About Our School
Blazing Stars Montessori School provides an equitable, authentic Montessori education for children ages 3 – 10 years old. We envision a learning community grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy that lays the foundation for children to author their own journeys in life. At Blazing Stars Montessori School, we prioritize the emotional, mental, and physical well-being and safety of our students and community. We aim to provide a Montessori environment where joy, empowerment, humanity, interconnectedness, healing, balance, and harmony are at the core of daily learning experiences. The Montessori approach is a child-centered, hands-on-learning pedagogy rooted in peace education and global mindedness. The holistic approach of Dr. Maria Montessori helps all children become truly capable and productive individuals by focusing on their moral, behavioral, emotional, and intellectual development.
We are a member of the Wildflower Network of schools. Wildflower is an ecosystem of decentralized Montessori micro-schools that support children, teachers, and parents. Wildflower aspires to give all children and families the opportunity to choose high quality, beautiful learning environments as they follow life’s unfolding journey.
A Cooperative School Community
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At Blazing Stars Montessori School, we believe in engaging all stakeholders – including parents, teachers, and students – in sharing the responsibility for running the school. We believe that the entire school community should work together for the collective good and benefit of our students. This is based on the premise that strong and positive school-family relationships are the foundation of an effective education. Parent involvement/participation is not just about volunteering/attendance at events but a recognition that the health of the School Family extends into the parent-child relationship.
In the Press
Our Teacher Leaders
LaTania Scott
Founding Teacher Leader
LaTania holds an American Montessori Society Lower Elementary Montessori credential, an IMC Montessori Credentials for Upper Elementary, a B.A. in Elementary Education, a Masters in Montessori Education, a Florida Early Childhood Director’s Credential, and a Florida Professional Educators Teaching License. LaTania has over 16 years of experience in the field of elementary education. LaTania also works with teachers in training as a practicum advisor and field consultant. LaTania is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority and serves on the executive board as the vice president.
Kameeka Shirley
Founding Teacher Leader
Kameeka holds a B.B.A in Marketing and worked for almost 5 years at Morgan Stanley in New York before joining Teach for America as a 2017 corps member in Jacksonville, FL. Most recently, Kameeka has worked for 3 years in a lower elementary Montessori classroom and holds a Florida Professional Educators Teaching License with a Reading Endorsement and course work in English as a Second Language and Gifted. Outside of her time in the classroom Kameeka is a mother to a toddler and is in the first class of Teach for America Central Florida’s Alumni Educator Fellowship.
Our Team
Jess Cass
After Care
Hello, I am honored to be here at Blazing Stars working along with the vision these two incredible women have fostered into reality. I have worked with children and in a myriad of caregiving roles as well as other areas of care
providing for the majority of my life, and over these years Montessori has become my deepest curiosity and purpose.
I believe Montessori offers an incredible gift to all those involved in its simplicity. I look forward to seeing how far these Blazing Stars will travel throughout their lives. Thank you so much for welcoming me to the school.
Assistant
We are currently hiring for a part-time position at Blazing Stars Montessori School. Please see our employment page for more information.
Our Specials Team
Lennise Romero
Primary
Assistant
Ms. Lennise is a classroom assistant in the Primary community. She is
a parent and a student advocate who is
planning to pursue further studies in Special Education.
Charlotte Lewis
Music
Charlotte is an instructor at Prelude Academy of the Arts, who partners with Blazing Stars to offer a high-quality music experience for Blazing Stars' students. Read more about Charlotte here.
Now Hiring!
Assistant
We are currently hiring for a part-time position at Blazing Stars Montessori School. Please see our employment page for more information.
Charlotte Lewis
Music
Charlotte is an instructor at Prelude Academy of the Arts, who partners with Blazing Stars to offer a high-quality music experience for Blazing Stars' students. Read more about Charlotte here.
Nader Rashad
Soccer Coach
Specials
Do you have a special talent you would like to share with our school community? We are looking for artists, chefs, athletes, performers, speakers of second languages and passionate members of our community to share their talents with our students. Please email us to discuss.
Our Board
Brittany Powell
Secretary
For well over a decade Brittany Powell has been dedicated to the education of children and young adults. She has taught English, Reading, and Journalism from 9th grade to college freshmen. A graduate of University of South Florida with a B.A. in Mass Communications and a Masters of Art in Teaching. When not in the classroom, Brittany works tirelessly to improve the lives of children within her community by serving as a member of the PASCO Coalition and Co-President of Mocha Moms.
Jake Cohen
Board Member
Jake first fell in love with Montessori education in 2012 in Chicago where he was working as an actor and teaching artist. After he stumbled into an assistant role in a Montessori preschool, the radical pedagogy and child-honoring philosophy he observed completely altered his life path. A year later, he moved to Oakland, CA for a graduate program in Montessori Early Childhood Education, earning his American Montessori Society credential and writing his Master’s thesis on obstacles to Montessori in Head Start programs. After five years in the Bay Area, Jake and his partner, Jessie, moved to Philadelphia to be closer to family on the East Coast. After co-teaching with Eileen for a couple of years at Clementine Montessori, he was thrilled to partner with her as she embarked to establish Clover in Mt. Airy.
We are Hiring!
Blazing Stars Montessori School in Dade City, FL seeks VPK Teacher to lead our VPK and extended day programs. Who We Are Blazing Stars Montessori School is a Preschool and Elementary school serving children ages 3-10 in Dade City, FL.
In Tampa Bay, there are dozens of private Montessori schools providing opportunities for children to reach their extraordinary potential within an environment that promotes innovation, creativity, critical thinking, academic rigor, and peace. These options tend to be in more affluent areas, and they are too expensive for the majority of families living in East Pasco. Blazing Stars Montessori School seeks to change that.
We are opening a high-performing, authentic Montessori school that partners with families to help children in diverse communities reach their extraordinary potential intellectually, emotionally, socially, creatively, culturally, and physically, so that they can pursue lives full of meaning and joy.
The Montessori approach is a child-centered, hands-on-learning pedagogy rooted in peace education and global mindedness. The holistic approach of Dr. Maria Montessori helps all children become truly capable and productive individuals by focusing on their moral, behavioral, emotional, and intellectual development.
Download our convenient PDF to know more about the process and application