About MITS, Temple, Texas

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of The Montessori Infant & Toddler School (MITS) is to provide young children with a safe, prepared environment in which they can observe, absorb, and explore at their own pace and develop movement, language, and social skills to prepare them for the next steps in their education.

EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

Here at the Montessori Infant & Toddler School, we believe in educating the total child. In pursuit of that goal, our students are guided to activities and lessons which stimulate the mind, body, and spirit. MITS is a non-profit, non-graded, and appropriate placement educational institution licensed by the state of Texas.

Curriculum activities include sensorial experiences and practical life skills, along with language, art, music, and directed movement activities. Lessons are designed to foster independence, self-awareness, and self-esteem at a young age, and to prepare children for their future academic and social lives.

MITS is staffed by a certified professional Montessori teacher and qualified assistant teachers who have been trained to build trusting relationships with children and to create environments which present a rich array of interactive experiences.

MITS opened its doors for the first time in October of 2017, but its parent organization, The Montessori Schools of Central Texas, has been in operation since 1982. MITS offers programs for infants, ages 6 weeks to 24 months, and toddlers, ages 24 months to 3 years. These students may then graduate to our parent school next door for children ages 3 to 10.

The Montessori School accepts children without regard to national origin, race, color, creed, or religion.

HISTORY

The parent school, Montessori Schools of Central Texas, was founded in 1982, by Drs. Jerry and Sherry O’Donnell, as a private nondenominational Christian school for young children. The school began in a two-car converted garage at the rear of the O’Donnell’s home in McGregor, Texas, with twelve students, Mrs. O’Donnell as teacher, and an aide. The following year, the school expanded and transferred to a new location with more space. The student body continued to grow until, in 1986, the school moved to Temple, Texas. For three years, the school was located on the grounds of Trinity Church, occupying a separate building for the last two years. In 1990, the school was moved again, to what is now the current location at 1302 S. 27th Street in Temple, in a beautiful Victorian-era house. This change allowed the school to open enrollment for three classes with three different age groups, in order to offer educational opportunities to children ages 3 to 12. In 1995, the school purchased an adjacent property and house and converted it to use as another classroom. In late 2016, the O’Donnell’s decided to add a new building to the Temple property and open a school for infants and toddlers. Construction began in April 2017 and the Montessori Infant & Toddler School (MITS) opened its doors in October of 2017. Between MSCT and MITS, the Temple location will offer educational programs for children from 6 weeks to 9 years old.

MSCT will celebrate 40 years of excellence starting in the 2022-2023 school year.

