Mrs. Susan Barnes - Kindergarten

BS Human Development - Warner Pacific College
Years of teaching experience:  6
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  6
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I teach at St. Stephen's because I have a love for teaching. Being part of a school that cultivates virtue, wisdom, and godliness while teaching basic foundational and traditional subjects is enriching. The daily interactions with the students and faculty have inspired me to grow and continue to educate myself in many areas.
Philosophy of teaching:  Without education poverty expands, democracy shrinks, governments fail, and people are oppressed. Education is the key to liberty - personal as well as societal. As an educator it is my responsibility to demonstrate to my students the value of education and nurture an appreciation for it.
Hobbies:  reading, writing, walking

Mrs. Brooke Ziehnert - 1st Grade

BA Education - Washington State University
Master of Education - Whitworth College
Years of teaching experience:  7
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  3
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I teach at St. Stephen's because it is a Christ centered, biblically based Christian school with a loving staff who is focused on providing excellent academic opportunities for their students. I am blessed with small class sizes, dedicated families, and enthusiastic students when I arrive at school each day.
Philosophy of teaching:  I love teaching using classical methods! The curriculum taught in a classical school is delivered to the children at their developmental level. Learning is a joy, and we have a lot of fun as we use sound-offs, singing, and chanting to memorize facts in the lower grades.
Hobbies:  water skiing, reading, coordinating Operation Christmas Child for my church, watching my children participate in their activities

Mrs. Sandi Brickley - 1st Grade

BA Economics - University of California at Davis
Years of teaching experience:  3
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  3
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I am blessed to be a part of a school that maintains an eternal, Christian perspective with respect to raising up God's children. I am also pleased to be a part of our pursuit for academic excellence.
Philosophy of teaching:  I believe that my enthusiasm for a topic is the best teacher. My goal is not merely to pass along information, but to pass along a love of learning to my students. Years from now my students may not remember what they learned about the Colony of Virginia in my class, but my prayer is that they will remember my passion for our country's founding.
Hobbies:  outdoor activities including camping, boating, and running; cooking, reading, and spending time with family

Mrs. Glenda Portukalian-Lewis - 2nd Grade

BA English Literature - California State University Fullerton
Years of teaching experience:  7
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  7
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  Teaching the fundamental tools for life-long learning is essential to any child's success in this world. Teaching at St. Stephen's provides the atmosphere and support I need to teach these tools.
Philosophy of teaching:  God has a perfect plan for all His children. I want the students I teach to grow up humbly accepting that plan and having peace, knowing that whatever it may be he does for the glory of God.
Hobbies:  gardening, outdoor sports, exploring Oregon

Mrs. Cindy Porter - 2nd Grade

BA Liberal Studies - Humboldt State University
California Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, K-12 - San Diego State University
Years of teaching experience:  10
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  4
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I enjoy challenging students, helping them to reach the next level. In the primary grades, it is exciting to witness students progressing from learning to read to loving to read. I deeply appreciate the rich classical Christian education my own five children have received at St. Stephen's Academy, and I am grateful to be a part of this wonderful school.
Philosophy of teaching:  Through a Biblical world view and the tools of classical education, I seek to cultivate in my students godly character, a love of study, and strong foundational skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic so that our children will be encouraged to love Christ, to delight in learning, and to seek truth.
Hobbies:  reading, shopping for books, listening to music, playing the flute

Mrs. Valerie Holt - 3rd Grade (Grammar 1)

BA Biology - Washington University
MA Early Childhood Education - Hood College
Years of teaching experience:  12
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  5
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I believe God has opened a door for me at St. Stephen's to teach. He has placed a passion, as well as a commitment in my soul to strive for excellence in my teaching. St. Stephen's offers me an opportunity to teach children to love learning and to love God's awesomeness.
Philosophy of teaching:  I believe education is a collaboration between the student and the teacher. As described in the Seven Laws of Teaching, trust, respect, and a desire to learn are interwoven together so that the student is guided to discover the facts of God and His creation. Ultimately, these facts will one day enable the student to be not only a life-long learner, but also the steward of God's creation as God has intended him/her to be.
Hobbies:  rock hounding with family, hiking, quilting, gardening, reading, puzzles

Mrs. Susan Stopoulos - 4th Grade (Grammar 2)

