Administration
Please see the listing of the Archway North Phoenix Administration.
Thomas Taylor is originally from Oceanside, California but moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona when he was 5. Growing up, Thomas played a lot of sports but eventually turned his focus to baseball which he continued playing through his college years. Thomas attended college at Central Arizona College for two years and then transferred to Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas to finish his baseball career and degree. Thomas graduated from Benedictine College in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. Immediately after graduation he began working for Beginner’s Edge Sports Training where he was coaching children from 18 months-8 years old in soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and golf. Thomas also spent his summer months coaching in the Arizona Wood Bat League for collegiate level players.
Lee Raper was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Northwest University, a small Christian college in a Seattle suburb, with her BA in Elementary Education in 2007, and a Master’s in Teaching in 2008. Before achieving her goal of becoming a teacher, she worked in the banking industry for nine years. She has taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade over the past 15 years, staying home for a period of time to raise her children. She and her husband Devin were married in 2006. They have two children together, Whitney, who is currently a junior at NPX, and Tanner, who is a freshman and attends a special needs program through Paradise Valley School District. Their family moved to Arizona in 2012 and enjoy traveling, playing games, and spending time together. Mrs. Raper loves to read historical fiction, watch her son play basketball, and be a chauffeur for her daughter. She is excited to be a part of the ANP faculty in her eighth year at Archway North Phoenix.
Kelli Sneed received her B.A in Elementary Education from Arizona State University in 2003. Mrs. Sneed began her teaching career as a 5th and 6th grade teacher in the Gilbert Public School District. Before joining the ANP team in 2011 Mrs. Sneed also had the privilege of teaching kindergarten at a private school in Missouri and 2nd – 4th grades at a Phoenix area public school. Mrs. Sneed came to Archway North Phoenix in its inaugural year. After 5 joyful years as a kindergarten teacher, she transitioned into the role of Dean of Students for 7 years. This year Mrs. Sneed will begin her new role as Dean of Academics. She enjoys a big cup of coffee and time outside with her chickens, dogs, cats and rabbits.
I am very excited to be joining the Archway North Phoenix staff after having been a Great Hearts parent for the past 7 years. After graduating with a degree in Child Development from Cal State University Northridge, I completed my California credential work in elementary education and began my career in El Segundo, California as a teacher in an early intervention literacy based program. Upon moving to Arizona I became a lead teacher at a preschool in
Kelli Dunn was born and raised in Bellingham, Washington. She attended Seattle University on a basketball scholarship majoring in English. Kelli has lived in Arizona for 15 years and likes to escape the heat by heading back to her hometown (Bellingham, WA) While she is in WA, she spends time with her family and friends, builds sandcastles, swims, walks and explores new towns unseen before. Kelli’s passions are her family, animals, crafting, reading, shopping, and exploring. Her daughter Isabella attends Great Hearts and is in 4th grade. Kelli feels blessed to be able to serve now not only the students (previously she was in 1st grade) but all of our wonderful ANP families and staff. BTW- she has the cutest pig named Bacon. 
After growing up in North Carolina and leaving her path of nursing school, Ms. Moizo accepted an opportunity to work and live aboard small luxury cruise ships for 5 years until pursuing a career on land with private golf clubs in Arizona. She has a child attending 6th grade at NPX.
Katie Del Duca was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. She attended Ironwood High School and NAU. She and her husband Jeff have been married for 21 years and have four children. Her family has loved being a part of the North Phoenix Great Hearts community for 14 years. Katie was a stay home mom for 16 years and is now in her 4th year working at ANP.
Jackie Curtis is originally from Ogden Utah. Her background includes fifteen years of experience in retail management and operations; working if the various fields as a key part of the management team overseeing high-level HR duties, such as attracting talent and setting training standards and hiring procedures. She was also in charge of analyzing and improving organizational processes, and work to improve quality, productivity and efficiency. Jackie joined the development team as the Academy Giving Manager at North Phoenix in February 2018; enjoying the interactions she has with the students, parents, faculty and loves serving the Great Hearts North Phoenix community. When she is not at work, Jackie enjoys spending time with her family. They have a daughter finishing up her junior year at Prep and when she graduates with the class of 2020, their son will start kindergarten at Archway as one of the newest Argonauts.
