Our Team

At AMS, we take pride in the unique abilities, and experiences that each member of our knowledgeable and dedicated team brings to our environment. From having speakers of many different languages on staff to staff members with experience in the sciences, and the visual, culinary and performing arts, we feel that a variety of interests and abilities allows us to better understand and support the needs of our diverse group of students and their families.

All AMS team members have current First Aid Certification, Clear Criminal Record Checks and Child Abuse Registry Checks and complete regular professional development courses.

Analia Lowe

Co-owner, Administrator and Inclusion Support

Analia Lowe holds a BSc degree in Psychology from Dalhousie University, a Master of Science in Early Childhood Special Education from Johns Hopkins University and a certificate in Montessori for Special Needs from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Since 2003, she has been working in the field of early childhood education in Canada, the United States and Asia.

Analia enjoys family time with her husband and twin boys, who are both graduates of the AMS Casa program. She enjoys keeping up her fluent Spanish by staying in touch with family and friends in Uruguay and the United States.

Andrea Cavicchi

Co-owner, Administrator and Head Montessori Guide

Andrea Cavicchi received her AMI Montessori teaching diploma from the Foundation for Montessori Education in Toronto in 2007 and holds a certificate in Montessori for Special Needs from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Andrea has been working with young children since 2003, in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Asia. She holds a BFA degree from NSCAD University and is also a TESOL trained children’s English teacher.

Andrea loves to spend time with her husband and her daughter, who is a graduate of the AMS Casa program. She enjoys painting and writing and has published two books for children, The Good Luck Dragonfly and The Crow’s Voice.

Amanda Rooney

Casa Cardinal French Assistant

Amanda Rooney joined Atlantic Montessori School as a French Montessori Assistant in 2015 and completed her Montessori Fundamentals training through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Amanda began French Immersion at the age of five and continued her French studies throughout university, graduating from Dalhousie University with a BA with Combined Honours in French and German. She went on to obtain her Master’s Degree in German from Dalhousie. She discovered a love for working with children during her time as a childrens’ gymnastics instructor.

In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time in nature with her family and her dog. Her son is a graduate of the AMS Casa program.

Hala Al-Qadasi

Casa Cardinal English Speaking Assistant

Hala joined AMS during the 2024/2025 school year, starting out as a substitute staff member and then moving to a full time position in our Casa class. She has a Montessori Fundamentals diploma through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Hala came to AMS with five years of experience as a teaching assistant in Egypt and Yemen. She is currently enrolled in a diploma program through the Nova Scotia College of Early Childhood Educators.

Hala enjoys helping children to explore and express themselves. She enjoys baking and spending time with her family in her free time.

Andrea Pauptit

Casa Blue Jay Montessori Guide

Andrea (Known at AMS as “Andrea K”) joined AMS in 2025. She has over 10 years of experience as a Montessori Casa guide, working in Montessori schools in Ontario and Nova Scotia. Andrea K completed her AMI Montessori training at the Foundation for Montessori Education in Toronto in 2014. She has also completed Montessori Administrator training, and is the founder of the Atlantic Montessori Educator’s Collective, which brings together Montessori educators across the Maritimes.

Andrea has a Bachelor’s degree from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB and has also had experience as a TESOL trained English teacher, spending time teaching in Japan.

Divya Varrier

Casa Blue Jay Assistant

Divya Varrier joined Atlantic Montessori School as a classroom assistant in winter of 2023. Divya has Montessori training and experience from her home country of India and also has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the KB College of Arts. She spent nearly nine years working as a tutor and an associate teacher for children and teenagers in Saudi Arabia. Divya has completed her Montessori Assistant’s training through Trillium Montessori.

In her spare time, Divya loves to read and paint.

Ilhem Askri

Casa Blue Jay French Assistant

Ilhem joined AMS during the 2024/2025 school year, starting out as a substitute staff member before moving to a full time position as a French Speaking Casa Assistant. Ilhem came to AMS with over seven years of experience in the field of early childhood education, primarily working in Turkey. Ilhem grew up speaking fluent French in her home country of Tunisia and has an appreciation for multicultural learning environments. Ilhem holds a Montessori Fundamentals diploma from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies.

She enjoys supporting children in meaningful learning experiences.

Francoise Sansoni

Hummingbird Room Toddler Guide

Francoise joined the AMS Hummingbird Room during the 2024/2025 school year. Francoise has extensive training in Montessori education, having completed her AMI diplomas at the Infant and Toddler level, (0-3) in Vancouver, BC, Casa level (3-6) in St Louis, Missouri and Adolescent level (12-18) in Cleveland, Ohio. Francoise has also acted as a consultant for Montessori training programs in North America and Europe.

Francoise enjoys working with toddlers and has spent over seven years in Infant Communities and operated her own home-based program in California for over six years.

Linda Boucher

Substitute Montessori Guide

Linda Boucher has twenty five years of experience in the field of Montessori education, following a twelve year career in Community Services. She has an AMI Diploma from the Montessori Training Centre of British Columbia, as well as a MACTE diploma from the Angela Martin Montessori Training Centre in BC. She also holds a BA in Child Study and Psychology from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. Linda has spent time working in Toddler, Casa and Elementary Montessori environments in Ontario. After moving back to her home province of Nova Scotia, Linda joined Atlantic Montessori School as a substitute teacher in the fall of 2022.

Linda enjoys travelling the world, music, art, sports and environmental studies. Her two adult sons both attended Montessori schools from the Casa to Elementary level.