Admin & Management:
Genevieve
Founder & Owner
Genevieve has over 20 years experience in early childhood education. Her first Nanny job sparked a love of teaching that led her to open and run a preschool through ASUM-University of Montana Childcare in 1997 while attending University. She majored in Environmental Journalism and received her CDA credentials as well as her Preschool Teaching certification.
Genevieve was the Assistant Site Director and Lead Preschool Teacher for two early childhood education programs operating through the Seattle Public School system where she developed a groundbreaking pre-k curriculum. She moved back to Montana and opened Advantage Academic Academy Preschool in 2002 where she cared for and taught infants through preschoolers as well as providing before & after school care and summer camps for school-age children up to 6th grade.
Genevieve then accepted a position as the Executive Director of the non-profit Sustainable Business Council where she advanced the vision of helping Missoula become a prosperous, collaborative community that fulfills the promise of the triple bottom line: a healthy society, economy, and environment by promoting a vibrant local economy built on sustainable practices. Genevieve was among the first fellowship cohort with the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, a two-year program designed for leaders who are advancing the development of healthy, equitable local economies. Local Economy Fellows are selected based on their vision, their leadership, and their role as strategic connectors, supporters, and influencers of local entrepreneurs and their businesses. Whether leading entrepreneur networks, community business incubators, or regional economic development initiatives, they are practical champions of new ways of doing business and organizing economies that work for all.
After 4 years at the helm of SBC, Genevieve decided to combine her passion for teaching children with her expertise in the principles of sustainability with the opening of Origins Education in 2011. By supporting families in fostering a solid intellectual, emotional, social and physical foundation, Genevieve believes that we develop a love for life-long learning. She created a eco-literacy and mindfulness curriculum that is both play-based and place-based and is honored to teach young children about the earth, it’s fascinating cycles and how to respect and care for it and all of its inhabitants.
Genevieve is passionate about the environment, organic food, gardening, photography, mindfulness and music. When not watching over the magic happening at Origins she is spending time with her family enjoying all the beauty that western Montana offers.
Ashley
Schilling Campus Director and Curriculum Creative Director Ashley is a licensed K-12 art teacher and artist originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and Red Lodge, Montana respectively. Ashley has lived in Missoula for the past 10 years and received a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in painting and art education along with her Montana Class 2 Teaching License, from the University of Montana in 2017.
Ashley’s teaching pedagogy is rooted in social-emotional learning, student-student-center learning, and cross-curricular learning. Her focus is to teach to the whole child—building confidence and empowering learners who go on to become global citizens. She strives to meet a child where they’re at and helping them to grow academically, emotionally, socially, and physically. Ashley has been fortunate to assume the position of an assistant teacher at the Children’s Center, a docent for the Missoula Art Museum, a live-in nanny for two Missoula families, a guest artist and volunteer for the Zootown Arts Community Center, and a substitute teacher and paraprofessional for Missoula County Public Schools.
In her free time when she’s not creating art, she enjoys playing in nature, cooking, music, yoga, design, and travel. Miss Ashley values cultivating and sharing her path to wellness with everyone around her. Email Ashley
SeQuoia
Assistant Director and IT Lead SeQuoia grew up in a preschool setting and has been working with young children her entire life. SeQuoia brings her passion for music, art and creative play to Origins with her unique and effective teaching style.
SeQuoia has her STARS Preschool Teacher certification and has many years of experience with both infants & Toddlers as well as preschool-aged children. She worked as a teachers aide for 2 years at Advantage Academic Academy Preschool previously and has been with Origins since 2011.
When not working with children, SeQuoia enjoys cooking, horseback riding and spending her time outside in her garden, camping and hiking with her family. She creates high-end custom hula hoops and organic bath and body products for clients around the world.
Maddie
Schilling Campus Manager Campus Manager Maddie is a Missoula native who graduated from the University of Montana’s Early Childhood Education program in 2019 and has worked in management for 5 years.
Maddie has over 7 years of preschool teaching experience, with a passion for helping kids learn how to navigate problems and manage their emotions in ways that will help them throughout their lives. Maddie Her favorite thing to do in the classroom has always been being surrounded by a group of kids, reading them as many books as they’ll keep handing her.
Maddie is also a local photographer who also enjoys calligraphy, painting, crafting, binge-reading two books in a day, and spending time outside with her husband and golden retriever.
Sr. Preschool:
Ashley
Head Sr Teacher Ashley was raised in Columbia Falls MT, and moved to missoula after high school to attend the University of Montana.
Ashley has many years of experience in childcare, working in early education facilities since starting college. She got her Preschool Teacher certificate, and is a STARS certified teacher.
Ashley brings a hands on play based atmosphere into the classroom. In her free time she enjoys being outdoors like most Missoulians, hiking, skiing, and mountain biking.
Liz
Sr Preschool Assistant Teacher Liz grew up in Missoula and recently moved back after living all across the United States for many years. In a previous life, Liz was a wildlife biologist, studying birds and biofuel crops. Liz started her career in early childhood education working at a small-town library as their children's librarian a decade ago and since then she has been working with children ages 0-12, with an emphasis on children ages 0-3. Because of her background in biology, Liz leads each lesson with an emphasis on nature, and follows a child-led and nature based curriculum.
