Upper School Faculty & Staff

Sonya Jones
Upper School Principal
Mrs. Jones believes strongly in servant leadership coupled with high expectations. She strives to lead like Jesus each day. She serves students, faculty, and parents and understands this unity propels students towards excellence not only academically, but also spiritually. Sonya believes that the goal of a Christian school should be to model Christ in a way that makes students want to know more about Him, while receiving a top-notch, well-rounded education where students can explore and perfect their God-given talents.
Sonya feels blessed to have married Charles in 1991 and have two wonderful children, Chelsea and Colton. In her personal time, Sonya loves to attend church, sporting events, musicals, jigsaw puzzles, reading, shopping, baking, and spending time with her family, including her pets.
Sonya is honored, humbled, and ecstatic about being a part of the CCS community and a Knights fan.

Tammy Jensen
Dean of Students
Activities Director
Her teaching experience includes Physical Education, High School Leadership, Character Education, Early Childhood, and Educational Therapy. She is certified in the areas of Physical Education, Mild-Moderate Special Education, and Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Jensen’s passion is to encourage students to learn how to be strong, independent and Christ-centered leaders in the world not of the world. Helping students love their school and be proud to be an active part of the high school experience is a priority for Mrs. Jensen.
She is married to her high school sweetheart, John. She has three wonderful children, Malcolm, Mack and Hannah. In her free time, Tammy enjoys gardening, baking and watching football with her family.

Michael Brown
Dean of Fine ArtsBand Director
Mr. Brown is intentional about using music and the arts to show the love of Jesus to everyone we come into contact with as we develop lifelong skills. From contests and competitions to football games and concerts, we are called to be a light unto the world. The arts are a gift from God and the fine arts department strives to glorify Him through every performance and event.
The Brown family includes wife Charissa and two children, Austin and Taylor. When not at work, Mr. Brown enjoys photography, movies, sports, particularly OSU and the OKC Thunder, and hanging out with friends and family.

Shawn Schenk
Dean of Athletics
Athletic Director
Mr. Schenk enjoys motivating students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles to achieve success. He is also passionate about helping students identify, embrace, and utilize the unique gifts and talents God has given them. In his experiences, Mr. Schenk has witnessed the positive impact that athletic participation can have on the mental, physical, and spiritual development and maturation of our youth. He remains committed to the support and the development of the coaches and student-athletes at Crossings and is honored by this tremendous responsibility.
Mr. Schenk is married to his beautiful wife, Jill, fellow CCS Middle School librarian. They have 4 children, Calvin, Clark, Faith and Mae. When he has free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, reading, watching sports, and being involved in church.

Raelynn Burdett
US Administrative Assistant
Raelynn is excited to be at Crossings and to be surrounded daily by positive and influential colleagues. She has a passion for coaching and developing servant leaders inside and outside of practice. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, exercising, and attending sporting events with her friends and family.

Lauren Wheat
US Administrative Assistant
Lauren is thrilled to be part of Crossings. She has a heart for serving others, fostering relationships, and hopes to be an encouragement to students and co-workers.
She has been married since 2009 to Jamie Wheat, who teaches middle school P.E. at Crossings. Together, they have a son, Crosby, a daughter, Maggie, and two dogs. They attend Life Church NW OKC. Lauren loves to spend quality time with her family and friends. She likes to read, write, create, spend time outdoors, travel and explore.
Counseling

Keri Shields
Director of College and Academic Counseling
The Shields family includes her husband George; son, Grant; and daughter, Susan. When not working Mrs. Shields likes to exercise, volunteer at church, and participate in small group bible studies. The book of John has been most influential in her Christian walk.

Jewel Loya
US Registrar

Franci MacDonald
Director of Spiritual Formation for Girls
Mrs. MacDonald is married to Paul, our headmaster, and they have raised four children and hosted five international students. She enjoys being a grandmother to Naomi, Maddox, Thea, Cleo, Collins, Wesley and Casper.
Bible

Janay Stephens
Department Chair
Believing strongly that the most important relationship in anyone’s life is their relationship to God, Janay feels both a sense of honor as well as great responsibility in teaching the Bible. It is her desire that every student will not only know that facts of the Bible, but will know through personal experience the God of the Bible. She prays that Bible will be more than just a class but will rather be the beginning of a lifelong passion for God and for His word. It is her prayer that students will be able to know and apply God’s word to every aspect of their lives and that they will be “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:17).
Janay is married to Michael and they have two children Zachery and Elisabeth. She loves spending time with her family and friends and is active in her church. She enjoys sports, playing games, shopping, cross-stiching and studying and teaching the Bible.

