Highland Plaza Preschool
Highland Plaza Preschool
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    • Home
    • About
      • About Us
      • Staff
      • Reggio Emilia Approach
      • Outdoor Environments
      • Indoor Environments
      • Enrichment Programs
    • Parents
      • Calendar
      • After School Programs
      • Events
      • SUMMER CAMPS
    • Admissions
    • Pay Online
    • Contact Us

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Our Staff

Ms. Teresa

 Ms. Teresa Gambrell is our interim director for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.
Ms. Teresa taught here for 17 years until retiring in 2018. She has continued to sub over the years in many classrooms and her grandson, Lachlan, is in our Moonbeams class. She has a Masters in Child Life Development and worked for years as a Child Life Specialist at Tulane Hospital in New Orleans, LA. She also spent several years working with TN Early Intervention Services locally.
Her husband, Richard, is Director of Enterprise Applications for Purdue Global University. They have 3 grown children and 10 grandchildren, 6 boys and 4 girls, ranging in age from 2months to 12 years old! In her spare time she enjoys gardening and traveling. 

Ms. Alice

Ms. Alice Steele has been a part of the HPUMP family for many years as a parent and was office assistant previously in 2009-2012. She has spent the last ten years as accounting manager of a local residential remodeling company. 


Alice has 4 children who have all attended HPUMP Her oldest, Katelyn, is currently in 6th grade at Howard Connect Academy. She has two at Normal Park, Janessa (3rd) and Desmond (1st). Her youngest, Lachlan, is in our Moonbeams class. 


Her husband, Andrew, is a web application developer at AdHoc, LLC. When not working, she is studying for her MBA and serving on some Board of Directors. She also spends much time with her children at swim meets, volleyball games, and enjoys hiking, gardening, and traveling. 

Ms. Marcia

Ms Marcia Harris has worked at HPUMP since 2015.  During her first three years, she worked as a substitute teacher and then moved to the position of co-teacher of the Twinklers class. She has worked in the childcare field for over 30 years in multiple positions. She has operated in home daycares as well as PDO programs, been the director of the Children’s Ministries at HUMC and director of the Aftercare/Summer care Program at St. Jude School.


She has been married 40+ years to her husband Cornelius. Her family consists of son Brandon, his wife Stephanie, granddaughter Lena, and our daughter Brittany. We have been active members of HUMC for 30+ years. 


When she is not caring for children Ms. Marcia spends her time in her sewing room doing alterations or reading a good book on the deck..

Ms. Bridget

 Ms. Bridget Joplin will be our new Twinkler co-teacher this year with Ms Marcia and can't wait to start this new adventure!  She joined us as a substitute teacher during the 2020-2021 school year, and she quickly fell in love with HPUMP and Reggio-inspired teaching.  She worked as an interim co-teacher in our Sunbeams classroom for the spring semester.  


Outside of work, Ms.Bridget spends time with her son and husband.  They enjoy swimming, hiking, picnics, and spending time with family.


Although relatively new to Reggio, Ms. Bridget is excited to learn more about the  Reggio philosophy and hopes to use this approach at home with her son as well!

Ms. Lisi

Ms. Lisi Phillips is so blessed to be part of the HPUMP team for her third year as co-teacher of the Starshine Friends!  HPUMP Has been one of her favorite places since she first visited before her daughter Acadia started as a Twinkler in 2008.  She fell in love with the Reggio Emilia principles, as they align beautifully with her personal thoughts on learning and her research and experience in pediatric physical therapy.  


Lisi has a B.S. degree in physical therapy from the University of South Alabama.  She has worked with children in that aspect, as well as being a kindergarten assistant at the Bright School for 4 years.  She is a member of Hixson United Methodist Church where she enjoys volunteering with children from infants to high schoolers.  Lisi enjoys dancing, creating, and spending as much time as she can with her family.  She has 2 daughters, Acadia and Trinity.  They both attend Boyd-Buchanan School.  Her husband, Wade, is a pharmacist at Memorial Hospital. 

Ms. Bri

Ms. Brianne Wade joins our team as co-teacher for the Starshine Friends.  She moved last year from Georgia and is excited to put down roots here.  

Ms Bri has spent nearly 2 decades working with children of all ages in teaching positions including art, rhythm music, director of music/drama, and church ministries.  She has been married to her husband of 13 years, Jeffery, who is a General contractor.  They have worked in music ministry together for 17 years.  Bri has two girls, Lydia and Emma, who go to Berean Christian Academy.  Both girls enjoy playing musical  instruments.

When Ms Bri is not teaching, she enjoys outdoors, reading, all sports, art, music, and traveling with her family

Ms. Anna

Ms. Anna Kirk returns to our team for her seventh year. She is a co-teacher in the Moonbeams class. She has also worked several years with the Twinklers. Anna holds her associates degree in Early Childhood Education, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She currently is finishing her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education through Western Governors University.


Anna has been working in the early childhood field now for over ten years working previously as a preschool teacher, and in the PMO department at Burks U.M. church and CDC. She is originally from Asheville, NC, and realized her passion for working with children when volunteering in the children’s department where her father pastored. She is an active member at Red Bank Cumberland Presbyterian Church.


Anna and her husband Brandon, have two daughters Sarah Grace and Katie Beth. You can find her on Friday nights watching her oldest perform in the Soddy Daisy High School Trojan marching band or watching her youngest play volleyball who attends Loftis Middle School. Anna also in her spare time enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.


Anna loves working with children in the Reggio-Inspired philosophy so she can help them become co-collaborators to their own learning and plant the seeds to becoming lifetime learners.