My name is Nichola Piccolo, I am the registered nurse for Archway North Phoenix and North Phoenix Prep campus. I was born and raised in Northern Ireland, in 1993 I received a Diploma in nursing while living in England. I relocated to the USA in 1995 and continue my passion for nursing graduating in 2015 from GCU with my BSN. As a school nurse I am driven to cultivate our youth to passionately pursue knowledge of physical, mental health and wellness to assist them advocate for their health needs in their journey of life. When I have free time, I love to hike, travel and enjoy spending time with my family.
My name is Colleen Sulzer, the new school counselor with Archway North Phoenix. I am originally from the mid-west and have lived in Arizona for 30+ years. My family and I moved to Arizona when I was still in high school. Afterwards, I attended Northern Arizona University where I studied anthropology and biology. After some time, I returned to school to further my education. I attended University of Phoenix, where I graduated with a MA in educational counseling. I held a school counseling position at the same school for 13 years and loved every part of it. However, I was curious to try mental health counseling. I worked at a behavioral health service program for almost 5 years. Even though I loved my job, and working with my clients and their families, I was missing the school environment. So, here I am ready to work with the Great Hearts faculty, students, and their families. I would like to share with you the difference between school counseling and community counseling.The school counselor’s role is to assist the children, families, and faculty, but within the boundaries of the child’s behavior and how those behaviors affect their learning at school. The school counselor is also a wealth of knowledge regarding outside resources to assist children and families with any issues that may arise. I look forward to meeting and working with the Great Hearts students, families, and faculty.
Aaron Umbanhowar is an Arizona native, living their whole life in metro Phoenix and surrounding areas. He graduated from Shadow Mountain High School and at the same time from WestMec’s Northeast campus from their auto collision program. They worked as a custom parts fabricator for a classic Porsche restoration shop, before joining Great Hearts and their ESS program in 2021 as an ESSA. For three years Aaron supported the ESS team at North Phoenix before they made the switch to Facilities Manager for both Archway north Phoenix and North Phoenix Preparatory.Lead Teachers
Please see the listing of Archway North Phoenix Lead Teachers.
Nicole Perez was raised in Yuma, AZ. She attended the University of Arizona where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art. During college, she tutored fellow students in English and taught art and life skills to adults with developmental disabilities. After college, she worked for the Yuma County Library District; first as a library assistant and later as the Program Coordinator for adults.
Pamela Prieto was born and raised in San Pedro, California. She received her B.A. from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a double major in Philosophy and Political Science, and a double minor in Humanities and Asian-Pacific Studies. She moved to Taiwan with her husband in 2013 and was a kindergarten teacher for two years. After teaching in Taiwan, she moved to China and taught kindergarten for five years.
Cherokee Watkins was born Tucson, Az. She has her bachelor’s degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Northern Arizona University and moved to Phoenix after gradation. She loves working with children and watching them grow into the tiny humans that they are. She is married to her husband Tanner and together they have two children, son Oaklee who is 6, and daughter Ava who is 3. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys time outside in her garden or tending to her chickens and hanging with her family. She has been with Great Hearts for almost 5 years now and is excited to continue her work here.
Grace Sneed began teaching at Great Hearts in 2016 and taught through 2020. She is thrilled to be returning to the classroom and reconnecting with the joyful culture and timeless curriculum that first drew her to Great Hearts.
Ms. Mikesell received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University. She taught 2nd grade at a public school in Kingman for three years, and then worked in youth ministry for the next twenty-five years in San Diego, CA, Boulder, CO and Minneapolis, MN. During that time, she also got married and raised a family. She was delighted to move back to Arizona and to join the ANP team in 2020.
Rebekah Layton started at Archway North Phoenix in 2018. Miss Layton graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University in 2013 with a BA in English Linguistics and a Classical Studies Certificate. From 2016-2017, she did postgraduate studies in English language at the University of Edinburgh with a focus on the historical development of English. She is particularly interested in the Old English period (AD 500-1,000). In her collegiate studies of Latin and the classical period, she focused on aspects of Roman culture and the heroic tradition. In addition to English (Old, Middle, and Modern) and Latin, Miss Layton has studied Spanish, Scottish Gaelic, some German, and a smattering of other languages.
Mrs. Leahy feels very grateful to be a part of Great Hearts. She thinks being a First-grade teacher is the best and loves all her students. Mrs. Leahy prefers to be outside as much as possible when she is not in her classroom with her students. She likes to hike, bike, and run. She has a wonderful husband of 30 years and is blessed with 4 children. Mrs. Leahy likes to go out to different restaurants on weekends. Her favorite is Richardsons! She often has a smile on her face and is always excited to have a friendly conversation. Mrs. Leahy also enjoys traveling over the summer to the beaches of California, Rhode Island and Mexico with her family and friends.
