Sycamore Classroom Team
SAM CUSACK, CO-LEAD TEACHER
Sam Cusack has been a teacher at Bloomington Montessori since 2007, first in the Sweet Gum and Magnolia classrooms and then, since 2014, in the Sycamore classroom.
Sam graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in economics and has an Associate’s degree from The Culinary Institute of America.
He is married to BMS teacher Eve Cusack, and they have two children, who graduated from the Sycamore class in 2018 and 2021. Sam enjoys cooking, birdwatching, disc golf, and hiking.
KATE ALVAREZ, CO-LEAD TEACHER
Kate earned her Bachelor's degree in Biology from Hanover College in 2012, and her Master's in Secondary Science Education from Ball State in 2014. She taught public high school Biology, Biomed, and Zoology for 8 years before moving back to Bloomington and welcoming her daughter in 2021.
Kate fell in love with BMS and the Montessori method when her daughter started in the Hickory classroom in 2024. She joined the BMS team as both CCC (formerly PAC) co-chair and substitute teacher in 2025, and is so excited to be a part of the Sycamore classroom this year!
Outside of school, Kate runs a small baking business, and volunteers at IU as the ADPi philanthropy advisor. She is crazy about dogs, and loves to read, cross-stitch, birdwatch, sing, and travel with her husband Andy and their daughter Lily.