Erica Ferrell
Co-teacher, Co-Founder
Erica is a Montessori trained teacher of 25 years in both public and private schools. She is certified through AMS for ages 3-6 and 6-9. She is also certified through the South Carolina Board of Education to teach Spanish. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from the College of Charleston and an MAT in Early Childhood from Trinity University. After 7 years of teaching at Brockman Elementary she decided to start this little school where children can enjoy the simplicity of joyful learning. She is currently completing her Waldorf training at Centro de Desarrollo Antroposófico in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She lives with her husband Brandon, 18-year-old daughter Juliet, 13-year-old daughter Beatrice, 2-year-old son Arlo, dogs, cats, and chickens.
Adriana Richardson
Co-Teacher, Co-Founder
Adriana has a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication and has an extensive background in regional sales, training and communication. She is a dedicated mother of a former Brockman Bear. She has worked with children over the years volunteering at La Escuelita and Brockman Elementary. She is fluent in Spanish and loves traveling to Mexico when she can. She enjoys being creative and making up silly songs. Ms. Adriana loves drawing and creates special keepsakes for the children each day at playtime. She lives with her daughter Estella, her husband Chris, who is in healthcare, and her fur babies, Eva and Wall-E.
Emily Doering-White
Co-Teacher
Emily has a Bachelor’s in Spanish & Hispanic Studies with a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching Elementary degree through Oakland University. She taught ESL in Indiana and Illinois for two years and first grade and kindergarten in Detroit for 6 years, also working as an interpreter for the school’s Spanish-speaking families. Since then, Emily has spent a year working as a professional baker, moved to Columbia, became a mother, and has taught reading lessons online to students ages 5-10. In her free time, Emily is probably reading a book. In the summers, you can find Emily, her husband John, and Arlo (4) on an island in Northern Michigan.
Meredith Sella
Co-Teacher
Meredith is a former lawyer turned stay-at-home mother. After graduating from Davidson College and William & Mary Law School, Meredith moved back to Columbia in 2015 to begin her legal career. Meredith stepped away to raise her son Max and daughter Frances (“Frannie”) in 2021. A daughter, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law of educators, Meredith has always loved learning. Meredith lives in Heathwood with her husband David (an attorney), her children, two dogs and a cat.
Melrose Montessori Nature School 