Ms. Refermat is a Great Hearts Alum that was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. She attended Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and another in Business Management. During her undergraduate career, she studied abroad in Manchester, England for a semester. Her curiosity about other cultures and love for travel led her to teach abroad in Seoul, South Korea after graduation. In Seoul, Gianessa enjoyed teaching pre-school, first, second, third, and fourth grade students. Now that she’s back home in Arizona, she is excited to continue her teaching career at Archway North Phoenix. Long before she taught abroad, she had a love for reading, learning, and helping others do both! When she’s not working, she’s reading, writing, hiking, going to art museums, and planning her next trip!
Gidgett Herrier was born in Augusta, Georgia but spent the first decade of her life on various military bases as her father was a fighter pilot in the United Stares Air Force. Arizona was her families last stop and has remained her home. Gidgett has a BS from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Arizona State University. Prior to starting a family, Gidgett was in sales and consulting for the pharmaceutical industry. She and her husband have two children at Archway North Phoenix, the oldest entering the 6th grade and the youngest entering 2nd grade. After years of volunteering at school and being active in the PSO, Gidgett decided to take a more permanent role helping out at the school as the lunch coordinator. Being able to interact daily with ANP faculty and scholars has been a wonderful experience for her and she looks forward to the new year.
Mrs. Gianforte was born and raised in Brazil. She’s been living in the USA since 2001, after marrying her husband, Tony. They have two children, Enzo (18) and Sophia (14). After graduating with a Business Degree, Ms. Gianforte worked for different Financial institutions for many years. This is Mrs. Gianforte’s sixth year at Archway North Phoenix as lead teacher and Faculty Advisor for the first-grade team. Her passion for learning and helping her children created the desire to serve other children to achieve their full potential through our Liberal Arts curriculum. She believes that shaping the minds and hearts of our young students will lead them to a life of virtues and brighter ideas. In addition to supporting her students, Mrs. Gianforte enjoys spending quality time with her family, hiking, working out, reading, and playing with her beloved Goldendoodle, Chloe. Her family also loves to travel and explore new places around the world.
Ms. Gregg grew up in Scottsdale and moved to Los Angeles, where she had the privilege of being a private nanny and a preschool teacher. During this part of her career, she discovered the various aspects of the development of children. While in Los Angeles, she earned a B.A. in History from Grand Canyon University. In the Summer of 2022, Ms. Gregg moved back to Scottsdale to pursue a career in Education. She enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teaching certification program at Scottsdale Community College and worked as an apprentice teacher at Great Hearts North Phoenix. During that school year, she fell in love with the community and culture at Archway North Phoenix and was honored to become a lead teacher the following year. She is excited to continue her education career and help young minds pursue truth, goodness, and beauty. Outside of the classroom, Ms. Gregg enjoys reading, running, and spending time with loved ones.
My name is Ashley Toscas and I graduated from Northern Arizona University. I have my Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in Science. I have a variety of experience in multiple grades including fourth grade, kindergarten, and preschool. I have a dog named Dahlia and we love to snuggle up while I read a book.
Hi, my name is Tana Nash. I was born in California and grew up living in Arizona, South Africa and Australia. I attended The University of Arizona and graduated with a BS in Business Administration: Marketing. I have worked in a few different industries, including property management and health & fitness.
Christina Daab is a native of Phoenix, Arizona. She attended the University of Phoenix where she earned her Bachelors in Business Management. After 25 years in retail management, she decided to follow her dreams of teaching. She has her Associates in Elementary Education. She taught at her church’s preschool and was excited to join the ANP family. Her husband is a seventeen year Marine Corp vet, and their daughter is continuing her education with Great Hearts as a 4th grader. Ms. Daab loves working with all children, and enjoys being outdoors and swimming with her daughter in their pool.
Ms. O’Neal was born and raised in southern California in a small town called Lake Elsinore. She moved to Arizona when she was 17 and later attended Arizona State, where she got her degree in the philosophy of morality, politics, and law. She focused her studies on the philosophy of imagination, the theory of mind, and the philosophy of disability. Ms. O’Neal is also working in partnership with Arizona State’s humanities lab department to publish a children’s book, focusing on the hermeneutical injustices that children face during natural disasters. She loves to be working with her husband on woodworking and papercraft projects. This will be her third year with ANP and is proud to be part of the Great Hearts family.
