Ms. Audelo’s passion for the liberal arts was sparked between the covers of the books she consumed as a young and voracious reader. Drawn to the ambitious promise of a public classical education, she enrolled her three children in the first Great Hearts academy in Phoenix, Arizona. First as a parent volunteer, and then as a teacher and administrator, Ms. Audelo’s passion and commitment for public, tuition-free classical education has grown with Great Hearts, and she is excited to establish Great Hearts Live Oak as a home for classical education in the Northeast corner of San Antonio.

As an undergraduate, Ms. Audelo studied humanities at the University of Iowa, earning her Bachelor of Arts from the School of Religion. After finding her professional calling with Great Hearts, she earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Arizona State University. While reading continues to be an important part of each day, her sense of play and adventure continually finds new outlets on hiking trails, road trips, and travels with her children.

Kimberly Gill is excited for her new journey as Assistant Headmaster! Mrs. Gill is a member of the Great Hearts Live Oak founding faculty as a 3rd Grade Lead Teacher and most recently as the Dean of Student Culture where she served the upper school student body. She called San Antonio home since moving here while in middle school and graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BS in Biology.

Her first career was in research and development at a local pharmaceutical company. She felt a call to teach as her first son approached school age. She began her career in education teaching 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School for nine years. She was part of the founding faculty teaching 5^th grade at Founders Classical Academy of Schertz and worked two years in administration at Founders. Mrs. Gill is eager to help her students strive for excellence while seeking the truth, doing the good, and loving the beautiful.

Mrs. Gill enjoys spending time outside with her husband and three children. She is very proud of her son who recently graduated and enlisted in the Air Force. Her two daughters attend Great Hearts Live Oak and she can also be found playing with her chickens, tending her garden, camping/hiking, or reading.

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.

Mr. Haton is thrilled to join the Great Hearts team in the founding of a wonderful academic community in Northeast San Antonio with Live Oak Academy. Mr. Haton began to develop his passion for classical liberal arts education in his final year of secondary education. Transferring from the viable path of community trade school, studying gas and diesel engine systems, to a classical styled high school. Having been inspired by the joys of a classical liberal arts education he found in high school and later in university he is greatly looking forward to cultivating the same love of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty he found in his formative years with future Great Hearts Live Oak scholars and to the greater San Antonio community.

Mr. Haton earned his B.A in History from the Franciscan University of Steubenville while also completing minor areas of study in Philosophy and Anthropology. He is a native of Maumee, Ohio and is greatly anticipating his move to the wonderful Alamo City. Apart from academics, Mr. Haton enjoys cooking, painting, backpacking, and a friendly round of chess.

Mrs. Taylor joins Great Hearts with a commitment to inspire a love of reading in our scholars. Being a native of San Antonio she always knew that her future would include teaching. Mrs. Taylor brings a wealth of knowledge about literacy acquisition and is eager to attune student needs with literature pedagogy in order to serve the ever developing reading minds of our children.

A graduate of Texas A&M University San Antonio with a Bachelor’s of Science and years of English Language Arts classroom teaching, Mrs. Taylor will serve as a Reading and Dyslexia Interventionist at Live Oak. Her commitment to lifelong learning leads her to discover new and exciting inquiries about studies that build an understanding of how children acquire and refine reading and writing skills. This pursuit finds her on a path to attaining her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in Reading from the University of Arlington in December of 2022 certifying her a Reading Specialist.

She applies her love of art and creativity to balance her ardor for education with family fun alongside her husband and two young daughters. Reading, calligraphy, and yoga keep her grounded and focused in faith and love.

Ms. Kate Moyer is excited to begin her new role as Director of Campus Operations. As a founding faculty member of Great Hearts Live Oak, she is ready to instill her vision for GHLO as we continue to grow our school, student body, and traditions.

She is a native of Arizona and moved to San Antonio after living in the United Kingdom for 3 years. While in England, she enjoyed working in the education field and extensively traveling Europe.

Ms. Moyer has a degree in Early Childhood Education, graduating with honors. She has worked in the Early Childhood Education field for 20+ years, teaching Pre-Kindergarten and private Kindergarten programs. She has held management positions within early learning centers, including School Director for 4 years. Excited to be back in the states and living again in the Southwest, she has true passion for education and working with children.

She is a closet history nerd and some of her favorite hobbies include traveling, reading, antique shopping, and spending time exploring the outdoors with her dogs and family. She is proud to be a member of the Great Hearts Live Oak founding faculty. She is excited to create a safe, enriched campus for our students and families.

