Administration

Happy Sayre-McCord, Head of School

Happy Sayre-McCord has been a part of the MCHD community since 1990, when her son Rob enrolled as a three-year-old. When her second son, Thomas, enrolled, Happy became Carrie Benoit Salemi's assistant, and for 8 glorious years experienced the Montessori method as it is practiced by a master teacher at MCHD. Simultaneously, Happy’s husband, Geoff Sayre-McCord, was the before-school care provider on the pre-school playground for nine years. Throughout that decade, Happy served on the Board of Directors and/or many Board committees. After leaving the classroom in 2001 to redirect her attention to the care of her children and aging parents, she quickly discovered that staying away from MCHD was impossible. Happy feels privileged now to return to MCHD as the Head of School, where she is working closely with teachers, parents, and staff to ensure the continued health and vitality of MCHD. A native of Washington, DC, Happy has an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and double-majored in Biology and Philosophy at Oberlin College. In her life before Montessori, she was in Commercial Lending at Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh and then worked as a consultant for non-profit organizations. She has served on Boards of various not-for-profit organizations for most of the past 30 years.

Cynthia Hughey, Assistant Head of School

Cynthia has been a part of the MCHD community since 1980, when her daughter, Kristen enrolled as a three-year-old. When Kristen entered Lower Elementary, Cynthia entered the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in North Carolina, completing her AMS Early Childhood Certificate in 1984. She spent her internship year in Carrie Salemi’s class, and taught at MCHD from 1983-1998. She served as Interim Administrator during the 1999-2000 school year. For over three decades, Cynthia has served in many capacities at MCHD from providing after school care for MCHD students in her home, to serving on the Board of Directors for several terms, including three years as President, continuous service in the Human Resources Policy Committee, substitute teaching, and teaching music and yoga. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia, Cynthia has a BA from Duke University. She and her husband, David, are the proud parents of Kristen and Ryan Bowie and the devoted grandparents of Lily, Grace and Liam.

Tammy Squires, Business Manager

Tammy became a member of the MCHD community in 1995 when her oldest son was in Preschool. Two years later her family moved to Asia, and it was MCHD that brought her back to North Carolina in 2000 when her family repatriated. Both her children are now MCHD alumni. Throughout her years as an MCHD parent, Tammy has served on many committees, volunteered in the classrooms, substituted, and served as Interim Administrator for one year before becoming the Business Manager. She attended Waterson Business College and Northern Kentucky University.

Natalie Collins, Office Manager

Natalie earned a B.A. at Wellesley College where she double majored in mathematics and studio art. She later earned an M.F.A. at Massachusetts College of Art, where she concentrated in film, video, and digital media. For a decade Natalie has worked as a mathematics editor for the leading educational publishers in the U.S., and she spent several years as a public school mathematics teacher. She also taught film production at Emerson College and Massachusetts College of Art. Natalie works on animation and documentary film projects in her spare time, and teaches film/video classes in the community. She also enjoys painting, drawing, sewing, watching bad television, and renovating her house. Natalie grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and lived in Boston for many years. She moved to North Carolina in 2008, and now lives in Hillsborough with her husband, musician Brendan Rice. Natalie is happy to join the MCHD community and is looking forward to learning more about the Montessori philosophy and its educational benefits to children.