Benjamin Patterson
Mr. Patterson has a passion for encouraging and inspiring teenagers by applying biblical principles to their everyday lives. It is his goal to walk side by side with students as they develop their faith and grow in their knowledge of scripture. He is actively involved with the Young Adult Ministries at Crossings Community Church and has served on the leadership team at Kanakuk Family Kamps. He is excited to be a part of the Crossings Christian School family as he continues to serve the youth of today.

Eric Turner
Eric’s life purpose is to use his creativity and enthusiasm to love and encourage all people, with the hope that they might become believers who row into disciples that live on mission for the Kingdom of God. The primary way he enjoys doing this is by engaging students in a real and substantial way that gets them excited to learn more about God’s word and apply it to their everyday lives. Eric focuses on providing meaningful opportunities for his students to learn and succeed in the classroom and life.
Eric has been married to his church camp high school sweetheart, Dori, since 2004. They have three amazing children who also attend CCS. The strangest thing he has ever eaten is cow tongue and snail. When Eric isn’t teaching or coaching, he enjoys playing with his kids, date nights with his wife at Macaroni Grill, cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals and Wichita State Shockers, or simply enjoying a good movie.
English

Jonetta Jonte
Department Chair
Above all else, Ms. Jonte sees herself as a student who enjoys discovering new ideas in literature and delving deeper into the use of words in all types of communication. Her students are encouraged to become sesquipedalian and stump her as often as possible. When asked which her favorite book to teach is, it changes to the one currently being taught. She says it is unfair to ask an English teacher to choose.
Ms. Jonte has two grown sons who live in the area and she currently cares for her mother. While waiting on grandchildren, she devotes her attention to two spoiled Dachshunds, tries out new recipes, and watches lots of football.

Kristina Booker
Dr. Booker is a scholar of British literature and culture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Her book, Menials: Domestic Service and the Cultural Transformation of British Society 1650-1850, came out in 2017. She has published articles and book reviews in academic journals like Eighteenth-Century Fiction and the Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies.
As a teacher, Dr. Booker is committed to preparing her students for the university classroom and, more importantly, for well-rounded, thoughtful lives. She believes that learning to write well, think logically, and do effective research are vital skills for twenty-first century citizens, so her classes are always drawing connections to how we interact with the world around us. Since “there is nothing new under the sun,” even very old texts have something to offer us today.
Dr. Booker’s two daughters, Evelyn and Cora, are students at Crossings. The three of them love going to the library, visiting their family, and snuggling with their two cats, Charlotte and Max. Outside of school, Dr. Booker practices yoga and follows the advice of her favorite college professor to read books written by people who are still living today.

Beth Hickey
Beth says teaching English and Journalism is her “dream job” because it combines her love of students, her passion for the written word, and her desire to train the next generation all together. Her passion is for students to love English as much as she does, but more importantly, to grow in their relationship with the Lord and each other.
Beth has been married to her husband, Matt, since 2003. They have three daughters, Allison, Madeleine, and Quinlyn. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, cheering her girls at their various activities, and cuddling with her three dogs.
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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
--Matthew 6:19-21

Traci Kreger
Mrs. Kreger loves to share her passion for English and literature. Her desire is to help every student foster a lifelong love for reading and learning to communicate well. She especially loves interacting with her teenage students because they inspire her everyday with their curiosity, humor, and optimism. Her classroom is always a colorful space, where students are encouraged to be creative and take risks.
The Kreger family includes husband Joe, daughter Caroline and son Landon. Their family isn’t complete without their two Corgis, Maggie and Winston. When not working, Traci loves to travel, read, attend concerts, try new restaurants and root for her beloved OSU Cowboys.
History

Nate Thompson
Department Chair
Having taught 9-12th grades Oklahoma History, Government, US History, and World History, Mr. Thompson has come to appreciate the influence of big ideas and worldview in shaping the events and culture of different eras and groups. While many students will not pursue a vocation related to history, history offers a great opportunity to study worldview and even to reveal the ways our own culture shapes us – often without our knowledge. In what some have termed a post-Christian culture, it is important for students to become adept in applying a biblical worldview in this context to be agents of change in the areas God will lead them. In addition to academics, Mr. Thompson enjoys the simple joys of interacting with students throughout the daily grind of the school year.
While in Christian schools, Mr. Thompson coached Cross Country and Track. As with many things, athletics can be a means of glorifying God through using one’s gifts or twisted to be used to bring glory to oneself. With this in mind, sports can be a great avenue to develop work ethic, perseverance, self-sacrifice, and, perhaps just as important, fellowship and the enjoyment of competition.
Outside of school, Mr. Thompson enjoys reading, playing and watching sports, and listening to podcasts and audiobooks. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his wife Melissa and daughter Ruth.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.
--Romans 12:1-2

