Elizabeth Maliska joins Montessori World School as Assistant Head of School. Elizabeth brings over 30 years experience both in the Montessori classroom and as the Administrative Director for 5 schools in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.
Elizabeth majored in Sociology at Northern Illinois University and went on to receive her AMS (American Montessori Society) credential as a primary teacher from the Midwest Montessori Teachers Training Center. She founded and led two Montessori schools for 10 years in Crystal Lake, and Dundee, Illinois. Children's House Montessori School is still run by her partner, 17 years after Elizabeth founded it, and is still prospering and growing with both primary and elementary 6-9 classrooms.
She gained corporate experience with Montessori Unlimited Corp. when she started up and ran Aurora Montessori School in Aurora, Illinois, which had eight primary classrooms and 180 students. Most recently, Elizabeth was the Head of School for Montessori Academy of Indianapolis, a school with programs for infants, toddlers, primary and elementary 6-9 classrooms. Since moving to the sunshine state, she has completed an Advanced Director Credential with the state of Florida.
Elizabeth and her husband, Gavin, vice president of news for Fox 35, relocated to Sanford in November, 2008, and enjoyed the best winter of their lives in the central Florida climate. Their oldest son, Cole, lives in Los Angeles, and works as an assistant screenwriter for television, while their son Max is working toward a marine biology PhD. at the University of Washington in Seattle. Both sons attended primary and elementary Montessori, which helped shape their lives and made them lifelong learners.