Tricia Abbott Springstone Montessori School
By Alexandra M. Schwappach
 As a child, Tricia Abbott grew up at her mother’s side in and out of schools. Many of the traits she possesses today appear to have been learned through osmosis during that time, as her mother owned and operated preschools for 30 years. “I spent a lot of time watching and listening to my mother operate her businesses,” she says. “After a while, it became second nature.”
Today, Tricia Abbott runs two Springstone preschools in Albuquerque, and attributes many of her successes to her mother and mentor. “My mother founded the Springstone concept that eventually became five Springstone Montessori schools,” says Tricia.
Originally from Colorado, Tricia never planned on following in the family business of constructing and operating early learning centers. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, she realized that the family business was intriguing after all. She went back to school, finished her early childhood education, and purchased a small early learning center. She and her husband owned and operated the school for 10 years. In 2001, Tricia and her family moved to Albuquerque and constructed their first Springstone. Her goals were to offer more benefits to staff and more services to the children she served.
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Last year, we launched the Ladies’ Choice Awards asking our readers to vote for their favorite local places to shop and to dine, which local female personalities they liked best in music, entertainment, and broadcasting, and to tell us about businesses that provide great products or services. You responded in droves. We were thrilled! And the honorees were flattered. So, of course, we had to do it again. This year, we added to our list of favorites a few more places, like where to relax in a hot spring or indulge at a day spa, where to buy vintage clothing. And again, the nominations came in—by fax, through the mail, and from our website. Like a giant network, the Ladies’ Choice Awards has proven to be a great way to make a new discovery, or to learn that your favorite is someone else’s favorite, too. Thanks to all of you who participated. We truly appreciate you! So, here they are—your favorites—the Ladies’ Choice Awards of 2007.
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Kyla Thompson
The Calm in the Center
of the Storm
By Sabra Brown Steinsiek
 In 1999, Kyla Thompson faced what may have been her biggest challenge. She was hired by the families of victims of the Columbine High School massacre to manage the overwhelming media coverage of those families, at the center of an unimaginable crisis. She held hands, shared tears, answered questions, coordinated media reports, and, most of all, served as an island of calm in the midst of the storm.
When the immediate crisis was past, she stayed on to help 52 family members work with major firms in Denver to raise money for a new library at the school. Eight years later, she still counts many of them as friends.
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