Committed to a liberal arts education as a former classical homeschool educator, and passionate about partnering with Great Hearts to transform the landscape of San Antonio, Mrs. Williams closed the doors of her “one room schoolhouse” to help launch a Great Hearts academy in San Antonio 2015. First as a teacher, and then as an instructional coach and administrator, Mrs. Williams is excited to champion a new Great Hearts community in the Live Oak area, which she has proudly called home for over fifteen years.

Mrs. Williams earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Florida. While she spent the better part of formative years on the coastal waters of South Florida, she has undeniably embraced, “Everything is bigger and better in Texas!” She enjoys the Bluebonnets in spring, Tex-Mex, and the Hill Country topography. Mrs. Williams loves time spent with her husband, children, three dogs, and good book in hand.

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.

Melissa Louidor is excited to be a part of the Great Hearts Live Oak community! She officially became an owl in the winter of 2022 when she joined the team as an Apprentice Teacher in 2nd grade and then moved into 4th grade as a Lead Teacher. She is excited to support the training and development of all of the lower school teachers in her new role as Dean of Teachers!

Mrs. Louidor is a New Jersey native where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Rutgers University.  After decades of growing and training talent for companies; she received the call to teach and is certified in several subjects and grade levels.  

This will be her eighth year in education and she looks forward to the pursuit of the truth, the good and the beautiful.

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.

Ms. Pruette is thrilled to be a member of the Live Oak family. As a mother of four, Ms. Pruette has seen, first hand, the beauty of the Great Hearts Community and culture as her children have attended Great Hearts schools for more than seven years. Her oldest child graduated with Northern Oaks inaugural class in 2021. The remaining three children are continuing to strive for their hard earned Great Hearts diplomas in the years to come.

Ms. Pruette devoted her early parenting years to her home and children and, when it was time to enter the workforce once again, found her way to Live Oak to serve as an Apprentice Teacher on our upper school Special Education team. She has since transitioned to serving our community as our Lower School Registrar and plans to continue to foster truth, goodness and beauty within our community as we build a strong culture of growth and education.

Bethany Cunningham and her family have been with Great Hearts Live Oak since its opening and are proud to be among the founding families. She graduated from Cedarville University with a BA in Sport and Exercise Studies. Upon graduation, she went on to be a personal trainer for several years before becoming a stay-at-home mom for eight years. Once her children were in school, she began her studies to earn a second degree and become a nurse through the University of The Incarnate Word ABSN program. She received her BSN in 2022 and began working at the University Hospital Emergency Room.  

Growing up in a military household, Bethany was excited to finally settle down in Texas. Her husband of twelve years, her and her three children have lived in the San Antonio area for seven years. Although they do not enjoy the scorching heat, they love the people and have found community within their church.  

Bethany enjoys spending quality time with her husband and kids, whether hiking, playing board games, going on bicycle rides or anything outdoors. She also enjoys lifting weights, coffee dates, and leading worship at her church. 

Mrs. Sigala is very excited to join our Owl family as the Receptionist. She was born in Mexico where she studied her primary and secondary education earning a Diploma as an Accountant Aid.

She lived in California over 20 years, where she got married and gave birth to 2 boys and a girl. She was a stay-at-home mom and volunteer at her children’s elementary school. Later, she worked as a Church secretary until they moved to San Antonio 15 years ago.

Despite her limitations in the English language, Mrs. Sigala decided to continue her education. Along with her youngest child (Ms. Sigala, Spanish Teacher) attended at Northeast Lakeview College, earning an Associate Degree in Social Work with honors. Afterwards, she was a business owner and Clinic Assistant at NEISD.

Mrs. Sigala has over 7 years of experience in secretarial work, reception, and excellent customer service. She has been volunteering over 20 years at the church in different areas; as a Sunday School Teacher for toddlers, kindergarten, middle school, and adult ladies. She was also a College and Career counselor and ladies’ president at her church.

Mrs. Sigala is looking forward to welcoming all the students, parents, and visitors at Great Hearts Live Oak with a true mind, a good heart, and a beautiful smile!

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.

Savannah Arismendi has been working with children for twenty years. In addition to teaching in various classroom setting, she is also a certified Early Intervention Specialist. Prior to joining Great Hearts Live Oak, Mrs. Arismendi was providing specialized skills training to families of children with disabilities.

