Casey LeGalley
Lower Elementary Assistant

Born and raised in Chicago, I received my teaching degree from DePaul University, majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Spanish. My time in Chicago allowed me the opportunity to develop as a young educator and leader. I coached the varsity dance team at Evanston Township High School for five years, co-founded and directed a professional Hip Hop dance company, and in 2009, discovered the wonderful world of Montessori as an assistant teacher in a lower elementary classroom at Chiaravalle Montessori School in Evanston, IL. Three years later, I received my Lower Elementary training and certification from AMS through the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center and became a lead teacher at the school for several years.

It was through a year-long botany study with my students that I discovered a hidden joy for floral design. My hobby turned into a passion and before I knew it, I was designing flowers for various occasions and eventually offered my services for friends getting married over the summer. Two years later, I had a floral design business on the side that was growing so fast, I knew having both a business and being a teacher wouldn’t be sustainable for long. I made the bittersweet decision to leave teaching in order to see where my business would go. I opened a studio in Chicago, named it La Rue Floral, and entrepreneurship became the next chapter in my life. My husband and I moved to Colorado in 2017 and my boutique floral company came with. I found my niche with clients getting married in Aspen, Beaver Creek, Vail, and Winter Park and lived an incredibly interesting life transforming beautiful venue spaces with floral installations. In March of 2020, the event industry took a major hit from the pandemic, and I felt it started heading in a direction that I was no longer aligned with. Two years later, I made the decision to close my floral business. I am forever grateful for all the beauty I was able to put into the world, the joy I was able to bring to couples on their wedding day, and all of the invaluable lessons, experiences, and real-life business knowledge I gained over the years. It was also around this time my husband and I welcomed the birth of our son, Bruce, and I began longing for a close-knit teaching community again. I started browsing schools in the area and fell in love with MSE. Joining the lower elementary team earlier this summer gave me a renewed sense of enthusiasm and purpose.

I am delighted to be back in a lower elementary classroom and have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with students again. It brings me great joy being a part of the learning that goes on at MSE and I’m thankful for the Montessori community for not only encouraging my entrepreneurial journey but also welcoming me back with open arms! I am a Montessorian through and through, I believe our children are the most capable beings on earth, and I am excited to be back in a school that is entirely aligned with who I am.

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