Roy Dockum
Mr. Dockum was a business owner and manager for about 25 years. He taught at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) College of Business for three years. Currently, he now works as the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Motor Vehicle Commission for the State of Oklahoma.
Roy enjoys learning and loves to share his knowledge and experience with the next generation. He has a passion for integrating faith and learning.
Roy is married to his wife Mary Beth, son, Kent, daughter Beth, and 6 grandchildren with whom he loves to spend time. In his spare time, he and his wife love to travel. Roy has been fortunate to have been able to travel to over 60 different countries.

Jonathan Keathly
Coach has been married to his wife Cindy since 2002 and they have two children, Kannon and Anabelle, who both attend CCS.
Prior to his time at Crossings, Coach Keathly coached and taught in Western Heights, Coppell (TX), Frisco (TX), Deer Creek, and Watonga school districts, teaching all grades from sixth to twelfth and coaching football, basketball, and track.
He has always had a passion working with young people and sharing God’s work in the world through history and current events.
Coach’s favorite memory as a teacher was having a meaningful discussion with a student about the verse written on her binder, Luke 12:48: “to whom much is given, much is required.” That discussion shaped his perspective of being accountable as a teacher and coach and the student says to this day she also saw her faith differently after that discussion.

Geoff Kingsley
Geoff met his wife Rhonda in college at Oklahoma Christian and they have been married since 1987. The Kingsley family includes daughter Maryn, son-in-law Logan, granddaughter Joanna, son Caleb, daughter-in-law Abbie, soon-to-be married son Asa, and future daughter-in-law Addie.
Mr. Kingsley grew up in Kansas, so he is a huge KU Jayhawk basketball fan. He loves to read historical non-fiction, play golf, lift weights, play pick-up basketball, and spend time with his family.
Geoff’s favorite quote is from C.S. Lewis, “Where mediocrity is the norm, it is not long before mediocrity becomes the ideal.”
Math

Matthew Henneke
Department Chair
Mr. Henneke views teaching as a balance of encouragement and instruction especially when tackling the subject of mathematics. He desires to incorporate a wide-range of examples and explanations into his teaching to be more effective in reaching his students. Ultimately, he sees his role of teaching encompassing all of life and not just mathematics.
Matthew foremost enjoys spending time with friends over a great cup of tea or coffee. He desires to continually learn new things about our world and God through reading, traveling, studying, and discussing. He also enjoys disc golf! He has also been blessed to travel extensively through Europe and Asia and desires to further his travels in the future.

Jeremy Kliewer
Mr. Kliewer has a passion for teaching math and coaching athletics. He has a rich background in mathematics and thoroughly enjoys teaching algebra. Coaching-wise, Mr. Kliewer coaches football and baseball. He believes that these sports give opportunities to teach athletes to have a strong work ethic and teach other applicable life lessons.
In his spare time, Mr. Kliewer enjoys anything outdoors. He is an avid runner who has completed 9 marathons.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
--Philippians 3:12-14

Katie Klossner
Mrs. Klossner loves teaching math! She understands that not every student feels the same way about math as she does, but loves the opportunity to change their perspective. Mrs. Klossner strives to make each math class meaningful and applicable to her students. It is her hope that each student leaves her classes feeling accomplished and successful.
Katie and her husband Josh have been married since 2012 and have one son, Everett. When not working, Katie enjoys cooking, drinking LOTS of coffee, and spending time with her family.

Derek Reedy
Mr. Reedy loves teaching high school and connecting with his students in the classroom. He believes that God has called him to teach, and has loved every step of this crazy, rewarding journey. He is passionate not only about mathematics, but also the various ways students can apply these concepts as they progress in their academic and professional careers. When not at work, Derek enjoys watching movies, playing the trombone, trying out new recipes, and spending time with his family and friends.
Science

Helen Denman
Department Chair
Mrs. Denman loves teaching and loves science. She strives to create an environment of excellence within her classroom and highly encourages investigation and exploration. She expects her students to build a strong foundational knowledge in both the physical sciences and life-long learning skills.
Helen is married to Matt Denman and has a son, Sebastian Denman. Helen enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and camping. She also likes reading, drawing, and watching sci-fi shows with her family.

