ABOUT US

Who are we?

Forest City Village School is an Associate Montessori school located in the heart of St. James, just steps from the city park and public library. We offer a rich educational experience for children ages 3 to 9.

What is our philosophy?

  1. Child-led learning and intrinsic motivation

  2. Respect for each child’s unique pace

  3. Outdoor exploration and connection to nature

  4. The balance of freedom and responsibility

  5. Community as a central element of growth

What makes us different?

  1. Year-round calendar with flexible enrollment

  2. Low ratios and personalized attention

  3. Blend of Montessori and nature-based practices

  4. Mixed-age classrooms

  5. Focus on emotional intelligence, not just academics

What’s in the name?

Saint James is known as the Forest City of the Ozarks, and we love the forest feel of the city. Including this in our name was a natural choice, as it also aligns with our core educational model. We believe the old saying “It takes a village to raise a child,” so we are building a community to uplift parents, who will in turn uplift the entire community. We bring parent- and family-oriented community programs to enrich and strengthen the village the children need.

How can you help?

We collaborate frequently with area experts and business owners to bring unique programming to our students. If you have a unique area of knowledge that you would like to share with our school please fill out our Guest Intake Form.

Meet the Team

  • A woman smiling outdoors, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a beige jacket, on a grassy area.

    Ingrid Benecke-Chiles

    Village Community Engagement & Outreach Coordinator

  • A young man with short dark hair, wearing glasses and a gray t-shirt, smiling in a wooded area near a body of water.

    David Schatz

    Village Administration & Operations Coordinator

  • A woman with red hair and fair skin standing outdoors in a grassy yard with trees and houses in the background, wearing a blue dress with mathematical and geometric patterns.

    Olivia Kerwin

    Village Curriculum Development & Pedagogy Coordinator

Village Teaching Guides

  • Smiling woman with light brown hair in a ponytail, wearing a sleeveless blue floral top, outdoors with trees and greenery in the background.

    Maggie IV Beedles-Kaos

    Lower Elementary & Primary Lead Guide

  • Christine Watson

    Lower Elementary Lead Guide

  • Amy Driscoll

    Primary Lead & Assistant Guide

  • A woman sitting on the ground by a large tree trunk next to a body of water, smiling at the camera in an outdoor setting.

    Leslie Beyer

    Primary Assistant Guide

  • A young man with curly hair sitting at a wooden table playing an acoustic guitar, engaging with a young child in a colorful floral dress, in a light-filled room with white shelving units in the background.

    Abby Smithson

    Strings & Music Guide

A man kneeling on the ground playing drums with two young girls standing in front of him holding drumsticks in a park with trees and benches.

Staff Bios

David “Schatzi” Schatz is an experienced educator, passionate community builder, and devoted father of two. With over a decade in education, he spent nine years as a band director, earning recognition as the 2018 MMEA Outstanding Young Music Educator. While he loved guiding students through music and performance, David ultimately chose to leave public education to pursue a different vision, one rooted in Montessori philosophy, nature-based learning, and deeper family and community connection.

David currently serves as the Village Administration and Operations Manager at Forest City Village School, and is dedicated to creating an environment where children feel truly seen and supported. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the school and helps shape a learning culture that grows from curiosity, hands-on discovery, and strong family partnerships. His own path has been guided by a desire to honor childhood, encourage lifelong learning, and build the kind of village he hopes his own kids and all children can thrive within.

Outside of school, you’ll often find David hiking local trails, tackling home projects, or playing intense games of tag with his kids and their friends. And if he ever slows down long enough, he’ll be lost in a good book or diving into new ideas to explore.

Maggie VI “Maggles” Beedles-Kaos brings over two decades of experience in alternative and child-centered education to our school. Inspired by Miss Frizzle and known to students as “Miss Maggles,” she thrives on following children’s natural curiosity whether it leads into art, human history, or muddy explorations.

Before joining FCVS, Maggie homeschooled her four children for 18 years, taught in Montessori and Waldorf environments, and led cooperative nursery and arts programs, including founding her own project, Sudden Berry School, to nurture self-directed learning. She has also served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), reinforcing her deep belief that every child deserves to be seen, heard, and loved.

