Mésanges Ecole Bilingue Montessori
Olivia Gollain
Director, 3-6 AMI educator, 6-12 AMI assistant
Olivia officially took over Mésanges School in 2023. She wishes to bring her joy, skills, and passion for supporting the children and the team in this new project, which she joined in September 2023. Previously, she had enriching professional experiences, including the creation and co-management of a Montessori middle school (Les Aiglons in Cruseilles, 74) for nine years. She served as a 12-15 educator (in literature, French language studies, Art History, Montessori micro-economics, etc.), director, project manager, and team leader.
An AMI-certified educator for ages 3-6 from ISMM (Lyon), she is passionate about all topics related to education. Over the past 25 years, her various experiences with children and adults in diverse fields (sports, education, business creation, association management) and her qualifications in Thomas Gordon's compassionate communication and educational sciences allow her to contribute meaningfully to Mésanges. Passionate about nature, she heads to the mountains with her family whenever possible.
Melissa
3-6 AMI French educator
Melissa is an AMI-trained 3–6 educator, certified by the Montessori Training Center in Geneva.
She joined the Mésanges team in 2024. After several years working in daycare settings, she chose to return to what resonates most deeply with her: supporting children aged 3 to 6 during this rich and foundational stage of their development.
A keen observer, Melissa is constantly seeking to grow and refine her practice. She is a committed and thoughtful team member, who brings both professionalism and a collaborative spirit to the daily life of the classroom.
Maryline
3-6 AMI French educator
Maryline is a Montessori educator for children aged 3 to 6. After spending nearly five years in India, where she trained, she joined the Mésanges team in September 2023.
Holding a master’s degree in management and communication, she worked for over ten years as a marketing and communication director within French and international companies, operating in multicultural teams. Wanting to change direction, she decided to dedicate herself to education and early childhood.
It was in India that she discovered the Montessori pedagogy and became involved with underprivileged children. This experience motivated her to pursue further training to become an educator. Today, she brings to the children her human skills, organizational abilities, and team spirit.
Passionate and deeply committed, Maryline places the child’s well-being and nonviolent communication at the heart of her teaching approach. A mother of two, she brings energy, kindness, and a spirit of sharing to the team. Outside of her educator role, she is a great lover of travel, which she sees as a source of learning through encounters and exchanges. She also finds balance by reconnecting with nature, especially in the mountains.
Laetitia
3-6 AMI English Educator
Laetitia is our English-speaking educator, with over seven years of experience in bilingual Montessori environments.
Before joining Mésanges, she worked as an educator in Lyon and previously lived in the United States, where she was a physical education teacher.
She brings valuable classroom experience and is deeply committed to understanding each child and their individual needs. Her calm presence and thoughtful approach foster a nurturing and respectful learning environment.
Erika
3-6 AMI French assistant
Erika joined the team in February 2025 and quickly felt like she had always been part of it.
She naturally built strong connections with the children and integrated seamlessly into the classroom. Erika supports the 3–6 environment with her joyful energy, calm presence, and constant smile — from morning to evening!
To enrich her journey, she is currently completing the Montessori Sport training.
Miliana
6-12 french Educator
Miliana joined the team in September 2024.
With experience both in France and abroad, she brings a thoughtful, constructive, and caring perspective to her work with children. Her ability to adapt to different situations is one of her greatest strengths.
Rey
6-12 NAMC English Educator
Rey has extensive experience working with middle school students.
He joined the team this year to explore working with the 6–12 age group and has brought his enthusiasm to supporting the children in English across various subjects, including geography, art, English, and sports.
Chantal Detournay
Mésanges Bilingual Montessori School was founded by Chantal Detournay in 2009. Chantal holds a Master’s degree in Education from Duquesne University in the USA, a 6-12 diploma from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies, and a 3-6 educator training from the Maria Montessori Institute in Geneva.
She brings 20 years of international professional experience in marketing, nonprofit management, and children’s education. Passionate about yoga, she trained in a 200-hour ShivaShakti program with Charlotte Saint Jean in 2019, followed by another 200-hour training with Julien Levy in 2020, convinced of the well-being benefits that meditation, movement, breathing, and body connection can bring to children. Chantal continues to pursue her passion for personal development and is trained in professional coaching and NLP techniques to better support children, educators, and parents.
Chantal has now passed on Mésanges to Olivia and will focus on her personal projects, such as her Mindful Parenting workshops that she's offered since 2022. She's also providing personal coaching services to parents and teens.