Each teacher at Monarch Montessori fosters a peaceful and supportive learning environment based on the best practices of Montessori Educational Philosophy.
Julia Butz, Lead Teacher and Head of School
Julia lives in Havre de Grace with her husband, Dave, and their dog, Theo. They have been a part of the Monarch family since 2000. All four of their children attended Monarch Montessori School.
Julia has a BA in Elementary Education from Loyola University in Maryland. She has an AMS Primary Montessori Certification from The Maryland Center for Montessori Studies and a Lower & Upper Elementary Montessori Certification from The Prepared Montessorian. Julia loves the beach, knitting and spending time with her family.
Heidi Beiler, Lead Teacher
Heidi joined the staff of Monarch Montessori in 2023. She taught in public schools for eleven years. She attended Radford University where she earned her BA in Deaf Education and her Masters of Education in Special Education. She has an AMS Primary Montessori Certification from the Montessori Institute of Teacher Education in West Chester, PA.
Heidi resides in Havre de Grace with her husband, two kids, dog and cat. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, baking sourdough, and the beach.
Donna Hinder, Assistant Teacher
Donna rejoined the staff of Monarch Montessori as a teacher’s assistant in December of 2014 after teaching preschool for 12 years in a Harford County private preschool. She and her husband, Chris, are Harford County residents where they have raised their three grown children for 31 yrs.
Donna attended Towson University where she earned her BA in Early Childhood Education. In the summer 2014, she earned her certification in Teaching Children’s Yoga from the Radiant Child Yoga Program. She enjoys swimming, yoga, kayaking, walking, golfing, sewing, cooking and gardening.
Tressie Polek, Assistant Teacher
Katie Connolly, Administrative Assistant
Katie joined the staff at Monarch Montessori in 2025. She lives in Darlington with her husband Matt, their daughter (who currently attends Monarch), their chocolate lab named Dale, and their pittie mix, Sasha. Katie grew up in Ocean City, Md, just two blocks from the beach. She has her Associates Degree in Secondary Ed, which is where she first learned about Maria Montessori, and then furthered her education at Salisbury University in Maryland, where she received her BA in Philosophy. While at Salisbury, Katie spent a Winter semester abroad studying Buddhist Philosophy at Pune University in Pune Maharashtra, India.
Katie loves to spend her days outside with her family working in their vegetable garden, hiking local trails, mountain biking and swimming in the summer, and skiing in the winter!
Rachel Lengel, Administrative Assistant
Rachel joined the staff at Monarch Montessori in 2024. She lives in Havre de Grace with her husband CJ, and two children. With one child who graduated from Monarch and another who currently attends, Rachel loves being a part of the Monarch community.
Rachel attended Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, where she received a B.A. in Public Relations. She loves cooking, traveling and spending time with her family.
Pat Hoffman, Sharing the Gift Program
Pat joined the staff of Monarch in 1995, but has taught the Montessori philosophy of education for 30 years to three to six year olds. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Psychology from Towson State University and a Montessori Certificate from Widener University’s Saint Nicholas Training Center. Ms. Pat is now retired from teaching and is enjoying the next phase of her life. She stays busy participating in activities with six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Finally, she enjoys “Sharing the Gift” – a program offered by the HCPL where she volunteers to read, share puppets, sing songs and do finger plays with the students of Monarch Montessori on a monthly basis.
