Meet the Team

Get to know the founders and teachers of Proyecto Espiral.

AMI Certified Montessori Guide/Spanish Immersion

Castaña Donat Zeul

Born and raised in Alpujarra. She encourages a peacefully productive environment where children can deepen his or her interests while working toward concentration.

Elementary Ed Certified/English Immersion

Kevin Veillette

Using Structured English Immersion strategies and the Emergent Curriculum, children’s interests are followed and used to propel learning experiences that align with a myriad of developmental goals and standards for each age group.

Castaña

was born and raised in wonderful Alpujarra. She is a University of Granada graduate (Bachelor in Translation) and an AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) Primary Guide. She shares with us her total of 10 years of experience working with children from 18 months to 6 years old.

Castaña started her teaching career as an International Kindergarten teacher in Vietnam where she taught for 4 years. It was there where she discovered her passion for teaching young children. She completed her Montessori training in Spain in 2015, and then moved to California where she taught for 3 years in a well-established Montessori school. In these years she demonstrated the importance of a prepared environment (organized, beautiful, simple, real, where each element has its own raison d'etre) for the development of the child.

In her classroom, children are encouraged to engage themselves in freely-chosen, thought-provoking work, thus encouraging longer periods of concentration with little to no interruption. It is through this interplay, Castaña transmits positivity, respect and love along the way. Now back in the presence of her childhood roots, she creates with her daughter and husband the dream of an alternative educational project to share with the people of Alpujarra.

Kevin

grew up in a large family in the small state of Connecticut, USA. Kevin has a degree in Elementary Education (Kindergarten to 8th grade) from Arizona State University. While completing his degree, he was introduced to an alternative school with a philosophy and care for children and the planet that deeply moved him. He completed his student teaching and worked professionally for 9 years at this school. During this time, Kevin mentored numerous University intern students and student teachers, trained parents in the positive discipline programs used at the school, led fundraisers, and much more.

In 2012, Kevin moved to Vietnam, where he worked for 3 years in an International School. There he met Castaña, and years later, they moved to California where he worked for 2 years in special education classes in public schools. Also while in California, he taught for 2 years in a public school inspired by the Waldorf methodology and completed his State Certification requirements. He has a total of 18 years of professional teaching experience.

Kevin supports children according to their strengths and needs in all areas of development. He conveys kindness and is gentle in nature, characteristics that children learn to develop while in his care. Kevin shares with eagerness his passion for cooking, music, yoga, gardening, and art with his family and the children of Alpujarra.