Mrs. Boyd has been a champion of classical education as a Great Hearts parent, teacher, and administrator. She attended Tarleton State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and began teaching. Later she moved into the business sector where she managed data and reports for a company that helped large businesses and school campuses to reduce their energy consumption.

As a homeschooling parent, Mrs. Boyd fell in love with the principles of classical education. Later, when her husband’s Air Force career brought the family to San Antonio, she was thrilled to discover those same educational philosophies in a public charter school. During nearly 6 years at Great Hearts Northern Oaks, she taught sixth grade Math, History, and Spalding and was a founding member of the GHNO House system. She also served as the sixth grade Math specialist and team lead prior to moving into school administration. Mrs. Boyd enjoys gardening, craft projects, and weekend hikes with her husband and their three children.

Mrs. Boyd is excited for the opportunity to support the growing community of learners at Great Hearts Live Oak.

It was Ana Gonzalez’s dream to become a teacher since she was little. That became a reality when she graduated with her Bachelors in Elementary Education 20 years ago from the University of Monterrey, México where she specialized in reading and writing. She has 10 years experience teaching elementary K-4. She also took some time off from classroom teaching to focus on raising her little ones.

Those years as a teacher and valuing motherhood made her realize how important the formation of virtues in the family is to society and started her master’s degree in Family Educational Counseling from The University of Villanueva in Spain.

After finishing a thesis on the importance of the parent’s role on the success of their child’s education, she graduated in July 2020 and will continue another year specializing in Marriage Counseling.

After living in Atlanta, New Jersey, Monterrey and McAllen, Texas, she is permanently establishing her family in San Antonio. She is honored to continue her work at Great Hearts Live Oak where she is eager to meet families with the same desire for their families: the pursuit of Truth, Beauty and Goodness.

Ms. Kimeisha McCullum joyfully joins Great Hearts Live Oak as our Director of Community Engagement and Academy Giving.

Ms. McCullum joins us as a Retired U.S. Army Colonel with over 19 years of experience in public relations. Her passion and enthusiasm for education and helping others live out their full potential is what solidified her decision to enroll her son at Great Hearts Live Oak. As an engaged parent, she loves what GHLO offers students, staff, and the community. She is excited to be a part of such a dynamic group of educators and students and looks forward to building a thriving academy!

Ms. McCullum has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry/Pre-Med and a Master’s degree in Health Service Administration. She is currently completing her doctoral degree in Business Administration. She enjoys traveling, reading, spending time with her son and family, and serving her community.

Mrs. Graebener joined Great Hearts Live Oak as a founding faculty in 2020. Since then, she has been working as a third grade Apprentice Teacher and is excited to move into her new position as Business Clerk. She will be working with the Operations team and is excited to be a part of our campus wide community.

Mrs. Graebener’s journey as a Great Hearts family started when she discovered the best interest for classical education while searching for a curriculum for her children. What she believes in classical education is that its focus is to provide a well-rounded education to children and every single child deserves a high-quality education.

Mrs. Graebener was born and raised in South Korea where she attended Daegu university. There, she majored in English Literature and Language, and during that time, she discovered the joy of reading classic novels. Before she joined Great Hearts Live Oak, she worked as a preschool teacher at Trinity Christian Academy for 3 years.

She is happily married to an Army veteran and has her own two scholars at home. During her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoor painting and listening to classical music so you will see me either outside painting or listening to classical music.

Ms. Silvas is excited to be part of the Great Hearts Live Oak team as the Co-Curricular Coordinator for our Athenaeum program and Homework Club.

Ms. Silvas found her passion working with children while residing in Germany serving our military community. She continued working for child youth programs for 12 years which inspired Ms. Silvas to change her major. She has graduated with her Child Development Associate and Childhood Education and Family Studies A.A.S in San Antonio and plans to continue her education and be a lifelong learner.

 Ms. Silvas is excited to provide a fun and safe GHLO environment for all GHLO children and families, as she has her own GHLO Owl attending this year. She loves being a mother and enjoys spending her extra time with her family, traveling, and crafting.

Ms. Lowry is originally from Missouri. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelors in elementary education. She then began her career teaching 1st grade in Fort Riley Kansas.

She took some time off to have children and stay at home with her 3 amazing daughters. Ms. Lowry went back into the classroom as second grade teacher in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. She then began her master’s degree in special education for early childhood through 8th grade.

In 2019, Ms. Lowry and her family moved to Texas. She took a job as a self-contained Autism Behavior Teacher at Fort Sam Houston. She was there for 4 years before joining the GHLO team as the special education coordinator in the fall of 2023. Great Hearts classical education appealed to Ms. Lowry because it is very similar to how she learned growing up.

Ms. Lowry advocates for students with special needs and believes all children have the ability to learn and thrive in the educational setting and in life.

Ms. Partridge has 35 years of experience in the education field. Her experience in the special education includes a variety of settings that allow her to guide scholars that require exceptional services to be successful in academics.

Mrs. Manuel has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Middle Georgia State University. She is a wife and mother to a beautiful little girl. She moved from Georgia to San Antonio in 2017 to teach children in underserviced communities as a mentor and tutor.