Mrs. Arismendi received her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education in 2017 from Texas A&M University of San Antonio. While attending the university, Mrs. Arismendi was invited by one of her professors to write an article for the academic journal, Early Years. She wrote the article highlighting the educational benefits of the Art Crawl, hosted at the San Antonio Museum of Art.  She is currently pursuing her teaching licenses for Special Education through an alternative teaching program.

Mrs. Arismendi was born and raised in Texas. She has been married for fifteen years. She and her husband have two children. When she is not working with students, she enjoys drawing, cooking, and spending time with her family. 

Mrs. Melgoza, is overjoyed to be the English Language Learners Coordinator at Great Hearts Live Oak.

This will be Mrs. Melgoza’s fifth year as a certified teacher in the State of Texas. Mrs. Melgoza obtained her Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude from the University of the Incarnate Word’s School of Education with minors in Reading and Special Education.  Mrs. Melgoza is certified in General Elementary Education K-6, Special Education and English as a Second Language.  Additionally, she is certified by Region 20 to implement dyslexia intervention to students K-12.

Mrs. Melgoza loves spending time with her husband and three children, and you might sneak a peak of them walking a trail in the area or on a rollercoaster at a theme park. Her hobbies include piano, basketball, reading and running.

Mrs. Sharipova started working at Great Hearts Live Oak as an Apprentice Teacher in 4th grade in 2020. This year she is joining the Kindergarten Team, and she is so excited to explore, learn and apply new curriculum. She has also taught Russian language when she oversaw the Russian Language Owls Club at Great Hearts Live Oak previously.

Mrs. Sharipova was born in Tajikistan. She has 8 years of teaching experience in her native country teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to children, teenagers and adults. She has also taught in Ukraine and Moldova. She holds a Bachelors degree from Nosiri Khusrav University. She is fluent in English, Tajik (her native language) and Russian, but also has an intermediate level of the Uzbek language.

Her passions are reading books about history and visiting historical places in order to get a taste of the past. In her free time, she likes to play the harmonica, outdoor activities such as playing basketball and tennis and she loves hiking. She is grateful to be part of Great Hearts Live Oak and is excited to be part of this amazing community.

Jackie Bankes received her Bachelors of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas San Antonio, followed by her Masters in Counseling from Wayland Baptist University. She has earned certifications in Early Childhood Education PK-K, Elementary Self-Contained 1-6, ESOL, and in School Counseling.

Aside from substituting, working in preschools and in the children’s ministry at church, Mrs. Bankes has 18 years of experience working in formal education. She has worked in both public and private institutions as an elementary teacher and as a school counselor. She successfully developed the elementary counseling program at her previous school.

Mrs. Bankes is happily married to Eric, her high school sweetheart of over 30 years. They have three amazing daughters. Mrs. Bankes enjoys traveling, her goal is to visit all 50 states. She also enjoys photography and spending time with her family.

Mrs. Bankes loves the look on a child’s face and the excitement they feel when they have mastered a concept. It is one of the best moments of being a teacher. She is excited to be a part of the Great Hearts family.

After graduating from Texas A&M University in 2001 with a B.A. in History, Mrs. Correa spent the next ten years carrying out her passion for assisting children and their families. She worked as a case manager for Communities in Schools in both Dallas and San Antonio, provided chemical dependency counseling at PDAP and RGVC, and pursued her M.A. in Community Counseling.

It was during her time as a case manager at Adams Elementary, HISD that she was asked to consider taking a position as a SPED teacher. While this was not the path she was pursuing at the time, she knew without a doubt that this was where she was being led. She received her Special Education Certification, EC-12, EC-4 in 2008 and fell in love with teaching and the joy she experienced in seeing her students learn, grow and overcome.

Mrs. Correa stepped away from the classroom to help her husband with his business as well as run her own home design business. While this gifted her the opportunity to stay home with her two sons for several years, she wanted to return to what fills her most. Nothing brings Mrs. Correa more joy than assisting others as they strive to live out their calling and purpose in life. She is incredibly grateful and excited to be part of the Great Hearts Live Oak family!

I was born in Mexico and moved to a small town up in the mountains of California where I lived for 10 years. I then moved to San Antonio, TX where I obtained a Bachelors Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Our Lady of the Lake University.  

I joined the Great Hearts Live Oak family in 2021 as a 2nd grade Apprentice Teacher. This year, I am excited to help struggling readers as a reading interventionist. 

