Archive for the ‘Faculty Spotlight’ Category

Chuck Vanek, in his words, “went to school to become a teacher.” Drawn to the profession for its relational characteristics, Mr. Vanek became a teacher to have an impact on the lives of kids. This desire came through the friendship and mentorship of someone in his high school: a History teacher named Bill. Two months […]

Mr. Graham’s college studies focused on exploring the mechanics of the world. He majored in Mathematics and Physics at Spring ArborUniversity in Spring Arbor, Michigan. However, as he continued to study, he found that numbers could not begin to answer many of his questions. As a result, he started taking classes in philosophy as well […]

Mrs. Snowden began her career as a substitute teacher for junior high, but she soon found her niche with kindergarten children. She appreciates kindergarteners’ sponge-like absorption of the world around them and their wonder at creation. After substitute teaching, she began teaching Kindergarten at a private school in Mississippi for a short time. But she […]

It was in her first philosophy course in college that Dr. Barnes had an intellectual wake-up call.  Before that, she felt she had never been introduced to concepts larger than herself in school. But listening in on the “Great Conversation” of the authors of classic works of the western tradition gave her the dose of […]

Mrs. Graham grew up with a passion for being with and helping people. She decided to study Elementary Education and minor in Spanish at Baylor University. An education degree would allow her to help students, and Spanish would be useful and convenient since she already had learned a fair amount while growing up in El […]

  Stephanie Harris’ path to becoming Live Oak’s Grammar School Counselor began at a young age. As a child, Mrs. Harris envisioned herself as a mother building a family and raising her children to be healthy, self-sufficient adults. She earned a B.A. as a University Scholar at Baylor and a Master of Counseling degree from […]

Mrs. Mueller’s love of stories and characters began at a young age. Homeschooled during her K-12 years, Mrs. Mueller and her sister wrote plays together, convincing neighborhood children to perform different parts. She loved performing in church plays as well. As she grew older, she developed a love of stories, history, and theater. She decided […]

“Every single day you come in to Live Oak she says hello. She’s really cheerful.” – Katherine Day, Junior “She cares for everyone and she always greets everyone with a smile in the morning.” – Noelle Hess, Junior “She’s really funny.” – Jackson Wiethorn, Senior   Chantal Flynn is the Office Manager for Live Oak’s […]

Dr. Jewel Lockridge’s desire to empower students began at a young age. In 8th grade, Dr. Lockridge enjoyed a school field trip observing the Prairie View Interscholastic League Competition (PVILC) at Texas A&M. PVILC aimed at helping African-American students thrive in spite of disadvantages in background. After the field trip, Dr. Lockridge knew she wanted […]