About
Friends of Laramie Montessori is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by a group of parents who valued Montessori education and wanted to see more choices available in Laramie. We are still committed to that vision today.
Board Members
Carol Kobulnicky
Chair
Carol is a founding parent of Laramie Montessori, the K-6 charter school, and a founding community member of the Montessori Children’s House of Laramie. She and her husband, Chip, have two children who attended Laramie Montessori for 1st through 6th grades and have gone on successfully to other Laramie schools. Carol is a former UW faculty member who now is a part-time leadership coach and community and church volunteer. She also loves to sing in a trio, performing for older adults in the community.
Evelyn Edson
Vice-Chair
A Laramie resident since 2013, Evelyn is excited to help grow the Montessori community in Laramie. Evelyn has a MA in historic preservation, served as a Program Director for two AmeriCorps programs, and has previous experience teaching in a Montessori preschool.
Kathy Kirkaldie
Secretary
Kathy is a mom to two girls who currently attend LMS, who will be joined by their younger brother at school next fall. Her own brief time as a student in a Montessori classroom was among her favorite school experiences, so she was excited to learn of the plans for LMS in 2010 and has helped to support the school and Friends since. Kathy works as Fine Arts Coordinator at UW Theatre and Dance. She served many years as a scientific and technical editor/writer, as well as a volunteer leader/ teacher for junior high and high school-aged youth.
Callie Plaxco
Shay Howlin
Board Member
Callie is the former Head of School at the Montessori Children's House of Laramie. She received her Early Childhood Montessori Teacher Certification from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado in May 2017. She was the assistant teacher in the kindergarten classroom at the Laramie Montessori School for two years before she helped create the Montessori Children’s House of Laramie. After growing up in South Carolina, attending college in North Carolina, and working at a publishing house in New York City for three years, Callie moved to Laramie in 2012 to attend the University of Wyoming for her Masters in Fine Arts in Poetry. She is happy to now call Laramie home and most enjoys exploring the mountains with her husband and their two children.
Treasurer
Shay is a founder of FLM and is motivated to provide educational opportunities embracing the peace curriculum and which include hands-on scientific learning at all levels of schooling. Shay has worked as a consulting biometrician for a local consulting firm and holds degrees in Wildlife Science and Statistics. Shay served as a parent member on the LMS Board of Trustees for 5 years. Her children have benefited from many years of Montessori education.
Current Focus of FLM
Friends of Laramie Montessori functions as a fiscal sponsor for preschool scholarships in Laramie while also helping other groups around Wyoming navigate the road to opening Montessori charter schools in their communities. FLM assists the Laramie Montessori School with fundraising and outreach events.