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family and pets, traveling, reading, running, and finding new places to eat!  

Ms. Canales received her bachelor’s degree in International Relations from TEC de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico and MBA from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Madrid, Spain. She worked at Mexico Green Building Council as an Education Program Manager and at a startup in Madrid before transitioning to teaching.

Ms. Canales has been involved in education for 7 years and has worked with middle school and elementary students throughout her career. She worked at a private school in Monterrey before moving to San Antonio. This will be Ms. Canales’ second year at Great Hearts and first year at Great Hearts Live Oak.

Aside from teaching, Ms. Canales enjoys jigsaw puzzles and spending time with her family. She has a passion for traveling and has visited over 25 countries. She loves to learn about different cultures and meet people from all over the world.

Mr. Phillips began his adventures in adulthood by enlisting in the U.S. Army shortly after graduating high school.  While in uniform, young Mr. Phillips was stationed overseas in both Japan and Germany.  Eventually, after attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant (where he first discovered a talent for inspiring people to success), he decided to rejoin civilian life and completed a bachelor’s program in Political Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).  After spending a year abroad in a Mandarin Chinese language immersion course, Mr. Phillips returned to UTSA and finished a master’s program in International Relations.

This will be Mr. Phillips’ 5^th year teaching math to young people, and he is very excited to continue doing so at Great Hearts Live Oak.  Mr. Phillips is also a big fan of history and may reliably be expected to launch into an overly detailed description of the 6,523 occurrences that led to any particular noteworthy event.  Finally, Mr. Phillips is an adherent to the old axiom of “Fit Body, Fit Mind”.  Accordingly, he tries to maintain an active lifestyle by hiking, biking and otherwise maintaining a vigorous physical training regimen.

Ms. Robinson has always had a passion for art, especially art history and its importance for the future generation of artists. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Art Education which prepared her for introducing multiple mediums to her students. While in college, Ms. Robinson became known for her nature symbolism and giant watercolor paintings. Ms. Robinson believes her students should see their teacher growing in artistic skills. Thus, she will continue to work on projects outside of school to show her students art is a continual process not a destination.

Ms. Robinson spent two years in college as the education and curator intern at the Bell County Museum in Belton, Texas where she led summer camps, Saturday community events, and aided in setting up exhibits. This experience allowed Ms. Robinson to develop a deeper love for teaching and for elementary school children.

When Ms. Robinson is not creating art, she can be found reading with her two cats, country dancing, and trying new food places around San Antonio. Ms. Robinson is extremely excited to begin her teaching career at Great Hearts Live Oak as well as instilling the importance of art to the future generations.

Mrs. Marianne Orton is honored to be a founding faculty member of Great Hearts Live Oak. Previous to coming to Live Oak, Mrs. Orton taught private piano and voice lessons for the last 15 years, which
allowed her to stay at home with her 4 children.

She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. There she had many cherished opportunities in the choral program and their budding opera program. Music has been an integral part of her life. Taught to play the piano by her mother, good and beautiful music filled their home, and she knew at a young age that music would be her profession.

After college she became a certified Kindermusik teacher, which helped
her discover her love of teaching music to young children. Mrs. Orton has also been blessed with many service opportunities in her church, where she is often playing the piano or organ, leading choirs, or teaching the young children scripture stories through music. She believes strongly that music teaches children to recognize beauty, and it will fill their lives with more compassion, gentleness, and goodness.

When she is not playing the piano or singing, she also enjoys reading, quilting, doing yoga, playing pickle ball, and baking cookies or pies for her family.

James Martinez is delighted to begin his teaching practice at Great Hearts in the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.  He is the Music Teacher for 3-5th grades where he will share his passion for music with our GHLO scholars. This will be his first teaching year after spending 10 years in the workforce.

Mr. Martinez is a San Antonio native and comes to us with a strong musical background with expertise in percussion, drums, and piano.  He is an ardent admirer of live music and enjoys supporting the arts.  He acquired a Bachelor of Music degree from Texas Lutheran University, and it was there where his appreciation and understanding of a classical education began.    

Mrs. Alvarez received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Texas Pan-American with a minor in sociology and another in Spanish and is currently working towards her teaching certification from early childhood to 6^th grade. She is excited to teach Spanish to our K-2nd scholars!

She has had plenty of experience within the education field, ranging from working as an elementary school math tutor during her college years to teaching ESL online and substituting in bilingual and ESL classrooms.

