Head of school - Gina Heldberg (She/They)

After completing her B.F.A in Photography and Studio Art from the Art Institute of Minneapolis in 2009, Gina began her teaching journey at a Montessori and Reggio Emilia-inspired school in St Paul, MN. While there, she was fortunate to continue furthering her education with a secondary degree in Montessori Education from the North American Montessori Center in Surrey, British Colombia. Additionally, she had the privilege of studying the Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood learning through a study tour in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Gina is eager to share her experience of blending these two educational philosophies and to begin this journey together with Kinderhaus Montessori School. She believes in a school that views children as inherently capable and competent, as well as viewing parents as essential co-learners with children and teachers. Gina is passionate about expressive languages and loves incorporating music, instruments and art into her classroom.

Gina resides in St Paul with her partner Ryan and two children - Nick and Maggie - along with their loving cat, Frazier.

TEACHER - marley ritchie (She/They)

After graduating in 2017, Marley began working with children in the Robbinsdale Area School District. After falling in love with teaching, she transitioned to early-childhood teaching at a Montessori and Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool in St Paul. While there, she was able to dig deeper into these philosophies through on-going trainings with Montessori and Reggio educators.

In addition to teaching, Marley has spent most of her life dancing, acting, singing, choreographing and directing in the local dance and theatre community. She is a member of the Board of Directors at Morris Park Players in the heart of NE Minneapolis and has worked with many theatre companies in the Twin Cities as an actor, choreographer and Director. Marley is passionate about exploring music and movement with young children and loves incorporating dance into her classroom.

TEACHER - Anna Martin (She/Her)

Anna completed her BA in Psychology at Bethel University in May 2019. During her time as an undergraduate student, she worked with K-5 children in community programing and was involved in cognitive and social psychology research with adults. She gained further experience working with children as a cognitive trainer and later as a psychometrist.

She began teaching at a Montessori and Reggio Emilia-inspired school in St. Paul, MN and was excited to discover all the ways these philosophies connected with her background in psychology. Most recently, she worked as a teacher at the University of Minnesota Child Development Laboratory School.

Anna is passionate about supporting the social, emotional, and cognitive learning of children by cultivating a classroom in which each child is accepted, celebrated, and empowered. Outside of teaching, she enjoys yoga, writing, and art.