Katelyn Arnau
Teaching Assistant
Katelyn graduated Cum Laude from the University of Georgia in 2007 with a degree in Child and Family Development. At UGA Katelyn was also a National Collegiate Scholar and a Gold Key Scholar.
Kathy Arvidson
Three-year-olds
Kathy has a B.A. from Chaminade University and an M.S. in Nutrition from Texas Women's University. She taught two year olds and pre-K at the Glenn School for four years prior to joining Cliff Valley in 2006.
Lori Austin-Cruse
Second Grade
Lori received her B.A. in English and Psychology from King College and her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Mercer University. She joined the Cliff Valley staff in 2001 and has taught first, second and third grades.
Leah Austin-Goss
Three-year-olds
Leah holds a B.A. from the University of Georgia and earned her Early Childhood Teaching Credential in Northern California at Dominican College. She has taught elementary and preschool in both public and private schools.
Peggy Benkeser
Music
Peggy received her B.M. and M.M. degrees from the University of Illinois and Georgia State University. While her three children attended Cliff Valley School (1988 – 2001) she worked as a professional musician, teaching artist for the Georgia Council for the Arts, and as a roster artist (a.k.a. Drummer Mom) for Young Audiences of Atlanta. Peggy began teaching at Cliff Valley in 2004.
Harriet Blumenfeld
Two-year-olds
Harriet has a B.A. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from the University of South Florida and has been teaching since 1981. Her experience ranges from teaching three year olds through kindergarten. Harriet began teaching at Cliff Valley School in 2002.
Joanna Breazeale
Physical Education
Joanna received her B.A. in History and Secondary Education from Furman University and her M.Ed. in Physical Education from Georgia State University. She taught middle learning Physical Education and Social Studies at the Galloway School for 10 years. Joanna began working at Cliff Valley in January 2005.
Cliff Chestnutt
Fourth Grade
Cliff earned a B.S. in Education from Salisbury University and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University. Cliff is currently pursuing his Ed.S. in Early Childhood Education at Georgia Southern University. Cliff began his teaching career in 2001 and he has taught all grades K-5. In addition to his classroom teaching experience, Cliff has extensive experience coaching soccer, football, and lacrosse. Cliff joined the Cliff Valley faculty in 2010.
Beth Ching
Librarian Assistant
Beth Ching graduated summa cum laude from N.C. State University with a degree in political science. She then received her J.D. from Duke University School of Law. She retired from the practice of law in 2002. Beth began volunteering at Cliff Valley in 2006 when her daughter entered the 3-day program. Beth joined the staff in 2009 as a librarian assistant.
Leslie Crouch
Three-year-olds
Leslie has a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Design in Interior Design from the University of Florida. She worked in the commercial design field for 11 years before joining Cliff Valley as a Teacher's Assistant and Substitute Teacher in 2009.
Nancy DeBaun
Pre-K
Nancy received a B.S. and M.Ed. in Elementary Education from St. Bonaventure University and Georgia State University, respectively. Following eight years of classroom teaching in the public schools, Nancy has taught at Cliff Valley since 1983 and has taught children two through five years old.
Ann Marie Deen
Kindergarten
Ann Marie received a B.A. in Sociology from Richmond American International University, in London, England, and attended graduate school in Applied Anthropology at Georgia State University. Ann Marie is currently pursuing her Masters in Teaching at Mercer University. She holds a Montessori Teaching certificate from St. Nicholas Montessori Center in London, England. She started teaching in 1997, taught Kindergarten at the Glenn School and joined Cliff Valley in 2005.
Mubarka Deen
Two and Three-year-olds
Mubarka earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Geography from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. She is fluent in Swahili, Urdu, and Punjabi. Following six years of teaching high school in a private school, Mubarka taught pre-K at the Glenn School and joined Cliff Valley in 2006.
Lauren Dezen
Media Specialist Children's Programming
Lauren received her B.A. in Elementary Education from Hunter College. She taught at the Galloway School from 1986 – 1990 and The Children’s School from 1990 – 1993. She volunteered at the Paideia School Library from 2003 – 2005 and joined the Cliff Valley staff in 2005.
