Kindergarten
Meet the Team
Chelsi Ostergaard
Kindergarten Teacher/Team Lead
Chelsi Ostergaard
Chelsi has been a Montessori teacher since 2007. She has taught many years in Early childhood and Lower Elementary. Chelsi loves working closely with children and loves seeing them succeed. She wants nothing but the best for every child in her classroom and she enjoys getting to know each child as an individual. Chelsi has completed her Bachelor's degree in Special Education at Westminster College. She has also earned her MACTE Early Childhood Montessori credential through MEPI (Montessori Education Programs International) and her Lower Elementary Montessori AMS credential through the Institute for Montessori Innovation at Westminster College. When she is not teaching, Chelsi loves golfing, spending time with her family, camping and being outdoors.
costergaard@igniteutah.org
costergaard@igniteutah.org
Nicole Monty
Kindergarten Teacher
Nicole Monty
Nicole Monty is excited to be spending her fourth year with Ignite! Miss Nicole loves teaching young children and spent three years in the distance learning program. She's excited to see her students each day in the site-based program. Miss Nicole is engaged in her own educational journey as she pursues her Utah Educator licensure. She is excited to grow her knowledge and experience in the classroom. She is comfortable in saying she will be with Ignite for many more years. Nicole has 2 children, and she is happy to be a part of the Ignite Family as a parent, too. She loves to share her passion and excitement in teaching with her students and coworkers! .
nmonty@igniteutah.org
nmonty@igniteutah.org
Erin Collins
Kindergarten Teacher
Erin Collins
Erin is so excited to be part of Ignite this year! She holds a degree in Elementary Education, with interest in early childhood. She operated her own preschool in her early career and enjoys building foundational skills in students. Miss Erin is excited to be part of the kindergarten team as the AM/PM teacher and looks forward to encouraging a love of learning in her students.
ecollins@igniteutah.org
ecollins@igniteutah.org
Adriana Santana
Teacher Assistant
Adriana Santana
Ms. Adriana is a firm believer that every child should be successful! She has worked in many school settings and found a passion in helping all students achieve their learning goals. Ms. Adriana has been part of the Ignite for two years and absolutely loves every bit of it. Outside of work she enjoys long runs, spending time with loved ones and reading.
asantana@igniteutah.org
asantana@igniteutah.org
Lily Rittscher
KindergartenTeacher
Lily Rittscher
Lily Rittscher has been with Ignite since 2019! She graduated from WGU with a B.A. in Elementary Education. Lily also has experience with Montessori curriculum and is certified in the Science of Reading. Her favorite grade to teach is Kindergarten as she loves to help them jump start their love of learning as they start school for the first time. Hands on experiences are very important to Lily in the classroom and she loves hearing the children's ideas so they can make the classroom their own! When she is not teaching, Lily loves to spend time with her family, trying new foods, and baking.
lrittscher@igniteutah.org
lrittscher@igniteutah.org
Cheryl Haluska
Teacher Assistant
Cheryl Haluska
Cheryl Haluska recently moved to Utah after living in Indiana. She has a degree in Child Development and 12 years experience teaching preschool. Her understanding for Montessori learning makes her a perfect fit. With experience in early childhood, she has a passion for meeting children where they are in learning and making it fun. She has 3 children and is recently an empty nester. She and her husband enjoy exploring Utah in their spare time.
chaluska@igniteutah.org
chaluska@igniteutah.org
Kaely Rath
Teacher Assistant
Kaely Rath
Kaely grew up in Grass Valley, California. She has a bachelor's degree in Family and Human Development and a minor is Psychology. She has always enjoyed working with kids and is very excited to be apart of the Ignite team this year. Kaely is eager to get to know her coworkers and students individually. She enjoys playing volleyball and is currently teaching herself Korean.
krath@igniteutah.org
krath@igniteutah.org
Rebecca Neely
Teacher Assistant
Rebecca Neely
Rebecca is loves working in kindergarten with the teaching team, students, and families! Rebecca and her husband have lived in Traverse Mountain with their 5-children for 5-years. Rebecca enjoyed her time as a full-time mom, now their youngest has joined Ignite, Rebecca is excited to get back into educating others; as this was her choice in a career path before becoming a mom. Rebecca loves the outdoors Utah has to offer.
rneely@igniteutah.org
rneely@igniteutah.org