Catherine Montgomery

Lead Teacher

Catherine holds a BFA in Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. Her early teaching experiences were for art programs in museum and community settings. Like many, she discovered Montessori when looking for a quality preschool for her own children. After many years as an Assistant in a Montessori classroom, she began serving as Lead Teacher as she completed her Montessori Primary Certification at Chestnut Hill College.

Catherine is excited to welcome children and their families into the new Ginkgo classroom and Clementine School environments. She is thankful to be part of the Clementine community and for the opportunity to help it grow into its new space, together. Catherine is eager to guide children in their discovery through exploration of Montessori works. She is honored to foster a love of learning, a curiosity about the world, and a sense of community, kindness, and inclusion.

Yizhou Liu

Assistant Teacher

Yizhou grew up in Shanghai and has two beautiful daughters, aged 8 and 11. She received her bachelor’s degree in management in 2011 and later found her true calling in teaching young children as she took active care of her own. As her family moved to Philly in 2017, she started to work with children in the traditional setting. She earned the CDA credential during her first year of teaching and was always in search of a better teaching methodology. She is now in her final year of her Montessori Early Childhood degree at Chestnut Hill College and is excited to put what she’s learned into practice. She is captivated by the Montessori’s philosophy and believes that children possess an innate power to grow. She sees her role as a teacher to help children reach their fullest potential.

Yizhou loves to cook for her family and explores nature with them. She likes to travel and learn new things. She is thrilled to be back in the neighborhood that has been her home for nearly 7 years, ready to serve the families with her whole heart! She looks forward to sharing her culture while being eager to learn from yours. She is very excited to grow alongside the children!