Mrs. Alvarez considers herself a life-long learner and is always looking for the next book to read or skill to learn. During her free time, she likes painting ceramics, playing trivia games with her husband and two children, exercising, and traveling around the world. Mrs. Alvarez is thrilled to start this new adventure. Go Owls!

Mrs. Cortney Gonzalez comes to Great Hearts Live Oak after being at home with her daughters for almost 11 years. She had the privilege of teaching elementary physical education for three years in New Mexico before starting her family. She is looking forward to rejoining the mission, with her fellow Great Hearts educators, of teaching and guiding students on their journey to becoming well-rounded individuals in pursuit of learning.

Mrs. Gonzalez has a passion for Physical Education and considers it essential to a child’s development. She believes teaching children the fundamental skills and concepts of physical movement so that they can build and improve their physical abilities. Her goal is leading students to enjoy physical activity and motivate them to continue being active for their lifetime.

Mrs. Gonzalez earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with emphasis in Physical Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She grew up in a small town in South Texas and married her high school sweetheart, Jaime, two years after he joined the military. They have enjoyed the adventure of military life but are thrilled to be back in the great state of Texas. She has 3 beautiful daughters, Bella, Callie, and Lilly. Mrs. Gonzalez loves spending time with her family, photography, and enjoying the outdoors.

Mrs. Handa grew up in New Delhi and Mumbai, India after which she moved to the USA in 1996. Since then, she has lived in New Jersey, Virginia and San Antonio which has been her home for the last 5 years now. She lives with her husband and two sons, 15 and 9. Her oldest will be a freshman at Northeast School of Arts magnet program (NESA) and is also on the path to get his Eagle Scout rank. Her youngest will start 3rd grade this fall.

Mrs. Handa graduated from the School of Visual Arts, NYC earning her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. She subsequently received her Elementary Montessori Teacher Certification from the Princeton Center for Teacher Education in Princeton, New Jersey.

Mrs. Handa has over 12 years of teaching experience and owes her love for teaching to her mother who has been an elementary teacher for more than 25 years. Mrs. Handa fell in love with the Great Hearts core values after her younger son started at GHNO two years ago and she saw a deep love for learning develop in him.

Mrs. Handa loves to cook, travel with her boys, and enjoys doing art projects in her free time. She looks forward to welcoming her young students as she guides them in laying their educational foundation. She loves being a part of the caring and student-centered community at GHLO.

Mrs. Lund aspired to become a teacher since elementary school. Her found passion for education formulated while attending The University of Texas at San Antonio from where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies – EC-6.

As a mother of an incoming second grader, she saw firsthand the joy and beauty in learning Spalding and Singapore math. This is when she found herself falling in love with Great Hearts philosophy and curriculum.

Mrs. Lund is from San Antonio, Texas. She enjoys spending quality time, bike riding, swimming, and taking nature walks with her husband and children.

Mrs. Chapa grew up in McAllen, Texas in the 1960’s, and moved to San Antonio when she was 10 years old. She has lived in San Antonio since 1972. Mrs. Chapa graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and has taught all grade levels at some capacity. Her love for teaching comes from her mother who taught Kindergarten for 40 years.

Mrs. Chapa’s love for Great Hearts comes from the classical model which was part of her elementary education. She has worked for Great Hearts for three years and is one of the founding members of Great Hearts Live Oak.

Mrs. Chapa is married to her husband of 40 years and have three children and six grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking, sewing and traveling with her husband.

Ms. Alison Palomino was born in Mexico and moved to the United States at the age of eight. Being an English language learner herself, she found a passion for teaching others. She is a college graduate of Texas A&M San Antonio where she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies at A&M San Antonio and Texas certification ranging from Early Childhood to 6th grade. 

Ms. Palomino first joined Great Hearts in the 2019-2020 school year. This is when she found herself falling in love with Great Hearts philosophy and curriculum. She is thrilled to continue to teach Kindergarten, as her heart belongs with the little ones. It is an honor for Ms. Palomino to get the opportunity to instill an early enthusiasm for learning and help lay the foundation for education and discovery. 

In her free time, Ms. Palomino enjoys cooking and baking. She enjoys trying out new restaurants around the city and spending quality time with her loved ones. Ms. Palomino is looking forward to being part of your child’s education and providing a welcoming, safe and loving environment for your scholar.

