It is an honor to be the administrator of such an outstanding school as Classical School.   My involvement with the school began in 1998 when I served on its founding board of directors.  Besides serving on the CCSA Board, I  have worn several other hats at the school over the years.  I’ve served as a teacher, program support specialist, and currently as the school's administrator.  Through my various roles at Classical, I have been actively involved in the development and implementation of the school's mission, curriculum, and philosophy.  It has been a privilege to work wth the Classical Board, teachers, staff, and parents to provide a just and excellent educational foundation for our students.

Classical School has certainly played an important role in my own family's life.  My husband, Shawn, is a high school Spanish teacher now, but he was initially one of the founding board members of Classical and taught at the school for its first five years.  Shawn and I have two daughters, Jessica and Miranda, and a son-in-law, Alex.  Jessica attended Classical School during its first five years and is now in college.  Our older daughter, Miranda,  was a teacher at Classical School for four years and is now an elementary school principal in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Two of my favorite things in life are books and art. For most of my life, I have been a voracious reader.  I have come to realize that I never feel fully comfortable in a room unless it has books – the more books in the room, the more at home I feel.  As a youth, I used to feel a sense of urgency that I wouldn't be able to read all of the books I wanted to read during my lifetime.  As an adult, however,  I have discovered that part of a reader's joy  is in the journey itself and in never fully completing one’s reading list.  As a former art history major, surrounding myself with art that I love is as important to me as living among books that I love.  Whenever I visit a new city, you can be sure that I will have an excursion planned to see the art museums in the area.  Cooking is also one of my great passions in life. I love all types of cuisine, but perhaps I am fondest of French foods. Taking cooking classes in France is on my list of things I would love to do some day.

Perhaps my strongest passion in life is education.  I am an advocate for curriculum reform and greatly value the  Core Knowledge curriculum.  I appreciate the balance Classical School provides  by fostering creative, independent thinking with the rigor of rich content.  Clearly, the best part of my job is spending  time with over 460 unique students as I watch them progress in their academic and personal journeys!

A school such as ours could not be successful without the dedication of its staff members to the school's mission. Many charter schools around the country suffer from a high turnover of staff, but at Classical School, not only is the rate of staff attrition very low, but many of our teachers have expressed a desire to stay at Classical for the duration of their careers in education.  I believe one of the biggest keys to our school's success is the professional, dedicated, and caring  teachers who have devoted their lives to our students and the success of this school.

I have a great respect as well for the parents of our school who are highly involved in their children's education and who, in most cases, need to make a special effort each day to bring their children to school in a location further away than their neighborhood school.  I appreciate the importance that school choice plays in their lives and the value they have placed upon it by sending their children to a Core Knowledge school for a solid, traditional educational foundation.

It has been an honor to serve Classical School the past eleven years.  Each year we get stronger and more established.  look forward with great anticipation to our future as we continue to build an excellent educational foundation for students.