Kindergarten

MELISSA HART teaches Kindergarten. She earned an M.S. and B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Tennessee and is certified in grades PreK-4. She has been working in education since 2007.

ERICA KANE has been a lead preschool teacher at Concord Christian Preschool for several years. She has extensive knowledge of the Abeka curriculum used in our kindergarten program. Mrs. Kane has a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Development from the University of Tennessee and is licensed in Pre-K through K and Special Education.

HOLLY LUSK teaches Kindergarten. She graduated From Carson Newman University with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. She will be graduating in May with an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with a reading specialist endorsement. She has been working in education since 2011.

MARISSA WILCOXSON has a B.A. degree with a major in Liberal Arts; Elementary Education with an emphasis in Biblical Studies from Colorado Christian University. Mrs. Wilcoxson taught kindergarten for 2 years in Colorado.
First Grade

SARAH CHANEY has a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Elementary Education from Freed-Hardeman University. She has been teaching elementary grades since 2018 and joined the CCS faculty in 2022 where she teaches 1st grade.

DENISE DUNHAM teaches First Grade. She graduated from William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri with an M.S. in Education in Administration and a B.S. in Elementary Education from Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. She has been teaching since 2001.

MADISON MORTON earned a B.S. in Family and Child Development from Liberty University. She recently moved to Knoxville from Virginia Beach where she taught Kindergarten for a year. She began her teaching career in 2021 and joined the CCS teaching staff in 2022. She is one of the CCS 1st grade teachers.

AMY RAINWATER teaches First Grade. She earned a B.S. in Education from Western Washington University. Mrs. Rainwater has worked in education since 1995 and has maintained Renaissance National Honor Roll for the Accelerated Reader program for over 20 years.
Second Grade

JENNIFER BISHOP teaches second grade at CCS. She received her B.B.S. in Elementary Education from Crown College in Powell, TN, and a B.S. in Pre-Teaching from the University of Tennessee. Mrs. Bishop began her professional career by implementing the National Institute of Learning Disabilities program and has been in education since 1997.

KEELY BROCK is teaching second grade at CCS. She graduated from East Tennessee State University with a B.S. Degree in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching in Knoxville since 2014.

AMBERLEE TRULOVE teaches Second Grade at CCS. She is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University, with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She had the opportunity to move overseas to Thailand and teach a variety of grades. She has been teaching since 2018.
Third Grade

LORI FRANKLIN earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a Post-Baccalaureate in Elementary Education from South College. She is currently teaching 3rd grade and has been teaching since 2012.

MANDY RICHARDS has a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Central Washington University and an M.A. degree in Education with an emphasis on Reading from Walden University. Mrs. Richards has been teaching since 2000 and joined the CCS faculty in 2021.

CHRISTINA BROWN received her undergraduate degree from ETSU. Her post-baccalaureate teaching certificate was earned from LMU. She is a third grade teacher and is also the high school cheer coach.
Fourth Grade

FAITH GIPSON has a B.S. degree in Education with a 4th - 8th grade endorsement, as well as her M.A. degree in Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Technology. She attended Tennessee Technological University for both degrees. Ms. Gipson taught at Vine Magnet School prior to accepting the position at CCS.

HANNAH HANEY has experience teaching in grades four through seven. Her previous teaching assignment was at Vine Magnet School in Knoxville, where she taught ELA (English, Language Arts). Mrs. Haney has a B.S. degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with a 4th - 8th grade endorsement from Tennessee Technological University.

JENNIFER KECK teaches Fourth Grade. She is a graduate of Bryan College with a B.S. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Classroom Instruction. Ms. Keck began teaching in 2020.
Fifth Grade

KATIE D'AQUILANTE earned an M.A in History and a B.A. in History with certifications in Public History and Anthropology from Rowan University. She began teaching 5th grade in 2021 and moved to Knoxville from New Jersey and joined the CCS family in 2022.

NICOLE NESTOR has recently moved to Knoxville from Temecula, California, where she taught for several years. She has experience in 4th through 6th grades at her previous school. Mrs. Nestor has a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Liberty University, as well as an M.A. degree in Special Education.

DAN RUTHERFORD earned his degree at Cincinnati Christian University. He has been working in the classroom since 2010 teaching Bible and History. He also has 29 years of experience in the preaching/pastoral ministry which overlapped with some of his teaching. Mr. Rutherford joined the CCS teaching team in 2022 and teaches 5th grade Bible and History.

LINDSEY SMITH is teaching Fifth Grade. She earned a B.A. in Elementary Education from Carson Newman University. Ms. Smith is currently pursuing a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction as well as a certificate in online teaching. She began teaching in 2020.
Enrichments and Support

SHANNON BEAL works as a Teacher's Assistant for the elementary school. She has a double major in Biology and Psychology from Carson Newman University. She worked in the Enriched Uranium Lab at Y-12 in Oak Ridge where she analyzed metal shavings from dismantled nuclear weapons before coming to CCS in 2002.

KERI COCHRAN earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UTK. She works as the CCS Library Assistant and has been part of the Theatre Arts team since 2018.

JESSICA CONLEY teaches Spanish to Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students. She is a graduate of Cedarville University in Ohio with a B.A. in Multi-Age Spanish Education. Mrs. Conley has studied abroad in Spain and has been teaching since 2009.

LANA FOSTER earned a B.S. from Tennessee Technological University and an MAE from Cumberland University. She served as a librarian in Morgan County and Roane County Schools since 1996 before coming to CCS in 2022. Mrs. Foster is the CCS librarian.

KRISTA GADDIS teaches Elementary Art to Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students. She graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Studio Art and an M.S. in Art Education. She has been teaching since 2011.

CARMEN HOCHEVAR teaches Physical Education in grades K-8th, and is the Head Coach for High School Volleyball. She has coached volleyball for over 20 years including 6 years as a club coach. Coach Hochevar has coached Division I, II, and beach volleyball players. Her daughter, Brittany, plays on the FIVB World Volleyball and AVP Beach Volleyball Circuits and currently ranked among the top ten players in the world. She has been working in education since 2011.

JENNIE PUSSER is the CCS Speech Pathologist for CCS. She holds an M.A.in Speech Pathology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, with a specialization in Pediatric Aural Habilitation, and a B.S. in Communication Disorders from Murray State University. She has been practicing Speech/Language Pathology since 2002 and has been at CCS since 2016.

ANGELA THALLER is the Director of Academic Support. She earned a B.S. in Elementary, Early Childhood, and Special Education from the University of Wisconsin. She has been teaching since 2006.

JAMIE TUCKER teaches Elementary Music and directs Elementary Chapel. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education (K-8th) from Carson Newman University. Mrs. Tucker has been working in education since 2001. She is also the sponsor of the Elementary New Christians Club.

DANIELLE TURNER graduated from LMU where she obtained a B.S. degree in Athletic Training. In 2007, Mrs. Turner received her Post Baccalaureate in Elementary Education. Mrs. Turner has experience with multiple types of technology, leading her previous school in multiple professional development opportunities. With her background in science and technology, Mrs. Turner will provide an excellent STEM program for our students.

JULIE WILSON is the Elementary Substitute and Teaching Assistant. She received an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Lincoln Memorial University and received an endorsement in English as a Second Language from Lipscomb University. Mrs. Wilson also has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Tennessee Technological University. She has been working in education since 1997.