Mrs. Sanchez was born and raised in Northern Illinois. She was homeschooled through 12^th grade and was taught many of the tenets of a classical education. She moved to Texas in college, ultimately graduating from the University of Texas at  San Antonio with a B.A. in Criminal Justice.

Since her college graduation, Mrs. Sanchez has had over 5 years experience working in elementary & preschool classrooms. She is excited for her first year of  lead instruction here at Great Hearts Live Oak!

Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Sanchez enjoys cooking, reading, cheering on her favorite Chicago sports teams, and spending time outside with her husband and daughter.

Mrs. Beheler is excited to join the Great Hearts Live Oak family as a First Grade Apprentice Teacher. She is a native Texan, born in Laredo and eventually moving to San Antonio, TX.

She received her Bachelor’s degree from U.T.S.A and has many years of experience in a classroom setting. When her children were in elementary school, she spent much of her time volunteering at their schools and eventually substituting as well. Her love of wanting to help children learn and grow has kept her in a teaching environment.

Mrs. Beheler has been married for 26 years and she has 2 children. She loves spending time with her family, going to museums and taking road trips.

From the age of 8 years old, Victoria Cisneros knew she was destined to be a teacher. Her dream never wavered as she continued to pursue a degree in interdisciplinary studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is also a Texas certified teacher ranging from early childhood to 6th grade. Mrs. Cisneros has had plenty of experience within the education field such as substituting, tutoring, ESL teaching online, and Great Hearts very own Athenaeum program. Mrs. Cisneros is excited to be pouring out her passion at Great Hearts Live Oak! She is ready to bring a spirit of excellence and carry the unique culture of Great Hearts!

Mrs. Cisneros is committed to being a lifelong learner. She continually challenges herself to grow as a leader. Spending time with her family and growing in her faith bring Mrs. Cisneros the most joy. She also enjoys reading, exercising, and eating lots of sweets!

Marcela Lytch was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, after which she moved to the USA in 2002. Since then, she has lived in Los Angeles, California and now San Antonio. She appreciates the cultural diversity as well as the family-oriented feel that this city has to offer.

Mrs. Lytch has an Associates Degree in Psychology from San Antonio College. In 2020, during her son’s kindergarten year, she fell in love with Great Heart’s core values, classical education and leadership that are at the forefront of the curriculum. So, it comes with great excitement that she will be joining the Great Hearts Live Oak team as a First Grade Apprentice Teacher. She is ready for this new adventure, the opportunity to create a love of learning in the classroom in the pursuit of Truth, Beauty and Goodness.

She and her husband will be celebrating 10 years of marriage this October. Together they have two beautiful children that attend GHLO. Mrs. Lytch loves spending time with her family, going camping, taking beach trips, swimming, good coffee, trying new and delicious food, and creating long lasting memories. She also loves serving her church and community. It was during her time as a stay-at-home mom when she realized her passion and love for children. She wanted to provide families and their children a safe, loving, and trustworthy environment. This led her to open an in-home day care to which she dedicated the last 6 years of her life. Those years have been the most rewarding years of her life. 

Mrs. Day has a degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio in Criminal justice and started off working with juveniles in the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department. Her dream is to help children achieve their goals and be successful by inspiring a love of learning that will offer them many future possibilities.

She is also a Texas certified teacher ranging from early childhood to 6th grade. Mrs. Day has had plenty of experience within the educational field such as Early Childhood Education with toddlers to age 3 with 3 prior years of teaching. Mrs. Day is excited to be pouring out her passion at Great Hearts Live Oak. She is ready to bring a spirit of excellence and continue the unique culture of Great Hearts!

Mrs. Day is committed to being a lifelong learner. She continually challenges herself to grow as an educator. Spending time with her new family and growing in her faith brings Mrs. Day the most joy. She also enjoys reading, swimming, and exploring the world around her!

Mrs. Ashley Hejl is an Apprentice Teacher in first grade working alongside Mrs. Day. She is a graduate of Texas State University with a bachelors’ degree in education. She has been a part of the Great Hearts family as a parent first and it exceeded expectations, so she couldn’t wait to be a part of it. She has a 3rd and 1st grader here at GHLO.

In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors with her husband and kids – camping, road trips, hiking, fishing and the beach. This summer her family took a trip to Colorado Springs to see Garden of the Gods and then Utah to see Arches National Park.

