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Lisl Friday

I am proud to welcome all of you to Athena Montessori Academy.  What was six years ago just a dream has evolved into an incredible community of dedicated teachers, staff and families supporting our vision to serve and guide the children in a loving, nurturing, diverse, stimulating and, most of all, fun and joyful environment.

I was born and raised in Austin and attended Athena Montessori School in Tarrytown in the early ‘70s.  Memories of the place we affectionately called“Leo’s school” helped to shape my vision for what has become Athena Montessori Academy.  My school is not affiliated with my alma mater in any way other than the name “Athena”, which was gifted to me by Leo’s family to honor the memory of the original school.

Young children, sports and Montessori education have been the prominent themes in my life for as long as I can remember.  I have been a camp counselor, nanny, gymnastics coach, ballet teacher, kickboxing teacher, swim instructor, and horseback instructor to young children.  I have also taught in Montessori schools in Santa Fe and Sacramento, and held the role of Assistant Director at the Montessori Discovery School in Santa Fe.  I have a degree in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a Masters in Education from the University of Texas at Austin. 

When not working, I run Town Lake, swim at Deep Eddy, ride my road and mountain bikes, dabble in commercial acting, and spend time with family and friends.  

In my roles as Owner and Director of Athena, I am committed to taking excellent care of all of my staff, children and families.  I am committed to the ongoing education and training of our teaching staff, so that we may be leaders in our profession, and serve the children and families to the best of our ability.  While always honoring the beauty of the core of Montessori—its method, materials, training and curriculum—my goal is for us to expand our knowledge and practice to include the benefits and practical applications we have gained from modern studies and research in psychology, neuropsychology and science.  My current passions include gender differences; brain research; sibling order; sensory integration processing; literacy; effective limit setting and behavior redirection; physical education; and the spiritual development of children.  I strive to continue to create a culture of diversity, community, and personal, professional and spiritual growth every day at Athena.

I look forward to getting to know all of you during your tenure at Athena.  It takes all of us to build a community, so thank you for your contribution.

Warmly,

Lisl