Cassidy Jones received her B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in Forensic Psychology in 2022 from Grand Canyon University. During her undergraduate studies, Ms. Jones served for two years on Local Outreach leadership that designed events and activities for children and adults with special needs. Originally from Salem, Oregon, Ms. Jones came to Arizona in 2019. She enjoys the lack of rain and freezing temperatures. Ms. Jones chose to begin a career in education after finding a love for children through years of tutoring and nannying. Outside the classroom, Ms. Jones is an avid coffee shop enthusiast. Her current favorite is The Daily Drip! Ms. Jones also loves cooking, music, and card games.
Mrs. Johnson is an Arizona native living mostly in the Phoenix area. She has a Business Management degree and has worked for many years in fundraising for health-related organizations. She has three children, two who attend Great Hearts. She always enjoyed working with children through her non-profit work and is delighted to be part of ANP. She and her husband enjoy being outdoors hiking, camping and enjoying Arizona’s beautiful weather. She also enjoys reading, spin classes, visiting with friends and playing games together as a family.
Lydia Robb grew up in rural Ohio, next to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She moved to Arizona in 2015 “for an adventure,” and worked in construction for a year with her 2nd brother before deciding that teachers get to wear nicer clothes than construction workers and applying to Great Hearts. After a period of mourning for vibrant-colored, 4-season scenery, and extreme terror when driving on the 101 or 202, she evolved into a mild-winter-loving, road-raging Arizona transplant. A short eternity of work and school later, she graduated from ASU with a degree in Drawing and Painting, and a minor in intensive sleep deprivation. Away from work, she does Art, mostly portraiture in oil paint and chalk pastels. She enjoys reading (poetry, English literature, fantasy), longboarding, and hiking, especially bouldering for amateurs. When she is not visiting her pack of brothers and their families, she enjoys traveling to new places that have art museums, beaches, and good food. 
I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. I worked as a preschool assistant teacher in a Montessori setting. When I was 21, I moved to Orlando, FL where I finished my associate degree in early childhood education. In Orlando, I worked for an amazing company, Children’s Home Society of Florida, where I assisted families in high-risk situations to improve their choices as parents. After completing my schooling in Florida, I applied and was accepted to ASU. I moved to Arizona in 2022, worked in a retirement home as a waitress and for Play-Well Teknologies. In my role at Play-Well, I was an afterschool vendor and often worked at GH Veritas. I was interested in the Classical Education but due to my school schedule, I could not commit to full time, so I found myself as the Assistant Campus Coordinator for Athenaeum. After completing the 22-23 school year, I reached out to Ms. Kirby with my interest of working in the classroom. I met with Ms. Brennan on the Friday before Meet-the-Teacher and the rest is history!
Josh Finnson comes from a homeschooling background where he received the foundations of a classical education early on. After attending a charter high school that emphasized the fine arts, he later went on to graduate from GCU with a Bachelors in Music, a great passion of his. Since then, he has worked as a substitute teacher in the Deer Valley school district, which exposed him to a wide range of age groups and grades. He has also served as an English and Math tutor, choir director, and martial arts instructor. Mr. Finnson strives to train students in how to think for themselves, not merely memorize questions for a test.
Mr. Seeliger belongs to a Great Hearts family, with his wife teaching ESS and his two older daughters in Prep. He began teaching in 2014, joined Great Hearts in 2019, and joined North Phoenix in 2023. He loves explaining Singapore and diagramming to anyone who will listen, and finds quality time with his family to be the most rejuvenating.
After growing up in beautiful Big Sky Country and Seattle, Nicole Herman attended Wheaton College for a Bachelor’s in Chemistry, Master’s in Intercultural Communication, and an Illinois Teaching Certificate in Secondary Education. She taught Chemistry and Physics in Naperville, IL for ten years before moving to Phoenix where she taught at Desert Mountain High School for three more years. In the past eight years, she has been privileged to stay home with her son, being a full-time mom and homeschool teacher while working part-time as a tutor and nanny. Having missed being in the classroom, she is excited to embark on this new adventure working with younger scholars in a wider array of subjects and in the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. When not working, she loves to spend time with her family, animals of all shapes and sizes, and reading.
After graduating from Great Hearts North Phoenix Prep in 2018 as part of the inaugural class, I went on to attend Paradise Valley Community College. After, I received my BA in Anthropology with a minor in history from The University of Arizona. When not teaching, my hobbies include: reading, studying ancient Egypt, spending time with my service dog (Theo), and traveling. I feel blessed to be given the opportunity to return to this campus and hopefully help scholars discover a passion for learning they did not know they had.Apprentice Teacher
Please see the listing of Archway North Phoenix Apprentice Teachers.