In her free time, Liz enjoys walks in nature, practicing the ukulele, and training the magpies in her dad's backyard to bring her gifts.
Jr. Preschool:
Izzie
Early Learners & Jr Preschool Teacher
Izzie grew up in the Bitterroot Valley where she was able to foster her love of nature and being outdoors. Her appreciation of outdoors is something that a grown with her as Izzie now enjoys floating, cross country skiing, paddle-boarding, and hiking.
From a young age, Izzie has stated with confidence that her dream job was “to be a teacher no matter what.” She never faltered in her plans and graduated in May 2023 with a BA in Early Childhood Education. She has 2 years under her belt as a teacher aid in an infant room and clinical experience with elementary age students (K-2nd), as well as over 3 years doing various nanny positions in the Missoula and Bitterroot areas. She shares a large passion for the integration of life skills into the classroom from every age to arm students for life outside their careers in academics.
In her student teaching semester at the University of Montana, Izzie traveled abroad to New Zealand for two months to complete her teacher training. While in Auckland, she taught in a Kindergarten class at Torbay Primary School where they followed a play-based, child-led model. Her experience in NZ has greatly effected her approach to learning in the world of Early Childhood Education.
Michelle
Early Learners & Jr Preschool teacher Michelle bio coming soon
Support Staff
TaMeika
Breaker & Float TaMeika works with all Origins classes. She is originally from the Blackfeet reservation where she worked as a childcare provider since 2019, but has been working with kids since high school. TaMeika brings a sweet calming energy to Origins and is a favorite teacher of many students!
Substitute Teachers:
Athina
Substitute teacher Athina is a mom of two adult University UM students , a Para Educator and a Substitute teacher with Missoula County Public Schools. She has been working with children all of her adult life. Athina truly enjoys and personally thrives being with children and students. It is very fulfilling and inspiring to her to be able to make a difference in children’s lives. In her spare time, Athina enjoys spending time with her friends sharing a delicious meal.
Theresa
Infant Toddler Support Staff Theresa is a mother of five grown children and has six grandchildren. She was a certified nurse's aide for many years. She attended the University of Montana, studying Anthropology and Asian Studies. Theresa loves her family and friends, children, animals, gardening, cooking, movies, sewing, and art. She enjoyed working for Origins from 2017 to 2020, working with every age group and every school. After taking a year off, she is excited to be working in the Infant and Toddler room, with wonderful coworkers, and the best little children. Theresa calls her job her "happy place", and is thankful every day to be able to take care of the sweetest little angels. She says she hopes to work at Origins for many more years, and is so grateful and honored to be a part of such a wonderful place.
Elle
Substitute Teacher Elle was raised in Utah and moved to Missoula to attend the University of Montana. She is in her second year of college, pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. Elle has always loved working with children. She spent a good portion of her childhood babysitting, which sparked her interest in teaching children long term. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, and traveling with friends and family.
Khadija
Former Infant & Toddler Teacher and Missoula native Miss Khadija has been a private nanny for 6 years and and worked with both NCBI and GUTS (Girls Using Their Strengths) here in Missoula.
She has had the amazing opportunity to travel overseas where she spent time volunteering in an orphanage in Faridabad, India and is currently in Boston.
Miss Khadija loves to hike, go to concerts, read classic novels and practice yoga. She brings great experience, enthusiasm and love to our littlest ones.
Lily
Substitute Teacher Lily grew up in central Montana and moved to Missoula to begin her college career at the University of Montana, where she studies English Education.
Being a teacher has always been a career goal for Lily, and she has worked and volunteered in several different classroom environments. Working with the preschoolers while she gets her degree is an opportunity for experience and connections with other teachers and community members.
If she isn’t at the school, you will often find her around the Missoula community hiking with her dog or soaking up the sun by the river. She is a go-to for hike recommendations, or if you’re needing a good book to read.
Karla
Born into a family of educators in Lewistown Montana, Senior Preschool lead teacher Karla has been working with children ages 0 to 5 in licensed facilities here in Missoula since 2005. She believes that early childhood caregivers are in a unique position to influence and shape the future of society, all living beings, and the Earth itself by creating environmentally and emotionally conscious individuals. During her twenties, she studied at the schools of fine arts, social work, and early childhood education through the University of Montana as well as University of Montana-Western. She is a Montana certified infant/toddler caregiver and is currently working towards achieving a child development associate (CDA) degree. She’s a lover of children, the outdoors, plants, cats, naps, food, and gemstones! A single mother of one, she spends her rare moments of free time creating art and making her own jewelry, studying natural herbal and crystal healing, journaling, gardening, cooking delicious meals and spending time with her sweet beautiful son, Zetti.
Justin
Justin was born and raised in Missoula and has always enjoyed working and volunteering with kids.
He is currently enrolled at The University of Montana and working towards getting his degree in Elementary Education.
When not in school or working with Origins, Justin loves getting outdoors and spending time with family. Some of his favorite hobbies include playing softball and hunting.
Beth
Substitute Teacher Beth bio coming soon