching, build leadership skills and serve as role models. Because each child works individually and at their own pace, the classroom is built on cooperation rather than competition.
Mixed Ages
Founding Teacher Leader
Terriann Lane
Terriann has 17 years' experience as a Primary Guide and shared the Montessori curriculum with children and families for more than 20 years. She holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, and an Early Childhood Montessori credential. She has worked with Montessori Adult Learners as an Early Childhood Instructional Guide, Practicum Advisor, Field Consultant, and Mentor. Terriann is passionate about bringing access to authentic high-quality Montessori education to children of Black and Brown communities, creating an environment where all children are seen, heard, and inspired to learn and grow.
Founding Teacher Leader
Tamara Ramos
Tamara is a dedicated Early Childhood educator, Montessori Guide, and entrepreneur with a background in the performing arts. Originally from Chile, she is committed to creative, inclusive, and culturally affirming education. Tamara has over a decade of experience working with children. She is the creator of Cantando Aprendo Español, a Spanish immersion program for young children that uses music and storytelling to support language learning, and the co-founder of Nannies Latinas de Baltimore, a bilingual childcare business. At Mahogany Splendor Montessori, she centers her work on love, respect, and connection, believing that meaningful education is rooted in empathy, cultural pride, and community.
Our Board
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Alexis
Watson
President
Alexis Watson is a seasoned education leader in the DMV area, having served in key roles including Director, Counselor, and Dean. With over 16 years of experience across K–12 settings, she brings a deep commitment to student voice, inclusive policy development, and culturally responsive programming. Her leadership is grounded in building authentic school-community partnerships that promote belonging, advance academic success, and create affirming learning environments. She is a dedicated advocate of the Mahogany Splendor Montessori mission.
Ruth Vadlamani
Vice President
Ruth is a strategic, execution-driven finance and product leader with 25 years of experience in treasury, payments, and capital markets, navigating complex and highly regulated environments. She and her husband have two young children, ages 8 and 10, who have benefited from a Montessori education since preschool. The profound impact of the Montessori approach on her children’s development is a key motivation behind her desire to serve as a Board member.
Cathie Perolman
Board Member
Cathie, an educator who has worked in the public and private educational world for 50 years, has a BS degree in Elementary Education and M Ed in Education with a concentration in Reading from Edinboro University in PA. She received her AMS 3-6 Montessori diploma from Center for Montessori Teacher Education in North Carolina. Cathie has served children, faculties, administrations and Adult Learners at many schools and teacher training facilities in various roles. She is the owner of Cathie Perolman Educational Materials and the creator of the Color Coded Sound games and Rainbow Reading System used across the globe to help beginning readers. She is excited to help support this school!
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Amy Hruschak
Board Member
Amy Hruschak began teaching Montessori in 3-6 classrooms in 2012. She has worked in private Montessori schools in the northern Cincinnati area. She has a Master's of Education in Montessori from Xavier University and is AMS credentialed for ages 3-6, as well as licensed in the state of Ohio for kindergarten to third grade. Amy was drawn to Montessori after a career in journalism that included designing pages and writing headlines for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Her daughter graduated from Azalea Montessori School. She was thrilled to join Azalea in its third year of existence and is committed to serving the Norwood neighborhood!
Felicia Williams
Board Member
Felicia E. Williams is a native of Atlanta, GA and after several years of living around the world she currently resides in Locust Grove, Ga. She holds a BS in Business Administration from Fayetteville State University and an MBA from Saint Leo University. For over 30 years she has been a Civil Service employee working in finance, budget and project management. Outside of work, she is very active in several volunteer organizations. She enjoys spending time with her two children and her dog Leo. She also enjoys working out, traveling, and reading.