Judy Dyer
Fourth Grade
Judy has a B.S. in English Education from the University of Georgia and a M.A. in Elementary Education with an emphasis in children's literature from Wayne St. University in Detroit, Michigan. A veteran teacher, she has taught grades 2-8 in a variety of school settings. In 1993, she began teaching 5th and 6th grades at Paideia School where she later served as Elementary and Junior High learning specialist. She joined Cliff Valley's elementary faculty in 2007.
Sarah Ennis-Ruff
Pre-K
Sarah received her B.S. in Early Childhood Education at Georgia State University in 1983. She taught at Cliff Valley School from 1983 – 1986. She operated a home school from 1986 – 1988 and taught at The Children’s School from 1988 – 1991 when she left the classroom to raise her three children. Sarah returned to Cliff Valley School in 2005.
Estela Flores
Spanish
Estela, who has a teaching degree in Elementary Education, has been teaching since 1979. Her experiences include directing a community effort to build a preschool for under-privileged children, and serving on the Board of the Metropolitan Guadalajara School System in Mexico. Estela has been teaching Spanish to children and adults in the U.S. since 1997. She was the Director of Education for Kid Speak and is the current Director of the Atlanta Language Center. Estela joined the Cliff Valley staff in 1999.
Stephanie Johnson
Pre-K
Stephanie has a B.S. in Textile Merchandising from the University of Kentucky with two years additional study in Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati. She worked in the commercial design field for nine years. She joined Cliff Valley in 1998 and has taught two-year-olds, three-year-olds, and pre-K.
Cheryl Keshner
Fifth Grade
Cheryl started her work with children as a pediatric Occupational therapist, practicing for 16 years before going back to school to get a degree in education. She started teaching in the Cliff Valley Elementary program in 2004.
Diane Majerus
First Grade
Diane received her B.A. degree in Child Development with an emphasis in Child Mental Health at California State University, Northridge. Her MSW degree was received from the University of Washington in Seattle. Diane has been a staff member since 1994 and has taught preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade classes.
Karen Maxeiner
Pre-K
Karen earned her B.S. from Purdue University and her Masters in Teaching from Mercer University. She has taught at independent preschools in the Atlanta area since 1997, and became a member of the Cliff Valley Staff in 2007.
Ann Mead
Third Grade
Ann received her B.S.in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina and her education degree from Kennesaw State. She has 13 years teaching experience working with children in grades 3-6. Ann joined Cliff Valley in 2007.
Becky Meyer
Two-year-olds
Becky studied Early Childhood Education at Georgia Southern College. She taught Pre-K for 3 years at The Glenn School in Atlanta, and 2 year olds in Fort Worth, TX from 2004-2005. She moved back to Atlanta and joined the Cliff Valley team in 2006.
Garn Miller
Kindergarten
Garn graduated from The College of Wooster with a degree in Sociology and received his Masters in Teaching from Mercer University. During his studies Garn had the opportunity to work with students in grades K, 3, 4, and 5. Garn has been a member of the Cliff Valley faculty since 2006 and has taught Kindergarten and 5th grade. Garn also coaches Varsity and JV football at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School.
Margaret Myers
Two-year-olds
Margaret has a B.A. in History and Political Science from Emory University. After living and working in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill, she returned home to Atlanta to start a family. She has taught pre-school since 1998 and joined the Cliff Valley School staff in 2003.
Nancy Newton
First Grade
Nancy has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia. She spent 13 years working in the software industry before deciding to change careers and enter education. She worked for three years as a teacher in Cliff Valley's preschool program before leaving to participate in the highly selective Teach for America program in the summer of 2008. In addition to the training she received through Teach for America, she also gained experience working with students in grades 1 and 6. Nancy has also worked as a volunteer Girl Scout troop leader for the past three years.
Jesse Paluch
Teaching Assistant
Jesse graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007 with a degree in Communications and Media Studies. He has worked with kids of all ages as a counselor and staff member at both Camp Mikell Episcopal Church and Emmaus House. Jesse is pursuing his Masters of Arts in Teaching at Mercer University. He began working at Cliff Valley School in 2009.