BA French and Spanish; Minor in Education - Seattle Pacific College
Years of teaching experience:  25
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  5
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  St. Stephen's offers a wonderful environment to teach a rich curriculum using age-appropriate methodologies in a close and friendly community of colleagues, parents and students. Its philosophy is consistent with my own convictions about education so it provided a good fit. I was also impressed with its responsible leadership.
Philosophy of teaching:  I believe that children have the responsibility to master curriculum. It is both his right and his reward. It is the responsibility of the teacher to present that material in an age appropriate manner. For the fourth grader, this means applying drama, projects, drills and games to quality content. It is my job as teacher to select material that displays truth, goodness and beauty that will last beyond just the days of childhood, filling the heart of the child with riches for life. We begin with the basic facts necessary to provide a foundation in each of the subject areas and enrich it with beautiful music, poetry and art. As a Christian community, I am committed to focus on the truth and beauty of God's creation and redemptive purpose as it is manifested in each subject area.
Hobbies:  walking, reading, sewing, knitting, English hand smocking, crocheting, birdwatching, making music

Mrs. Karen Alston - 5th Grade (Grammar 3)

BA Elementary Education - Arizona State University
Years of teaching experience:  25+
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  3
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  Classical Christian education offers the best of all worlds, in that we are able to teach and nurture the whole child - spiritual, intellectual, moral, physical, psychological, and social.  Also, St. Stephen's is a very grace-filled environment in which to work.
Philosophy of teaching:  My desire is to see students grow and mature in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man, as Jesus' boyhood is described in Luke 2:52.  Classical Christian education is, I believe, the best way to do that as we focus on truth, goodness and beauty.
Hobbies:  gardening, Classic English novels and films, travelling

Mrs. Juliet Kane - 6th Grade (Grammar 4)

BA and MA Modern and Medieval Languages - Cambridge University
Years of teaching experience:  12
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  9
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:   I believe the school is succeeding in its stated goal of "providing an academically excellent education in a grace-filled environment that develops Christian character" (from the St. Stephen's mission statement).  Students are being equipped with what Dorothy Sayers has called "the tools of learning",  and Christian parents are being enabled to fulfill the mandates of Deuteronomy 6:5-9 and Galatians 6:2.
Philosophy of teaching:  "Educating is not sermonizing to children against their instincts and pleasures, but providing a natural continuity between what they feel and what they can and should be."  Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind
Hobbies:  piano, singing, French, German, reading the novels of Anthony Trollope

Mr. Michael Kane- 6th Grade Math

BSC Finance - Liberty University
MBA - Liberty University
Years of teaching experience:  9
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  9
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I love the school.  I love math.  I love Grammar 4.
Philosophy of teaching:  My aim is to teach 6th grade math in a way that is authentically Christian and authentically classical.  Consistent with being a Christian school and our curriculum, my goal is that students “discern the unchanging God of order and truth who is reflected in the beauty and order of mathematical principles”.   Consistent with the classical model, my goal is that students graduate 6th grade with a solid foundation in the Grammar of mathematics.
Hobbies:  cycling, music

Mrs. Delyn Schuler - 6th Grade Science

BS Systems Engineering - US Military Academy at West Point
Years of teaching experience:  2
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  2
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I love science, and I love our students.  I'd like to see our students excited about the possibility of making a difference in the world through exploring science.
Philosophy of teaching:  Love learning, love teaching, love students.
Hobbies:  skiing, running, learning about creation v. evolution

Miss Michelle Youngblood - Latin (Grammar 2 - Grammar 4)

BA English - Hillsdale College
Graduate Certificate in Classical Christian Studies - New Saint Andrews
Years of teaching experience:  2
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  1
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I teach at St. Stephen's because I want to see the growth of Classical Christian education.  Additionally, I love the small class size, involved families, and middle schoolers who smile.
Philosophy of teaching:  The purpose of a Christian education is to produce a well ordered soul.  The hope is that the student will emerge loving God an submitting to His truth.
Hobbies:  hiking, biking, reading, sewing and grading

Mrs. Ginger Sullivan - Grammar Physical Education

AS Business - North Iowa Community College
Years of teaching experience:  5
Years teaching at St. Stephen's:  5
Why I teach at St. Stephen's:  I believe St. Stephen's is the best classical Christian school in the area.  I believe God has given me a gift of working with children by teaching physical education. 
Philosophy of teaching:  Teach the children and build on the basics of physical education.  Encourage, build confidence and teach sportsmanship.
Hobbies:  being outdoors, any physical activity, serving people