Owner and Director of The Frost Montessori School of Albemarle. Kedra purchased Frost Montessori School in 2006 from the original founder. Her three sons completed the 3 year Children’s House cycle. She firmly believes the Montessori foundation for education is irreplaceable and better than any other preschool program available. Kedra has a Bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education from James Madison University and taught fourth grade for twelve years. She has completed graduate work at The University of Virginia. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, vacations, exercising, watching her children play sports, socializing, and reading a good book.

Tessa Amell has a bachelor's degree from Colorado College and has worked in both private and public schools for the last 12 years. She is excited to step into her new role as Assistant Director this year at Frost. In her free time, you can find her on the trails or at the library. From chasing sunrises to sunsets and everything in between, she is always on the lookout for the next adventure.

Ashley has taught on two continents for seventeen years, twelve of which have been at Frost. She has a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of South Carolina and obtained her Montessori certification from the Princeton Center for Teacher Education in Princeton, New Jersey. She also holds a Master of Arts in Montessori Education from St. Catherine University in St. Paul Minnesota. In her free time, Ashley enjoys country living, playing traditional Irish fiddle, and the fiber arts. She lives in Gordonsville with her husband, her twin sons, her dog “Honza”, and her chickens.  

Alyssa Marlowe was born and raised in Blacksburg, VA. She received her degree in Education from Radford University in 2010 and her Montessori certification for Early Childhood from the Maitland Montessori Teacher Education Program in 2016. She joined Frost in August 2017. Alyssa enjoys spending time outdoors listening to live music and hiking as well as art projects, movies, and all things Disney! She loves spending time with family and friends making memories and cuddle time with her orange tabby, Mufasa. 

Annelise has been working at Frost for 6 years; she began as an assistant with Ashley in Children’s House I. Annelise is thrilled to be leading the Children’s House III class this year and working with the children there. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2013 with a BA in English and recently received her Montessori teacher certification from the Virginia Center for Montessori Studies (VCMS) in Richmond. In her free time, Annelise enjoys cooking, hiking, going on camping trips, traveling to new places and reading good books.

Brittany Moore is from Chesterfield, Virginia. She has multiple years of experience working in a preschool setting. She has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech. She loves spending her free time reading and playing with her dog, Bailey. Brittany is so excited to be joining the Frost family and getting to know her students.

Elizabeth Hyatt is from Richmond, Virginia and graduated from Trinity Episcopal.  She really enjoys the Montessori Philosophy and sees herself continuing to work with children moving forward. In her free time, she enjoys reading, time spent with her sister and playing video games. She recently adopted a kitten named Pigeon. 

Fifi graduated with a BA in Agriculture. She initiated her professional career by working in a small family business as an associate and manager. She enjoyed working with children in ISCV community daycare and Arabic school. At Frost she is pursuing her new passion and love for children by bringing her positive energy to contribute to the growth of children. As a mother of 4, Fifi enjoys spending her time with family and cooking their favorite cultural food and sweets.

Strolyn was born and raised in New York. She moved to Virginia in 2005. In

2014 she began working for Albemarle Country Public Schools for several

years. She found herself interested in working within Special Ed and later

applied for a job within Charlottesville City Schools, working for the BEST

Program. She loves to give children guidance and extra support for success.

Strolyn has recently decided to return to college and will graduate from

PVCC with her Associate of Science in Spring 2023. She enjoys traveling with

her children, any beach, and listening to her favorite musicians in her

spare time. This is Strolyn's second year at Frost.

Kirsten Shanks is a native of Culpeper, Virginia. She has multiple years of experience in both public and private school classrooms. She prefers and respects the Montessori School philosophy. She is a graduate of Full Sail University with a Bachelor’s degree in Game Art Design. She enjoys drawing and designing, reading, spending time with her family and watching the New York Giants play football. She is excited to be part of the Frost staff.

Colleen Taylor graduated from Christopher Newport University in the Spring of 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She lived in Providence, Rhode Island, working with City Year as Student Success Coach for a year. Colleen is very excited to be a part of the Frost Family and to learn more about the Montessori Philosophy. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching sports, and playing soccer in her free time.

Finesse is a recent Charlottesville transplant from Norfolk, Virginia. She graduated from Radford University with a bachelor’s in education and has three years of experience working with children varying in ages and settings. When not in the classroom, she likes to spend her free time reading, writing, and studying foreign languages.

Jessica was raised in North Carolina but has lived in Virginia for a total of 6 years. After high school Jessica joined the United States Marine Corps to proudly serve her country. After four honorable years of service, she decided to pursue a higher education in Business. In 2021 she graduated from Liberty University with her bachelor’s in science with a focus in Human Resource Management.

Jessica recently joined our team at Frost Montessori as our floating assistant. She provides support for the students and teachers throughout the day where necessary. A little bit about Jessica is her love for animals, and her passion for learning. Some of her hobbies include spending time with family, listening to podcasts, and attempting new recipes.