Private Christian School Richmond, TX | Calvary Episcopal School Inc.

Administrative Team

Beth Dow
Head Of School

Mrs. Dow brings over 38 years of experience in education. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin wtih a degree in education and earned her Master's in Education from the University of Houston. She served as an elementary school teacher, a Gifted/Talented Facilitator, and assistant principal in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District. She also served as Area Superintendent in the Houston Independent School District and continues to work part-time as a mentor for principals in HISD and as a consultant for the Harris County Department of Education.

As a long-time resident of Fort Bend County with her husband Andy, Beth knows Calvary well by its reputation and through family members who have attended the school. She understands CEP's purpose as a mission of the church and its goal to educate and develop "the whole child." She is very open and firm about her core principles, first of which is "every decision made will be based on what is right by children."

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Father Ralph Morgan
Rector, Calvary Episcopal Church

Fr. Ralph was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Don Wimberly in June of 2006. After many years of youth ministry and Episcopal School administration, he answered the call for ordained ministry. Ralph served as an assistant at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in North Houston for three years, and Rector of Christ Church in Eagle Lake for six years and at St. Cyprian’s, Lufkin, for nearly six years.

Fr. Ralph is married to Terri Silver Morgan, a retired attorney. Ralph and Terri have three daughters and four beautiful grandchildren (with more to come). Fr. Ralph is a diehard baseball fan and lifelong supporter of the Astros. He enjoys playing golf, walking his dog and spending time at Camp Allen. Ralph and Terri love the theater and especially enjoy musicals.

Fr. Ralph holds a BA degree from Houston Baptist University in Education and a Master of Divinity from the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin.

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Paula Roe Montieth
Head of Secondary Schools

Paula is a longtime resident of Fort Bend County. She began her administrative career in Lamar CISD as an Instructional Supervisor and as a campus administrator. She then served as Director of Scholarships and of Parent/Community Engagement for Project GRAD in Houston which is a national nonprofit. In 2011, Paula was the College Access Manager for the office of Commissioner for Higher Education in Montana. Before coming to us, Paula was the department chair at Spring Branch High School where she was responsible for creating and initiating a reading Improvement curriculum for high school students. Paula is married to Jack Montieth, who is a private corporate pilot. They have enjoyed traveling and seeing the world together.

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Lori Palmer
Director of Curriculum

Lori began her teaching career in Temple, Texas, as a high school English teacher. In 1987, she and her husband, Bob, moved to Richmond/Rosenberg. Lori taught English at both Lamar Jr. High School and Foster High School. In 1996, she began working in the capacity as a G/T Facilitator for Lamar CISD schools. Lori has had extensive training in The New Jersey Writing Project, now known as Abydos. Lori is a trainer for Abydos and has trained many educators throughout the state. She has been married to Bob Palmer for 36 years and has two children, Kristen Palmer and Larsen Palmer. Larsen and his wife Kelly have one daughter and another daughter on the way!

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Wes Vela
Director of Finance

Wes is a native Texan, born and raised in Port Arthur, Tx and has been in Fort Bend County since 2003. He earned is BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas and is a Certified Public Accountant. For the past 30 years he has been a Finance Director of several municipalities the most recent being the City of Fulshear. Wes is most proud of his beautiful children consisting of his two daughters, two sons, two grandsons and one granddaughter. His interest anything Longhorn sports, sailing whenever the opportunity, the arts including the theatre and symphony and Avenger movies with my youngest.

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Krista Kuperus
Director of Admissions and Advancement

CEP’s Director of Admissions and Advancement, Krista Kuperus joined CEP in 2012. Ms. Kuperus oversees admissions, marketing, and development programs at Calvary. She brings to Calvary over ten years of experience in sales and project management, and holds a bachelor’s degree in business from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Ms. Kuperus and her husband, Andy, live in Richmond and are the proud parents of two Calvary Crusaders, Aubree and Cora.

