Lower School Faculty & Staff

Tracie Hughes
Lower School Principal
Mrs. Hughes is passionate about the education and development of children. Tracie believes that each child has been uniquely gifted by God and feels blessed to be able to help children realize their full potential as well as their God given gifts. Tracie considers partnering with parents and teachers to enrich the growth of students is her biggest blessing in her role at CCS. She loves Crossings Christian School and is driven by our mission, to partner with parents and church to develop students into Christ-centered servant leaders who are academically and spiritually prepared for college and life!
When not in school, spending time with her family is her biggest joy. She has been married since 1983 and has two grown and married children and four wonderful grandchildren. She also enjoys traveling and reading.

Laura Lovelace
Administrative Assistant to Lower School Principal
Laura is married to Todd and they have 3 children, Ross, Reid and Kate, each who attended CCS since preschool. Laura and Todd serve as marriage mentors for young couples and host a small group in their home to encourage young families in their Christian walk. As a family, they enjoy going to the beach, riding bikes, swimming, participating in sports and hanging out together.
Laura has a heart for serving others and is grateful for the opportunity to serve the students, parents, and teachers through her role at CCS.

Cadee Coulter
Receptionist
Cadee joined the CCS staff in 2016 after having the privilege to stay at home with her children. While staying home, Cadee volunteered at the school and served on the PTF board. She previously taught at The Lamplighter School in Dallas, Texas as the Academic Technology Coordinator and as an alternate teacher. Mrs. Coulter also taught preschool at Crossings for one year while she was finishing her Masters degree.
Cadee has been married to Cale since 2001. They have three children at Crossings; Patrick, Eloise and George. They have been at the school since Patrick was a preschooler in 2009. The Coulters enjoy being involved at their church, going to the lake, skiing, the Thunder, and the Sooners. Cadee participates in Bible Study Fellowship, she also enjoys traveling and watching her children participate in activities.
Kindergarten

Andrea Brewster
Mrs. Brewster has spent 4 years tutoring students and is certified through HILD to work with young children that are exhibiting possible signs of learning problems.
Mrs. Brewster and her husband have 2 children and 5 grandchildren and love spending time with them. She also loves crafting, hiking, and traveling.

Patty Kennedy
Patty has taught kindergarten, first grade, and special education classes. After teaching for 12 years Patty changed careers to become a stay-at-home mom with her two boys. After raising her amazing sons, Colin and Blaine, she decided to go back to teaching. Ms. Patty is thrilled to be back in the classroom. She loves the students’ energy and watching each child as they grow through the school year. Patty has found Crossings Christian School to be an outstanding place to work for she loves praying with and for the students each day.
With both her boys grown and on their own, Patty has found time to read, sew, and continues her leadership position at Bible Study Fellowship. She also enjoys yard work, OU football, travel and exercising.

Susanne Kohutek
Mrs. Kohutek has a passion for early childhood. She loves to build relationships with her students and their parents. Along with the fun and laughter, her favorite part of teaching is seeing each student’s discovery and developmental process of learning.
Susanne and her husband Doug have been married since 1974. They are blessed with two adult children, Monica and Chris, a daughter-in-law, and one grandson. Susanne enjoys family time, cooking, watching sports, and being “Grammie”.

Kathy Mercer
She has a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Central Oklahoma. In addition, she has earned her Masters in Early Childhood Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum from the University of Oklahoma. Previously she taught 9 years in Nevada, Texas and Oklahoma. For over four years she was a Child Development Specialist for the State Department of Education, “Sooner Start” Program.
Kathy enjoys baking and watching old movies with her husband, Mark and her daughter, Darla who is also a student at CCS.

Theresa Bowden
Kindergarten Assistant
Theresa considers it a privilege for their children, Joshua and Lily, to attend Crossings Christian School. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the Crossings community by investing her time and love into the students and their families in the school.
Her family enjoys traveling, vacations at the beach, playing with their two cats (Phinneas and Elly), and spending time with friends.

Kelsey Chambers
Kindergarten Assistant
Kelsey loves being around the energy of children! She enjoys helping her students learn to grow in their self-confidence and natural curiosity. She believes that the elementary classroom should be built around student inquiry across disciplines and that teachers should give students the confidence to learn and discern.
The Chambers Family includes husband, Evan, sons Kai, Whit, Ladd, and daughter, Loy Leah. They love to be doing just about anything outside as a family.