Holly Hixson
Dr. Hixson strives to show the connections between science and her personal faith in God. Her desire is to illustrate how science actually bolsters her faith in our Creator instead of contradicts it, as is a widely held view in many institutions and churches today. Dr. Hixson believes that new discoveries in science serve to reinforce belief in our Creator and to prove His existence and omnipotence. Further, that knowledge of these things allow opportunities to share the truths of God with others in ways that are unique to scientific disciplines. Dr. Hixson works to train students to critically analyze the information presented them, instead of accepting information at face value.
Dr. Hixson married her husband Bryan in 1991. She has two godly, intelligent, and beautiful daughters, Alexis and Grace. Dr. Hixson loves to learn new things, especially things related to scientific evidence for faith. She also loves to travel to new places, to meet people from other cultures, to sing, and to sew whenever she gets the chance.
Dr. Hixson loves to pray through Psalms 23, 27, 46, and 91, as they were instrumental in the ministry in which she participated in Rwanda.

Tiffany Hull
Tiffany is a registered dietitian who worked at Mercy Health Center for 18 years. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and has served as the media spokesperson for the state of Oklahoma since 2007. Additionally, she was honored with the Distinguished Dietitian of the Year award in 2016.
When not teaching, Tiffany and her husband enjoy traveling. They even lived in an RV for a year driving around the country seeing God’s beauty. Their family includes four children, one grandchild, and a very spoiled Labrador, Sammie.

Jessica Jenkins
Athletic TrainerSports Medicine
Jessica has always loved sports and has a desire to help people. She found athletic training to be the perfect blend of her interests and takes pride in keeping athletes healthy and participating in the sports that they love.
Jessica is married to her best friend, Jimmy. They have two daughters, Jestyn and Jaysa. They love hanging out as a family, watching and playing sports, and cheering for the OKC Thunder.

Dillon McDaniel
Mr. McDaniel has a love for sharing his faith with others and a great appreciation for God’s creation, which is why he finds teaching sciences at CCS to be so rewarding. His goal in the classroom is to make science engaging and fun for his students, preparing them to excel in college and beyond.
When he is not teaching or serving with his unit, Dillon enjoys spending time with his family. The McDaniel clan includes his wife, Ashley, his son, Gideon, and their three dogs, Gatsby, Oakley, and Nala. Dillon also enjoys watching sports, hiking, history, coffee, grilling, hunting, and traveling.
Electives

Makenzie Boatright
Fine Arts
Makenzie loves to work and serve in her community. On Sundays, she leads worship at her church, where she ahs been attending since 2005. Makenzie has also served as the Associate Director at Spotlight Acting Academy in Edmond since 2019. Since teaching there, she has developed a passion and a heart for teaching! She believes that the classroom should be a place where students are free to make bold choices and learn through fun enriching experiences. She also believes that the Arts are so valuable and that they allow us to reach others in a unique and moving way. The Boatright family includes her husband, Dustin and her dog Piper. When not working, Makenzie loves to travel, perform, and spend time with her friends and family.

Jennifer Bounds
Orchestra
Mrs. Bounds has taught music since 2001. She is excited to be able to teach community and love of music to students, through Christ. Also, to praise God, through music, with her talents and the talents of her students.
Jenn’s family includes her husband Cody, son, Micah and daughter Eden. When Jenn isn’t playing her cello or teaching music she loves to run in races, go on play dates with her kids, paint, read, shop, photography and travel.

Lauren De La Garza
Technology
Mrs. De La Garza loves the combination of art and technology. She believes her classes provide a great opportunity for students to use creativity to solve practical problems.
The De La Garza family includes her husband, Isaac, sons, Samuel, David, Wyatt, and daughter, Alexa. When not working, Lauren loves to hunt for bargains, work on DIY projects, and spend time with her family playing games.

Nathaniel Estrada
Spanish
Mr. Estrada believes a Christian education is an awesome opportunity for a child to develop a strong relationship with God early in life, so that, “When they are old they will not depart from it.” Not only can students have a relationship with God, but they can also have teachers and fellow believers all around to encourage them and guide them in the way they should go. When asked “Why do you want to teach in a Christian school?” He said, “In a Christian school, the ability to teach a child to strive for knowledge and excellence in this life as a Christian is very important to me… hopefully, I can impart to them what I know and broaden their minds in learning another language that can help them be a great success.”
The Estrada family includes his wife since 2007, Hope, their two children Ezekiel (2013) and Elicia (2015), and a miniature dachshund, Lolita. When not working, Nathaniel enjoys working with the youth at his home church where he is a deacon and plays the drums in the worship band. He also enjoys playing all sports especially golf and indoor soccer on the weekends.

