Stephanie was born and raised in San Jose, California. In 2002 she and her family moved to Groveland, California to live with her grandmother. While attending Tioga High School she realized her passion for working with kids after volunteering at a local elementary school. When Stephanie graduated from high school in 2005 she aspired to work with children via social work. But, after taking college Child Development courses, she realized that she'd rather teach children. In April 2008 she will graduate from Columbia College in Columbia, California with her AA degree in Liberal Studies and an AS degree in Child Development. She later hopes to obtain her teaching credential to work with school aged children. When Stephanie is not working with children and attending classes, she enjoys spending time with family and friends. Her hobbies include photography, scrap booking, listening to music and yoga.
Beth grew up in the California East Bay after moving from her birth place of Chicago Heights, Illinois. She graduated from Tennyson High School then received her first AA degree in Commercial Art and a second AA degree in Early Childhood Development from Chabot College. She continued to take photography and fine art classes, figure drawing and oil painting for fun, and took American Sign Language. At first Beth thought she would follow in her dad’s footsteps in Advertising but hated it! So she proceeded with Early Childhood Development. Thirty some years later she is still at it! As a child her family camped and spent many happy times locally in the Sierra foothills and mountains. She fell in love with this area and always felt more at home here. She felt “homesick” whenever she had to return to the Bay Area. At the time she was doing In Home Care for hospice patients and the elderly. She really loved that work and met many wonderful people. Three years ago she moved back to Hayward to assist her own elderly mother. After her mom’s death last year Beth returned to her sweet little home here in the Mother Lode. Currently she is active at Calvary Chapel and enjoys camping, taking nature hikes, fishing and painting in watercolors, acrylics and oils. She is very grateful to be living her dream here in Sonora!
Heather Owsley has been married to a wonderful man, Dave, for one year. She is very close to her family and has an older brother and a wonderful nephew. She grew up in 4H and won first place with a skirt she designed and sewed. She also won Reserved Grand champion in the feeder class for swine! Heather graduated from Columbia College with an Associate of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies in 2005 and went on to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development at CSU Stanislaus. Heather always wanted to be a teacher. When she entered college she got the opportunity to tutor 3rd and 6th graders then began substituting for Head Start. She loved working with the younger children so she sought a career with preschoolers. Besides adoring preschoolers and toddlers Heather loves to sew and read. Heather and Dave go to fire musters and complete on the Sonora team. Dave also “pulls” trucks in truck pull competitions. They love derbies and mud bogs and she loves to bowl. Heather and Dave have traveled all throughout California but, unfortunately, as of yet, haven’t made it out of the country. They hope to visit Mexico next year.
Kelly O’Geen is our kindergarten teacher. She has a beautiful 19 month old daughter named Cecilia. They live in Vallecito, with their three dogs, three cats, three guinea hens and six goats. Kelly attended Columbia Junior College where she received her Associates of Arts Degree in Child Development. Upon graduation, she enrolled in CSU Stanislaus where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in English. She was a student teacher in a second grade class at Michelson Elementary in Modesto. She then received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential in the spring of 2009. Kelly chose the field of education because she feels that she should live her life to help others. Kelly states that there is no better reward then making a difference in a child’s life. She enjoys working with kindergartners because of their enthusiasm for learning and life. She also likes teaching elementary curriculum.
Brittney was born on a US Air Force base and moved to Sonora when she was just two years old. She is a 2008 Sonora High School graduate. Brittney attended Cerro Cosa College and earned her qualifications for teaching. She plans to continue her education in Child Development. She's always had a love for children and hopes to create many positive experiences with each child. In her spare time she enjoys watching sports, dancing and traveling; however, her favorite thing to do is be with friends and family.
Kurt was born and raised in Groveland, California where he currently lives with his wife, Katie, and his new baby boy Marcus. He graduated from Tioga High School to become a firefighter on the Groveland Hotshot crew. Kurt is now finishing his Child Development units at Columbia College. His interests are playing with his wife and son, snowboarding, traveling, eating and hanging out with friends and family.
Sylvia has been married to Jeff, a masonry contractor, for 15 years and is the mother of a 13 year old son. She and her family moved to Sonora four years ago from Los Gatos, California. Sylvia grew up in the East Bay Area and went to Chabot College in Hayward and the UC Davis Extension. She has 25.5 Early Childhood units and 9 specialized units in Infant Toddler Development and Special Needs Infant-Preschoolers. She has been a child’s advocate for over 10 years. Sylvia firmly believes that the future of our country depends on the ability to nurture the optimal growth and development of every child. Sylvia had her own daycare in her home but felt that there was something more she wanted to do. Joining Safari Learning offered her the opportunity to teach children and help them to grow. She loves arts and crafts. Her family has ATVs and loves to ride the dunes in Pismo Beach.
Christine grew up in San Francisco, California. She started college in San Francisco, then moved to Columbia College to study Early Childhood. Christine is married to Allen and has many wonderful nieces and nephews as well as her church family. She is very involved with church activities and loves to hike in the Tuolumne County mountains.
Susan was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She has lived in Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, Arizona, Maryland and California. She lived in Felton, California for 17 years until she moved to Sonora in 2006. Susan graduated from high school in Antioch, California. She attended Woodbury University in Los Angeles for one year, then Academy of Art in San Francisco. She is currently attending Columbia College. Susan has been married to Steve Nelson for 29 years. She has three children, Ben, Tamara, and Shannon, daughter-in-law Laura and grandson Caedyn. She loves painting, scrapbooking and Children’s Ministry.
Mary Ewart has been married to John for 7 1/2 years. They met in high school in our Sophomore Honors English class. They have two children, Natalie who is 3 1/2, and Colin who is 4 months old. They also have two dogs, two cats, and one fish! Mary and her husband moved to Sonora from Turlock because it felt more like home to them, since they grew up in Nevada County (Queen of the Northern Mines). Mary went to Azusa Pacific University for two years, and completed her degree in Liberal Studies with a Math Concentration/Minor at CSU Stanislaus. She also completed the University Honors Program with a thesis on instructional strategies for Gifted and Talented students.She interned at Mitchell Senior Elementary while earning her Single Subject Teaching Credential in Foundational Mathematics, and spent five years teaching there before she decided to take some time away from a full time job to spend more time with her children while they are young. Mary was born in the Bay Area but moved to Nevada County when she was 10 and considers it "home" - her parents still live there. She loves the space to have her horses and raise animals in 4-H and she looks forward to her own children having those types of experiences here. Besides teaching high school, Mary has worked in preschools and daycares throughout her college career, and loves to work with all ages of children. She also loves working with children who have had more time to develop their own attitudes, and helping them achieve success in topics that have been daunting to them previously. This is what helped her decide to become a teacher. Mary is very crafty and loves to knit, crochet, scrapbook, make cards, create things with beads, etc. She also enjoys mild hiking, kayaking, picnics with the family, and reading! She has not traveled to foreign countries, but hopes to once her children are old enough to go along and enjoy and learn from the trips as well.
Michelle is 22 years old and was raised here in Sonora. She graduated from Summerville High in 2006 and after taking a small detour for a few semesters away at school in Texas. She then moved back home to be closer to family. Michelle has been taking care of children for as long as she can remember. Children bring her joy and make her smile when nothing else can. She attends Sierra Bible Church and has been involved in Children’s Ministries there for years. She is an actress and has been seen in numerous productions at local theatres and hopefully more to come. She loves reading, music, friends, family, being on stage, and of course, children. She’s so grateful and excited to be a part of Safari Learning.
Caitlin was born and raised in Sonora, California. Her family includes her mom and dad, older sister and her son, and an adopted sister. Her family is in the process of adopting another little girl. Caitlin is attending Columbia College to get her general education degree. Once she transfers, she will major in psychology and family counseling. He interests are knitting and sudoku.
Stevi was born and raised in Sonora, CA. She spent much of her life at the Sonora Sports and Fitness Center in diapers (at the Day Care Center!) as her parents worked out a lot. She feels very at home in our Safari environment because of this! Stevi enjoys children and is currently enrolled at Columbia College to earn her teaching certification and Associate of Arts Degree. Her interests involve spending time with her family and friends and going on hikes with her boyfriend, Mario, and puppy Maddi. Stevi says, “I am thrilled to be a part of Safari Learning. I look forward to furthering my experience and education with children.”
Leeann Lupo is a native of Tuolumne county but has spent many years traveling to compete in downhill ski racing. Leeann is the oldest of five siblings and mother of a wonderful little boy, Troy. Troy is five and attends Safari Learning Kindergarten - 1st Grade Academy. Leeann spends her time with Troy and coaches soccer. She attends CSU Stanislaus and will graduate in December 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication. She enjoys children and loves coaching and being a nanny. She is excited to be working more actively with kids at Safari and enjoys the excitement children bring to her everyday life.
Deniel grew up on a dairy farm in Merced, California. She went to Merced High School then continued on to Merced College and graduated from Stanislaus State with a BA in Business. Deniel is married to Steve, has two daughters, Wesley and Sydney, and a son, Sam. She is a Masters Swimmer with TCA, serve on TCA board, 4-H leader and board member for 10 years. And, you guessed it, she loves to cook!
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