Mrs. Linda Kost is excited to begin her new role as the Upper School Registrar. She has a great passion for classical education and wants to share that passion with our students and families. 

She has always been a lover of the arts. She started taking voice and piano lessons at a young age, and made her first stage debut at the age of four with a local musical theater company. Mrs. Kost grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she joined the Philippine Saringhimig Singers at the age of fourteen. Since then, she has had the opportunity to perform and compete in various European countries and Canada where the group won first place. 

In 2015, Linda Kost graduated from California Baptist University where she earned a degree in Music Education. At CBU, she held the role as lead soprano in the University’s “New Song” choir, and toured the country singing with the University’s smaller vocal group called “Hope.” In 2018, she earned a graduate degree in Teaching from Santa Clara University. Since 2015, Mrs. Kost has had the honor of teaching students music from Grades K-9 in a variety of public, private, and charter school settings. In 2021, she moved to Schertz, Texas where she started her first year with Great Hearts, and has loved every moment. 

Aside from singing, Mrs. Kost enjoys traveling with her husband, Mr. Kost (Dean of Students), hiking, baking, playing board games, and spending time with family.

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!

Michael is originally from Fort Collins, Colorado. As the son of a math teacher and a computer programmer, penmanship is not his forte but he has a knack for all things math, science, and biology. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University. He used his engineering prowess as a Captain in the United States Army, Engineer Branch from 2011 to 2019.   

His civilian career has focused on project management in residential and civilian construction. His positions ranged from airport projects contract coordinator to commercial door and countertop fabrication machine programmer. He thrives on finding creative, expedient solutions to complex engineering or operations challenges. 

He enjoys anything outdoors in any weather from swimming to snowboarding, running, rock climbing, and mountain biking. When possible, he brings along his three kiddos, Reina, Felix, and Elowen, as well as his wife Megan, a Soldier in the US Army. They have been married since 2012 and hope to beat the current longest marriage on record. He’s hoping Megan can put up with him for just another 78 years.

On the rare occasion he is relaxing, you can catch him sitting on the living room sofa, piloting his micro first-person-viewer drones with which he chases the three family cats. 

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!

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.

Laura Jackson is a native of San Antonio who returned after living and working in numerous cities in the United States and abroad. Mrs. Jackson’s interest in case management began while assisting community members remove barriers in gaining employment.  She was able to hone these skills by helping students achieve their academic goals while working for a private faith-based elementary school in Germany.

During this time, she maintained student records while she managed the school’s budget, served as the de facto nurse, and substitute teacher to the student population.  Her interest in the Liberals Arts was prompted after taking literature courses for her bachelor’s degree.  It was further cemented when she visited the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne.

Mrs. Jackson’s interests include spending time with her family, serving her community, and crafting.

Ms. Butler is honored to be part of Great Hearts Live Oak. Originally from the New England area, she relocated to Texas from Florida.

Ms. Butler holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of RI in Speech Communication and Art History. She also has a Master of Arts in Teaching, specializing in Special Education and Elementary Education, from Johnson & Wales University. Ms. Butler comes to Great Hearts with over 15 years of education experience.

In Florida, she taught multiple grade levels of regular education and is most proud of her time as a special educator. In 2021, Ms. Butler was recognized as her school’s Literacy Teacher of the Year. She believes that literacy provides our scholars with the soul of education and allows them to attain a deeper understanding of humanity.

Outside of school, Ms. Butler can be found traveling or camping and kayaking with her husband and their three water dogs.

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.

Mrs. Borden is a founding GHLO faculty member, after six years in a first-grade classroom, she is excited to work with our Owls in need of Reading Intervention and Dyslexia services.  

 Mrs. Borden graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a minor in Family Studies, and Child Development. Her time in the sociology department exposed her to the beauty of Socratic teaching, and she recognizes the importance of a classical education’s role in creating life-long learners.  

 As a native Texan, and San Antonio resident for more than a decade, she feels there are no truer words than “there’s no place like home”. When out of the classroom she is keeping up with her 4 children. She loves time with her family, antiquing, queso-testing, singing like no one is listening, dancing like no one is watching, and roller-skating her heart out. Mrs. Borden also has a weakness for musicals, and enjoys reading classics by Jane Austen, R.D. Blackmore, and C.S. Lewis. All hobbies aside, she is thrilled to continue the pursuit of the Great Hearts mission and provide the best education for all. 