In 2018, Mrs. Manuel pursued her passion of working with students with special needs by working as a special education paraprofessional in NEISD. In January 2021, she was presented with an opportunity to work for GHLO as a Special Education Apprentice Teacher. After learning the mission of the school, she knew GHLO was the right place to service ESS students.

After several years as an Apprentice Teacher, Mrs. Manuel will be proudly stepping into the role of an ESS lead teacher. Mrs. Manuel loves seeing the growth of her students. She is looking forward to supporting her students in reaching their potential.

Mrs. King is excited to start her new journey with Great Hearts Live Oak. As both a new ESS AT and a parent at Great Hearts, she is excited to support the school’s mission and be a part of a community that values excellence, character, and growth for every student.

She is a dedicated Special Education AT with 10 years of experience in elementary education, including five years supporting Exceptional Student Services. A proud graduate of St. Philip’s College and a current student at Texas A&M University–San Antonio, she is passionate about helping students of all abilities thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Outside of work, she is a proud wife and mom to a beautiful, blended family of seven children and six dogs. Being part of the Great Hearts community as both a parent and educator has deepened my appreciation for classical education and the values it promotes. I love seeing how these principles carry over into our family life—encouraging curiosity, character, and connection.

She looks forward to building strong relationships with all students, growing in her role and continuing to learn alongside her colleagues.

Hello! My name is Rosalia Castaneda. I have an Associate of Arts, and I am working toward earning my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education through Grand Canyon University. This will be my second year at GHLO as an apprentice teacher for the Emergent Bilingual program serving K-5.

There are a few reasons why I chose Great Hearts and one of them is that we are here to provide our scholars with the most enriched learning experience to the best of our abilities to cultivate and nurture our children’s’ minds, without leaving out the importance of learning what feeds their soul through the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty in all they seek. The mission rooted in viewing the child as a whole child inspires me to always stay present and grounded to acknowledge that our children are precious and gifted in their own unique way.

I moved from South Georgia last summer to follow my family here in San Antonio, while it was a life alternating decision it ended up being a rewarding life changing experience. I am a mother of two beautiful boys, a four-year-old and seven-year-old. I enjoy writing, coloring, traveling, trying new foods and working out during my free time. My favorite subject is everything under the umbrella of literacy and language, writing being my favorite, and my favorite poet is Pablo Neruda.

I am looking forward to a year of joyful teaching and wholesome learning!

Ms. Shires is excited to bring her passion for education to the 1st-grade classroom this fall as an Apprentice Teacher. With years of experience homeschooling her own children, she is dedicated to creating a supportive and engaging classroom environment where every child can thrive.

As a parent in the GHLO community, she is excited to work alongside teachers and families to ensure every child’s success.

Mrs. Maiorano has been in Education since 1998. She holds an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from PCCC and a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education, with a Special Ed Certification from Montclair State University in New Jersey. She has a Master Degree in Education as well. Mrs. Maiorano worked for 18 years in a Title I Community as a teacher in New Jersey before joining Great Hearts Live Oak.

This is a third year working at GHLO. She has passion for students and loves teaching the whole child and supporting the parents. She believes that if she can reach a child she can teach him/her. She has been married for 35 years to Tony and has 3 boys, Anthony, Jonathan and Giovanni. She loves dancing and listening to music.

April Leiwig was born in New Mexico but has been in the San Antonio area since 2009. She graduated from Wayland Baptist university in December 2023 and has enjoyed growing her career in education.

She has a husband and a wild four-year-old and a feisty 6-month-old. Great Hearts popped up in her search to find a place to start her career in education. She has enjoyed her first year at Great Hearts taking the step from Apprentice Teacher to Lead teacher.

She really enjoys being the lead teacher in 3A and cannot wait to welcome the new group of scholars this year. Her favorite classic to keep from the third-grade list so far is Alice in Wonderland. April has enjoyed her experience at Great Hearts thus far and is looking forward to seeing the growth to come.

Mrs. Leiwig is really excited to see the impact that classical education has on future generations as she continues to learn and grow within classical education.

Mrs. Vazquez graduated from Texas A&M University in 1998 and married the love of her life in 1999. She finished her Master of Science in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2000. Her career began at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas working alongside neuroscientists aiding in their research, and as the local Coordinator for the American Parkinson Disease Association.

She absolutely loved her patients and educating the public about Parkinson’s Disease, until she fell in love with something bigger – her first child. With her husband’s support, she decided to stay home and spend every precious moment with her children. Her love of watching them grow and blossom ignited her passion for home education. Four children, many incredible experiences, and 20 years later she embarked on the journey to share her passion for education in the classroom setting.

In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors, especially hiking state parks and gardening, family get-togethers and good movies. Mrs. Vazquez is very excited to be a part of the Great Hearts Live Oak 3rd grade team and cannot wait to meet you.

Ms. Mena is excited to begin her second year as an Apprentice Teacher for Great Hearts Live Oak. She has obtained her associates degree with honors from American Military University.

In her free time she enjoys gardening with my daughter and Reading.