Garrett Johnson
Band Director
Mr. Johnson has been an active church and outside musician for over 10 years. He enjoys using his gifts at his local church within the worship team. He also enjoys his pastimes, which include things such as running, recording music, drone photography and reading.
Mr. Johnson is excited about his role with the band program at Crossings. His experiences throughout the years have trained him to not only effetively teach music but also create a classroom culture that is positive and engaging. The goal of his class is to teach students how to play their instruments and to also teach life lessons and skills through it all. He hopes to show students that music is a gift from God and it is only the beginning of his greatness. With God all things are possible and the transformations that we go through when we accept him are more beautiful than anything we can imagine. Ultimately, his students will learn how to tie together their experiences in music, life and as a Christian and apply them to their own lives.

Angela Lux
Speech
Theatre Arts
Ms. Lux believes in a method of teaching that involves a lot of questions and allows both the students and teacher to learn new things while finding the answers to those questions. She works hard to promote a loving, creative, and inspiring environment where the kids can grow, discover, and be challenged. Her favorite part about teaching Social Studies is the myriad of opportunities to bring in information from a range of other subjects and disciplines.
Outside of her classroom, she enjoys delving into the wealth of literature, roaming the world, drinking coffee, creating literary worlds of her own, running, and coming up with new improbable ideas of adventures she can go on. She loves spending time with her family, whether playing board games, cooking feasts, obeying her nephews dictatorial commands, or going antique shopping with the girls.

Amber Mash
Vocal Music Director
Mrs. Mash enjoys teaching and working with students! She encourages students to be good stewards of the talents and gifts God has given them. She believes it is a special privilege to be able to assist in improving the skills and confidence of students, especially in regard to their own voice. Knowing that music is one of the primary tools we use for worship, she leads and supports students in their pursuit of excellence.
Mrs. Mash is married to her husband, Barret, a Physical Education teacher in Mustang. They have two school-age sons, Jacob and Tyler. When she is not working or attending school and church activities with her family, Mrs. Mash enjoys spending time with friends, playing games, reading, and eating movie theater popcorn.

Sarah Myrick
Art
Mrs. Myrick joined CCS in 2013. She is passionate about exposing young people to the beauty of art and the glory of God. Her goal is to create a warm and loving environment where students can explore their God-given talents, become more knowledgeable in the arts, and develop their creative sides. Mrs. Myrick considers it a blessing to work at CCS, where she has the opportunity to educate students both spiritually and intellectually.
The Myrick family includes husband, Adam, and two sons, Vincent and Henry. Mrs. Myrick has been married since 2010. When not working, Mrs. Myrick loves taking photos, both recreationally and professionally. She also loves riding her bike with her family and spending time outside with her boys.

Dennis Savill
DebateYearbook
Mr. Savill believes in helping to equip Christian students with the logical framework and persuasion skills needed to defend their faith against the myriad of intellectual attacks they will receive in college and beyond. By combining dialectic techniques with practice debates and learning about intellectual systems and Biblical examples, the student should calmly and persuasively argue that Christianity makes more sense than any other philosophy or structure.
The Savill family includes daughter, Olivia, French bulldog Blackberry and a slider turtle, Sacagawea. When not teaching, Dennis loves to read for fun and learning, watch movies and sports, travel and spend time with his favorite daughter. An avid movie and history buff, Dennis loves to discuss these two favorite subjects with other fans.

Kyle Taylor
Introduction to Law
Mr. Taylor has had a diverse career. He worked as a business account representative for Otis Elevator Company prior to attending law school. He then practiced law for four years before accepting a position as a special agent with the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service. As an agent, he travelled the world protecting U.S. embassies and personnel, training foreign security forces, and conducting passport fraud investigations. Upon returning to Oklahoma, he worked for Chesapeake Energy. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of Protective Services for Crossings and practices law through is firm Kyle K. Taylor, PLLC.
Kyle enjoys learning about the experiences and viewpoints of other people. He is excited to help students grow and develop, both intellectually and spiritually, and have fun doing it.
The Taylor family includes wife April, daughters Carsyn and Camdyn, two dogs, and a rabbit. Kyle loves to spend time with his family, work on home improvement projects, and work in the yard.

Shelby Willingham
Spanish
Ms. Willingham has always had a love for teaching and feels blessed to do so in a Christian environment. She is passionate about inspiring a zeal for learning in students in order to see them grown in Christ, confidence, knowledge and cultural awareness. She believes that the best environment for learning is one that is fun, engaging and challenging.
In her free time, Shelby likes to watch sports, movies, ballet and theatre productions. She also enjoys visiting zoos and theme parks, hiking, traveling, baking and spending time with her family.