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!  

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!

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.

Cynthia Baker joins our Great Hearts Live Oak community as a Teacher in our Special Education Department.

I graduated from UTSA in 2020 with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and I am a San Antonio native. I have no plans on leaving my home city here in Texas! I love seeing the smile on students faces when they figure something out, that’s the main reason I fell in love with teaching.

Outside of the professional world, I love spending time with my boyfriend and his daughter, and the dog! Family is everything for us. We are a very adventurous family, we love going on trips and mountain biking whenever we can.

Mrs. Lisa Bollinger was born and raised in Arizona in the Phoenix area. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University. Lisa recently earned her special education certification here in Texas.

Lisa has been with the Great Hearts family since 2017, where she gained experience as a lead teacher in the kindergarten and first grade. Prior to her experience with Great Hearts she taught kindergarten, first and second grade in public schools in Phoenix Arizona and Brooklyn New York.

She and her husband have three children attending Live Oak this fall, with their daughter Elliot in Second grade, son Nicky in fourth grade, and daughter Avery in sixth grade.

In her spare time Lisa enjoys snuggling her kitties, spending time with her family and traveling. Lisa is looking forward to partnering with you and your children this year as we grow our hearts and minds in the pursuit of truth, beauty and goodness.

Miss Szews discovered her love of classical education while studying for her Bachelor’s degree at Hillsdale College. There, she was introduced to the classical liberal arts and recognized the wisdom and beauty of this ancient approach to education. In between a core of courses covering the scope of the trivium and quadrivium, Miss Szews earned her degree in French, with minor concentrations in Latin and classical education.  

Serving as the Latin instructor for 8-9th grades, she is excited to instill a passion for language in the scholars she teaches. Miss Szews is fascinated by both foreign languages and history and looks forward to sharing the treasures of these disciplines with students this year.

Miss Szews is a new resident of Texas, having moved to San Antonio from southeast Michigan in 2020, and has quickly come to appreciate the history and culture of the Lone Star State. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring San Antonio, and honing her skills as a seamstress.  

Charlou Koenig studied Latin for four years in high school in San Antonio, received a BA in Latin and an M.A in Classics from Brigham Young University, then taught Latin for ten years in high school. He taught Latin and Classics at the university level, earning a doctorate in Classics from the University of Iowa. His dissertation is a commentary on the second book of the Roman Antiquities of Dionysius of Halicarnassus.

He returned to San Antonio where he discovered the Great Hearts program, spending several months as a substitute teacher at Great Hearts Northern Oaks – the most satisfying academic environment he had ever encountered. He is enthusiastic about introducing Great Hearts students to the rigors and joys of the Latin language and literature.

Mrs. Cowen has always loved learning.  During elementary school, she loved to read and discovered a passion for both literature and history. Born in Arizona, Mrs. Cowen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, graduating summa cum laude from Arizona State University. She also completed a Masters in Educational Technology at Northern Arizona University, graduating with distinction.

She began her career as a teacher in 2007, teaching fourth grade in a rural district on the outskirts of Phoenix. Since then, she has taught a range of grades, including middle school (6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grades). She loves bringing her passion and enthusiasm for learning new things and ideas to her classroom.

Mrs. Cowen began her career with Great Hearts as a member of the founding faculty of Archway Lincoln in 2015. Currently, she is completing a second Masters in Classical Education at the University of Dallas.

An accomplished musician, Mrs. Cowen plays viola and violin and is learning cello and piano. Her family (including her husband and dog) have relocated to San Antonio from Tempe, Arizona. On the weekends, she enjoys hiking and exploring San Antonio.

Mr. Monterroso started here at Great Hearts Live Oak as a fifth grade Lead Teacher. This year, he is excited to join the math instruction team serving our upper school scholars teaching Pre-Algebra and Geometry. After graduating from high school, David moved to Coahuila, Mexico where he served as a volunteer for two years. During this time, he discovered a love for teaching and serving others. He developed a passion for helping others become the best version of themselves.

Upon returning from his two-year service, Mr. Monterroso began studying at Brigham Young University – Idaho where he focused his studies within mathematics and the physical sciences. As he studied, he noticed that he had adopted a common yet poisonous philosophy: education was merely transactional (e.g., One attends college to get a good job). From this realization, Mr. Monterroso has taken it upon himself to change his way of thinking and to aid others in rethinking the purpose of education. As a teacher, he hopes to help the Live Oak community, students and parents realize that the true worth of education stems from its power to transform the life of a scholar. Through diligent service and genuine love, Mr. Monterroso intends to effect change in the lives of his scholars.

