St. Paul's Faculty — Cocurricular and Extracurricular Education

Ms. JoAnne Gonzalez — Violin

“The love of Christ controls me.”  (2 Corinthians 5:14)

In addition to running our MDO program, Ms. Gonzalez teaches violin to our students after school.  She played in the string orchestra and symphony orchestra throughout college.  Later she was featured in the Georgetown String Ensemble, the Manassas City Orchestra, and the Montgomery County Orchestra.  She is very familiar with the research on how classical music affects the infant and toddler brain.

Ms. Lucy High — Spanish

“He must become greater;  I must become less.” (John 3:30)
Mrs. High joined our faculty two years ago, having spent over five years working with preschool and elementary age students across the country.  She holds a degree from the Colegio Guadalupano in Navojoa, Sonora - Mexico.  Mrs. High serves as our After Care Supervisor and teaches Spanish to our four-year-olds, kindergarteners, and elementary students.  Mrs. High is particularly proud of her husband, an airman in the United States Air Force.

Mrs. Judi McCauley — Music and Piano

Mrs. McCauley has had 5 years’ experience in teaching preschool age children and was the previous Director of Children's Ministry at St. Paul's Church.  She is currently assisting in the two- and three-year-old programs at St. Paul’s, and teaches music and piano to our older students as well.  She also volunteers in teaching religious education at her local parish, St. Katherine Drexel Mission.  

Mrs. McCauley has had 11 years of private piano training and teaches private piano lessons.  Prior to joining us, Mrs. McCauley worked at MCI Telecommunications Corp. for 14 years and earned a degree in Data Processing from Essex Community College in Baltimore, Maryland.  In addition to working with children, Mrs. McCauley enjoys spending time with her family, painting, hiking, and gardening.  She and her family have lived in Virginia for fifteen years, ten of which have been in Haymarket.   Her favorite Bible passage is:  “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.”  (I Corinthians 12:4)

Chris Powers — German

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  (Proverbs 22:6)

Mrs. Powers is an experienced preschool teacher and has been teaching Pre-K4 at St. Paul's for 4 years. She holds ACSI Certification as an Early Educator.   She double-majored in International Studies and German at Millersville University in Pennsylvania and is St. Paul's cocurricular German teacher.  Prior to her teaching career, Mrs. Powers spent years doing international marketing and sales in the corporate world. 

Mrs. Powers has a true passion for teaching that has strengthened while being a teacher at St. Paul's School.  She continues to enjoy traveling and experiencing new wonders of the world but embraces the fact that God has chosen her path as a teacher. She fully enjoys being in the classroom and watching the joy on the faces of her students as they learn the word of God and grow in their faith. 

Mrs. Powers and her husband Jeff have a daughter, age 9 and a son, age 6.  They attend Park Valley Church in Haymarket.

Linda Sakevich – Physical Education Teacher

Mrs. Sakevich came to our school last year as a substitute teacher and has enjoyed working with the children and faculty in all the different classrooms. This year, in addition to substituting, Mrs. Sakevich  joined our faculty as a P.E. teacher.  She graduated from Somerset County College and continued her studies at Taylor Business Institute.

Having a passion for healthy living through exercise and nutrition, Mrs. Sakevich has been an active member at Lifetime Fitness in Centreville for the past 10 years.  She recently joined Sport & Health in Haymarket.  She strives to make fitness fun and exciting for the children through exercise and games.

Mrs. Sakevich enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.  Bike riding and swimming with her family and friends in her backyard pool are among her favorite relaxing activities.  This Bible verse is her inspiration:  “And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8:28)

Shelby Shumaker – Ballet and Tap Teacher

Ms. Shumaker loves dancing, which she views as an expression sharing God’s Word, love, and joy.  One of her favorite verses is John 14:1 which says, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”  She believes that God is always right by your side and will never leave you on your own –at any age. Trained in dance for fourteen years, Ms. Shumaker has achieved accomplishment in ballet and pointe technique as well as jazz, modern, and tap.  She is a member of the Asaph Ensemble, a local professional Christian dance company, and has performed at Constitution Hall, many local high schools, Hylton Chapel, and the new Hylton Performing Arts Center.  Ms. Shumaker has received teacher training for the past three years and is greatly enjoying working with St. Paul’s little ones.