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.
Ashley Iduda grew up in San Diego, CA until the age of nine when her family relocated to San Antonio, TX. She considers herself a TX Native, having graduated from Ronald Reagan HS and earning her Associates degree in Speech & Communication from San Antonio College. After a brief stint as a professional makeup artist in New York City and several moves around the South East, Ashley met her husband, got married and had two wonderful children who are her pride and joy!
During her time as a makeup artist, Ashley worked for an international cosmetics brand that was passionate about empowerment and education. She began to conduct individual and group makeup classes while working as a retail makeup artist and discovered her love for teaching! She also volunteered in the Pre-K department at church which allowed her to foster a love for working with children. During the next few years, she stayed at home to raise her children and earned a B.A. in Organizational Leadership from Penn State’s online campus. She has since returned to San Antonio with her own family, ready to return to the workforce!
She is currently a proud Great Hearts Live Oak parent, volunteer, and has been a substitute teacher at the Live Oak campus for K-9th grade. Most recently, Mrs. Iduda accepted a position to be a Apprentice Teacher where she is excited to cultivate her passion for teaching and help shape little minds. Ashley is super excited to be a Great Hearts Owl!!
When she isn’t working, Ashley enjoys spending quality time with her family and her dog, Jack and socializing. She enjoys nature, live music, eating out, shopping, anything art or beauty related and meeting regularly with her small group from church.
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. Sandoval was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and she moved to San Antonio in 2020. Mrs. Sandoval attended Cal State Dominguez Hills where she studied assistive technology and child development. She loves working with children and has a passion for education. She has spent her entire career working in the child development field; ranging from preschool, pre-k, special education, and school age children. Mrs. Sandoval started her journey working at Great Hearts Live Oak as an Athenaeum teacher in 2021. This year she is thrilled to be joining the kindergarten team as KB Apprentice Teacher!
During her free time, Mrs. Sandoval loves to create arts and crafts projects, go on nature walks, and swim at the beach. She also enjoys baking treats and cooking new recipes for her family
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.
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.
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.
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico Maria grew a passion for teaching witnessing her mom teaching as a child. Wanting to follow her steps she began volunteering as a teenager in the drama and puppet team for children’s ministry for over 2 years. Wanting to grow her knowledge in childcare and child development she worked at a Preschool for six years, four of those years being a lead of her own classroom.
Maria has two children who will also be attending Great Hearts this school year. It was through her son’s learning disability that her passion grew as she learned tactics on how to better help him through his learning experiences. She is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood at UTSA.
On her time off Maria loves to spend time with her family outside, travel, and cook.
Mrs. Sanchez was born and raised in Northern Illinois. She was homeschooled through 12th 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.
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!
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!
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.
Miss Maia Russell is a native of San Antonio and is a college graduate of Texas A&M University- San Antonio where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English.
Ms. Russell first joined the Great Hearts team at Monte-Vista South where she served as a second grade Apprentice Teacher and part-time Athenaeum Teacher. She is excited to be at Great Hearts Live Oak as a second-grade Lead Teacher. Maia has a heart for education, learning and growing the minds of herself and her scholars.
She enjoys the company of her close friends and family, discovering new books to read and trying new and delicious foods the city has to offer.
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.
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!
Mrs. Divina Shelley is so thrilled to join the Great Hearts Live Oak family. She and her husband will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this year and being a mother to 4 children has been her greatest joy.
Mrs. Shelley received her bachelor’s degree in Education, an associate degree in Psychology, and a minor in Bible. Her love for children and students started at a young age. As she traveled abroad in missions and served in her local community and church, serving and helping came naturally for her. Mrs. Shelley and her husband worked full time in youth ministry, children’s ministry, and family ministry for over 25 years. She valued her 10 years as a full time stay at home mom. But even during that season, she invested in women and families across the city as she served in leadership with MOPS.
Mrs. Shelley began her teaching career in Dallas, TX. This will be her 15th year in elementary education. She observed her friends for the last few years speaking fondly about Great Hearts Academy. The virtues and the pursuit of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness truly was inspiring to her, and she wanted to be a part of the vision at Great Hearts. She taught last year at Great Hearts Western Hills and transferred to Great Hearts Live Oak to be closer to her community.
She is so thankful to invest in her 2nd Grade Scholars!
I am very excited to be in this new position here at Great Hearts Live Oak as Lead Instructor for Second Grade and my second year as the Upper School Athletic Director. I have loved soccer since I was 7 years old and started playing from age 7 through high school. I also ran Cross Country for my last two years of high school. I took a break during college to focus on academics and then picked up a coed soccer league as an adult, for fun and fitness.
After I graduated from Texas State University, with a degree in Family and Child Development, I had to opportunity to go back to my Alma Mater High School to be on the other side and coach Soccer for two years and one year of Volleyball. I had the wonderful privilege of coaching our First Soccer team here at Great Hearts for 2020-2021 inaugural year, and we had an amazing season!
I look forward to expanding our 3-year Athletic program and more for many years to come. The mission of Great Hearts, “Truth, Beauty, and Goodness”, not only lives in the classroom, but also on all fields. We are growing character and personal development in all capacities for future greatness.
