Sailini Lohia

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Head of School

Sailini founded Fiore Montessori School along with husband Sandeep in 2010. She is trained as an AMI Montessori Primary Guide and has over 8 years of experience working with children ages 3 - 6. Sailini holds a M.B.A. in Finance and B.S. in Commerce. In a previous life, Sailini worked as a Business Director for Capital One. She and her husband have two sons, ages 10 and 12, and live in Vienna, VA. She is a committed Iyengar Yoga student and enjoys playing Bridge.

Jan Deason

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Assistant Head of School

Jan received her Montessori elementary training at the Washington Montessori Institute and taught both lower and upper elementary classes at a school in Georgia. She built on that experience and founded a Montessori adolescent program. She also served as a Head of School for ten years and was a founding member of the Montessori Administrators Group of Georgia and a board member of the Montessori Administrators Association.

Sandeep Lohia

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Strategic Head

Sandeep founded Fiore Montessori along with his wife, Sailini, in 2010. In 2012, Sandeep assumed the role of head of school at Fiore Montessori which he passed on to Sailini in 2019. Sandeep is trained as an Engineer and holds an M.B.A. He believes that a strong foundation is essential to long term success and is passionate about producing a conducive environment at Fiore for every child to develop a strong foundation for success and happiness.

Kelly McDermott

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Admissions Manager

Kelly is originally from New York, but now lives in northern Virginia with her Husband and two cats. Kelly has more than a decade of childcare experience and a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Administration. On her downtime, Kelly enjoys watching movies, playing disc golf and has a talent of cake decorating that she enjoys sharing with friends and family or really anyone willing to eat some cake.

Rachel Larson

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Communications and Marketing Manager

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Rachel has a collegiate background in Communications and Public Relations along with her Masters in Education. She is a trained Elementary Guide and has over 7 years experience working with children from ages 6-12. Rachel is originally from Winchester, VA but has lived all over the United States and in Italy before taking her role at Fiore and settling in Falls Church, VA where she lives with her fiancé and golden retriever, Gobi.  Rachel is a Virginia Tech alumni and a proud Hokie! She is an avid traveler and enjoys cooking, yoga, and is a classically trained pianist and vocalist. 

Josselyn Ayala

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Operations Manager

Originally from El Salvador, Josselyn moved to VA when she was 5. She is currently working on her Bachelors degree in Business Management from George Mason. She also has a Business Information Technology certificate and is a trained Montessori Primary Assistant. Josselyn's daughter is currently attending Fiore's primary program. In her spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and exploring the state. 

Garth Mramor

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Elementary Guide

Garth recieved his AMI training at the Montessori Institute of San Diego, and completed the first of his Masters at Loyola University in Baltimore. He began his teaching career right after college, working as an English teacher at two French grade schools, and he continued a year later at a farm school in Montana, where he led a primary class. After completing his AMI Elementary training, he moved to New Mexico, where he served as a Guide at a nature-based Montessori school. When not at work, Garth spends his time reading.

Lizette Calaro

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Elementary Assistant and Spanish Teacher 

Lizette lives with her two elementary aged sons and husband in northern Virginia. She has been working with young children for over 7 years and has been with Fiore since 2013. She has done the primary and elementary assistants training at the Washington Montessori Institute. Lizette has learned through her experience with her own son the impact that learning disabilities can have on a young child and the impact that Montessori can have in assisting a child to navigate non-standard circumstances, she is able to bring a heightened patience level with all the children from her experience. She enjoys cooking, being outside, and has started learning to knit with her two boys.

Sandra Caraballo

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Primary Guide

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Sandra has a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education from Florida International University, a Masters in Education from Loyola University and is AMI Primary certified from Washington Montessori Institute in Maryland. She has served in the United States Army, and has worked with young children for over 5 years. Sandra greatly enjoys being outdoors, woodworking and interior design. She puts these hobbies to good use in her classroom. She lives in McLean along with her husband and daughter.     

Sarah Loden

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Primary Guide

Sarah Loden is an AMI trained Primary Guide. She holds a Masters in Education from Loyola University Maryland, and a dual Bachelor’s degree, a B.A in Cultural Anthropology and B.S. in Communications Studies, from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining Fiore, Sarah worked in Child and Parent Centres in Australia, and led a primary class in New York City. A native Texan, Sarah enjoys baking, reading, dance, and spending time outdoors. 

Viviana Rubiano

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Primary Bilingual Assistant

Viviana is originally from Bogotá, Colombia and received her A.A.S. magma cum lauded in 2016. She has worked with young children for more than 10 years. She has completed the AMI Primary Assistant training. She enjoys arts and crafts, and the Montessori approach to learning and development.

Becky Myers-Pollock

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Primary Guide

Becky received her Bachelors of Science in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and is an AMI trained Montessori Guide for children ages 3 - 6. Currently, she lives in Washington, D.C. along with her husband. Her favorite part about Montessori education is that the child's potential is witnessed by all. When she is not at school, Becky enjoys going on hikes with her dog, exploring the city and visiting family in Pennsylvania.

Andrea Vidal

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Primary Bilingual Assistant

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Andrea lives in Reston, VA with her son and daughter. She studied to be a pharmacy technician through the ACE program in Fairfax. She has completed the Montessori Assistat's training at WMI. In her free time she likes to read books and spend quality time with her children. 

Thomasa Coram

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Primary Assistant

Thomasa started her journey working with children as a special education teacher's assistant while in high school. She went on to earn her associates degree in education, then a BA in English. She enjoys painting and writing in her free time and believes it is never too late to learn and try new things. 

Giovanna Torrez

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Primary Bilingual Assistant

Giovanna was born in Laz Paz Bolivia and moved to Virginia at a young age. She has enjoyed growing roots in the town of Vienna and has a daughter that is ten years old. She Has six years experience with young children. 

Minaxi Punjabi

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Toddler Guide

Minaxi Punjabi is a trained Montessori Infant-Toddler Guide and has been working with young children for over 11 years. She has also attended the Primary (3 - 6 year-old) Training. Minaxi's interests are diverse and touch on Food and Hospitality, IT, Non-profits and Neuroscience. She continues to volunteer with several non-profit organizations that share her passion for community building and creating a higher quality of life for all. 

Diana Benavides Acosta

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Toddler Bilingual Assistant

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Diana has worked with children for over 10 years. She became interested in Montessori when she discovered the positive impact it had on children. Diana particularly enjoys working with children between the ages of 1 and 3 years because it is during this stage when we are able to best observe, teach and learn from children. Diana has completed the AMI Toddler Assistant Training. Diana lives in Virginia with her husband and daughter.

Evelyn Vargas

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Toddler Assistant

Evelyn has worked with children for over 8 years. She was a teacher in Ecuador where she is from and has a degree in Language Science and Education. She has worked as an assistant teacher in Montessori schools before coming to Fiore and has completed the AMI toddler Assistant Training. She loves working with children and really likes to teach them. In her free time Evelyn enjoys hiking, dancing and spending time with her husband.