Our Elementary School Team
We are proud to introduce our 2020-2021 Faculty & Staff!
Diverse in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, and languages spoken, our faculty boasts:
Diverse in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, and languages spoken, our faculty boasts:
- Over 50% holding Master’s degrees
- Over 50% having worked, lived, or studied extensively outside the United States (including countries such as: Australia, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Holland, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Spain, & US Virgin Islands)
- Classroom teachers with an average of 6+ years of classroom experience
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
Erika Gibbs
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Jamesetta Adkins
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FACULTY
Kindergarten Teachers
Nicole Gardner
Mrs. Gardner joined Citizens in 2017-2018 and is now a Kindergarten teacher. She has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Iowa State University. Prior to joining us, Ms. Gardner had three years of experience in a preschool setting as a teacher and assistant director.
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Whitney Johnson
Ms. Johnson joined Citizens in 2019-2020 and is a Kindergarten teacher. Ms. Johnson has a B.S. from Wichita St. University and an M.S. in Family Therapy from Friends University. Prior to joining us, Ms. Johnson had years of experience working with children in the Kansas City area including having served as a substitute teacher at Citizens.
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Hallie RichardsonMs. Richardson joined Citizens in 2016-2017 and is now a Kindergarten teacher. She has a B.M.E. from the University of Missouri Kansas City Music Conservancy. Prior to joining us, Ms. Richardson taught elementary music for PK-5th grade in Olathe, KS, as well as private piano, guitar, and voice lessons.
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1st Grade Teachers
Jennifer Christensen
Ms. Christensen joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is a Kindergarten teacher. She has a B.S. from Lafayette College and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education from University of Missouri. Prior to joining us, Ms. Christensen had nine years of experience teaching Kindergarten in other Kansas City charter and district schools.
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Margaret Lopez
Ms. Lopez joined Citizens in 2019-2020 and is now a 1st grade teacher. She holds a B.A. in Early Childhood & Elementary Education from the University of Central Missouri. Prior to joining us, Ms. Lopez had nearly 20 years of experience in the classroom, both as a substitute teacher and a lead classroom teacher in district and charter schools in the Kansas City area.
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Marisol Martin
Ms. Martin joined Citizens in 2019-2020 and is a 1st grade teacher. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Benedictine College. Prior to joining us, Ms. Martin had one year of experience as a Kindergarten teacher in another KCMO charter school. She is bilingual in Spanish and has also been involved in the Boys & Girls Club of Atchison.
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Leah Wesley
Ms. Wesley joined Citizens in 2019-2020 and is a 1st grade teacher. She has a B.A. from Southern Nazarene University and an M.S.E. in Special Education from the University of Kansas. Prior to joining us, Ms. Wesley had seven years of experience both in Kansas City and Colorado, including as a Spanish instructor in an elementary school in Colorado.
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2nd Grade Teachers
Dominique BettsMs. Betts joined Citizens in 2018-2019 and is now a 2nd grade teacher. She holds a B.A. from Neumann University and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Lincoln University. Before joining us, Ms. Betts had one year of experience as a 2nd Grade Literary Support teacher in Philadelphia, PA.
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Tisha KiddMs. Kidd joined Citizens in 2018-2019 and is now a 2nd grade teacher. She has as B.S. in Elementary Education from Northwest Missouri State University. Before joining us, Ms. Kidd had two years of experience teaching 2nd Grade, Kindergarten, and Head Start in Kansas City district schools.
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Kerrie SchoenMs. Schoen joined Citizens in 2016-2017 and is now a 2nd grade teacher. She has a B.A. from the University of Kansas and an M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Rockhurst University. Before joining us, Ms. Schoen had four years of experience teaching visual arts and dance while teaching abroad in the Dominican Republic as well as at another KC charter school.
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3rd Grade Teachers
Kai Manning
Ms. Manning joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is a 3rd grade teacher. She has an inter-disciplinary Bachelors with an emphasis on Music Education. Prior to joining us, Ms. Manning had three years of classroom experience - both in another Kansas City charter school as well as a district elementary school.
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Laura Nowlin
Ms. Nowlin joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is a 3rd grade teacher. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education from University of Missouri St. Louis. Prior to joining us, Ms. Nowlin had two years of experience teaching at another Kansas City charter school.
