Instructional Staff
Kimberly Clauson, Head of School & Lead Children's House Teacher
Ms. Kimberly Clauson serves as the Head of School and Lead Teacher for the Children’s House. She is responsible for the overall daily operations of the school, including classroom instruction, curriculum development, and guiding staff in their journey in Montessori teaching.
Ms. Kimberly enjoys discovering and creating with children. She appreciates the absorbent minds of her students, enjoys watching them gain independence, and feels blessed for the opportunity to guide them during such a pivotal moment in their lives.
Prior to appointment to Head of School at Bay Grove Montessori in 2023, Ms. Kimberly was the lead early childhood teacher at Saint Augustine Public Montessori School for five years. Her background also includes teaching, Art, English as a Foreign Language, Montessori Toddler, and Early Childhood in Chile, Costa Rica, Chicago, Tallahassee, and Santa Rosa Beach. Ms. Kimberly is excited to return to her roots here on the Emerald Coast and serve as the guide and mentor for students and teachers at Bay Grove Montessori School.
When not at school, Ms. Kimberly enjoys studying permaculture, watching garden YouTube videos, and camping with her family. She spends most of her time in the garden or at the farmer’s market.
B.S., Art Education, Florida State University
Early Childhood Montessori Certificate, Seton Montessori Training Center
P-12 Teaching Certification: Florida
DCF Staff & Director Credential
First Aid Certified (CPR, AED, Epi-Pen)
Adeline Petterson, Lead Elementary Teacher
Ms. Adeline Petterson serves as the lead teacher for our elementary students (ages 6-9). She is responsible for helping design and implement the elementary school curriculum.
Ms. Adeline loves children and is passionate about teaching. She is inspired by the independence and education of the whole child that Montessori fosters.
Prior to joining Bay Grove, Ms. Adeline worked with lower elementary students for 5 years at a Nature School whose curriculum was inspired by Montessori and Reggio Emilia. She also taught English in Spain for 2 years after receiving her Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certification, and has completed additional developmental psychology coursework which emphasized the ways children learn.
In her free time, she loves to teach yoga, travel, and spend time outdoors with her pup, Luna. Ms. Adeline recently relocated to the Freeport-local area from North Carolina; she is very excited to join the Bay Grove Team and explore Florida.
B.A., Psychology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certification
Montessori Lead Teacher Credential (CGMS): post-coursework, final internship in progress
First Aid Certified (CPR, AED, Epi-Pen)
Scarlett Dunn, Children's House Assistant Teacher
Ms. Scarlett Dunn serves as the Assistant Teacher for the Children’s House (ages 3-5). She is responsible for helping the Children’s House Lead Teacher, Ms. Kimberly, implement the early childhood Montessori curriculum.
Ms. Scarlett enjoys the experiential focus of the Montessori methodology, learning and discovering with the students, while being a gentle guide through such a pivotal developmental period in their lives. She appreciates the opportunity to nurture your children as they desire to be creative, kind and respectful.
Prior to joining the Bay Grove Montessori community, Ms. Scarlett’s extensive professional background has always been child-focused. Relocating to the Emerald Coast in 2006 from the mountains of her home state of West Virginia, she has served in roles as the Director of Camp Watercolor for St. Joe Club & Resorts, Clinical Counselor with Children’s Home Society, Assistant Teacher with South Walton Montessori Academy and most recently as the Park Services Specialist for the Florida Park Service, administering the Junior Ranger Program and developing interpretive programming for schools in the parks. She is excited to return to a Montessori environment, serving as a guide for your children’s learning journey.
When not in the classroom, Ms. Scarlett enjoys reading, collecting Shearwater pottery & spending time outdoors with her husband, Casey, and their two Labrador Retrievers, Sampson & Deacon. You may find them hiking, biking or hunting in Point Washington State Forest or fly-fishing and paddle-boarding off Sunnyside Beach close to their home on the west end of Panama City Beach.