Outside of the classroom, David enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife and his two energetic boys. They truly are his greatest joy.

Chloe Sonnier is excited to continue her teaching career as a member of the inaugural faculty at Great Hearts Live Oak. Chloe graduated in 2020 from Trinity University with a Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology and a minor in Music. She is the recipient of  the Margaret Mead Award, awarded “in recognition of outstanding achievements in the Field of Anthropology,” as well as a recipient of Departmental Honors for completing an Honor Thesis.

Over the course of her studies, Chloe focused on fine-tuning her research abilities, even joining a large-scale research project led by Trinity University professor Dr. Amy Stone in the summer of 2019. She looks forward to bringing her research skills, her eye for detail, her penchant for close readings, and her analytical tenacity to the classroom in service of inspiring students to truly love and enjoy the search for knowledge and truth.

In her free-time, Chloe enjoys finding ways to be involved in the broader San Antonio community and challenging herself to further her mastery of piano, do research into new topics and questions, and master new yoga poses. She also enjoys relaxed evenings with friends and is currently enjoying learning how to cook delicious vegan meals for herself and her roommate.

Hannah Bub is excited to begin the new school year. As a graduate of New York University, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature with a specialization in Creative Writing. In addition, she earned minors in American Sign Language and Creative Writing.

Outside of these studies, Ms. Bub was involved in the college swim team and a number of student publications, most notably serving as the managing editor of the inaugural issue of the Greene Street Review.

Ms. Bub enjoys spending time with good books. Some of her favorites include Treasure Island and Alice and Wonderland. She looks forward to introducing this year’s 7th and 8th graders to our wonderful Classics to Keep.

Mrs. Smith joined Great Hearts Live Oak in 2021. She began her journey as an Apprentice Teacher in lower school, but is now excited to jump into her next role as the instructor of Humane Letters in our upper school. Mrs. Smith earned her BA from Concordia Texas and her Masters of Education from Concordia Portland. She has a background in college education, GED courses, and classical education in a widespread of subjects. She has a passion for education and teaching and has come to embrace classical curriculum whole-heartedly.

Mrs. Smith is not a native-born Texan but got here as quick as she could. She became a Texan by proxy upon marrying a native Texan and now has three beautiful Texan babies. She has come to embrace the Texan pride and will even cheer for the Cowboys on occasion. She loves to sit outside in the sunshine and read.

A native of San Antonio, Mr. Jackson’s interest the humanities started in the latter years of his Air Force career and is rooted in his love of history. He found he was able to easily apply the relevancy and wisdom of the past to his military duties. He discovered Great Hearts while retiring from active duty and he knew at once that he wanted to work for an organization that cared about young people’s character as well as their education.

Mr. Jackson has a bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts, with a concentration in the Middle East, and a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence. Although he has instructed in a military setting, it was his volunteer time teaching youth in his church that cemented his calling to a second career in education.

He enjoys travelling with his wife, spending time with friends,
serving his community, and reading.

Tim brings a lifetime love of learning, working with young people, and a passion for classical liberal arts education as he begins his teaching career at Great Hearts Live Oak.  He is a 33-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he served as a Military Training Instructor, Weapon Systems Officer, C-5 Pilot, and Squadron Commander.  Tim flew airlift missions supporting President Clinton and served in the first Gulf War.  As a director at USAA, Tim led teams in financial services.  He is a former mayor-pro-tem of Schertz, Texas and CEO of the Schertz Economic Development Corporation. Tim holds an undergraduate degree in management from Southwest Texas State University and a graduate degree in education from Texas State University.  He studied leadership and national defense issues as a graduate of the Air University and the Reserve Forces Course, National Defense University.

Tim enjoys spending time with wife, Lorraine, 3 children, and 4 grandchildren.  He is active in church, Bible studies, hiking, weight-training, reading, visiting historical sites and world travel.  Tim is a proud native Texan and long-time resident of the Live Oak area who loves the culture and history of San Antonio and the Texas hill country.

Stephanie Powers is joining the upper school team teaching World History.