Ms. Ashley

 Ms. Ashley Fowles is delighted that her return to classroom adventures is here at HPUMP!  After leaving her 8-year career as a middle school teacher to stay home with her two children, Ms. Ashley volunteered  to be an HPUMP substitute and taught at summer camp throughout 2020-21.  Led by these experiences, she is ecstatic for the opportunity to join Ms. Anna in the Moonbeams class and continue her education in the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia.   


While Ms. Ashley's daughter is off to embark on her own new adventure as a kindergartener at CSLA, her son will continue at HPUMP as a Starshine Friend.  A family of educators, Ms. Ashley's husband is a teacher at East Ridge Middle.  Ashley holds both a B.S.E in Psychology and an M.S.E. in Reading from Arkansas State University, and will soon take exams for an additional Reading Specialist license and a dyslexia endorsement.   


Ms. Ashley enjoys reading, finding both big and small adventures, and fitness.  She is also an instructor at the YMCA.  Ashley does not enjoy meal planning, mosquito bites, or tumbling down the stairs on toy tractors.  


Ms. Ashley looks forward to partnering with Ms. Anna and learning with her Moonbeam friends and families. 

Ms Jessica

 Ms Jessica Smith is new to HPUMP this year and will be co-teaching in the Sunbeam class. She first obtained her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and then transferred to UTC where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Exceptional Education. She worked at Jones Memorial Child Development Center, starting in the two year old room and eventually floating to every classroom from the nursery to Pre-K. After graduation she taught at Skyuka Hall, a private school for students with learning disabilities before taking a job in Hamilton County. She’s worked in several special education classrooms working with children with differing abilities ranging from moderate to severe. Her passion is helping children learn self-advocacy skills in a way that makes learning accessible for them. She also values helping children learn coping strategies that will help children regulate their emotions and solve problems. She is excited to start this new journey at HPUMP and ignite a fire for exploring and learning in your children.


Jessica lives in Hixson with her partner David and their dog Brownie. They love exploring the nature around the city and going for walks in the park, rain or shine. They share a passion for cooking and experimenting with new recipes. They attend City Church where they enjoy strengthening their faith and fellowshipping with friends. They love spending time with family and building that community of support.  

Ms Lindsay

Ms. Lindsay Dutto is very excited for her first year as a Sunbeams teacher. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education/ Special Education from UTC and over ten years of experience in the classroom as a preschool teacher, for both neurotypical and special needs children. She comes to us from a Reggio Emilia center, where she fell in love with the philosophy.


She enjoys reading in her spare time and spending time with her husband Chris and dogs Eleven and Baker. They also travel whenever possible.   

Ms Freya

Ms. Freya is thrilled to rejoin the HPUMP family this year in Rainbow Kids! She spent 2018-2020 co-teaching in the Twinklers classroom until she had to step away in 2020 to stay home with her family.  Ms. Freya has worked with children for 20 years in various settings including: nannying, daycare, and teaching financial literacy to 4th and 5th graders at Junior Achievement. Most recently, she brought her passion for the Reggio approach to her life in a new way by teaching 4 preschoolers from her home. Ms. Freya majored in psychology in college and hopes to go back to school for a degree in early childhood education! 


Ms. Freya lives in Highland Park with her partner Iggy and their two children, Addison and Aurora, who both attended HPUMP and whom she now homeschools. Iggy is an artist and a graphic designer.   


When she’s not teaching, Ms. Freya is probably either reading, baking, practicing yoga, listening to podcasts, learning Swedish, or watering her nearly 70 house plants. She is also a multimedia artist and a trained birth doula. She loves to travel and has spent time in almost every state!

Ms Alexis

Ms. Alexis Guernsey is in her first year as co-teacher of the Rainbow Kids. She was introduced to HPUMP and the Reggio Emilia approach in 2020-2021 when her daughter was in the Moonbeams class. Given the challenges of navigating the pandemic, as a parent Ms. Alexis valued the sense of community HPUMP offered her daughter. The classroom environment and approach to collaboration were not only enlightening to her as an individual, but often sanity saving as a mother. Having also served as a substitute teacher and summer camp counselor, Ms. Alexis is thrilled to be a part of the HPUMP team!


Ms. Alexis holds both a B.A. and a M.M. from the University of Mississippi (Hotty Toddy!) with a concentration in vocal performance. Music is very much a part of her life and teaching style. The Rainbow Kids can look forward to a lot of fun as they discover music and song for themselves!


In addition to music, Ms. Alexis enjoys travel, road trip adventures, cooking, and spending time with her family. Her son Emmet and daughter Lorelai attend Normal Park. Her husband, Brandon, teaches French at GPS. 

Ms. Stephanie

 Ms. Stephanie Bailey has worked as an Atelierista at HPUMP since 2016. A graduate of Taylor University with a B.S. in Art Education, she has taught Art from kindergarten to high school. She also has experience in both special education and in outdoor education. Stephanie has been part of the HPUMP family since 2015 when her daughter was a part of the Sunshine Gang. 


Stephanie enjoys sharing her love of art with the HPUMP community including drawing, painting, mixed media and ceramics. When Stephanie is not in the classroom, she loves to play outside and explore the world with her daughter Anya and husband Drew, professor of  Outdoor Education and Recreation Management at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

Mr. J.

Mr. J. Maddox returns to our teaching team for his twelfth year! This year, he joins Ms Stephanie as co-atelierista!  He has worked with our Rainbow Kids and Moonbeams in the past. 


J. is his first name- just the letter J followed by a dot. It is on his birth certificate that way. J. holds a BA degree in art studio from Tulane University, New Orleans, LA; his emphasis was in printmaking. Additionally, J. is a docent at the Tennessee Aquarium and volunteers at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. J. has two children, Nick and Lainey, and a rescue dog, a black lab mix puppy named Downton.

Openings

We are hiring for the 2022-23 school year.

Job Openings

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