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Missy McClellan
Computer Technology Teacher

Missy McClellan has been teaching at Calvary since 2007. She currently teaches computer classes in addition to overseeing technology for CEP. She has also taught third and fourth grade language arts classes. She has also been involved with CEP as a parent since 2001 - she and her husband, Jeff, are the proud parents of 3 alumni Crusaders: Will, Chris and Katie. Ms. McClellan was born in San Diego, CA to a career Navy family. She spent most of her adolescent to teenage years in Fulton, NY and moved to West Columbia, TX in 1986. Ms. McClellan received her BBA degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and took post baccalaureate courses in education at the University of Houston. Ms. McClellan completed her education certification through the Region IV Alternative Certification Program. In her previous life, Ms. McClellan worked at KnowledgeBase Marketing for 14 ½ years as a manager in the Processing Services department where she managed project teams as well as developed and implemented employee training programs.

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Faculty & Staff

Luiza Amaral
Pre-Kindergarten (3 year old) Teacher Assistant

Luiza Amaral is our Pre-Kindergarten 3 year old teacher. She is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. She moved back to the USA when she was 3 years old, after one year in Brasil waiting on the visa process.She speaks fluent Portuguese, English and is currently learning Spanish. Ms. Luiza graduated from Calvary's High School program in 2016 and started working in Calvary's Extended Day program shortly after graduation. Ms. Luiza is very involved in her church, including the youth group and singing in the Praise Band. Ms. Luiza is excited to be working with Calvary Pre-K 3 students while she pursues her Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. Ms. Luiza's future plans include traveling the world, teaching children. She currently lives with her two amazing parents and three awesome dogs. Email Ms. Luiza

Hunter Baen
Music & Theatre Teacher

Hunter Baen is joining the Calvary family as the music and theatre teacher. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in Jacksboro, Texas. He attended Texas A&M University and Sam Houston State University and has a bachelor’s degrees from both. Before joining Calvary, he worked in College Station ISD for 6 years as a student teacher in band, substitute teacher, and high school assistant Orchestra director and Lamar Consolidated ISD for 4 years as an elementary music teacher. He has a strong passion in leadership and developing children to lead and reach their highest potential. When not teaching, he enjoys real estate, traveling, as well as spending time with family and friends.

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Mary Lou Baughman
1st Grade Teacher
Lower School (PK-2) Lead Teacher

Ms. Baughman has taught at CEP since 2002; however, she has been associated with the school for many more years as a Calvary parent. Ms. Baughman’s family moved to Richmond from Shreveport, Louisiana in 1992. She and her husband, Chris, have three sons, one daughter, and two daughters-in-law, and are known as LuLu and Pops to their granddaughter and grandson. Family pets are a terrier named Jager and a Bengal cat named Jed. Before joining Calvary, Ms. Baughman’s teaching experience includes thirteen years in public schools, where she taught pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade. Additionally, she taught two years in a lab school which included teaching a program planning course to Elementary Education majors.

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Crystal Brock
Language Arts & Geography, Middle School

A native Texan and Calvary Episcopal alumna, Crystal Sims Brock began her career as a fourth grade teacher at CEP in 2015. She is a fighting Texas A&M Aggie with a BA in Economics. She resides in Rosenberg with her husband, her two beautiful twin boys, Landon and Caden, who are Calvary Crusaders, and 2 dogs. She's no stranger to the Calvary Community, as she has served as vice-president on our PTO board and has volunteered her invaluable time & impeccable creativity.

