Speakers
Kelly Gomes
Emely De Jesus-Murillo
Megan Smith
Georgie Reigel
Nic Geman
Schools & Leadership
Imagine a world where teachers are empowered to shape the future of education, where learning is personalized, and community is at the heart of the school experience.
Explore Wildflower Montessori's decentralized micro-school model. Teachers take on leadership roles, making both instructional and administrative decisions. Through discussion, real stories from teacher-leaders, and a panel, you'll gain insight into the power of small, teacher-led schools.
This workshop will delve into the key features of the Wildflower Montessori Micro-School Model, including:
Through engaging discussions and real-world examples, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how micro-schools can revolutionize education. You'll leave this workshop inspired to create innovative learning environments and empowered to make a difference in your community.
Kelly Gomes (M.Ed, Urban Education, CUNY Graduate Center) is tasked with designing and executing charter-wide operations and administrative support. Kelly is a career educator, who has most recently served as a school Principal at a charter school in Denver Public Schools. During her time as principal, Kelly’s work focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and social-emotional learning in conjunction with strategic discipline shifts, which significantly lowered suspension rates using restorative practices and shifting academic priorities and practices raising ELA and math scores across all grades on both internal and state assessments.
Kelly began her career through Teach for America in Dallas/Fort Worth teaching high school English Language Arts. Later, she was a founding teacher for Democracy Prep Endurance Middle School in Harlem as a 7th and 8th grade ELA teacher. While in New York, she became Assistant Principal supporting academics, culture, and operations. Kelly graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Marketing and ELA and earned a Master’s degree in Urban Education from CUNY Graduate Center.
Emely earned a bachelor’s degree from Regis University. She also holds an AMS Montessori certification for Primary (3-6) that she completed at Oklahoma City University. She has had a lifelong love of working with children and has worked as an educator in multiple aspects. She spent two years working as an educator for art museums in Colorado before moving to Oklahoma, where she worked in Resource and Referrals for child care educators. During her time in Oklahoma she found the OCU Montessori program and began her Montessori studies. It was there where she developed a deep connection between Maria Montessori’s education philosophy and her own. As an educator, Emely works to create inclusive environments that will nurture the child’s innate desire to learn and express creativity. Emely is currently the Dual-Language Montessori Lead for the Children’s House program at Monarch Montessori of Denver.
Megan Smith has dedicated her entire career to serving public school students in Aurora, Colorado. She has been an educator in Aurora for 6 years and received her degree in Elementary Education from Metropolitan State University of Denver. As a mother of bilingual children, Megan chose Aurora as the place to raise her family out of a love for the diversity in the community. Megan is a passionate Montessori guide. She believes in the power of engaging, meaningful, deep learning that respects students’ individuality and unique perspectives.
Georgie Reigel is passionate about the Montessori philosophy. She completed her Lower Elementary (6-12) certification from the American Montessori Society (AMS) at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, CO. Prior to her Montessori journey, Georgie was a dance educator for 20 plus years, teaching at several Universities, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools in Georgia and Michigan. She received her BS Ed in Dance Education from the University of Georgia and an MA in Leadership from Shorter University. Although dance was her first love, Montessori has continually held a special place in her heart. Georgie was fortunate to have grown up in a household that embraced the Montessori approach. Her mother was a long-time primary teacher, and Georgie is proud to follow in her footsteps, sharing her passion for guiding, supporting, and encouraging the whole child, so that they can thrive independently in an environment that has a place for everyone. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband Ben and their three children- Caroline, Charlie, and Livia.
Mr. Geman has been nominated for U.S. News and World Report’s Best Lawyers in America and selected as one of only two attorneys in Colorado to 2021’s Super Lawyers for DUI defense. He is a requested lecturer in the field of trial tactics and techniques, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CBS, Fox, and twice recognized by the Colorado Supreme Court for his work with United States Veterans in the community. He has been selected to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 for eight consecutive years, is published alongside judges in books on evidence, and currently serves as Colorado’s State Ambassador to the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys.
Mr. Geman also served on the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar’s Professional Development Committee, has served on the Colorado Bar Association’s Leadership Training committee, and is a member of both the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National College for DUI Defense.
Mr. Geman is a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and New York University, where he found a passion for defending the accused during his work on the Innocence Project in New York City. Since then, he has worked with many of the country’s leading attorneys on some of the biggest cases, including domestic terrorism, homicide offenses, and massive white collar financial frauds.
Martha Briggs is a bilingual Montessori educator who holds a 3-6 level Montessori certificate and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education through St. Catherine’s University. Born in Mexico, Martha immigrated to the U.S. with her mother when she was 11 years old. Upon arriving, she spoke little English and was immersed in exclusively English-speaking educational environments where she received no ESL support and experienced significant culture shock. Now, a parent of two Montessori children, Martha is dedicated to ensuring that no child in the community experiences the challenges she did and to supporting the development of schools in which children are safe to be themselves, celebrated for their individual and cultural differences, and encouraged to pursue their own passions throughout their education.