She cannot wait to start her second year at Great Hearts Live Oak and help children develop a love of learning and exploration. She knows with high expectations of all students for success, they will do wonderful and amazing things this year! 

Kasey Mayfield is a San Antonio native and has lived here her whole life. She loves her city and all it has to offer. She can sometimes be found walking downtown finding new adventures and things to see. She also loves to find beautiful places in nature to walk around with her two dogs, Nora and Itsy. She has her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M San Antonio in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Ms. Mayfield was led to Great Hearts because of her love for students and education. She was a Great Hearts Apprentice Teacher for three years at Great Hearts Northern Oaks and loved every minute of it. Ms. Mayfield learned so much from her time there and is excited to join the Great Hearts Live Oak team as a Lead Teacher.

Hello Live Oak Family! My name is Lexi Esparza or Miss Esparza as the kids will know me. While I was not born in San Antonio, I consider myself a San Antonian at heart. I grew up here with my mom, my stepdad and my two little brothers.

There is so much here to discover, and I am still finding new things to love here every day. You can find me exploring coffee shops, walking through the aisles of bookstores, or taking trips to Target for fun. I love music, pastels, and spending time with kids every chance I get.

I graduated from Roosevelt High School where I was a part of the dance team for four years. I spend a lot of my time leading and caring for the children within my church. This is where I found my love for both kids and teaching. This will be my first year a part of Great Hearts Live Oak and I am so excited for the journey that awaits me with your scholars!

Ms. Jones is a GHLO parent and joined us at the end of the 2022 school year. She has lived in Seattle, Northern Virginia, and Columbia, South Carolina, but has been in San Antonio since 2013. Her daughter attends GHLO and her sons will follow when they reach school age.

Ms. Jones has three dogs, two cats, and is an aspiring homesteader. She loves to learn about outdoor and survival skills, and eventually wants to have a second home in Alaska to summer in. Hobbies include singing, spending time with her children and friends, attempting to garden, fishing, cuddling with her animals, and being as active as possible in her church. 

Ms.  Jones is excited to be a lifelong learner and aspires to advance her career with GHLO.

My name is Melissa Wilson, and I am very excited to join Live Oak this school year! I am thrilled to be your scholar’s teacher, and I am looking forward to a year of joyous learning, wonderous fun, and beautiful adventures. I can’t wait to learn all about your scholar, but first I would like to tell you a little about me.

I am originally from Washington State and I graduated from the University of Arizona. I have taught for over 10 years from Pre-K to 6th grade physical education, a director at Sylvan Learning Center, SAT and Speed-Reading course, and assistant taught. I have lived in San Antonio for 5 years, with my two wonderful children William and Savanah.

There is so much I am looking forward to doing this school year! One of my favorite things to teach is literacy. I am looking forward to sharing my love of reading with your scholar this school year. 

Mrs. Winstead is originally from Southern California. She is a 22-year Air Force veteran and a graduate of Columbia Southern University. Her military assignments included Military Police, Personnel Management, and Career Assistance Advisor. As a Career Assistance Advisor, she discovered a passion for educating, mentoring, and guiding people to make educated career decisions. Overall, her military career included 9 assignments and three deployments.  

After retirement, Mrs. Winstead and her family chose San Antonio as their permanent home. She has been married to her husband Scott for 19 years and have a 7-year-old daughter, Riley who inspires her to teach and see the world through her daughter’s eyes. Mrs. Winstead is proud to be part of the GHLO community and excited to be your child’s apprentice teacher this year. Together we will learn, grow, and explore new things.

I look forward to an Owlsome year!

Amanda Turner is excited to be a part of the Great Hearts Live Oak community. Ms. Turner has worked as a substitute for the Judson School District for two years. She graduated from University of Texas of San Antonio with her Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in English as a second language. She also recently graduated from Texas A&M International with her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Reading.

Ms. Turner is ready to bring and use her skills in the classroom. She is looking forward to the third-grade history and science curriculum this year. In her free time she enjoys reading, playing video games, and gardening.

Mrs. Pearson is a born and raised San Antonio native. She left San Antonio after high school to attend Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. She graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Leadership Development with an emphasis area in communications and public relations. After graduation she began teaching in the schools there in College Station to gain her hours for her teaching certification. 