STAFF

Jerry O’Donnell, PhD, Headmaster: Dr. O’Donnell’s experience in life and the work force is varied, from serving in the U.S. Army as an enlisted soldier and officer, to owning numerous businesses, acting as a professional student, and doing the work of an evangelist, pastor, and teacher. He presently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Montessori Schools of Central Texas and the Headmaster of the MSCT Temple Campus. Dr. O’Donnell obtained his GED while serving in the United States Army. After recognizing his need for further education, he earned seven degrees in two tracts: the world and the church. He presently holds two bachelor’s, two master’s, and three doctoral degrees. In past years, Dr. O’Donnell has been a successful psychologist in private practice, specializing in creative motivation for underachieving children. Currently, he maintains his love for education through his passionate reading of books, magazines, and research articles. Dr. O’Donnell met his wife, Sherry, in high school, and they have been married for 57 years. Together they have three children, Jheri Lynn, Jeffery, and Jennifer, and five grandchildren.
Sherry O’Donnell, D.CE.: Mrs. O’Donnell is the principal founder of The Montessori Schools of Central Texas. She has worked hard to grow the school from one classroom in a two-car garage in 1982 to the present day, with an organization comprising of seven classrooms, three buildings, and over 100 students ranging from 6 weeks old to age ten. Mrs. O’Donnell was awarded a Doctorate in Christian Education for her tireless efforts to develop and provide a quality early-childhood education, based on Dr. Maria Montessori’s teaching philosophy and curriculum, to children of all backgrounds. She is certified at the Primary Level (ages 3-6) by the Association Montessori International, and at the Lower Elementary Level (ages 6-9) by the American Montessori Society. Her 38 years of service in the field have allowed her to continually refine her techniques and curriculum within the Montessori philosophy, in order to connect with and teach every one of her students on an individual level. When not involved with the school, Sherry enjoys spending her leisure time with her family.
Jennifer Watson, Director: Jennifer was born in Japan where her father, Dr. Jerry O’Donnell, was stationed. As the third child of the O’Donnell’s she has grown up around Montessori education and watched as the school flourished under her parent’s leadership. Jennifer has been married to Jason since 2002 and has a remarkable son, Brady, who had the privilege of attending The Montessori School from the age of 20 months through elementary. Since grading-out of The Montessori School, Brady has taken Pre-AP classes throughout middle school and plans to continue challenging himself in High School with AP classes. Jennifer has been the Director of both the Temple and Killeen campuses from 2007-2015. She left briefly to pursue her love of veterinary medicine and returned as the Director in 2020. Her leisure time is spent caring for her many animals, traveling, reading books, and the joys of being a Mom.
Kristin Iannuccilli, Assistant Director: Kristin was born and raised in Minnesota where she met and married her high school sweetheart. For the past twenty-plus years her husband has served in the Army while Kristin has been blessed by the opportunity to dedicate most of her time to raising their two children as they’ve moved around to various duty stations. Kristin holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has experience in education with prior service as a Teacher’s Aide in a Montessori School in Nevada and working as an elementary school substitute in Louisiana and Texas school districts. Kristin’s family has chosen to settle in Belton, Texas and they are excited about putting down roots in the community. Kristin is eager to pursue her long-term goals of furthering her involvement in Montessori Education and being a part of the administrative team at MSCT.
Mrs. Christina O’Donnell, MITS Director: Christina joined MSCT in 2017 and earned Infant & Toddler AMS certification at The Houston Montessori Center. She has over 30 years of childcare experience in a traditional environment, and 12 years volunteering to educate families and children against domestic violence and child abuse. She is a first year member with the Exchange Club for the Belton and Temple district on the child abuse committee. Christina has been with Texas School Ready program in conjunction with the University of Texas Health and Science Institute for four years and has been awarded the Texas Rising Star for two years in a row. Now she is excited to have the opportunity to lead the Infant and Toddler programs as the Director. Christina was inspired to teach through her observations of her mother and her 2nd grade teacher. Christina is a proud fifth-generation Beltonian, and enjoys spending time with her family, six children, two stepdaughters, and seven grandchildren. For fun, Christina enjoys playing volleyball, listening to worship music, reading, cooking, and spending time with her best friend and husband, Mr. Jeffery O’Donnell.
Tammy Clausen, Lead Teacher – Toddler: Tammy was born in Victorville, California. She is the oldest of three siblings. Her father was in the Air Force and they traveled a lot, living in Washington, Florida, Arkansas, and Germany. She graduated school in Cave City, Arkansas. Tammy is the proud mother of four boys and four grandsons. In 1998, she began working at the Cave City Public Schools as a Special Education aide for Elementary, Intermediate, and High School. She moved to Temple, Texas in 2019, and began working at a daycare. Mrs. Clausen has a mothering instinct and loves working with children, especially the toddler age group. After attending school at Grace Montessori, she graduated as a certified Infant and Toddler teacher. Tammy truly believes that God directs each of our paths and places us where we need to be. She is excited to be leading the toddler class in our Montessori school.
