Blossom Staff - 2023

Marie Nicoletti — Director and Lead Teacher

Teacher Marie grew up in the French alps and moved to Paris after college to attend fashion school. She worked for fashion designers Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Sitbon, Plein Sud, and Nina Ricci before moving to Boulder, Colorado in 1990. 

Marie has been providing French programs for children since 2000, starting with the Language of Food to teach traditional and regional French cooking. The French Immersion Summer Camp followed in 2008, with a French after-school program launched in 2010, as a way to provide Boulder families with an environment in which hearing and learning French would develop a curiosity for languages and an attraction to other cultures.  

15 years of working with children in language, arts & crafts, cooking, music and singing, storytelling, sewing, gardening, and more culminated in the launch of Blossom International Preschool. It stemmed from Marie-Pierre’s desire to give new generations the wealth of everything she’s learned since she was little, and bring back an educational philosophy where a more practical, play-based, hands-on approach was the main focus. To learn more about Blossom’s curriculum and philosophy, please visit the Curriculum page.

JoAnna Alidu — Assistant Director and Lead Teacher

Teacher JoAnna has a Masters in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University. She has worked in education for the past 10 years: as an assistant director and lead teacher at Blossom, as a private tutor, and as a parent coordinator for a private school in Panama. She was the director of her own outdoor, nature-based program in Louisville which unfortunately had to close after extensive smoke damage from the Marshall Fire. She has lived and worked in France, Italy, Madagascar, and Panama. JoAnna speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian fluently, and is proficient in German and Chinese.

She loves to learn and explore through online classes, being outside in nature, traveling, and participating in sports, especially snowboarding. She has 3 children, ages 14, 16 and 18.

Inga Well-Off-Man — Lead Teacher

Teacher Inga joined Blossom in early 2023. She speaks English and German, and has a master’s degree in string pedagogy and violin performance from the University of Colorado. Inga’s teaching journey began in local preschools where she taught early childhood music classes. She incorporates these lesson’s into Blossom’s daily rhythm. Inga likes to rock climb in her free time.

Yu Ye (Crystal) - Teacher’s Aide

Teacher Crystal has been working with children for 20 years, both in China and in the United States. She has taught art, math, music, and Chinese. Blossom is her first experience working in Early Childhood Education, and she has quickly adapted to Blossom’s curriculum and culture. Crystal is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, and has incorporated Chinese language into Blossom’s curriculum through guitar and song.