Alex Corp
Kindergarten Assistant
Alex Enjoys working with young children and seeing how much progress they make throughout the year. She believes that learning in the early years of life is crucial for success in the future. Hands on learning with plenty of movement and fun is her idea of a successful learning environment for young children. The ability to teach children about the love of Christ is her favorite thing about being at CCS.
The Corp family includes husband Collin, and two boys, Fletcher and Sam. Alex is learning to live in a boy’s world and loving it! They love being together and doing activities at the lake, the river, and anywhere outdoors, including just playing in the backyard. They also enjoy being any and everywhere with their grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles.

Kristen Dennis
Kindergarten Assistant
Mrs. Dennis loves to be in the classroom! She was drawn to education in middle school and high school because of the impact her teachers made on her life. She believes learning should be engaging and a hands-on experience which will continue beyond classroom education. Her goal is to nurture future leaders who enjoy the process of learning.
When asked her favorite subject to teach, Kristen says she has always had a love for teaching Reading. Within that subject, she truly enjoys the eye-opening experiences reading about others and the experiences they encounter can teach.
The Dennis family includes husband, Dillon, and daughters, Emmy Kate and Paisley. When not working, Kristen loves to read, spend time with her family, and creating calligraphy art.

Haley Odell
Kindergarten Assistant
Mrs. Odell has always had a heart for teaching. From a young age she knew she wanted to be a teacher. She loves helping students recognize their full potential and God given talents. She is thankful to teach in a Christian environment and loves being able to pray with the children and hear their hearts.
Haley has been married to Justin since 2010 and they have two children at Crossings; Hayes and Lilly. She says it is such a blessing for them to be at Crossings, growing up on the firm foundation of Jesus. The Odell family loves spending time with each other; being outside, watching and playing sports, taking family trips, and being with their extended family.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
--Colossians 3:16-17
1st Grade

Kim Balan
Mrs. Balan has a desire to motivate and inspire students for a life long commitment to Christ and learning.
When asked what she enjoys best about teaching, she says she delights in the bond created with each child and has a passion for teaching children to read and write.
She is married to David, and they are blessed with two children, Parker and Connor.
Kim loves spending time with her family, watching her boys play sports, going camping, gardening, decorating and watching Sooner football.

Amanda Bertholf
Mrs. Bertholf has a passion for teaching and instilling a love for life-long learning. Her favoite thing about teaching is building a loving classroom community that is eager to celebrate each other’s successes.
The Bertholf family includes Amanda’s husband, Kyle, and three sons, Carson, Bradley and Austin. They enjoy volunteering and being actively involved with Crossings Community Church. In their free time they enjoy watching movies, spending time with friends and family, exploring all OKC has to offer and cheering on their Sooners!

Rachel Hays
Mrs. Hays enjoyed staying home to raise her three children while they were young, but is very excited to be back in the classroom. She believes that a strong foundation in Christ and academics will lead to many successes for her students. Mrs. Hays feels very blessed with the opportunity to love, guide, and teach at CCS.
Rachel married her husband, Dan, in 2008. They have three children at Crossings; Macy, Kellen and Parker. The Hays family loves to travel and eat. Rachel and Dan enjoy watching their children in a variety of activities and sports.

Tina Lewis
Tina praises God for the passion and gift of teaching. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Early Childhood. She is National Board Certified and is trained in Love and Logic.
Her husband Todd, and their children, Ryan, Lauren, Rachel, and their families bless Tina. Together, they enjoy hanging out, cooking, walks, board games, movies, sports, gardening, and church activities.

Sarah Baker
1st Grade Assistant
Sarah has always loved teaching children and making them feel loved and important! She believes that one highlight of teaching is to witness students feeling success and pride in their work. She is so very thankful to God for the opportunity to be at CCS and work with such amazing teachers and students!
Sarah has two precious boys, Ben and Will, who both attend CCS. Sarah loves spending time with her family and friends, reading the Bible, watching her boys play sports, going to the beach, finding new restaurants, attending OU football and Thunder basketball games, and traveling.