Kathy Peters
Visual Arts
Kathy received her B.A. in Art from Marymount College and has taught art at The Children's School and The High Meadows School. She also teaches art programs for children at The High Museum and has done four art residencies at Cliff Valley. She became a permanent member of the faculty in 2006.
Ann Reed-Speer
Three-year-olds
Ann has a B.A. degree in English from the University of North Carolina, and worked in residential and commercial property management for fifteen years prior to teaching. She began teaching preschool in 1993 and joined the Cliff Valley staff in 1997.
Hannah Ruff
Teaching Assistant
After completing the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum in high school, Hannah went on to the University of Colorado at Boulder to earn her BA in Spanish with a minor in Ethnic Studies. Hannah has experience working with children through tutoring and substitute teaching in the pre-school at Cliff Valley.
Dorothy Sheffield
Teaching Assistant
Dorothy has a degree in education from Georgia State University. She is the co-founder of Humanities Cooperative where she led the development and implementation of humanities curricula for teachers and students. Dorothy also has home schooling experience with grades K-8.
Kate Sidorski
Outdoor Classroom
Kate has a BA in Elementary Education and she has experience teaching Kindergarten and 1st grade as a classroom teacher. During her teaching career, she was trained in and implemented the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound program, which focuses on environmental science and education. In addition, Kate has been involved in environmental service programs for farming and nutrition in Honduras and environmental clean-up projects in St. Vincent in the Caribbean. As a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School, Kate has been trained in and involved with outdoor educator wilderness education, leadership and communication skills, and group dynamics.
Eileen Stone
Three-year-olds
Eileen received her Bachelor’s in Nursing at Georgia State University. She worked as an RN at Egleston Children’s Hospital in Pediatric ICU and at a private pediatric practice. After serving in a number of parent volunteer positions including Auction chairperson, Eileen became a member of the preschool staff in 2004.
Annie Strahan
Second Grade
Annie's degrees include a B.A. in History, and an M.Ed. and Ed.S. in School Psychology. She is a Georgia Certified School Psychologist and has practiced in both public and private settings. Annie has taught preschool and early elementary education since 1993 and joined the Cliff Valley faculty in 1997. She has taught Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades since 2000.
Zach Tucker
Teaching Assistant
Zach has a bachelor's degree in Geography with a minor in Anthropology from Auburn University. He has done internships with the Auburn Athletic Department and Sports Illustrated, and he currently works in promotions with the Atlanta Braves. Zach worked as a substitute teacher at Cliff Valley during the 2008-2009 school year. He has also coached and umpired Little League baseball.
Erica Turner
Instructional Specialist/Reading
Erica received her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Georgia and her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University. After teaching in DeKalb County, she joined the Cliff Valley Staff as a kindergarten teacher in 1978. Erica has taught all levels of preschool, kindergarten, first, and second grade.
Elizabeth Williams
Third Grade
Elizabeth received a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Appalachian State University. She has instructed children in art camps and summer camps for many years. Elizabeth has been a classroom teacher for eleven years in pre-kindergarten through third grade and joined Cliff Valley in 2004.
Heloise Wilson
Pre-K
Heloise earned bachelors and masters degrees in Early Childhood Education, and she has a specialist degree in Early Childhood Education and Supervision as well. Heloise brings 30 years of experience to Cliff Valley School as a classroom teacher for Kindergarten and 1st grade, an instructional technology specialist for grades pre-k - 5, a literary coach for children age 3 through 3rd grade, and a preschool curriculum specialist. Heloise joined the Cliff Valley School faculty in 2010.
Marcus Wilson
Teaching Assistant
Marcus received his B.S. in Art Education from Ball State University and is currently pursuing his M.A.E. in Elementary Education from Ball State University. Prior to joining the Cliff Valley School faculty in 2010, Marcus collected five years of experience teaching 5th grade science and social studies at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis and all subjects in a 3rd and 4th grade multiage class at Metairie Park Country Day School in New Orleans. In addition to his teaching experience, Marcus has coached volleyball, basketball, ultimate Frisbee, and wrestling at the middle and high school levels, and he has served as a summer programs administrator at several schools and camps.