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Kristina Castillo
Art Teacher

Kristina Castillo was born and raised in Richmond, TX, where she graduated from Foster High School. She earned bachelor’s degrees in both Business and Art from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX before returning to work in the corporate world as a part of the Management Development Program for GEICO Claims Department. It was through her experience in leadership positions that she discovered her passion for teaching, after which she joined Hodges Bend Middle School in Fort Bend ISD teaching 6th grade Art. She is joining the Calvary family in the 2019-2020 school year as the K-12 Art Teacher, and is excited to share in the growth and expression of all of the beautiful hearts entrusted to CEP. Email Ms. Castillo

Gay Clark
4th & 5th Grade ELA Teacher

Gay Clark brings 40 years experience in education, graduating from The University of Texas at Austin and teaching elementary grades for 32 years with Lamar Consolidated ISD. 20 of those years were spent as a specialist in gifted education, a student population that is often overlooked. Taking these advanced thinkers to higher levels of learning is a passion that she looks forward to sharing at Calvary Episcopal Preparatory School.
Gay and her husband, Rick, are avid UT sports fans and enjoy attending and watching games of various sports. She has an adult daughter who lives in Cypress and 2 amazing grandchildren who attend school in CyFair ISD.
Gay says her theme for the upcoming school year is "Brilliant & Resilient," since the challenges we face with the pandemic are unique and require a Can-Do attitude!

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Jalon Debbs
Athletic Director

Jalon Debbs is Calvary’s Athletic Director and coach. He graduated from San Diego State University as a student-athlete scholar in 1990 with a BS in Industrial Engineering. His passion is running a mentoring program for student athletes (boys and girls) that prepares them for college. He splits his time coaching and being a spokesman for Adidas grassroots basketball programs across the country. Mr. Debbs is a parent, husband, former school board member and a dedicated coach.

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Jalon Debbs is Calvary’s Athletic Director and coach. He graduated from San Diego State University as a student-athlete scholar in 1990 with a BS in Industrial Engineering. His passion is running a mentoring program for student athletes (boys and girls) that prepares them for college. He splits his time coaching and being a spokesman for Adidas grassroots basketball programs across the country. Mr. Debbs is a parent, husband, former school board member and a dedicated coach.

Email Coach Debbs

Jalon Debbs is Calvary’s Athletic Director and coach. He graduated from San Diego State University as a student-athlete scholar in 1990 with a BS in Industrial Engineering. His passion is running a mentoring program for student athletes (boys and girls) that prepares them for college. He splits his time coaching and being a spokesman for Adidas grassroots basketball programs across the country. Mr. Debbs is a parent, husband, former school board member and a dedicated coach.

Email Coach Debbs

Jalon Debbs is Calvary’s Athletic Director and coach. He graduated from San Diego State University as a student-athlete scholar in 1990 with a BS in Industrial Engineering. His passion is running a mentoring program for student athletes (boys and girls) that prepares them for college. He splits his time coaching and being a spokesman for Adidas grassroots basketball programs across the country. Mr. Debbs is a parent, husband, former school board member and a dedicated coach.

Email Coach Debbs

Donna Estrada
Band Director

Donna Estrada holds a Bachelor of Music in music studies degree with a Performance Certificate from The University of Texas at Austin. Her love of music began in fifth grade when she first learned to play the flute. Ms. Estrada was a junior high school band director in the Houston and Cypress Fairbanks school districts, and she has taught flute lessons in Lamar CISD and Fort Bend ISD. She has also volunteered extensively with a middle school band in Fort Bend where the band director is a former student of hers. She loves sharing her love of music with children. In addition to band, Ms. Estrada has led science labs as a volunteer for children in grades kindergarten through fifth. She lives in Pecan Grove with her loving husband Ramiro and their three beautiful daughters Rachel, Becca and Miranda.

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Sarita Ferris
Kindergarten Teacher

Sarita Ferris comes to us with 30 years experience in education. She spent 23 of those years teaching kindergarten for Lamar CISD. Sarita has three sons. Her youngest is a junior at George Ranch High School, and the older two are Texas A&M graduates just like their mom. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and relaxing with a good book. Her favorite bible verse is Zephaniah 3:17.