Katia Rosario, Lead Teacher – Infant II: Ms. Katia Rosario was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Texas in 2013. She soon discovered teaching was her calling in 2016 and began working at a daycare. Although she found joy interacting and caring for her students, she felt like something was missing. After careful consideration, she looked into Montessori education and decided that children could benefit greater through hands-on, natural materials, developing independence, smaller group sizes, and beautiful environments. As a fluent Spanish speaker, Ms. Rosario looks forward to sharing her language gift with her students. Ms. Rosario spends as much of her spare time with her children, a boy and girl, and also enjoys the company of her friends, watching TV, and housecleaning.
LaDonna Wilson-Ronelus, Lead Teacher – Infant II: LaDonna was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1987 but raised in Brooklyn, New York. She moved to Central Texas in 2015 when her husband was assigned to Carl R. Darnall Medical Center. Previously, LaDonna worked as an Assistant Teacher at The Friends of Crown Heights in New York and then a local daycare center. At both places, as well as at The Montessori Schools of Central Texas, Mrs. Ronelus has excelled and been promoted to the Lead Teacher position. With over fifteen years of experience, LaDonna’s passion for nurturing and guiding young children has led her next goal of obtaining her AMS Montessori certification in Infants and Toddlers. During her free time, LaDonna enjoys reading, especially science fiction, cooking, traveling, taking care of her growing pet family, and spending time with her husband. Mrs. Ronelus enjoys teaching her students sign language to help develop their communication skills.
Ashley Maldonado, Assistant Teacher – Infant II: Ashley was born and raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico. She comes from a Christian family whose parents served as pastors for 20 years. She is married to Joksan Torres and they have a beautiful daughter named Isa Emilia. In Puerto Rico, Ashley worked as a community health employee and taught children of multiple age groups in her church community over the past 15 years. In June of 2024, God opened a new door for Ashley and she and her family moved to Texas. Here she is working on completing her bachelor’s degree in Human Geography. In her free time, Ashley enjoys hiking, sightseeing, and traveling as well as singing, dancing, and cooking with her daughter.
Terri Wallace, Lead/Intern Teacher – Infant I: Terri was born and raised in Central Texas. She is the oldest child in her family. She and her husband married in 2003 and have two handsome sons and a very spoiled Boston terrier. They enjoy traveling and spending time with friends and family. Terri has worked most of her adult life in Administration and Management positions but feels so blessed to have the opportunity to work with children at this stage in her career. In 2023, Terri attended the Houston Montessori Center and graduated with her Infant and Toddler certification.
Tigist Mekasha, Assistant Teacher – Infant I: Tigist was born and raised in the city of Addis Ababa located in Ethiopia, where her native language is Amharic. After meeting her husband and getting married in 2005, Tigist and her family moved from Ethiopia for work in Colorado and Nevada before settling in Texas. She has a passion for children and has worked in education since 2016. She has three children of her own and loves to take walks and read in her free time.
Corinne Donnelly, Assistant Teacher – Infant I: Corinne grew up in Bel Air, Maryland where she lived most of her life before moving to Belton to attend the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. Corinne recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health and is excited to apply her knowledge in the workforce. She is passionate about working with children and building community! In college she spent time volunteering at her church, non-profit organizations such as Feed My Sheep, women’s shelters, and the Salvation Army. She also has a sentiment for working with special needs children and has worked with many different families and children over the years. In her free time, you can find Corinne at local coffee shops, knitting, or with her cats.
Hyegyoung Kim, Floater: Hyegyoung was born and raised in South Korea. She was saved in high school and became a more passionate Christian after marrying her husband. Mrs. Kim studied Early Childhood Education in college and received a Master’s degree in Education from graduate school. After college, she worked as a teacher and director at a kindergarten in South Korea for over 10 years and has been working as a teacher at a Preschool since she immigrated to America in 2013. Hyegyoung’s husband is an associate professor at University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, her son lives in Boston for dental school, and her daughter works as a dentist in Fort Worth. She currently attends G3 Korean Church in Killeen, where she serves as a deacon and member of the choir. Mrs. Kim sincerely hopes that God will use her and her family in the future to spread God’s word around the world with their talents.