A woman and a young girl are sewing with a white Singer sewing machine on a brown table.

Born into a family of educators and raised partly in Australia, Maggie’s early cross-cultural experiences sparked her lifelong passion for travel, history, and building vibrant communities. She sees Forest City Village as exactly the kind of “village” she’s spent her life seeking. She describes it as a place where authentic relationships grow, children’s unique strengths shine, and everyone learns to thrive together.

Video Interview with Maggles

Outside of teaching, she loves exploring new ideas, fostering big conversations with kids, and finding optimism in every season. Maggie is joined at FCVS by her youngest daughter, Willie, as they begin this next joyful chapter of learning and growing alongside their new village.

Christine “Rose” Watson is a dedicated educator with over a decade of experience guiding children from preschool through third grade. She spent nine years teaching first through third grade at McKinley Elementary in Kansas City, Kansas before moving into early childhood education as a PreK teacher at Brighton Learning Center. Throughout her career, Christine has been passionate about taking learning beyond the walls of the classroom, whether leading garden measurement projects, organizing sensory nature hunts, or simply inviting children to explore the outdoors with wonder and joy.

Christine is equally devoted to nurturing practical life skills. From cooking wholesome meals from scratch to making her own soaps and sunscreen, she finds joy in teaching children how to care for themselves and the world around them. Now back in her hometown with her husband and two children, Christine loves spending time outside, experimenting with new recipes, and dreaming of the large family garden they will one day grow together.

At Forest City Village School, she brings her heartfelt belief that children learn best through movement, exploration, and deep, hands-on connection with nature and everyday life.

A woman with reddish-brown hair standing outdoors in a park with trees and grass, wearing a blue dress with graphical designs of mathematical graphs and equations.

Olivia Kerwin is a dedicated educator and lifelong learner with 20 years of experience teaching mathematics at the college level. Throughout her career in higher education, she often found herself wondering why so many students arrived at college unprepared, not just in math but also in the life skills and internal drive needed to pursue their goals. This question became even more personal when she became a mother seven years ago, inspiring her to explore educational philosophies that would help her own children grow into confident, motivated learners.

Her journey led her to Montessori, an evidence-based approach that nurtures both academic excellence and the intrinsic motivation children need to chart their own paths. Olivia now brings this passion to Forest City Village School, where she supports curriculum development and enjoys occasionally stepping into the classroom to collaborate with teachers and engage directly with students. She is committed to helping build a learning environment where each child feels equipped to pursue their dreams with curiosity and purpose.

Outside of work, Olivia is a lifelong horsewoman and loves spending time with her family on their farm. They are often spending time feeding and taking care of the animals or going for long walks in the woods that surround the farm.

Ingrid “Ruby” Benecke-Chiles is the Village Community Engagement & Outreach Coordinator at Forest City Village School. Her journey into alternative education began as a mother searching for a school that would honor her daughter’s Montessori roots while embracing the wonder of outdoor learning. That search led her to a community of like-minded parents and eventually to the founding of Forest City Village School.

Ingrid brings a rich and varied background to her role. With experience in integrative health, yoga, hospitality, and childcare, she is passionate about cultivating a strong, healthy, and connected village for families and educators. Her early interest in education was sparked in high school, when she interned at All Aboard Learning Center and later spent a year at Greenwood Lab School at Missouri State University.

Inspired by her time volunteering at a childcare center in Holden Village, Washington, Ingrid saw firsthand what a community-centered approach to education could look like. She later worked as a nanny in Washington DC while becoming an Integrative Health Counselor and a certified doula and yoga instructor, focusing on prenatal, postpartum, and restorative yoga.

At Forest City Village School, Ingrid helps lead the outdoor education program, building partnerships with local nature educators and expanding access to outdoor learning in Phelps County. Her love for conservation, mindful movement, and community continues to shape her vision for a more inclusive and nature-connected childhood.

Outside of school, Ingrid enjoys floating the river, tending her garden, and spending time with her partner Tom and their two daughters on their homestead along the Maramec River.