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Heather Flores
Pre-Kindergarten (4 year old) Teacher

Heather Flores grew up in Waco, Texas. She moved to Fort Bend in 2007 where she earned her BS in elementary education from the University of Houston Victoria. She worked in Fort Bend ISD for three years where she taught kindergarten and second grade. She also has three years of experience teaching in private schools and is excited to be returning to CEP to teach Pre-K this year. In her spare time, she likes to craft and spend time with her nephews and niece.

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Allison Hamner
Third Grade Teacher

Allison Hamner grew up in Richmond and graduated from Fort Bend’s Travis High school. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Texas State University and hopes to soon be working towards her Masters degree here in Houston. Ms. Hamner began teaching at CEP in 2014, and previously taught kindergarten, first and second grades. Ms. Hamner is very family oriented and during her free time enjoys visiting with family, reading, and spending too much time on Pinterest.

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Charlyn Harris
Pre-Kindergarten (3 year old) Teacher

Charlyn Harris is the Pre-Kindergarten 3 years old teacher. A native Houstonian, Ms. Harris has 23 years of classroom experience. She attended the University of Houston where she received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood Specialization. She also received her Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston. Ms. Harris is a returning teacher to Calvary, having taught previously in Fort Bend ISD, Houston ISD, and a Head Start program. She is a member of Calvary Episcopal Church. Ms. Harris lives in Richmond with her two daughters, Delaney (a Calvary alum) and Bridgit (current Calvary student). Ms. Harris believes that every child has infinite learning possibilities and wants to share her love of learning with her students.

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Ana Moreno Holladay
Spanish

Mrs. Holladay is originally from Panama City, Panama. After High School, she traveled to the USA to attend San Francisco State University, where she graduated with a Business Degree in International Marketing. As a business professional, she worked for Hewlett Packard Company, in the Latin American Division. Language and technical skills were required, including the ability to converse and understand Spanish, Portuguese and English. Working with HP national distributors and visiting their facilities allowed for numerous opportunities to become familiar with the different business operations and cultures of several Latin American countries, including Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and others.

After a brief period at her home in Houston, TX, Mrs. Holladay decided to become a teacher. She attended the University of St. Thomas graduate program in conjunction with Region IV Alternative Certification and completed her training with certification in Bilingual/ESL instruction. While teaching in Fort Bend ISD she became certified to teach Secondary Spanish in 1999 and taught high-school level Spanish at Garcia Middle School for another five years. Following Garcia, Mrs. Holladay taught at Calvary Episcopal Preparatory for 10 years. She then felt a calling to teach high school in Fort Bend ISD, and after 4 years away from CEP, she returned to her Calvary family. Mrs. Holladay is the wife of a loving husband, mother of two former Calvary students and a proud breast cancer survivor. Mrs. Holladay enjoys teaching her native language, Spanish. She is starting her 24th year in education this year. She also likes to cook Latin dishes and exercise to the tunes of Merengue and Salsa.
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Helen Jackson
2nd Grade Teacher

Helen Jackson earned a BS in elementary education from Penn State and a MEd in teaching from the University of Houston. Ms. Jackson had a long career in Fort Bend ISD, where she specialized in gifted education. Before joining CEP in 2016, Ms. Jackson spent seven years in private schools. In her free time she enjoys gardening, reading, and scrapbooking. Her grandson Noah is a student at CEP.

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Jenny Jones, BSN, RN
School Nurse

Jenny Jones has served as the School Nurse for Calvary since 2013. She was born and raised in the Houston area, graduating from Clements High School in Sugar Land. She later went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Houston Baptist University. Nurse Jenny has always had a passion for kids, which is why she became a nurse specializing in pediatrics. After 14 years at Texas Children’s Hospital, she felt God called her to become a school nurse so that she could have more time with her family. She and her husband, Jerry, are the proud parents of four children, including two Calvary students.