I have had the opportunity to circle back to my inaugural kindergarteners as their now second grade teacher, and it is always a blessing to be a part of growth and amazing future of our children!
Mrs. Montano was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Tx. She has six years of early childhood education. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science in early childhood development.
Mrs. Montano has three children in their early twenties and her hobbies include going camping and going out to the beach. She is excited to be a part of Great Hearts that is educating young minds to pursue truth, goodness, and beauty.
Brooke Hardy is thrilled to be starting work with young scholars at Great Hearts Live Oak. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in government and media studies. She previously worked as a campus staff minister to college-aged students in a parachurch ministry, where many of her students had physical and cognitive learning disabilities. She is ready to the bring skills she learned from teaching that diverse student body to her GHLO class, and she is especially excited about the third grade history and language arts curriculum this year.
Mrs. Hardy got married in May 2021 and moved down to San Antonio (from Virginia) for the start of her husband’s medical residency. In her free time she can be found watching movies, playing video games, and rock climbing. She also hopes to learn Spanish while she’s living in Texas, and loves spending evenings playing with her cat Mordecai.
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.
Nathalia Carmichael is delighted to be returning to Great Hearts Live Oak. Mrs. Carmichael taught for five years at Great Hearts Archway Trivium West in Arizona before moving to Great Hearts Live Oak last year.
Mrs. Carmichael graduated with honors from Biola University and the Torrey Honors Institute, where she studied English literature and creative writing through a Great Books program. While reading is one of her passions, she can also be found knitting and or cooking new foods.
She looks forward to coming alongside parents to cultivate a heart of virtue and a desire for truth, goodness, and beauty in each young scholar.
Mrs. Graebener joined Great Hearts Live Oak as a founding faculty in 2020. Since then, she has been working as an Apprentice Teacher in 3rd grade and she is thrilled to share the joy of learning with the future owls.
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.
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!
As a wife and mother of four children, Mrs. Davison cultivated her passion for teaching and instruction through the rigors of homeschooling. After 5 years in that role she decided to enroll her children into Great Hearts Live Oak as one of the inaugural families. After watching her children excel and grow in the structured atmosphere of classical education, she is excited to join the Great Hearts Live Oak staff as a Third Grade Apprentice Teacher.
Rione is happily married to Brandon, her husband of 14 years and they enjoy spending time together along with their 4 children (Mayah, Mikaela, Micah, and Malachi) affectionately known as the M&M’s. During her free time Rione enjoys event planning, working out and all things craft.
As Sara grew up, she naturally developed a love of helping others. Her passion is to work with children and help them grow academically. Each child deserves to be pushed to their greatest academic capability and have access to love and support during their journey at Great Hearts. This is Ms. Poole’s second year at Great Hearts Live Oak and her first year as Lead Teacher in third grade. Ms. Poole has also coached the GHLO girl’s soccer team!
She has worked with refugee students, kids with mental struggles, and kids who have disabilities. Growing up, Sara resided in San Antonio, Texas, as an only child, with a loving mother. During her time at MacArthur high school, she played in the band and played soccer.
Sara is a graduate from UTSA with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. To further her education, she will be pursuing grad school and get her Special Education certification. During her free time, she enjoys playing soccer and spending time with her Chihuahua, named Diesel!
Ms. Saavedra is excited to be returning to Great Hearts Live Oak for a second year as an Apprentice Teacher for third grade!
Ms. Saavedra was born and raised in Mexico and moved to San Antonio when she was 15 years old. She attended the University of Texas at San Antonio and graduated with a bachelor’s in History. During her time in college, she did research on immigration, minority groups, civil rights, and international relations.
When not at work, you can find her painting, on a road trip, at the gym, and trying new restaurants alongside her friends and family. She also enjoys reading a good book with the company of her dog Frodo and cat Boba. Go Owls!
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.
My name is Elizabeth Mathews. I was called to educate the minds and hearts of children at an early age. I am excited to teach 4th grade here at Great Hearts Live Oak. My hope is that my years of experience teaching will benefit my students and their families.
Overall, I have been an educator for 22 years and I believe that education is of the utmost importance for the betterment of our society. I received my bachelor’s degree from Governors State University and I am currently pursuing my graduate degree in education at Grand Canyon University. During my career I have taught everything from PreK4 to 4th grade. I am a widow with three amazing sons, my oldest is 23 years old and the twins are 15 years old. I have a one year old granddaughter and recently I gained another beautiful granddaughter to further fill my heart.
I know how important their education is to me and I want to provide the same level of passion for my students that I desire for my sons and granddaughters. I am excited for my journey to begin and my future here at Great Hearts Live Oak!
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!
Amanda Boes joins Great Hearts Live Oak as our 4C Lead Teacher. She has been a teacher at our sister campus, Great Hearts Northern Oaks, for many years and we are excited to have her here at GHLO.
Ms. Boes grew up in northern California where she graduated with a degree in Parks and Recreation from the University of California at Chico. She worked in the parks and recreation department specializing in children’s activities while getting her teacher certification.