Ms. Tibke is excited to be a part of the Archway North Phoenix community. She has a heart for children of all ages. She believes children truly are the future and sees the value and importance of nurturing their minds and hearts to help them become the best version of themselves possible. Our children will one day be the foundation that holds our society together. She has a son at ANP who she loves to spend time with. She loves to read, hike and spend time with her friends and family.
My name is Nataly Salman, and I’m a mom of four. I started out volunteering at my kid’s school, helping out whatever I could. Later, when I joined the school staff, I began working more closely with students in special education-and that’s where I found a real passion for supporting kids with diverse learning needs.
Ms. Julia Ostash (Ms. O) was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. The oldest of five siblings, Ms. O grew up with lots of boisterous activity and crazy antics (mainly from her brothers). After graduating from both Arizona State University and the University of Mary with degrees in Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership and Catholic Studies, Ms. O worked in Religious Education for a little bit which helped her rediscover a love for teaching and working with children. She made the switch to work for Great Hearts due to her love of and experience with classical education and the liberal arts. In her free time, Ms. O enjoys spending her time reading, swing dancing, playing with her dogs, hanging out with her friends and family, and watching football. She is very excited for this school year and can’t wait to see what blessings will unfold!
Originally born and raised in Washington State, Ms. Spencer moved to Arizona to attend college at Grand Canyon University where she studied Elementary and Special Education. She has a passion for working with kids and loves the philosophy that Great Hearts has for students.
Adriana Mayhew was born and raised in Alta Loma, California where she met her husband, Kellen Mayhew, who also works at Great Hearts. She attended Chaffey Community College where she began her education in Early Childhood Development but paused her studies due to life circumstances and began working full-time. In September of 2023, Mr. and Mrs. Mayhew moved from Alta Loma, California to Phoenix, Arizona for a change of pace. They’ve fallen in love with the beauty and great food of their new home state. Discovering Great Hearts felt like the perfect fit, aligning with our values and passions. 
Shawn Lund is originally from Tacoma Washington. She moved to Phoenix Arizona with her husband and son in 2021. Shawn received her BA in Sociology from the University of Washington and has for the past 24 years, dedicated her career to banking, lending, and management.
I was raised in Phoenix , Arizona and have been apart of Greats Hearts for about two years now. I’m currently pursuing my degree in Elementary Education. For me children are so fun to work with and I love helping others. I enjoy spending time with the curious minds of children and helping to teach and guide them while also, learning from them too. When I’m not at school my best friend and I love exploring different coffee shops. I also have been obsessed with visiting markets where I can try different kinds of foods. I’m very passionate about singing in my church and helping with the youth group. I live with my mother and have an older (by just a little) sister, as well as a younger sister, so this makes me part of the middle child club. For fun my family and I love to bake and make homemade dough for pizzas!
This is my first year at Archway North Phoenix and I am so excited to be joining the Great Hearts family. I grew up in Arizona and spent my time involved in theatre, cross country, track, and martial arts. I first started working with children as a Tae Kwon Do instructor while I was in high school. Since then, I have had a lot of exciting experiences working with kids including being a birthday party host, camp counselor, daycare worker and swim instructor. I attended Oregon State University, where I studied Kinesiology, Psychology and Zoology. After graduating, I have enjoyed working as a swim instructor and spending my free time reading, cooking, surfing, and traveling.
I was born and raised in California. I am married and blessed to be a mother to my four children and a Nani to three beautiful grandkids of which, one of them attends here at Great Hearts. My husband I decided to make the move to Arizona to be with our two young adult children at the time, back in 2015. I have always enjoyed working with children and their families, from infants to toddlers to school age children for the past 30+ years and going. I am so glad to be a part of Great Hearts Academies!
Katie Mikesell was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended Grand Canyon University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work. In December 2021, Katie began her career in social work as a group home manager for teenage girls in foster care. She has also worked as a preschool teacher and a nanny over the last three years.
Jocelyn Forsyth was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Public Management and her Master’s degree in Education from Northern Arizona University. Ms. Forsyth’s career began as a technology specialist for the City of Phoenix, working in the Law and Fire Departments. She retired in 2024 and is excited to begin her next chapter working with students and families at Archway North Phoenix.