Ruth-Anne McFadden
1st Grade Assistant
During the 2018 school year she subbed for CCS and truly enjoyed and loved being around the students and faculty members. Ruth-Anne’s heart is to encourage children to have an open mind, open heart, and be intentional about learning and expanding their faith in the Lord.
The McFadden family includes husband, Patrick, and sons, Gage and Keaton. When not working, Ruth-Anne enjoys spending time with her family at the lake, cooking, reading, movie time with the family, Bible devotions, and date night with her husband. Her family loves lake time, going to parks, and playing board games.
2nd Grade

Kim Bastin
While living in Houston, Kimberly and Blake welcomed their twins, Samantha and Easton. The family took advantage of the great opportunity to live in Melbourne, Australia for two years for Blake’s job until a position here in Oklahoma City at Crossings Community Church called them home. In 2016, Blake began his role as Head of Finance and Administration at Crossings Church, and in the fall of 2017, Kimberly began serving at Crossings Christian School in the front office at the Upper School. In the fall of 2019, she moved over to the Lower School to teach 2nd grade. Their children, Samantha and Easton, have attended CCS since 2016. Kimberly is deeply invested in the mission of CCS.
In her free time, Kimberly loves traveling to watch major league baseball games (Go Tigers!), browsing through antique stores, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Danielle McNeely
Danielle has a heart and passion for kids and helping them reach their fullest potential. Her favorite subject to teach is math, but what she really enjoys is seeing her students be successful and accomplish their goals in school as well as outside of school.
Danielle has been married to her husband Troy since 2008. They have three beautiful daughters Aspen, Emery, and Olivia. When not working, Danielle enjoys cooking and being outdoors–running, kayaking, fishing, swimming, and playing with her kids.

Julie Thornton
Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Thornton has served as Vice President for Elementary for Oklahoma Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She has presented at various regional and state conferences on technology integration in Reading and Mathematics for Early Childhood educators. Additionally, Mrs. Thornton served as a consultant for Voyager Expanded Learning and McGraw-Hill Everyday Mathematics.
Her family includes husband, Brant, son Ryder, and mini schnauzer, Marley. They enjoy OU football games, vacations in Manhattan Beach, CA, landscaping, and spending weekends with friends and family. As active members of Crossings Community Church, they enjoy social and mission projects with their Sunday School class.

Deena Weeks
When asked her favorite part of teaching, she says that seeing the growth of a student from the beginning of the year to the end is a real joy. Her favorite subject to teach is Science because it is easy to see how God’s Hand is the Ultimate Designer. Each year she makes a point to improve each lesson that she teaches a little more than the year before.
Ms. Weeks enjoys anything outdoors, trying new restaurants, cooking, walking her dogs, and being a foster mom to a sweet baby girl!
3rd Grade

Christal Jones
She truly believes all children can learn given the right instruction, atmosphere and attention. She is enthusiastic about teaching and tries to create a fun, safe, challenging environment of mutual respect.
Christal has two amazing young boys that she loves to spend time with! They are extremely active and they stay very busy together. She enjoys exercising, cooking, reading, and just spending time with friends and family. When she gets the opportunity, she also loves to travel.

Karen Haley
Mrs. Haley loves kids! She has always wanted to be a teacher, and was drawn to education as a child. According to her, learning should be a fun experience that is a life-long process. Her goal in the classroom is to nurture life-long learners who are curious and eager to learn. When asked her favorite subject to teach, she says that she has always had a love for teaching science. Within that subject, she truly enjoys hands-on explorations and experiments.
The Haley family includes husband, Chris, son, Tyler, and daughter, Katie. When not working, Karen loves to read, spend time with her family, and drive her kids all over creation! Her family loves to go camping, play at the lake, and go to amusement parks.

Sharon Myers
Mrs. Myers says that she is intentional about providing a fun, loving environment where children can learn and grow. When asked her favorite subject/unit to teach, she says that she has always loved teaching Language Arts. Within that subject, she truly enjoys introducing students to excellent literature and poetry.
The Myers family includes husband, James, daughter, Lindsey, and son, Landon. When not working, Sharon loves to read, spend time with her family and friends, and play with her two dogs. Her family loves to just hang out together, watch movies, watch sports, and travel together.

Robyn Ramer
Mrs. Ramer loves being around children. She enjoys their energy, their curiosity and their natural love for learning. She feels very blessed to teach at CCS and is thankful for God’s gift of teaching. Robyn believes the ability to help a child discover and develop his natural talents and abilities is a true blessing. She enjoys partnering with parents to achieve this in every child.
Robyn and her husband Todd have 6 children and a son in law. They enjoy going to the lake and traveling. They have been members at their church for over twenty years.
Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
--Ephesians 3:17-19
4th Grade

Amber Bacon
Mrs. Bacon says that she believes in her students and that they can do anything they put their minds to. Her favorite subject to teach is Science because she loves the inquiry and experiments.
Mrs. Bacon married her husband, Bryan, in June of 2019. She enjoys her blended family. He has two daughters, Katie and Bre. They welcomed their son, Asher, July of 2020. When not at school, she loves spending time with her family, their dog, Molly and cats, Oreo and Callie. They love going for walks, swimming, watching movies or just relaxing. She also loves spending time with her nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Bacon will be teaching Math, Bible and Science. She will be switching with Mrs. Napoliello.

