Meet our Teachers

Parents Morning Out

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Kim Drake became the lead teacher in the PMO classroom in 2017 after being the assistant for two years prior.  Kim grew up in Eastern North Carolina and studied elementary and special education at ECU.  Prior to coming to St. Paul’s, Kim worked at Vidant for 14 years but left to be a  stay at home mom to her six children who have attended St. Paul’s Preschool since 2005.  Kim and her husband, Daniel, love spending time with their family and friends at the beach.

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Tracy Hodgin is a graduate of both the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.S. in Biology and the Presbyterian Hospital School of MedicalTechnology.  After working in hospital laboratories, she made the decision to join St. Paul’s Preschool, and has been in the PMO classroom since 2012.  She and her husband, Joey, have a daughter, Kaitlyn.

Two Year Olds

IMG_2405 2After being a substitute teacher at St Paul’s while her children attended, Lauren is excited to become the lead teacher in the two year old classroom . Lauren grew up in Northern Virginia,  where she worked in several Preschool settings while studying Special Education. She eventually found herself in ENC with a B.S. degree in Business/Healthcare Management, but never lost her love for working with children. She currently lives in Greenville with her husband, 2 young children and 3 dogs. Lauren and her family love doing anything outdoors, especially spending time at the beach and in the mountains.

IMG_7726Pam Brock joined the St. Paul’s family in 2017.  Pam has her BS from ECU in early childhood education and taught second grade for 30 years.  In retirement, Pam helps with her grandchildren full-time who are now in elementary school.  Pam married her childhood sweetheart, Clip Brock, and together they have two children and four grandchildren.  St. Paul’s is very excited to have Pam as a teacher in the two year old class!

Three Year Olds

IMG_9567Sara Ellingwood has been involved with St. Paul’s Preschool since 2018. First as a substitute teacher while her children attended, then as assistant director, and now she has taken on the roll as lead teacher of the three year old classroom. She grew up in Massachusetts before relocating to Greenville in 2015 with her husband, two girls and two puppies. Prior to being a stay at home mom she was an office manager for a manufacturing company. Sara enjoys woodworking and spending time with her family when she’s not at preschool.

IMG_2396Lisa Norris is excited to be taking over the assistant teacher position in the 3 year old classroom. Lisa is a Greenville native who received her associates degree in medical assisting from pitt community college in 2011. She worked as  a CMA at a local medical office before leaving to become a stay at home mom to her 2 daughters. She has been substituting at St. Paul’s Preschool since 2014.

Four Year Olds

Kimberly Carson is a IMG_2384graduate of East Carolina University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Criminal Justice. After spending two years as a case manager with “at risk youth” Kimberly coordinated continuing education programs for medical professionals. She took a short break to stay at home with her daughter, Reagan, before returning to work. She found a home at St. Paul’s Preschool and has been working in the classroom for since 2010.  On weekends, Kimberly enjoys riding horses, participating in equestrian events and doing arts and crafts.

IMG_2391Libby Jethro joined the four year old class in 2017 as  teacher assistant after serving as the lead teacher in the three year old class since 2001. She is excited to be working with Kimberly Carson in a new role and a new classroom . She has a B.S. degree in Education (k-4) from UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to teaching at St. Paul’s, Libby taught preschool in Winston-Salem and Rocky Mount and public school kindergarten in Wake County. Libby and her husband, Gordon, have three sons.  Besides teaching, Libby enjoys volunteering with her church and Pitt County Schools, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family at the beach.

Director

IMG_2413 2Gretchen Hvastkovs has been with St. Paul’s Preschool since 2014. She started as the lead teacher in the two year old class, but took over as director in 2015. Gretchen grew up in California and attended college in Wyoming. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wyoming in Family and Consumer Sciences. After college, her family relocated to Connecticut before settling in Greenville. Gretchen and her husband are very active with their three children and English Bulldog, Oliver.

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