Faculty
Austin Matte
Founder, Head of School, & Guide
Ed.M., Harvard University
It was during his time in the Peace Corps, serving communities in Nicaragua, when Austin realized that the first years of life are tremendously important for future growth and development, and, unfortunately, they are far too overlooked.
Returning stateside and wanting to learn more, Austin sought out a role in educational research, first at the Education Development Center, and later at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He read the evidence that corroborated what he saw for himself in Nicaragua: early childhood is a period of unmatched influence with experiences having effects across the lifespan.
Still wanting to know more, Austin enrolled at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He explored the research on the way people learn, the neuroscience explaining why early childhood is so formative, and the evidence supporting student-centered pedagogies, all of which dovetailed perfectly with everything Austin had found to be true through his own experience.
After graduate school, Austin sought out a position in a Montessori school, and he has been a Montessorian ever since. He appreciates how the Montessori Method reflects real life; it touches on all aspects of a child’s growth, and it does so in a way that is developmentally appropriate. Among everything else that it does so well, the Montessori Method honors the sanctity and uniqueness of early childhood.
Austin has an Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Montessori Credential from New England Montessori Teacher Education Center (NEMTEC). He is also a graduate of Bishop Guertin High School here in Nashua, and is honored to be able to use his experience to serve the community which was so important in his formation. When he is not thinking about how young children learn, Austin can be found spending time with his intelligent and talented wife, Dr. Stephanie Phillis, who is a local orthodontist. He also loves staying active and learning new things, which include playing music, mountain biking, snowboarding, or just diving into a good book.
Helen Ballou
Assistant Guide
B.A. Human Development, Rivier University
AMS Elementary I-II guide
Certified Dyslexia Practitioner 2
Helen’s teaching experience spans from toddlers to sixth graders in both Montessori and public school settings. She’s been a Montessorian since 2001, and she appreciates every age group for their particular attributes. Helen loves teaching reading and grammar, and guiding students in creative writing and poetry. Her favorite math materials are the Stamp Game and the Peg Board. The cultural subjects that interest her are too numerous to list, though her particular favorites are US history, art, botany, and creation stories.
Helen is an AMS certified lower and upper elementary guide, and she is also an advanced Orton Gillingham reading tutor. Her hobbies include mountain biking, whitewater canoeing and rafting, iceboating, backcountry skiing, art of all kinds, gardening, reading, and crocheting. She’s lived most of her life in Brookline, NH with her husband, their house chicken, 2 cats, and many, many houseplants.
Priya Singh
Substitute Guide
ED.B Jadavpur University
BSc. in Textile Design
Priya was born and raised in Assam, India. She has an undergraduate degree in Textile Design and a Bachelor’s of Education from Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India. As a mother of three, her passion for working with children was deeply inspired by raising her own—witnessing their curiosity and innocence evolve into growth and discovery. Her own experiences sparked her commitment to nurturing young minds and she has always loved to volunteer at her kids’ school events, staying very involved and invested.
Throughout her career, back in India and the US, Priya has remained devoted to bringing creativity into the classroom and supporting each child's natural love for learning. Upstone has been her home for many inspiring years — a place that aligns perfectly with her deep-rooted belief in Montessori education.
In 2000, she moved to Nashua, New Hampshire, where she currently lives with her husband Dilip, her daughters Damini and Dharini, and her son Dhruv. In her free time, Priya enjoys cooking a variety of cultural cuisines, gardening & traveling.
Lynn DeGagne
Substitute Guide
A.A., Early Childhood Education, Hesser College
A.A., Business Management, Hesser College
Lynn has been teaching young children over the course of her decades-long career. She prides herself in providing a positive and nurturing atmosphere where students feel happy and secure, enabling their freedom, independence, and confidence. She loves getting to know her students.
Lynn has a wonderful husband, 3 amazing adult children and 2 grandchildren that bring her so much joy. She loves attending her grandchildren’s sports games and cheering them on. She also enjoys reading, writing and spending time in nature.
Board of Directors
Jonathan Scheff, President
Data Scientist, Splunk
B.A., Macalester College; Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education; M.S., Vanderbilt University
Bryan Nelson, President-Elect
Research Associate, Harvard Graduate School of Education
B.A., University of Notre Dame; Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education
Dr. Luis Hinojosa, Treasurer
Deputy Superintendent, CityScape Schools
B.A., University of Missouri; M.B.A., Notre Dame; Ed.D., University of Texas at Austin
Chris Teare, Secretary
Director of Extended Programs, Children’s Day School
B.A., University of California at Santa Cruz; Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education