Meet Our Staff!
Meadowlark School is lucky to bring together an incredible team of early childhood and education professionals. Our teachers have a passion for working with children and see it as their calling. Each of our teacher brings an unique background and expertise that helps shape a diverse, nurturing, and rich environment for our children. Collectively, our staff has decades of experience working with youth, raising their own children, and researching child development. We are thrilled to be able to bring together such a caring, creative, and excellent staff.
Hope Hawley,
Administrator and Co-Founder
Hope is a co-founder of Meadowlark as well as the administrator. She taught at a Nature-Based Reggio Emilia inspired school in Northern Virginia, and has a background in yoga instruction and fiber arts. She is a maker and creative soul, through and through, and has shared her artwork throughout the community. She is always knitting, sewing, or spinning wool. She also loves cooking, reading, and setting up projects for her children. She is excited to share handwork, yoga, and song at Meadowlark. One of the things Hope enjoys most about the Reggio Emilia is the way art and nature are tied together and presented to the child so that they may use their own experience and creativity to express themselves.
Matthew Hawley.
Co-Founder
Matthew is a co-founder of Meadowlark School and not only teaches in the classroom, but also has designed and built the entire play yard. Since receiving his BA in Outdoor Education from Sterling College in 2009, Matthew has worked with young people in a variety of settings. Matthew brings a wealth of experience from working at The Howard Gardner School, The Eastern Ridge School (Reggio Emilia), and Windsor Street Montessori School. Matthew has also been working with Wild Folk's summer program, introducing kids to beautiful parks and forests around Columbia. He loves tinkering, gardening, wood work, cooking, cycling, and spending time with his family. After four years teaching and studying the Montessori Method, he is excited to get back to the Nature and Arts integrated Reggio inspired approach that first inspired him to teach early childhood.
Lori McCurdy
Lead teacher and Director
Lori began her professional career as a preschool teacher, as well as serving as a nanny for multiple families over the years. Additionally, she taught a multi-aged group with special needs in a private elementary school. In 1997, she graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies: Emphasis in Early Childhood Education.
From there, her path continued as a parent educator in a home visitor capacity with the Early Head Start Program. She has also worked as a Crisis Intervention Specialist with families at risk of having a child removed from the home. And in this role, Lori served as a family advocate within the court system.
In the early 2000’s Lori intentionally slowed the pace and opened a home daycare when her own son was a toddler.
Then in 2010, she began volunteering as a Missouri Master Naturalist, supporting schools in developing their school grounds and mentoring teachers in outdoor education. That morphed into being an Outdoor Classroom Program Manager at the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture. In fact, she helped with the installation of the rain garden that now thrives at Meadowlark School!
All her life, she’s had an appreciation of nature and believes it is one of our greatest teachers!
Shelley Brown,
Assistant Teacher
With a degree in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Missouri and over 1,300 hours of experience teaching children aged 0-5, Shelley brings a wealth of practical knowledge and passion for early childhood education.
Shelley's journey began with Jumpstart, an AmeriCorps program, where she tutored children in language, literacy, and social-emotional development, and served as a Team Leader. Additionally, she completed practicums at MU's Child Development Lab, working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and honed skills in classroom management at Columbia Independent School.
A nature enthusiast, Shelley frequently explores Columbia's parks and enjoys fishing and camping. Her love for the outdoors aligns perfectly with Meadowlark's philosophy of integrating nature into the learning process. Shelley is excited to support each child's unique curiosity and potential, fostering their development in mind, body, and spirit through a nurturing and enriching environment.
Liz Pfeiffer
Assistant Teacher
Bio Coming Soon