Our Staff

Administration

Head of School – Tamela Irons

Tamela Irons has been involved in education for the last 20 years. She received a B.S. with Honors in Elementary Education and a Minor in Spanish. She holds a Teacher Certification in Education K-8 with and Spanish K-12. Tamela received her Montessori Elementary 1 training at the Education Center of the Rockies and has experience teaching at the primary, lower and upper elementary levels. She has worked as a teacher trainer and has been a Field Consultant mentoring new teachers. Tamela was awarded one of the top 20 under 40 awards spotlighting Montana’s top young business professionals. She also was awarded “Excellence in Education” as one of the most influential teachers through the Bozeman Schools Foundation.

In addition to Tamela’s extensive teaching background, she loves to travel and has lived and taught in six continents. Tamela and her husband love living in Montana with their daughter who attends BSS.

Business Manager – Cressie Ivers

Cressie has lived in Bozeman since 2003 and graduated from Montana State University in 2007 with a B.S. in Business / Marketing. Prior to joining BSS, she was the Finance Officer at Bozeman High School. Cressie has three young boys who are the center of her universe.  When not at work Cressie enjoys gardening, camping, biking, and exploring Montana as a family.  She also loves a good cup of tea, plants, audiobooks, and bird watching.

Administrative Assistant – Trish Johnson

Upper Elementary

Lead Teacher – Alison Tierney

Alison has been an educator for over 30 years and has experience with children of all ages, from infants to high school students. She has served as both a director and teacher at various Montessori schools throughout Western Montana. 

Alison has a B.A. in Religion from the University of Puget Sound and an M.ED. in Montessori Integrative Learning from Endicott College. She holds AMS certifications in Early Childhood, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary. 

Alison loves spending time in nature and can usually be found communing with flowers and trees. Wild swimming, gardening, houseplants, renaissance and baroque music, science fiction, and mythology are a few of her many interests. She has four children-all of whom attended Montessori schools- and three grandchildren. Alison is thrilled to have found her professional home in the BSS community.

Teacher – Dani Stern

Dani has been dedicated to teaching for nearly 30 years. After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in communications, she decided to abandon her plans to live and work in New York City after her “stint” in Colorado where she fell in love with the mountains. There, she realized her calling for education and she soon set out to earn a second degree in education from the University of Colorado. After teaching for two years, initially in a traditional classroom environment, she found her home in Montessori when she stumbled upon the Bozeman Summit school in 1999. She never looked back. Her love for all things Montessori has only grown deeper as she witnesses the gifts of being able to meet children where they are in a magical, stimulating, and beautiful environment. When not in the classroom, you can find Dani spending time with family and friends exploring the mountains, rivers, the lakes, live music, traveling, and breaking bread. Dani is also certified in Montessori elementary education from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies.

Lower Elementary

Lead Teacher – Mikal Begnoche

Mikal earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education from Montana State University in 2002 and holds a K-8 Montana Teaching License. She has over 12 years of experience teaching in Montessori schools at the primary and elementary levels,  ten of which were at Middle Creek, Montessori in Bozeman.  She is an avid outdoors woman and is especially passionate about teaching zoology, botany, and reading. During her free time, Mikal enjoys spending time with her husband, Armand, daughter, Violet (9), and son, Hans (5) who attend BSS. She also enjoys reading and playing in the woods.  Mikal is a lifelong learner and finds everyday excitement in her role as a mother, wife, citizen, and teacher.

Teacher – Elizabeth Eilen

Originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I moved to Bozeman in 2017, to pursue a degree in Elementary Education from MSU. Throughout my life, I have developed a strong affinity for working with children. My experience spans seven years working at summer camps in Wisconsin and Montana, and four years in the Bozeman and Livingston schools working as a paraprofessional, outdoor education teacher, and most recently a math teacher. 

In the classroom, I fuse my passion for the outdoors and art into engaging lessons, fostering exploration and learning. Beyond school, I love to cycle, rollerblade, cook, and I am actively involved in Eagle Mount’s adaptive ski program.

Early Childhood

Lead Teacher – Jen Moran

Jen, a lifelong Montessori Educator, was raised on the East Coast by a blended family. She chased her father’s Montana roots after receiving her BA from The Colorado College and her Pre-Primary Certification from the American Montessori Society from MECR, also in Colorado.

Jen has worn many hats throughout her enriched Montessori early childhood career. She has been a Teacher, a Consultant, a Director, and a Parent Volunteer. She is honored to continue to represent Dr. Montessori’s principles and practices at Bozeman Summit School in the EC Classroom, along with Ms. Shea and Ms. Liza!

Jen is a proud Mom of two young adults, a daughter who is starting Graduate School in Data Sciences in Denver and a son, who attends MSU studying Environmental Studies and Political Science.  Both children benefited from Montessori schooling when young along with making lots of mud pies and noise. In her spare time, Jen and her husband, Stefan, spend as much time outside as possible enjoying road trips, hiking, biking, skiing, conversations and sunsets.

Teacher – Shea Barrett

Shea was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication and a Minor in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University. She has spent most of her life surrounded by children in various leadership roles. After 24 years in the valley, she moved to Bozeman in 2021, where she quickly fell in love with the mountains.  Since then, she has spent her time learning and teaching the Montessori method in town.
In her spare time, you can find Shea cycling, hiking mountains, camping, floating the river and listening to live music around the state. Her love for music and the outdoors often shines through in the classroom.

Teacher- Liza Dunlap

Liza was born and raised in Memphis, TN. She attended the University of Mississippi, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2023. Last year, she taught 5th-grade English and Language Arts at her alma mater. Liza spent summers in college working in Jackson Hole where she fell in love with life out west. Despite her Memphis pride, Liza set out for new adventures and moved to Bozeman this summer. She could not be more excited to continue her love for learning and working with children within the Montessori model at BSS.

In her free time, you can find Liza spending time with friends and family, listening to podcasts, reading a good book, floating on the river, and scouting out the best restaurants in her new city!