Dana Merkel

My name is Miss Dana and this will be my 13th year in the Children's House Classroom. I am excited for the progress and growth our little school has made. I received my AMS Certificate from St. Catherine's University Advanced Montessori Programs in 2010. I also received my Bachelor's Degree from Bemidji State University in Elementary Education.

A little information about myself. My Husband and I have 5 children ages 18, 12, 11, 5, and 3. We live outside of Winona in Rollingstone, where I enjoy the beauty of nature. We also have 1 cat, 2 dogs, and 5 hens. I enjoy spending time with my family exploring new places. This summer we visited the upper peninsula of Michigan and it was like a hidden tropical paradise. I also enjoy gardening and working in my flower garden. My favorite time of year is when I can harvest fresh food from my garden and prepare a delicious dinner right from my back yard.

I have always been interested in children and education. I have volunteered and worked in many different experiences that include, AmeriCorps, ESL, Project FINE, traditional public schools, charter schools, and private schools. I have now been the lead teacher in the Children’s House classroom at Riverway for 11 years. My passion for early childhood education, Montessori, and the Environment is a perfect match with Riverway Learning Community. I love coming to school every day because of my students. Even though they are learning so much during their time in children’s house; I am learning something new from them each day. I have the privilege of experiencing the most important developmental time in my students’ life. I believe it is my job to honor the light within each child by individualizing their education to meet their needs. By doing this I am incorporating enriched hands-on activities that foster the growth of mind, body, and spirit. My objective is to guide each students as they develop and to create self-motivated independent life-long learners.

A few of my favorites:

Children's Books The Blue Heron Kiwis

Live Music Suncrest Gardens Pizza Wild Flowers

White Chocolate Mochas Summer Vacations