Vito Messana was born and raised in the Valley of the Sun. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University in 2009, he worked in the food and retail industries. In August 2016, Mr. Messana fulfilled a lifelong dream to become an educator when he started working at Archway North Phoenix. Over the last nine years, he has worked in 3rd, 5th, and 6th grades. Outside of teaching, Mr. Messana enjoys spending his time researching history (especially family history), attending school events, cheering on the North Phoenix Prep Gladiators, and philosophizing. He looks forward to seeking the True, Beautiful, and Good with our scholars for another year.
Bobby MacDonald was born in Rancho Cucamonga, California. In 2011 he moved to San Antonio, Texas and lived there for 9 years until he graduated from Harlan High School, after which he decided to move back to his hometown to help care for his grandparents. After working in a warehouse for several months, he felt a higher calling awaited him in the field of education. Bobby worked as a proctor at Cucamonga Middle School for several months before transferring to Alta Loma Elementary. The job proved to be challenging, but Bobby had found what he’d been looking for. During his time at Alta Loma, he was given the opportunity to work in the classroom once a week where he’d help out as an Instructional aid and work closer with the kids in a classroom environment, rather than just supervising the playground. That cemented Bobby’s love for education and showed him how he could make a positive impact in his community. Bobby recently moved to Arizona to continue his path to becoming a teacher. He is excited to start his journey this year with Great Hearts as an assistant teacher. 
My name is Vilma Mercedes Gardner, I am a proud mom of three amazing kids, Eric 15, Isaiah 13, and Elizabeth 8. I obtained my Early Childhood Educator Degree in 2020, and I am passionate about education. I am originally from Lima, Peru, and Spanish is my native language. I have been working at Archway North Phoenix since 2021. I love being here, from the school mission, the faculty, the students, their families, and the community as a whole, I love Archway North Phoenix.
Mr. Ohre is thrilled to be part of your scholar’s 4th grade journey at Archway North Phoenix! With a background in music and marketing, he brings creativity and enthusiasm to all subject areas and looks forward to a year of growth, learning, and joy in the classroom.
Ms. Gigi Gopalakrishnan was born and raised in India. She moved to the USA in 2003 after marrying her husband Ramesh. They have 2 daughters, Nina (18) and Ro (16).
Kellen Mayhew was born and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He moved to North Phoenix in 2023 and fell in love with Arizona immediately. Kellen graduated from West Coast EMT in 2019 with an NREMT certification, but decided the medical field was not for him. In 2020 he decided to go back to college and get a degree in History with the intention to teach high school history. He attained his AA in History from Chaffey College in 2022, then continued his education at Cal Poly Pomona for a year until he moved to Arizona, where he began attending GCU in order to finish his education. He is set to graduate in March of 2026 with a BA in History. This is his first year at Archway North Phoenix and has only positive remarks for the school. Besides Great Hearts, he also worked for the Cucamonga School District as an ISS Behavioral Interventionist and security for Paradise Valley Unified. Outside of school and work he enjoys video games, fishing, aviation, and spending time with his lovely wife, who also has the pleasure of working for Great Hearts!
Hello all, my name is Mr. Maloney and I am enthralled to be joining the archway north phoenix team this year. In 2022 I began my journey by working at Athenaeum at the Scottsdale location and quickly fell in love with the Great Hearts ideology; and I started subbing. When in my free time I can usually be found at the nearest movie theater or exploring around anywhere I get the chance.
Erin Higgins moved to Phoenix from Chicago when she was in elementary school. She attended Arizona State University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in French.Special Subjects
Please see the listing of Archway North Phoenix Special Subject Teachers.
Mrs. Berger is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. She headed south to warmer weather in Dallas, TX to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Southern Methodist University. After working in health club management, Mrs. Berger changed her career focus to teaching. After twelve years as a classroom teacher in a Phoenix charter school, Mrs. Berger found her way to Great Hearts joining the inaugural team at Archway North Phoenix in 2012. She moved from a classroom lead teacher position to teaching Art and has relished this opportunity as a new way to reach young hearts and minds.
Kelley Cooper is originally from Detroit, Michigan but for grew up in the Scottsdale area. She attended Arizona State University and graduated with a degree in English Literature. After interning throughout college, she pursued a career in public relations and advertising at three different agencies in Phoenix. From there, she went to in-house marketing for the Greater Phoenix CVB and used business skills combined with creativity to promote tourism to our area.
Katie Jeong was born and raised in South Korea and has been living in Arizona for about two years. She majored in piano and English education in college and pursued a graduate degree in English education. 