Jennifer McElroy
Mrs. McElroy has always loved the company of children! She delights in finding fun and exciting ways to engage her students and create a love for learning. Her favorite subjects to teach are reading and writing to give her students a passion to become life long readers and thinkers. She loves being able to integrate God’s creation into curriculum and pray with her students.
Jennifer has been married to Jeff since 2001. They have three children at CCS; Graeme, Gavin, and Caroline. The McElroys enjoy serving in their church, going to movies, and playing board games. Jennifer’s favorite pastimes include cooking, decorating, reading, watching her boys play golf, and her daughter dance.

Marsha Napoliello
Mrs. Napoliello considers it a privilege for her children to attend Crossings and to get to work in such a Christ-centered environment. She has volunteered and substitute taught here since her children began attending preschool. She loves teaching and being able to share the love of Christ with the open hearts of children.
Marsha, her husband Jeff, Nicholas, Isabella and Gia (precious dog) love spending time as a family being outside, swimming, watching movies, traveling, cheering on OSU and Thunder and reading.

Sierra Occhipinti
Mrs. Occhipinti loves being able to teach in a Christian environment where biblical concepts are weaved into every lesson. Watching her students grow academically and spiritually throughout the year is one of her greatest joys.
She and her husband, Everett, love to travel, hike and discover new places. They also enjoy spending time with family, especially their two nieces and three nephews. They also love taking their dog, Lilly, on walks.
Aftercare

Jennifer Marshall
Being around students and watching them develop spiritually and academically is one of the things that Jennifer enjoys about working in a school. She says that being with students at recess is wonderful because it is fun to see the children enjoying their time to be carefree. Jennifer feels that it’s important for children to have time to play and relieve the tension that comes from focusing on learning.
Specials

Jermaine Brown
PE
Jermaine has been married to his wife Cherish since 2017. They have a young son named Xander who keeps them busy but puts a smile on their faces each day. Jermaine loves practicing wrestling, jiu jitsu, judo, muy thai, and boxing. He enjoys the outdoors, reading with his wife, and assisting her in her photography.
A scripture he wants his students and athletes to grasp is 1 Timothy 4:12 which states, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity”.

Dillion Coplin
PE
In addition to teaching PE, Mr. Coplin serves as the JV boys basketball coach and Varsity boys basketball assistant coach. He has always wanted to work with kids and was drawn to education at a young age. According to Dillion, learning is a choice and should be a memorable experience. Being intentional in our learning, not only in the classroom but also through scripture is very important in our faith walk today. His goal in the classroom is to create life-long relationships and to educate, mentor, and challenge his students daily to be the best version of themselves.
Mr. Coplin has a Rhodesian-Ridgeback son, Sam. When not working, Dillion loves to play golf, go for a run, and hang out with friends and family. His family loves to go to the beach, play cards, and go on walks.

Darcy DeMarino
Library Assistant
Darcy loves reading, antiquing and spending time with her kids. One of the things she loves best about teaching children is helping them learn to show Jesus’ kindness to others.

Connie Graves
Kindergarten Music
CCS School Chaplain
Ms. Connie loves people and the Bible…those will last for eternity. She is excited to teach Scripture songs so that children can “hide God’s Word in their heart.” Ms. Connie is married to Bill Graves. She is the mother of seven children and twelve grandchildren. She is blessed beyond measure to have such a fabulous family! Spending time with all of them is a priority. She also loves to read and play the piano.
She became a chaplain at Crossings in the fall of 2012. She is passionate with the ministry opportunity to serve students and staff concerning spiritual and personal issues.