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Shanell Terry
Ms. Shanell joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is a 3rd grade teacher. She has B.S. from Devry University. Prior to joining us, Ms. Shanell chose to shift out of a corporate career into a teaching career after her experience as the lead instructor for a STEM program called Engineering for Kids and is now a Teach For America Corps Member.
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4th Grade Teachers
Colin Gonzalez
Mr. Gonzalez joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is a 4th grade teacher. He has a B.A. from the University of Arkansas and is a Teach for America Corps Member. Prior to joining us, Mr. Gonzalez worked as a substitute teacher in Arkansas, and assistant teacher in Texas, and a Delegation Leader with CISV International, leading and guiding middle school students at intercultural UN sponsored camps in Peru and Colombia.
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Amber Parks
Ms. Parks joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is a 4th grade teacher. She has a B.A. in Education from Nebraska Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Administration from University of Missouri Kansas City. Prior to joining us, Ms. Parks had 13 years of experience teaching at another charter school in Kansas City.
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Tamara Wolfe
Ms. Wolfe joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is a 4th grade teacher. She has a B.A. in Urban Elementary Education from University of Missouri Kansas City and an AMI Montessori Certification. Prior to joining us, Ms. Wolfe had eight years of experience teaching at other Kansas City district and charter schools. In addition, she taught at the CDF Freedom Schools literacy and cultural enrichment program.
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5th Grade Teachers
Katrina Hawthorne
Ms. Hawthorne joined Citizens in 2019-2020 and is now a 5th grade teacher. Ms. Hawthorne holds a B.S. in Education from Pittsburg State and a M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction from Emporia State University. Prior to joining our team, Ms. Hawthorne had 17 years of experience as a classroom teacher in Olathe, KS.
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Anthony TovarMr. Tovar joined Citizens in 2019-2020 and is now a 5th grade teacher. He has a B.A. and an M.A. degree in Education from Graceland University. Prior to joining us, Mr. Tovar had 25 years of experience in project-based learning from his time as the Experiential Learning Coordinator at an international school in Shanghai, China. He has also taught in elementary schools in Houston, TX and in the Park Hill School District.
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Kristen WrightMs. Wright joined Citizens in 2019-2020 and is now a 5th grade teacher. She has a B.A. in Education from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Before joining us, Ms. Wright had 15 years of experience in district, charter, and private schools in the Kansas City area.
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Teaching Associates
Caitlin Daily
Ms. Daily joined Citizens in 2019-2020 and is now a Kindergarten Teaching Associate. She has an A.A. from Johnson County Community College and is fluent in American Sign Language.
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Andrea HerronMs. Herron joined Citizens in 2018-2019 and is a Kindergarten Teaching Associate in 2020-2021. She has an A.A. from Penn Valley MCC in Education and Child Growth and Development. Prior to joining us, Ms. Herron had over 20 years of experience working with children in a variety of settings including YMCA and Headstart.
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Brittany Pickens
Ms. Pickens joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is a First Grade teaching associate. She is working on a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Graceland University. Prior to joining us, Ms. Pickens had five years of experience as a lead preschool teacher and assistant director in several pre-K programs, as well as a substitute teacher in another Missouri district.
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RaQuisha Roberson
Ms. Roberson joined Citizens in 2020-2021 and is as Kindergarten teaching associate. She has a B.A. from Rockhurst University. Prior to joining us, Ms. Roberson’s career included both corporate and educational experiences including director of Little Bo Peepz Christian Academy, a long-term Special Education Teacher in another Missouri district, and Media Center teacher at a Kansas City district school.
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Instructional Specialists
Catherine Bett
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Maile Newberry-Wortham
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Casey Thomas
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Enrichment Teachers
Cynthia Gassen
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Kate Moore
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Sydney Seratte
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Rhonda Raglon
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Student Services Team
Mariah Friend
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Ashley Huggans
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Tufanza Byrd-Primos
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Dorothea Bradley
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Dorothy Page
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Sara Langford
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Audrey Camp
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Antoinette Harrington
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Karen McMahon
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PJ Ruth
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After-School & Aide Staff
Partners on Campus
Get to know the rest of our school community: