We praise God for his provision in building the family at Grace with such enthusiastic, God-loving, professionals. Please celebrate with us in these recent hires:

Kersten (say “Care-sten”) Harnly (BSE. Math Ed, Mansfield University) will be our new High School Math Teacher to replace our dear retiring Mrs. Parker. Miss Harnley comes to us from western Alaska after growing up in a Christian school and college in Pennsylvania. She is a certified math teacher and passed up her dream job offered by her alma mater to follow God’s call to Alaska. After a very successful tenure in Kongiganak Alaska, she prayed for more Christian fellowship in a Christian School in Alaska and God answered her prayer with a “yes” from Grace Christian School. She is an energetic lover of the Lord, mathematics, and music. She started off in college as a music major, but was stunned one day by God’s handiwork in a Calculus class where Jesus called her to be a math teacher.

Tamera Boring returns to her former Instructional Support position at Grace Christian School after a one year family adventure to Oregon. Mrs. Boring will be full-time Instructional Support for all teachers and students grades K-12. She fills the half-time IS positions vacated by Greta Gionet (who will teach First Grade next year) and Tara Edwards (who will teach high school English next year). Welcome back, Tamera!

Jaime Schmunk (B.A. Elementary Education, Grand Canyon University) has been hired to teach Half-Day Kindergarten for next year, taking the place of teacher Kim Metzger (who moves to the 2nd Grade classroom). Mrs. Schmunk has already demonstrated her excellence, love for God and students, and her joy in teaching at Grace. She worked extensively in both Mrs. Glaspey’s First Grade and Mrs. George’s First Grade classrooms for the last many months and comes highly recommended by all who have known her.

Emily Shoulders (B.S. Secondary Education, Arizona Christian University) will be our new Head High School Girls Basketball Coach for next year- Go Lady Griz! She is a certified teacher and has already proven herself to be a great asset to Grace by coaching JH Basketball and by acting as an effective and well-loved substitute teacher many times. She grew up as a very competitive young lady with a passion for basketball and played ball in high school and college. She has since had several opportunities to coach and has demonstrated not only the ability to accelerate the skill level of student-athletes, but also to build team, and most importantly to be shaping student hearts and minds for Jesus Christ. Coach Shoulders marries Nick Hale (Grace alum) this May.

We also ask you to thank and say goodbye to Joann Congdon (High School English) and Kevin Moos (4th Grade) who have both requested and been granted one-year leaves of absence for the 12-13 school year after serving Grace Christian School for 16 years each. Mrs. Congdon has spurred our students on to excellence in writing, the study of literature, and speaking and has led our school to excellence in the annual Declamatory Contest and Creative Writing Contests. Her professionalism, prayers, doxologies, gentle reprimands, and huge heart for God and students are renown. In addition to 4th Grade, Mr. Moos has served Grace so well in the computer classroom, on the wrestling mat, driving bus, leading missions teams to Russia, and by immediately saying, “yes” to anyone who has ever asked for help. We will miss both of them dearly.