Tuition
Regular Tuition
2024-2025 school year: $775/month
First Sibling Tuition
Bluestem offers a 20% discount for the second child enrolled.
2024-2025 school year: $620/month
Second Sibling Tuition
Bluestem offers a 30% discount for the third child enrolled.
2024-2025 school year: $542.50/month
Grades
Bluestem currently serves children in grades K-6.
In the 2025-2026 academic year, we will be opening a preschool for ages 3-5 and a middle school program.
Enroll
Print out this form and return it, along with a $200 enrollment fee per child. $100 of this fee will be applied to first month's tuition.
This application is not a guarantee of placement at Bluestem Montessori. Families must still complete an application and interview process to secure placement.
Wait List
You may also join the waitlist. Bluestem is accepting waitlist applications grades which are full for the 2024-2025 school year and for preschool or grades K-7 the year 2025 and beyond.
Print out this form and return it, along with a $50 wait list fee per child.
Staff
Executive Director & lead teacher, elementary ii
Laura Roberts
Laura is our Executive Director and is also our Lead Teacher for Elementary II.
Her own Montessori education developed a life-long love of learning that has led her to a BA from Hastings College, an MA in Medieval History from the University of Washington, and most of the way through a PhD (oh that pesky dissertation!). In 2008 she became a Fulbright Scholar, and took her family to study medieval manuscripts in Germany. She has taught hundreds of college students as a teaching assistant and then as an instructor, and was recognized by her department for her excellence in teaching.
In late 2015, Laura decided that she was done wishing for alternative elementary education in Lincoln and decided to do something about it. She quit writing her dissertation and began work on what would become Bluestem Montessori Elementary, gathering friends and like-minded folks to start brainstorming. Since then she has learned all about founding and managing a nonprofit, Montessori education and philosophy, and educational administration.
Laura is a Girl Scout leader and a mother of two spirited girls, and completed her Montessori certification for ages 6-12 at Mid-America Montessori Teacher Training Institute in Spring of 2020.
lead teacher, elementary i
Emrys Warner
Emrys is our Elementary I Teacher here at Bluestem Montessori.
They are no stranger to alternative education. They attended the Science Focus Program here in Lincoln for two years during their high school career, which is where they fell in love with student led learning.
Em attended University in Colorado where they earned a Bachelor’s Degree in General Sciences and became certified to teach middle and high school science. They spent a semester student teaching for a STEM middle school program and spent a year working with preschoolers in Community Action’s Head Start program.
Em also had the privilege to travel to Rwanda in 2013, and Indonesia in 2017, to visit children that they sponsor there through letter writing and paying their school fees.
Em completed their Montessori Teacher Training at Global Montessori Educators Institute in Summer 2023.
classroom assistant
Nichole Hansen
Nicki Hansen is a teaching assistant at Bluestem. This is her first time working in Montessori education and every day is an eye-opening experience. She loves being a part of the community that develops when educators, students, and families work together closely so that students can learn and grow to be the best version of themselves possible.
Nicki has a bachelors in Psychology from Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS. She is also a children's book author and publisher, and teaches after school and summer clubs for LPS and camps for Bright Lights Summer Learning Adventures.
office Manager
Em Hammans
Em has been a part of the Bluestem Montessori Elementary School community for the past year and a half. They are excited to be a part of Bluestem's mission to provide Montessori education to all children, and are thrilled to be helping the school grow and expand. They believe that education is the key to unlocking a better future for all, and they are committed to doing everything they can to make that future a reality. As office manager, they assist with anything from administrative tasks to student support.
Beyond their work at Bluestem, Em also works as a nanny and a violin teacher. They are passionate about working with children and are constantly looking for new ways to help them learn and grow.
Music teacher
Hendrik Viljoen
I’m Hendrik, and I’m a masters student at the University of Nebraska. Before this I was the music teacher for Kindergarten through 12th grade in Red Cloud, and was a substitute teacher for LPS. I graduated with a Bachelors in Music Education, and an endorsement in teaching English as a second language.
I love teaching. I’m also passionate about playing saxophone, clarinet, and flute for twenty years. I’ve performed with several groups spanning a wide array of music: from jazz and classical to ska and musicals. I’m excited to be working with such awesome staff and young musicians!
yoga teacher/aftercare teacher/substitute support
Vanessa Wurz
art teacher/aftercare teacher/substitute support
Molly Phemister
Aftercare Assistant/classroom support
Ren Eckery
Board of Directors
President
Deb Cook
Deb is very pleased to join the Bluestem Montessori Elementary School Board of Directors at this critical time in its growth. She recently moved back to Lincoln to spend more time with her grandson, who is a student at Bluestem. Education and the advancement of educational opportunities has been one of Deb’s life goals. Deb recently retired from the Board of Western Iowa Tech Community College, a very progressive and successful school. She has organized and taught many classes on a corporate and college level. Deb graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.S. in Mathematics and from the Drake University Law School with a J.D. with Honors. Through the years, her practice has included judicial, private, and corporate practices, with a focus on litigation, corporate, insurance, disability, personal injury, and family law and mediation. She also trains Diabetic Alert Service Dogs and helps to educate the public on service dogs and Diabetes as an active member of the Cosmopolitan Club.
deb@bluestemmontessori.com
secretary
Melody Vaccaro
Melody Vaccaro is a mother of two children, the eldest currently attending Bluestem Montessori. Melody is originally from Papillion, NE where she earned her Girl Scout Gold Award in high school. She graduated from UNO with a liberal arts degree. After college, she served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in the country of Bulgaria. Melody now serves as the executive director at Nebraskans Against Gun Violence.
Melody’s favorite thing about Bluestem is the school’s devotion to hands on nature based exploration and the classroom rule of “no punching the flowers”.
melody@bluestemmontessori.com
Member at large
Shelley Knudsen
Dr. Shelley Knudsen started her Montessori experience at the age of 2 attending a Montessori preschool and kindergarten in Columbus, NE. She attributes her early start in Montessori to helping her to be more successful later in life. Dr. Knudsen attended UNL, UNK and then Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating with a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 2004. She is currently a veterinarian at All Feline Hospital here in Lincoln. She is passionate about Montessori education and plans to keep her daughter in Montessori for as long as possible.
shelley@bluestemmontessori.com
Member at large
Lindsey Knop
Lindsey Knop is Bluestem's current PTO President, and has been on the PTO since her son enrolled with Bluestem in 2018. She enjoys traveling, the outdoors, and playing disc golf with her family. She has volunteered in local schools via the Junior Achievement and TeamMates programs for the last ten years. Lindsey knows the importance of being a part of a community and is devoted to our Bluestem community.