Shana Thomas is a dedicated educator with a background in Montessori education, literacy instruction, and inclusive teaching practices. She brings hands-on experience in reading intervention and developmental learning, with a focus on building strong foundations in math, language, and life skills. Shana’s creative and nurturing approach supports adult learners in discovering their capabilities through real-world problem solving and collaborative exploration.

In her spare time Shana enjoys spending time with her family, especially her two children, Ayla and Kai. She loves making crafts, playing the piano and fixing things. Shana is always involved in learning new skills and is excited to be a part of Elizabeth Academy.

Rachel received her Montessori infant and toddler certification through Rings of Knowledge in 2023. She worked for 2 years at Blooming Minds Montessori. She spent a year working in an infant classroom and a year working with toddlers. This is her first year at Elizabeth Academy working in the Iris classroom.

Dawn holds a Master of Arts degree in German Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and German from Cornell College. She has an AMS Lower Elementary Montessori Credential from Westminster College’s Institute for Montessori Innovation.

Dawn has been teaching for over 20 years at a variety of levels. She has been with Elizabeth Academy since 2013. Dawn has been a Montessori teacher at Montessori at Riverton and at the Montessori School at Lone Tree in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. She also has four years of experience teaching World History and German to high school students.

Her hobbies are hiking and traveling with her husband Keith and son Gregory, reading, drawing/painting, cooking, and cheering at her son’s hockey games (Dawn is a proud hockey mom!)

Emillie has a Bachelor of Science degree in General Education from Utah State University and an Early Childhood Montessori credential through the Institute for Guided Studies. Prior to joining the Elizabeth Academy staff, she worked as a lead teacher for three years in an Early Childhood classroom at Dancing Moose Montessori School in West Valley.

Nick has a Master of Science in Data Science and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, both from the University of Utah. His experience includes working as a business analyst for a youth adventure camp in Denver as well as 6 years as a lead instructor at an after school math tutoring center. This is Nick’s second year at Elizabeth Academy and he is excited this year to be teaching Pre-Algebra up to Precalculus, and taking the role of middle school advisor.

Nick is an avid gamer with an impressive collection of board games, collectable cards, and a gaming computer custom built by himself. He loves cooking, with his new favorite cuisines being Vietnamese, Thai, and really anything that incorporates fish sauce. Nick is a fan of electronic music and has continued to support local artists during his 10 years of living in Salt Lake City.