While she earned her master’s degree from the Conway School, Nellie completed a site design for the Hilltop Montessori School in Brattleboro, VT. Hilltop’s goals were for two distinct areas of their 43-acre site: the pond below their middle school and the playground outside of their elementary school. Their wishes for the pond area’s redesign were to create safe access to the water for the young students, have vegetation that supports the water quality and biodiversity of the pond, all while maintaining the pond’s function of being the school’s water supply tank for their fire suppression system and a key part of the stormwater management system. The design for the playground sought to  address drainage issues, increase shade, and create a gentle boundary between the playground and sports field. Nellie created detailed designs that balanced these goals and incorporated perspectives of multiple stakeholders (including Hilltop teachers, staff, and students), and findings from in-depth analyses and observations of the site.