About Our School

Meadowsweet Montessori is committed to creating an authentic, equitably-accessed Montessori early learning community in Broome County.

We are dedicated to nurturing the holistic growth of each child—mind, body, and spirit—while honoring their natural stages of development. Through a thoughtfully prepared environment and a supportive community, we aim to inspire a lifelong love of learning for children, caregivers, and educators alike.

Our vision is to cultivate a space where curiosity thrives, individuality is celebrated, and our community grows together in harmony with nature’s rhythms.

Two children drawing and working together

watercolor image of colorful wildflowers

Our Teacher Leaders

Heather Frost

Founder, Co-Director

Lead Montessori Guide

Heather Frost is a dedicated Montessorian with a deep passion for fostering a love of learning in her community. As the founder of Meadowsweet Montessori, she has realized a long-held dream of creating a nurturing and dynamic educational environment for both children and adults. Her journey to founding the school was shaped by her work with Capucine Montessori, a Wildflower School, and joining the Wildflower Blooms Cohort—experiences that provided both the inspiration and the pathway to bring her vision to life.

Heather holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Wells College and a master's degree in early childhood education from the University of Hartford. She earned her Montessori credentials for Primary-age children through the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) at the Montessori Training Center Northeast. With extensive teaching experience, she has served as a classroom assistant, a lead Montessori guide, a Kindergarten Outdoor Science Lab instructor, and has also supported school administration through substitute roles at a Wildflower school.

A native of the area, Heather has returned to raise her children close to their grandparents, in a place near her own childhood home. She is thrilled to bring her passion for Montessori and early childhood education back to her roots, especially to a community where no Montessori schools currently exist—an exciting and meaningful endeavor.

Outside of her professional work, Heather finds joy in nature—whether hiking, running, identifying wildflowers, or adventuring with her wife, Lillian, their energetic twin two-year-olds, and their dog, Bubbles.

Samantha Knop

Co-Director

Primary Guide

Samantha Knop has a Bachelor's in Early Childhood and Childhood
Education. She is currently finishing her Master's in Literacy this summer of 2025.

Samantha has always known she has wanted to work with children but, while student teaching in college, she realized she wanted a closer relationship with families and communities.

Working in a Montessori setting has helped her achieve that dream. Samantha continues to work on her practice and eventually wants to earn her
Doctorate in Social-Emotional Economics within Education.

Our Board

Liz Wood

Chair

Liz Wood (they/them) is a former special education teacher and current educational technology coach with Broome-Tioga BOCES’s Professional Learning and Innovation Center. They are passionate about culturally-responsive and human-centric education, and are excited about the opportunity to bring those passions to the Meadowsweet Montessori School as a Board Member. Liz lives in Binghamton, NY with their partner and dogs, where they enjoy gaming, reading, and roller derby.

Luiz Rosada Duarte

Vice Chair

Luiz Rosada Duarte (he/his) is a Montessori Lead Guide at Capucine Montessori School in Cambridge, MA. Luiz is a MACTE certified teacher for Early Childhood. He was born and raised in Brazil, and also holds a BA in Physical Education and a MA in Sports Psychology. He moved with his family to the United States in 2016, and has applied his 23 years of educational background in Montessori education since then. Luiz truly believes in the power of Montessori education, and the importance of establishing a nurturing community to fully support children and their families.

Theresa Bovier

Secretary

Theresa Bovier (she, her) is the Chief Operations Officer and Social Worker at YWCA Binghamton/Broome County. Theresa holds dual Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Social Work from Binghamton University and brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and program development. A dedicated advocate for vulnerable communities, she has a proven track record of creating impactful programs that address the needs of diverse homeless populations. Their expertise in strategic planning, supportive housing program development, and community engagement makes them a valuable asset to any board focused on social change and equity.

Christopher Welch

Treasurer

Chris Welch (he/him) is a seasoned entrepreneurial leader with over 20 years of experience driving revenue growth and building high-performance organizations.

He is currently the founder of Eastlake Ventures, an investment firm focused on acquiring and growing small businesses.

Chris has worked at various stages of company growth, having been a founder, and led teams at both growth-stage and publicly traded technology firms.

He lives in Northern NJ with his wife and two sons and serves as Vice Chair at Restore NYC, an anti-trafficking organization.

Lixue Tu (Tutu)

Board Member

Lixue Tu (Tutu) (she/her), is a native Mandarin speaker and an enthusiastic bilingual educator. She holds a BA degree in English Language and Literature from China and an MA degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the United States. Experience with adult learners made her believe that true love of learning is shaped at a much younger age. She discovered that Montessori schools help children explore their own intrinsic interest in learning and develop lifelong learning skills. Tutu is also a mother of two girls, who are the motivation for her to become a Montessori guide and to open her own Montessori preschool. Her goal is to help raise independent, self-motivated, respectful and socially conscious learners. Tutu enjoys learning about different cultures and languages, and she is a big fan of foods from around the world. She loves living in New England and doing winter sports, as well as camping with her family in the summer. Tutu’s dream is to travel around the world and visit her students in different countries.