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Sarah Kalina
Bible Teacher

Sarah Kalina came to Calvary in 2016 to serve as the Bible teacher and chapel coordinator. Additionally, she oversees the registration process for Safeguarding God’s Children training for church and school personnel and volunteers. Ms. Kalina is a life-long Episcopalian who has served in a number of capacities in the church. She holds a BA from Sam Houston State with a major in dance; and received her teacher certification through Texas Tech University. Ms. Kalina previously served as the Dance and Drill Team Director at Alief Elsik High School for 5 years. She has also been a Parish Administrator and Administrative Assistant at local Episcopal churches. When not involved with teaching, church and dance, she is the proud mother of her young son, Nathan.

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Lynn Kidda
Pre-Kindergarten (4 year old) Teacher

Lynn Kidda has been a member of the faculty since 2007 and teaches pre-kindergarten at Calvary. She is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana where she taught pre-k for eight years before moving to Houston. In HISD, Mrs. Kidda taught kindergarten for two years at an Environmental Science Magnet school. After moving into this area, she taught kindergarten right across the street at Jane Long Elementary for fifteen years. Mrs. Kidda and her husband, Jim are the proud parents of their son, Andrew. They are active members of Calvary Episcopal Church. When not teaching, she enjoys camping, fishing, and family activities.

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Harriet King
6th Grade Teacher

Harriet King is joining the Calvary family after teaching in the public sector for 25 years in Fort Bend ISD, Katy ISD, and Lamar CISD. She graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a master’s degree in education from Northwestern State. She resides in Katy with her two dogs and a tortoise and enjoys during her time off sporting events , arts and crafts, traveling, reading, family, and community service with her church.

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Lisa Mann
Language Arts, Literature & Social Studies, Middle & Upper Schools & Middle School Lead Teacher

Lisa Mann, a Richmond native and Lamar Consolidated High School graduate, became interested in teaching during high school and college while volunteering in residential services for the developmentally disabled. Ms. Mann graduated summa cum laude from the University of Houston in 1983 with a major in psychology and minor in English, and spent eight years working in community relations for Richmond State School. From 1991 to 1999, Ms. Mann was an at-home mom and served in several volunteer positions including the Calvary Episcopal School Board, the CPTO, and the Richmond State School Volunteer Services Council. Ms. Mann re-entered the workforce as a substitute teacher at Calvary in 1999, and joined the middle school faculty in August 2000. She holds a 4-8 generalist teacher certification and an 8-12 English certification, and has graduate hours from the University of Houston in curriculum and instruction. Ms. Mann currently teaches eighth grade history, seventh grade ELA, and high school English.

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Christin McDonald
Librarian

Christin McDonald joined the CEP staff as Co-Librarian in 2015. For the past several years, she has been a mom and an active volunteer in our library, musicals and faculty luncheons, just to name a few. Ms. McDonald, who is a parent of 3 Crusaders, is a graduate of UT San Antonio. She spent a number of years after college in Washington, DC, involved in the government and political scene, working for the US House of Representatives as a staff assistant with the Committee on Agriculture. She also served as a legislative assistant for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Ms. McDonald and her husband, Pat, live with their children in the Richmond area.

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Lauren Rios
Coordinator of First Impressions

Lauren Rios grew up in Fort Bend County and has spent her career in the customer service/management industry. In 2018 Lauren joined the Calvary faculty as Coordinator of First Impressions. She previously served Calvary as a room parent, volunteer coordinator, auction chair and substitute teacher. Lauren loves spending time with family including her daughters, Malloy and former Crusader Mia. She enjoys going to concerts, musical theatre and relaxing with friends and family.

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Patsy Salazar
Pre-K & Kinder Spanish, Lower School Teacher Assistant

Patsy Salazar has been a part of the Calvary family since 2000, teaching Spanish and music in the lower school. Ms. Patsy, as the students call her, loves playing her guitar and harp, sketching and needle point. She also loves using music in Spanish class and Bible, knowing it really helps the children have fun while they learn! She also enjoys teaching pre-kindergarten bible where the students sometimes take part in small plays as it helps them understand the story better. Music is such a big part of Ms. Salazar's life and she loves to sing! Ms. Salazar worked for LCISD for 8 years before coming to Calvary. She is from Santa Fe, New Mexico and she loves to visit whenever she can. She has 2 children and 3 grandchildren that she adores!

