Sheila D. Stolov is
an accomplished educator, founder and principal of Hermosa Montessori School
based in Tucson, Arizona. She has an extensive background and expertise in
early childhood education, K-8 education, professional development, building
effective teams, school administration, school building design and construction
and oversight of kindergarten through middle school instruction programs using
authentic Montessori methods aligned with Arizona Academic Standards.
Education and Training:
%20(1)pic%20monkey.jpg "Sheila Stovlov receives honorary first dan black belt from the USTA")
Sheila has a BA in Education from Avila University
(1973) and postgraduate Montessori certification from Avila College,
Kansas City MO with Association Montessori International (AMI) certification
(1973) and Elementary Teaching Certification.
It is noteworthy that Ms. Stolov was trained by Lena Wikramaratne, who
was an associate of Maria Montessori during the period of time in which the elementary
Montessori curriculum was being developed.
Ms. Stolov received
the Cross Categorical Special Education Certificate 2001-2002 from the Arizona State Board of Education.
During Ms. Stolov’s career, she participated in numerous
attendance hours of professional development from the American Montessori
Society (AMS), and the Association Montessori International (AMI), in the
United States. She was a presenter for the annual AMS conference in Florida.
Ms.Stolov attended professional development with Dr. Steven
Hughes entitled School 2.0, and Prove It.
She also attended specialized
leadership training from the American Montessori Society during the
Heads of School retreats in various locations worldwide, and the international
Association Montessori International (AMI) leadership conference in Oregon.
Other training includes:
●
Color Me Healthy
Curriculum Training Pima County
●
Level 1 and 2 Criminal
Justice Security Awareness Training Certification
●
The Special
Education Policies and Procedures Certification of Completion Arizona
Department of Education
●
Compassionate
Communication
●
Technology
Literacy Challenge Fund Certificate of Achievement from the Tucson Regional
Training Center
●
Certificate of
Achievement Grant Writing Tucson Regional Training Center
● Positive Discipline from the Tucson Psychiatric Institute
●
The Child’s Quest for Discipline Tucson
Regional Training Center
● Directors Communicable Diseases, Conference on Early Childhood Education for
Administrators Pima County Health Department
● Get Children Moving Pima County Health Department
● The Arts
Connection University of Arizona,
● Relationships
with Siblings University of Arizona,
● Identifying
Special Needs Tucson Child Care Association
● Infectious
Diseases Pima County Health Department,
Kathy Ford
● Understanding
the Characteristics and Meeting the Educational Needs of the the Gifted Student
Arizona Department of Education-ESS
Support Cadre
● About the
A’s: Assets, Assessment and Analysis Behavior and Management after BI Pima
Community College and Neuro-Insult
Most recently Ms. Stolov completed the Leadership 100 training on March 27, 2024.
Professional accomplishments
Ms. Stolov has been the principal of Hermosa Montessori
School since its founding in 1979. At present the school system includes both a
private preschool program and public charter kindergarten through middle school
program. Ms. Stolov wrote the Charter for Hermosa School and was awarded the
Charter Contract from the State Board for Charter Schools in 1995. At present
Sheila leads a staff of approximately 50 individuals including teachers,
teaching assistants, administrative personnel and various support staff. Approximately 300 students are
currently enrolled.
Hermosa Montessori School is located on a 16 acre campus in the Northeast area of Tucson Arizona with over 40,000 square feet of classroom and administrative space. With the assistance of a noted Tucson architect, Ron Fridlind, Ms. Stolov designed and constructed exceptional classroom buildings specially adapted for the Montessori learning environment. The campus design guided by Ms. Stolov includes remarkable outdoor classroom environments, gardens, expansive playgrounds, nature trails, sport courts, and swimming pool. Under Ms. Stolov’s continuous 46 years of leadership, Hermosa has consistently achieved the highest academic ratings from the Arizona Department of Education first rated as an “excelling” school, and currently as a continuously “A” rated school.
Awards and Recognition
Among Ms. Stolov’s long tenure leading Hermosa, she has been
recognized as one of the top Arizona principals including being awarded the
coveted Circle of honor award presented by Tom Horne, Superintendent of Public
Instruction. As a Circle of Honor winner, Ms. Stolov was recognized as an
“Exemplary Educational Leader” in 2007, and served as a mentor to educational
leaders for the following two years. See Local principals named among state's top 1%
For more information
about Ms. Stolov and Hermosa Montessori School, see www.HermosaSchool.org
