History
The History of Harmony Montessori and forest school:
After several years as a local Montessori school teacher, Wilana opened her own program in 2004, out of her home in Sausalito with her 9 month old daughter Paige Avalon.
In 2005 Rania Bassous joined Wilana and the school moved to Shell Road in Mill Valley, where they grew the program and it flourished for thirteen years.
After a lengthy search for a new location that would secure the schools future and allow for continued growth, we were able to enter into an agreement with the Richardson Bay Audubon Sanctuary to renovate Rosie’s cottage and the Willow classroom, while procuring a 25 year lease.
Nature education, exploration and discovery have always been a very big part of our program, so to be given the opportunity to share these beautiful eleven acres with the Audubon Society was a dream come true.
We started the 2018/19 school year in our newly renovated classroom and two new members of our team. Kevin Anderson (Wilana’s husband) and Lensi Jimenez. Came aboard Kevin took on the roll of classroom support, facility matainance and all around co-colaborator and innovator. Lensi did her Montessori teacher training, became the lead teacher in 2023 before moving on from the classroom in 2025 and becoming our webmaster.
in 2024 when the opportunity to acquire a local forest program was presented. It felt like a natural progression and thus Harmony Forest school joined our offering. Lead by Mia Ciccarelli.
2025 Alyssa Conklin-Moor joined the leadership team at Harmony and has brought us the young child community.
These three programs though separate in many ways compliment and support each other. The young child community by preparing children to enter into either the forest program or Montessori. By supporting potty learning, separating from parents and gaining independence. The forest and Montessori programs offer different environments with different sets of tools, the teachers poses different skill and gifts with which to serve the children in our care.