Education Levels

Early childhood (age 3 - Kindergarten)

Applications for the 2025-2026 school year will be available in January.

Lower elementary (Grades 1-3)

Now accepting applications for 2024-2025. Applications for the 2025-2026 school year will be available in January.

For the 2024-2025 school year, lower elementary includes kindergarten.

Upper elementary (grades 4-6)

Now accepting applications for 2024-2025. Applications for the 2025-2026 school year will be available in January.

Adolescent (grades 7+)

Applications for 7th grade only for the 2025-2026 school year will be available in January.

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.

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

Sarah Beckley

While Sarah is helping out in the office this year, she will be the lead teacher for the early childhood education classroom starting with the 2025 school year.

Music teacher

Luke Thallas

Luke Thallas is a freelance musician and music teacher based in the Lincoln/Omaha area. Trombone is his primary instrument, and he performs with 5-6 different groups regularly covering a wide variety of genres. Luke also performs on keyboards, drums, bass, guitar, and vocals with a few other groups in town. Luke maintains a small yet successful private trombone studio in Lincoln, coaching students from 6th-12th grade. He received his Bachelor’s of Music Education degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2015, and proceeded to work for seven years as the K-5 General Music Teacher at Belmont Elementary in Lincoln. During his tenure at LPS, Luke became a fully certified Orff-Schulwerk teacher, taking all 3 levels as subsequent graduate courses through UNL. Luke attended and presented at many elementary music education workshops throughout the midwest, helping to broaden his horizons as a music teacher. In his time not spent on music or teaching, Luke likes to cook, read, lift weights, go camping, hike, play video games, and spend time with his wife Natalie and their dog, Nola.

yoga teacher/aftercare teacher/substitute support

Vanessa Wurz

art teacher/aftercare teacher/substitute support

Molly Phemister

Aftercare teacher/classroom and office support

Anna Unruh

Aftercare teacher/classroom support

Ren Eckery

Melody Vaccaro

Melody Vaccaro is a mother of two children, the youngest 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

Lindsey Knop

Lindsey Knop has been involved with Bluestem since her son started attending in 2018. She has served as PTO president and has been on the board of directors since 2022. 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.

Vicky Wood

Sarah Zuckerman

Hope Wabuke

Jaymie Stillwell-Edler

Jaymie is our current PTO president.