Eternity Hamilton was born and raised in Fountain Hills, Arizona. She graduated from Arizona State University with a BM in Music Therapy. Eternity did a full time internship as part of her degree at Brookdale Hospice and gained experience using music to heal the hearts, bodies, and minds of Phoenix’s senior population. She came to Archway North Phoenix in December 2018 and has loved teaching students music ever since. She enjoys spending time with her husband Logan Hamilton who also teacher at ANP, playing guitar, learning to use her slow cooker, and having game nights with her friends and family.
Ms. Virginia Olivieri was born in Bordeaux, France, and move to the United States as a young child. Although French is her first language, she learned English in pre-school and Kindergarten in Arizona. While attending Arizona State University, Olivieri had the opportunity to begin using her French language skills to work for a private second language teaching company in Scottsdale. That led her to become the lead French teacher for grades 1-8 at a local private school. Madame V, as her students call her, is so excited to be a part of the Archway North Phoenix team and looks forward to teaching a whole new generation of students the beauty of the French language and culture. Ms. Olivieri is also a critically acclaimed actor and director in theatre having performed and directed over 75 productions over the past 30 years.
I recently graduated from NAU with a BA in Communication Studies and Spanish. I have enjoyed volunteering with the kid’s ministry and VBS at my church. I feel honored to be joining a school full of such unity and love for one another. I look forward to getting to know everyone the rest of this year as a TA in pursuit of a career in teaching Spanish. Fun facts about me: I’m an Arizona native, enjoy being active, hiking, board games, playing guitar and painting with watercolor.
John Terpin is a Homeschooled Arizona native who graduated with a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Excelsior University in 2023.
Justin Norris has a passion for health and wellness, and received his Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Arizona State University. He enjoys sports, running, hiking, and traveling to new places. Coach Norris has family throughout Germany, and hopes to one day be able to speak the language fluently and travel there as often as possible. Coach Norris hopes to share his enthusiasm for physical activity with his students, and show them being active is fun and also very rewarding.
Dylan Waugh was born and raised right here in Phoenix. He graduated from Arizona Christian University where he majored in Communication and minored in Biblical Studies. Dylan has been teaching PE at ANP since 2015. His passion for knowing Truth, Beauty and Goodness personally led him to pursue a career teaching. When he was introduced to the Great Hearts model, he could not apply fast enough! He considers it a high honor to work alongside some of the brightest minds in classical education and counts it a joy to partake in the cultivation of his student’s hearts and minds. He and his wife have been married for 5 years and just had a baby girl!Exceptional Student Services
Please see the listing of Archway Exceptional Student Services.
Jean Page was born and raised in Nacogdoches, Texas. She attended Texas A&M University and earned a degree in secondary education. After teaching middle school science for four years, she married and moved to Phoenix where she taught preschool and kindergarten for the next two years. In 1992, she began working for an environmental group that ran education programs for public utility companies. From 1996 to 2013, Mrs. Page lived with her family in Turkey and in the United Arab Emirates. During this time, she homeschooled her three children. From 2015 to 2021, Mrs. Page taught first grade at Archway North Phoenix. At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, she began working in the Exceptional Student Services Department. In her free time, Mrs. Page likes to read, go for walks, and spend time with family.
Kerry Duclos (Souza) was raised in Phoenix, AZ from the time she was in second grade. She lived in other places over the years, and most recently moved back to Phoenix after living in Massachusetts for 6.5 years. Ms. Duclos (Souza) was a stay-at-home mom to her 6 children for 17 years, then began working with children in early childhood as a lead toddler and lead two-year-old teacher and was a Kindergarten Paraprofessional for 4.5 years. During this time, she earned an AA in Early Childhood Education, and a BA in Sociology from Bridgewater State University. She earned her MA in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis while working as a Registered Behavior Technician with children aged 2-11 diagnosed with Autism. She is also certified to teach K-12 Special Education. Ms. Duclos (Souza) enjoys reading, crocheting, going on day trips, and spending time with her children and most especially her grandchildren. Ms. Duclos (Souza) is delighted to be on the Exceptional Student Services team.
Mr. Sneed was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He and his family moved to Arizona in 2001. While attending Webster University, Mr. Sneed earned a BA in Legal Studies and a paralegal certification. He is currently enrolled in Rio Salado’s Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Education program for Special Education. This will be Mr. Sneed’s seventh year teaching at Archway North Phoenix; he spent four years teaching 3
Hayley Taylor is an Arizona native and grew up in the Phoenix area. Hayley has a bachelor’s degree in integrative health and nutrition and a master’s degree in special education. She joined the Archway North Phoenix team in 2021 as an AT and is now working as a Special Education Teacher and Coordinator in Exceptional Student Services. Hayley loves living a holistic and active lifestyle. In her free time, she likes to dance, climb, do yoga, and crochet. She loves her job and considers herself to be a life-long student!