B.S. Education, Concord University
M.S. Clinical Social Work, Florida State University
Plan to obtain Early Childhood Montessori Certificate beginning Summer 2024
First Aid Certified (CPR, AED, Epi-Pen)
Andrea Georgas, Assistant Elementary Teacher
Ms. Andrea Georgas serves as the assistant teacher for our elementary students (ages 6-9). She is responsible for helping the Elementary Lead Teacher, Ms. Adeline, implement the elementary school curriculum.
Ms. Andrea first stepped into a Montessori classroom during her husband’s elementary training a decade ago and was instantly drawn to the aesthetics of the classroom materials.
Ms. Andrea was able to combine her lifetime love of drawing with her newfound love of Montessori education when they moved abroad to Japan in 2014. She was the after school art specialist for the elementary children at the Montessori School of Tokyo and also taught private lessons off campus to children ages 6-18. After welcoming a daughter into the world, Ms. Andrea's family relocated back stateside in 2017 and she enrolled in the training course at Montessori Northwest in Portland, OR.
When she’s not in the classroom, Ms. Andrea is busy drawing, homesteading and homeschooling on 20 acres of wild Florida land. Her family is currently growing a variety of edible plants, flowers and trees using permaculture farming techniques. She originally relocated to our region in 2021 to lead the Children’s House classroom at Sweetbay Montessori.
BFA., Illustration, Savannah College of Art and Design
Early Childhood Montessori Certificate, Montessori Northwest Training Center
MEd., Montessori Education, Loyola University
First Aid Certified (CPR, AED, Epi-Pen)
Support Personnel
Kate Bertelli-Wilinski, Administrative Director
Ms. Kate serves as the school's administrator. She is responsible for managing the logistical side of the school's day-to-day operations, credentialing, and admissions/enrollment.
Prior to joining Bay Grove, Ms. Kate held several administrative, director, supervisor and instructional instructional roles throughout her decade-plus of experience in public education. She has also served the educational community as a researcher and peer-reviewer for several national music organizations. Most recently, Ms. Kate was an instructional designer and research analyst in the corporate sector where she gained new perspective about the purely business-aspect of learning.
Outside of school, Ms. Kate loves spending time with her family enjoying the Florida sunshine and exploring the beautiful Emerald Coast beaches, as well as reading, and crafting.
B.A., Music & Legal Studies (Dual Major) - University of Massachusetts Amherst
M.S., Education - Troy University
Ph.D., Music Education - University of Colorado Boulder
P/K-12 teaching certifications: Massachusetts, Colorado, and Alabama
First Aid Certified (CPR, AED, Epi-Pen)
Lead Coordinator, Aftercare Enrichment Program
Bay Grove is currently seeking an individual to lead our aftercare enrichment program.
The lead aftercare personnel will be responsible for coordinating and assisting our enrichment guest instructors during the aftercare program.
Please click on the "career opportunities" link at the bottom of this page for further details.
Guest Instructor, Aftercare Enrichment Program
Bay Grove is seeking individuals to serve as Guest Instructors for our aftercare Enrichment Program.
Guest Instructors should have expertise in an enrichment area (e.g. yoga, languages, pottery, gardening, drumming, piano, dance, painting, etc.) and will be responsible for creating and leading activities with students enrolled in our aftercare enrichment program. Teaching experience not required.
Please click on the "career opportunities" link at the bottom of this page for further details.
Volunteers, Aftercare Enrichment Program
Bay Grove is seeking individuals to volunteer to work with children enrolled in our aftercare enrichment program. This position is perfect for pre-service teachers or those considering or planning to enter the teaching profession in need of observation, volunteer, or teaching hours.
As a volunteer, you would assist the Bay Grove Staff and Guest Instructors in the implementation of the enrichment activity with our students, as well as support the other daily activities offered to our children during aftercare, including, snack, movement, outdoor time, gardening, distance learning recording, follow-up work, reading, and arts and crafts.
Please click on the "career opportunities" link at the bottom of this page for further details.
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