Mrs. Pearson met her husband during her time at Texas A&M and they got married and moved back to San Antonio in 2012. After starting their family, she stayed home with her two children. Her son entered Great Hearts Live Oak as part of the inaugural kindergarten class. She became an active parent volunteer and in doing so saw a world within the walls of the school that she knew she wanted to be a deeper part of. Once her daughter entered the school, she was able to pursue being a bigger part of something wildly beautiful and of the upmost importance. The pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness taught at Great Hearts are the same core values she teaches at home. Mrs. Pearson truly values the love of learning being instilled here and is excited to have joined the faculty and staff. 

Mrs. Pearson loves Friday movie nights, game nights with her family, traveling and making memories on vacations, and a warm cup of coffee! She is so delighted to have become a part of this beautiful academy. Her role in teaching her scholars truth, beauty, and goodness brings her so much joy. 

Joseph Schuster is truly thrilled to join the founding faculty of Great Hearts Live Oak as a lead teacher!  Mr. Schuster hails from Swanton, Ohio and recently graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education, Intervention, and Theology.  From daycare to middle school, Mr. Schuster has engaged learners of many different ages and needs across a variety of educational settings.  He is very eager to apply his experience to the unique mission and classical pedagogy of Great Hearts schools.  Above all, he can’t wait to see his students grow in virtue and develop a life-long love of learning and of things True, Good, and Beautiful.

When he is not teaching, you might find Mr. Schuster spending quality time with his two sisters, reading one of his favorite children’s books, or learning a new piano piece.  He also enjoys musical theater, singing in choir, and drawing pictures. Go Owls!

Mrs. Monica Hernandez is delighted to join Great Hearts Live Oak as an Apprentice Teacher serving in our 4B classroom!

Mrs. Hernandez hails from the Rio Grande Valley and is married and a mother of two. She has divided her time by home schooling her children, which has sparked a new interest in children’s education and guiding their skills. Her years of experience in cosmetic instruction give her classroom situational awareness and structure that she uses to help her navigate day-to-day teachings.

She looks forward to making your child’s school experience a fun, loving, and studying experience!

Ms. Castaneda joins the Great Hearts Live Oak community as a new faculty member. She is ready to learn anything and everything to help make it a great year! 

Ms. Castaneda received her B.A in Criminal Justice in 2020 from the University of Texas San Antonio. While working for her bachelors, she interned with BCFS Health and Human Services with PAL. Ms. Castaneda helped educate youths in foster care about Preparation for Adult Living services. After a year and a half of working as an educator, she decided to join the general education field!  

She was born in Houston, TX and raised in San Antonio, TX. Ms. Castaneda loves gardening, crafts, home decor, and spending time with her daughter with family activities.  

Katharine Weaver is thrilled to be joining the Great Hearts Live Oak family. After residing in Michigan and graduating from Eastern Michigan University with her Bachelors in Elementary Education, Ms. Weaver moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she quickly found a home as a Kindergarten Teacher with a local charter school that focused primarily on the impact of the environment. She thoroughly enjoyed helping to create the curriculum from scratch and utilizing the gorgeous city park directly behind the campus. Taking her students on hikes and constantly discovering the beauty that nature has to offer was by far her favorite part of teaching with that charter.

After being a Kinder teacher for several years, Ms. Weaver took a break to become a mother to her two amazing daughters and later moved to Texas to be closer to her parents. Last year was her first year back to the world of classroom teaching!

When Ms. Weaver isn’t teaching you can find her spending time with her daughters and parents. Exploring the Texas outdoors and day trips are a favorite past time with her children. Ms. Weaver also enjoys live music and discovering intimate venues the surrounding cities have to offer.

Ms. Valerie Baca was born and raised in the “Sun City” of El Paso, Texas. She then continued with her educational career at Sul Ross State University in Alpine Texas where graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics with a minor in Political Science. Ms. Baca always knew that she wanted to pursue her dreams of teaching, so she made the wise decision of getting her degree in her favorite subject.

She then made the best choice of moving to San Antonio where she discovered Great Hearts Live Oak. Ms. Baca is extremely enthusiastic to start as a lead teacher this school year! The faculty and staff at GHLO have made the experience so magical and she cannot wait for the scholars to step into her classroom and make this dream into a reality. Ms. Baca is looking forward to starting her new journey and growing her love of learning with her students.

Outside the classroom, Ms. Baca spends her time weightlifting, enjoying her family and friends’ company, or exploring the beauty that San Antonio has to offer. She also enjoys visiting plant nurseries, listening to music, and lounging with her dog Emmy.