Ms. Macaluso graduated from Northern Arizona University in 1992 with a B.S. in Elementary Education. Although she felt the passion of relating to elementary school aged children during her student teaching which had followed her graduation, she felt a draw toward a young student in the class that had a severe speech impairment and had grown very close. After student teaching came to a close, Ms. Macaluso decided that she had found her calling and began teaching full-time at Saguaro Behavioral Health Center for Exceptional Education. This was a much smaller class which included both learning disabled and special needs students. Ms. Macaluso thrived in this environment. Although at the time she could not see it, she does believe that this experience with these wonderful students was given to her in preparation for what was to come later in her life as she would soon understand. Today she is a proud mother of two beautiful daughters-one with autism (this is the event she referred to being prepared for earlier). This brings her interest in children and their education and well-being to a whole new level as you might imagine. This is what led her to Great Hearts. Having the desire to continue with this path, I am happy to be a part of the ESS team here at Archway North Phoenix.
I have worked in education for the past 11 years, with 10 years of this being spent at Paradise Valley District in the Special Education Department. In February 2024 I transferred over to Great Hearts Academy and joined the North Phoenix campus and community. I’m the care giver for my niece that attends Archway and have enjoyed being able to be apart of her educational development and growth, as well as your scholar(s).
Kaitlyn Simon is an Arizona native that joined Archway North Phoenix in the fall of 2024 after graduating from Grand Canyon University with her B.A in Christian Studies with an emphasis in Youth Ministry. Through the lens of ESS, Ms. Simon has found her passion in working with children with disabilities. She is looking forward to pursuing a master’s at GCU in special education at some point to further understand behaviors.
My name is Nancy Steinle I am a mother of five and I was always involved in schooling first as a parent volunteer then as a faculty.
Erin Rushing grew up in the tiny town of Edgemont, South Dakota. She attended New Mexico State University where she earned a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing and Economics. After working in banking for three years, she became a homemaker and raised her 4 children for the next 21 years. She has homeschooled her children for 9 years and has been a Kindergarten teacher with ANP for 3 years. She has two daughters attending North Phoenix Prep. Ms. Rushing is thrilled to share her love of literature and picture books with her students. Reading aloud with her own children is one of her favorite hobbies. She also enjoys caring for her houseplants, sewing, and crafting, and a quiet evening at home with a good book or movie.
Katy Kwan has spent most of her life in Arizona. She graduating from NAU with a bachelors degree in Social Work and received her masters degree in Cross-Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. She has been with ANP since 2014 and has spent most of that time teaching fifth grade. When not working with Singapore Math manipulatives she and her husband have a food truck which keeps them both busy. They love to travel and explore as well as spend quality time arguing over tv and movie plots. They have recently added another pup to their family so please excuse any missed dog hair. 
Joyce Bebow was born and raised near Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from Wayne State University with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education. After moving to Arizona her first teaching job was in the Glendale School District. Then she met her husband and had two children. Her love for her family and her passion for learning came together as she homeschooled her children. Her understanding and knowledge as well as love for classical education grew as she taught for many years at Valley Classical Christian School in a first grade class as well as in a first and second grade combination class. In joining the Archway Classical Academy North Phoenix team for its inaugural year in 2012 she kept her enthusiasm for learning and her delight in teaching children flourishing. She is looking forward to many more years teaching young scholars at the new campus of Archway Classical Academy North Phoenix.Athenaeum
Afterschool Program
My name is Galilea Arroyo, and I am the Campus Coordinator for Athenaeum at Archway North Phoenix. I was born in Amarillo Texas. I am a mother of two, one 13-year-old girl and one 8-year-old boy. In my free time I love to spend time with my children and make memories, go to Mexico and visit our family. My career has allowed me to gain experience working with children and families of all backgrounds and abilities. I have served as a Paraprofessional for the Paradise Valley Unified School District and in this role, I was able to find my passion for serving other; that path led me to Great Hearts. I have loved working in Athenaeum and being a part of the Great Hearts community.
Lauren attended The University of Arizona and earned a Bachelors degree in Communication with a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, she began working in the finance industry where she continued working for several years. All along, she knew she had a passion for working with kids as she frequently volunteered with the preschoolers at her church. She is excited to join Great Hearts and work with kids every day. Her hobbies include traveling with her husband, singing, and trying new restaurants in the Phoenix area.