Jenny McKee
Library
Her greatest enjoyment when working in the library is introducing students to different types of literature, encouraging them to challenge themselves, and helping students find titles that match their many interests. She also loves finding books for teachers to use as they teach different subjects and units.
Jenny’s two daughters also attend CCS and have since they were in preschool. She has been married for 16 years and her husband, Scott, keeps her laughing. The McKees love hanging out together-especially at OSU football games. Jenny has recently taken up tennis.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
--Matthew 6:19-21

Becky Stockton
LS Computers
The best part of being part of the Specials team, according to Becky, is getting to work with all ages of students. She says that it is a blessing to watch their growth throughout the years. Along with the students, Becky adds that she loves working with the incredible staff at CCS.
Becky and her husband, Clint, have been blessed with three children, Connor, Brantly, and Kailey. When not working, Becky loves to spend time with her family, read, and travel.

Amanda Winters
Music
Mrs. Winters is incredibly passionate about teaching elementary music and establishing both a musical and moral foundation in each child. Seeing children create through music and praise their Heavenly Father fills her heart with joy.
In her free time, Amanda enjoys traveling with her supportive & adventurous husband Clay, and writing letters to friends and family. She is thankful for all of the wonderful people God has placed in her life and enjoys making memories with them.

Ashlyn Winters
Art
Mrs. Winters loves getting to know the hearts of each of her students and teaching them the creative processes of art! She loves seeing God’s creativity in everyday things, especially through young artists’ handiwork. She believes that visual art is about the fun adventures had through the process of creating, and the product is the reward. Her joy in teaching art is helping students appreciate different types of creativity.
Mrs. Winters is the oldest of eleven children! She comes from a large, blended family. They love spending time together, watching movies, having fun outdoor adventures, and loving Jesus through everything! In her free time, Ms. Basinger loves to read, be with friends, and create!

Erin Yarbrough
Latin
Mrs. Yarbrough says she loves working with preschool age children. They are excited and curious about everything. Their faces beam with joy when they complete a project. She believes each child is unique and given special gifts and abilities. Her goal is for your child to love coming to school everyday. Mrs. Yarbrough wants to provide a classroom where children know they are loved by their teachers and not afraid to make mistakes. Preschool is an exciting year for children as they explore the learning centers, create wonderful works of art and make new friends.
Erin and her husband Mike have been married since 1997. They have two boys, Robbie and Matthew. Her family loves to attend OU football and basketball games together.

Shanda Yasuda
Library Assistant
Shanda has been married to her husband Paul for 18 years. They have three children, Joel, Abby, and Elly. She enjoys time at the beach with family, reading, and attending her children’s sporting events.
Student Support Services

Sherry Cramer
Reading Specialist
She has been married to her college sweetheart since 1985 and has two grown sons. She loves traveling, running, reading and spending time with her family and friends.
She is passionate about teaching children to become better readers, and feels like it is her calling in life.

Kim Riley
Discovery
Mrs. Riley strongly believes in the philosophies and high standards Crossings Christian School has set for their students. She feels that children all learn and grow at their own pace and educators have the privilege of guiding them through that journey.
The Riley family includes her husband, Brent, and son, Cash. They joined the Crossings family in 2014 when Cash started first grade. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her son’s sporting events, volunteering for the Junior League of Oklahoma City, exercising, reading, and spending time with friends.

Heather Sutton
Reading Specialist
Mrs. Sutton is passionate about helping students become successful readers. She recognizes that every child is uniquely created by God and learns to read and write in his/her own way. She longs to see all students reach their full potential and feel confident in their abilities as readers and writers.
Mrs. Sutton is happily married to her husband, Jeremy. They have two sons, Will and Eli. Heather enjoys reading, journaling, playing games, watching movies, and spending time with her three boys.

Beth Tollefson
Support Services Director
Mrs. Tollefson believes it is a privilege to serve students and parents. She enjoys helping students and finding ways to lead them to be excited about education. Beth is overjoyed to work with young hearts and shape them academically, emotionally and spiritually. She is a firm believer in high expectations and giving your talents to please God.
Beth is blessed with a wonderful family. The Tollefson family includes her husband, Brad, and their sweet little girl, Reagan. In her free time, Beth enjoys reading all kinds of literature, working outside in her yard, and spending time with her immediate and extended family.
Beth is excited about coming to work at CCS. She is thrilled to be working with professionals, parents and students who share a vision for excellence in education and giving glory to God!!

Mindy White
Discovery
While working on her undergraduate deree, she had the opportunity to work with elementary students during the summer and fell in love with teaching. According to her, teaching is fun, and working with students and watching them grow academically and socially is very rewarding. She believes that each child is a gift from the Lord with unique talents and gifts.
Her family includes her husband, Brian, sons, Joe and Luke, and daughter, Hannah. During her free time, she enjoys exercising, and spending time with family and friends.