Ms. Boes fell in love with the Great Hearts culture 5 years ago when she first taught at our GHNO campus. She is thrilled to now be a part of the Live Oak family and is excited to help foster an education filled with truth, beauty and goodness. She has 2 adult children and a silly cat named Yiddle. Ms. Boes loves to exercise, participate in outdoor activities like backpacking, camping, skiing and scuba diving. She also loves to eat!
Ms. Adeline Busekrus (or Miss B) is a new Apprentice Teacher here at Great Hearts Live Oak and will be in 4B with Mrs. Leyva. Miss B was born and raised on the island of Oahu where she attended elementary school and after graduating from high school, she attended Windward Community College where she graduated with her Associates Degree in Hawaiian Studies. Although she has a strong passion for Hawaiian Language and cultural studies, she moved to San Antonio this summer to broaden her perspective and gain teaching experience at Great Hearts Live Oak.
Miss B began working in her Junior year of high school at a small coffee shop as well as volunteering at an after-school care program for grades K-5 at a homeless shelter twice a week. She was also an assistant teacher for religious education at her parish St. John Vianney Kailua for two years. Miss B hopes to expand her knowledge in the field of education and return back to school to receive a Bachelor’s degree in either elementary education or Hawaiian Immersion Education.
In her free time, Miss B loves to be outdoors whether hiking, swimming, or going for a walk. She is very excited to engage with this year’s fourth grade scholars and wishes both students and teachers a wonderful year ahead.
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. She is ready to take on the Lead Teacher role in fourth grade here at GHLO.
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 sixth year teaching and she looks forward to the pursuit of the truth, the good and the beautiful.
Hello, my name is Gianna Martinez, and this is my first year at Great Hearts Live Oak! I will be joining the team as a 4th grade Apprentice Teacher. I graduated from the University of California at Davis in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and I look forward to fostering your scholar’s growth.
In my free time, I love to read, paint, and lounge with my two cats, Mishi and Dahlia. I look forward to a spectacular school year! Go Owls!
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.
Clinton McKee is a Fifth Grade Apprentice Teacher at Great Hearts Live Oak. After spending most of his life living in Austin, he moved to San Antonio to pursue a degree. He recently graduated from UTSA with a double major Bachelor’s in Communications and Modern Language Studies. While attending UTSA, he had also been taking Japanese language classes. He has been learning Japanese for over 3 years now, in the hopes of one day visiting Japan.
Aside from tutoring friends in college, this will be Clint’s first professional teaching experience. He is eager to follow the example set by the fantastic staff at Live Oak. During this academic year, he hopes to inspire a great love of reading within his students. He also looks forward to the upcoming history units that Ms. Weaver will be teaching; the Japanese history unit in particular is something he believes he can greatly contribute to.
His hobbies include hiking, film, journalism, and practicing kanji characters. The most recent book he read was The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Additionally, he has been studying Egyptian history in his free time.
Mrs. Kuiper found a passion and a love for classical education when her children were very young and embarking upon their educational journey. She was drawn to the classical approach and began to educate her children at home in the classical model. Upon moving to San Antonio in 2016 she discovered the wonderful opportunity for her children to receive a tuition- free classical education. When the time was right she was eager to enroll them in Great Hearts. This will be their third year as a Great Hearts family.
Mrs. Kuiper was thrilled to join the inaugural faculty of Great Hearts Live Oak as a First Grade Apprentice Teacher. Mrs. Kuiper graduated from Texas Tech University in 2004 with a Bachelors in Science in Human Development and Family Studies. She has over 15 years of experience working with families and children. She has been a teacher in classrooms both abroad and state-side, a case worker for social services, worked at the collegiate level in Residence Life, and homeschooled her children.
She loves a good book, good coffee, and spending time with her husband and children playing games or going camping. Mrs. Kuiper is beyond excited to be in her role as a Fifth Grade Teacher! She cannot wait to discover and explore wonderful new things with your scholars.
Hoot Hoot Hooray!
Mr. Johnston is a Northern California native that feels privileged to be a part of the work that Great Hearts Live Oak is doing in the Live Oak community. After high school, he spent eight transformative years in the military. While in the US Navy, he lived in various states and spent two years living in Japan. While in the military he was in a bad car accident that resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee. While it was a serious setback at the time and remains a permanent physical disability, it was also a springboard into some truly unique opportunities that resulted in substantial personal growth. One such opportunity was representing Team USA on the world stage in the sport of triathlon for five years. The intense physical training that is demanded to compete competitively in such a strenuous sport simultaneously builds an athlete’s mind. Johnston found that through sports a mental tenacity and dedication were forged.
While racing was a tremendous opportunity and deeply developed his character, he knew that his long-term goal was to make a lasting impact in an elementary school classroom. While he was in third grade, he had a male teacher that believed so deeply that he could be someone great that it profoundly altered the course of his life. Although his childhood mentor’s shoes are large shoes to fill, he wants to similarly captivate and breathe life into young students’ belief in themselves so that they embrace their potential for excellence.
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.