Executive Director of Admission
New Year’s Eve 1971 the Weekes family with 4 cats, 4 kids and 4 dogs left the hustle and bustle of New York City to make a new home in Ketchum, Idaho. Surrounding themselves with incredible friends and all of the opportunities small town living affords. All 4 children managed to head out of state for college to see how the “real” world lived before returning home and raising families of their own. Liza, the oldest of the 4, was enticed to leave a 20 year restaurant career for the opportunity to work with toddlers. In the spring of 2001 Liza began her AMI Assistants to Infancy training in Denver, CO with the intention of helping Pioneer Montessori School’s expansion from 2 Primary environments to include children age 18 months up through 6th grade. Miss Liza, with the assistance of Miss Lorena opened the doors to a full class in September of 2001 and the Toddler/ PrePrimary environment has thrived ever since. For several years while the program grew Pioneer Montessori School began to take shape as an exciting new alternative to the educational landscape of the Wood River Valley and the need for stronger leadership became evident. Miss Liza stepped out of the classroom in the fall of 2005 to take over fulltime as Head of School. With the desire to create a nurturing environment that honors the childhood years and the support of an ever-inspiring community of children and families Liza has lead the school to its incarnation today. Liza is honored to carry on the tradition of Montessori and is never hesitant to admit that September and back-to-school season is her favorite time of year.