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Heather Shogren
Math, Middle & High Teacher

Heather Shogren teaches middle and upper school math. In 2014, she moved to Richmond from rural Minnesota with her husband and two Crusaders. She attended Central Lakes Community College and obtained an Associate’s degree in Engineering. She then advanced her degree at St. Cloud State University and received a B.S. degree in Mathematics Education. One of her short term goals is to receive a Master’s Degree in Mathematics. Before joining CEP, Ms. Shogren was the lead teacher in one of the highest rated middle schools in MN for the previous 7 years. What she loves most about teaching is what she calls the “light bulb moment”. Seeing student’s eyes light up when they conquer that problem they have been working so hard on. In her spare time Ms. Shogren enjoys coaching Crossfit, reading, spending time outdoors and time with her family.

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Pam Smalley
Physical Education Teacher

Pam Smalley teaches Physical Education at Calvary Episcopal Preparatory. Her goal is to promote and encourage all students to participate in physical activities for the rest of their lives. She graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in Physical Education and Health. Before teaching physical education in 2002, she served as a substitute teacher at Calvary for 4 years. Mrs. Smalley has been happily married for 24 years and has two beautiful daughters, Autumn and Ryann. Mrs. Smalley enjoys cooking, being outdoors, and spending time with her family.

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Amanda Thompson
Math and Science Teacher, 6th & 7th Grade

Mrs. Thompson earned her BS in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Mathematics and Music from the University of Houston, and recently earned a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction: Mathematics from Concordia University. She has taught in both public and private schools in the area for 20 years. She previously taught 4th grade at Calvary and is returning after five years in Fort Bend ISD as a classroom teacher and Math Intervention Specialist.

Mrs. Thompson also has a great love of music and is an accompanist and singer on her church’s praise team. She is a life-long Texan and lives right here in Richmond with her husband of 22 years and her three cats. Her son, Cameron, is also a proud graduate of Calvary.

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Julianna White
4th and 5th Grade - Math, Science and Social Teacher

Julianna White came to CEP in 2012 with 28 years of experience as a classroom teacher. After earning her BS in Elementary Education at the University of Texas, she spent 5 years teaching in Conroe ISD where she taught 1st and 4th grades. In 1991, she and her family relocated to Rosenberg where she joined LCISD and spent 20 years teaching math and language arts to sixth grade students. During these years she was responsible for planning and implementing instruction for all learners; however, she considers her expertise to be planning instruction for gifted learners and believes that the strategies used for gifted learners are good for all children. Over the years, Mrs. White has been involved with student council, UIL, Destination Imagination, and many other enrichment activities. She and her husband, Calvin, have two children -- Stephen and Suzanne. Stephen is the miraculous survivor of a traumatic brain injury and lives at home, while Suzanne recently graduated from Texas A&M University. Mrs. White is grateful to continue her career in a Christian environment where tradition is important and childhood is celebrated.

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Gaye, Zahradnik
2nd Grade Teacher

Gaye Zahradnik graduated from University of Houston-Victoria with a BS degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She holds a teaching certificate and special education certificate in early childlhood and through 8th grade. Before coming to Calvary, Mrs. Zahradnik taught 17 years in L.C.I.S.D, and 1 year in Wharton I. S. D. She has taught in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 8th grade and special education.

Gaye Zahradnik is a life-long resident of Wharton County where she lives with her husband and fur babies, Cody and Stella. Gaye and her husband have 3 married children, Samantha, Zachary and Sydney and two grandchildren, Maggie and Luke. When Mrs. Zahradnik isn’t teaching, she enjoys sewing and camping with her family.

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