Mrs. Powers has relocated to San Antonio from Portland, Texas. She has been in education for 18 years. Education is a family affair as Mrs. Powers’ husband has been in education for over 20 years, mother, father-in-law, and mother-in-law for over 40 years. She has earned her Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Psychology; Social Science, and a Minor in Education from Ashford University.

In her free time, Mrs. Powers likes to walk her two dachshunds, golf, water ski, and travel with her four children and husband. Mrs. Powers is very excited to join the Great Hearts community.

A graduate of SUNY University at Buffalo with a bachelors in Mathematics and Applied Linguistics, Ms. Bartosch is excited to, once again, be a member of the Great Hearts Live Oak family. While her undergraduate classes were content based her devotion to helping others learn drove her to participate in a variety of volunteer programs throughout her time at university. Including, years spent helping refugees in the Buffalo area and international students at her university learn English.

Ms. Bartosch has also worked as a girl scout camp counselor at an overnight camp located on one of the Finger Lakes of New York – managing to blend her joy of working with children with her love of the outdoors. Ms. Bartosch found it inspiring to see so many young girls try new things and push the boundaries of their own expectations for themselves.

When not in the classroom (as a student or a teacher) Ms. Bartosch can be found reading a good book, experimenting with knitting, enjoying the outdoors – hiking, kayaking, or watching the sunset, and finding new ways to explore our world through the wonder of mathematics. As a lover of numbers, patterns, and riddles she hopes to share some of this joy with the scholars at Great Hearts Live Oak.

Ms. Lizbeth Cruz-Salazar (Ms. Salazar) joins us from El Paso, Texas and has been teaching since her college years. Starting as a zoology teaching assistant, she taught undergraduate zoology course at Sul Ross State University for two and half years. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Science and minored in Chemistry in 2011. Once she graduated from college, her career took her to work in the private sector for agriculture and glasshouse work for the next two and half years.

She always admired the teaching profession and switched her careers to help pursue more of a meaningful career. She started teaching in public schools in 2017 as a high school chemistry teacher in a rural town of West Texas. She then made her way to El Paso to continue her teaching career there where she also started her Master of Education, graduating in 2021.

To her the most meaningful part of being in education is the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the students that come into our doors. She is greatly appreciative to be part of such a wonderful team at Great Hearts Live Oak. She hopes to pursue her PhD in Education in the future as well.

Mr. Kost is excited to begin his journey in his new role as Dean of Student Culture serving our upper school student body!

Matthew Kost is a former graduate of California Baptist University earning a Bachelors of Music in Music Education. Specializing in the woodwind family and vocals, he brings a wide array of experience through his teaching in public and private schools since 2015. However, in 2021, Mr. Kost moved to Schertz, Texas and has worked in the Great Hearts network, sharing in the vision of pursuing truth, goodness, and beauty. Motivated by a love for learning, he hopes to bring an inward joy through the experience of organized sound. A goal for every class is to help students build and cultivate a vocabulary of music as Suzuki once said, “Music is the language of the heart, without words.”

Mr. Kost is married to his best friend and fellow musician, Linda Kost. Both graduating from California Baptist University, they met traveling the world bringing the joy of music to congregations and audiences. Performing in five countries, Mr. Kost performed with the Saringhimig Singers, a choral group based out of Oakland, CA from 2015-2019. In college, he performed with the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Pep Band, Choral Union, Male Choral, University Choir and Orchestra, Hope (a vocal small group), and was the sound engineer for the New Song choir. When he is not practicing or rehearsing with his church, he enjoys traveling with his wife, reading, golfing, bowling, and attending Bible studies.

Mrs. Salas was raised in San Antonio and graduated from Madison High School. She went on to graduate from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, OK in 2007, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Music, in addition to a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication – Journalism. She has a zest and passion for teaching and loves to mold young minds. Mrs. Salas has been a teacher since she graduated and hasn’t looked back!

Mrs. Salas is the GHLO Volleyball coach, and had great success this past season with our inaugural owls. She was able to help the girls achieve success on and off the court by instilling our core values, and in turn had an amazing season. She is also serving in her second year as the Vice President of the PSO, in which she, along with the PSO Board, built from the ground up. She has been very involved in Great Hearts since our inaugural year, and couldn’t be happier to join such a dynamic team.

She and her husband John have two scholars at Great Hearts Live Oak. They are in first and seventh grade. In her free time she loves to play volleyball, read, craft and go camping. She is usually found at the school on days off decorating for whatever event is happening next!