Staff

Cheryl Simmons - Administrative Assistant

Cheryl Simmons returned from retirement to serve as our Principal for the 2020 & 2021 school years.  Cheryl served as NHCA's Administrative Assistant from 2004-2017 and knows much about the history, culture, operation and needs of the school.  Before joining the NHCA family for her  "second career",  she spent 25 plus years in the travel industry working as a travel agent, automation instructor and customer service supervisor for a major airline corporation..  Cheryl has a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia and did some post graduate work in education prior to entering the travel industry.

Cheryl has been married to her husband Randy for 46 years and they have two sons Jesse and Nathan, two daughters-in-law Nicole and Noelle, and four perfect granddaughters, Aubrey, Brennan, Isabelle and Dillon.  Cheryl is always very involved with her church, Northern Hills Baptist, and the school!  She still loves to travel, walk, read, be involved in Bible study,  and spend time with her biological, church and school families!

Stephanie Knoche – Pre-School/ Middle School Government Teacher

Stephanie Knoche is joining the NHCA staff as the Pre-School teacher. Stephanie has a Bachelor's Degree in Christian Education and is particularly interested in teaching lower elementary children. Teaching is her passion and in her life she has homeschooled her own children, taught in various children's ministries and has also taught at NHCA in the past and another Christian school in the area. Stephanie says that watching children learn to love Jesus is one of her greatest joys.

Roben Hamby-Pre-K Aide

Roben is excited to be joining the staff as a pre-k aid. She is a retired teacher having taught 30 years in the Kearney School District. Roben accepted the Lord into her life at a JR. High camp retreat. She's strived to be a Christian example throughout her life's journey.  

Roben attends Kearney First Baptist Church. She has 2 adult children, Timothy and Faith and 2 grandchildren, Zachariah and Eliza that play a huge rol;e in her life. She is looking forward top sharing the love of God to the young children that God has placed in the school.

Terri Walter - Special Education Teacher

Terri Walter is looking forward to her sixth year of teaching at Northern Hills Christian Academy, after retiring from the Kearney School District!! She has also enjoyed teaching preschool for 5 years at Joyful Noise Preschool, after retiring. Terri Walter has previously taught in various schools including the Kearney School District, Liberty Schools, and Kansas City Schools and has been teaching for a total of 36 years in special education.

Terri Walter was also very involved in developing and implementing various social programs for social skills enhancement, self-esteem, and friendship skills while teaching at Southview Elementary for 17 years. Terri also enjoyed many years of individualized tutoring and assisting with Special Olympics after school. Terri received her B. S. Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education and also a Master’s Degree in Special Education from NWMSU.

Terri has been married to her husband for 37 wonderful years and they are blessed to have 2 sons. Her oldest son is currently a Special Education Teacher at NKC Schools and her youngest son is currently involved in broadcasting for ESPN and other sports related events. Mrs. Walter’s interests include spending time with her family, listening to her son broadcasting various sports related activities on ESPN, traveling, and going to Royals and KC Chiefs games. She is so excited to be part of such an amazing team and to serve in a God centered school to provide the best education for our NHCA families!!

Bridget McDowell - Kindergarten Teacher

Hi there I am Bridget McDowell. This will be my second year teaching. I am so excited. I am a country girl born and raised in Vermont. I moves here 8 years ago for school and stayed  since then. Over a year ago I met my husband and my step daughter. We got our first dog a year ago and he has brought so much laughter into our home. God has blessed my life this past year and I can't wait to see what he does next. 

Meghan Frick- 1st Grade

Meghan is stepping in as our 1st Grade teacher this year. She has her degree in Elementary Education from Park University and served as Children's Ministry Director at Pisgah Baptist Church for the past 6 years. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 daughters and is looking forward to serving the Lord at NHCA.

Lori Creason- 2nd Grade Teacher

Hello, my name is Lori Creason, and I am looking forward to being a part of NHCA and teaching second grade. I am also very excited to share the love of Jesus with my students! I spent 29 years in the classroom teaching either third or fourth grade, in which 25 years were spent with Smithville School District. After retiring in 2013, God blessed me with an opportunity to begin a new Pre-K with OSCA in Smithville. It meant so much to me to serve the Lord by sharing His word with those students and their family!

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from NWMSU. I also hold a Master of Art from Baker University.My husband, Roger, and I have been married for 37 years. God hasblessed us with three grown children, two beautiful daughters-in-law, and eight beautiful grandchildren. We enjoy traveling, camping, gardening, and spending quality time with our family.

Jeanette Wright - 3rd Grade Teacher

Jeanette Wright joined the NHCA Staff in 2020 as the 3rd grade teacher. She is excited about this opportunity to share the Love of Christ with her students in a Christian School setting.

Jeanette and her husband, Larry, have been married since 1976. They met while students at Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan, Ks. Jeanette holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Bible/Christian Service from Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan, Ks. She also studied at Kansas State University in the areas of Human Ecology and Mass Communications. Jeanette took classes through Highland Community College and Emporia State University in Early Childhood Education. She has taught and directed in private Christian Preschools in Kansas, and completed training in Montessori Education. She had the honor of helping start a state licensed Christian Preschool at a church in Leavenworth, serving as both the Director and Lead Teacher. After moving to Kearney, Jeanette worked part-time at the Kearney branch of the Mid-Continent Library. Her main responsibility was planning and implementing the Children’s Story-Time and related events. Jeanette worked for 15 years as a substitute teacher for the Kearney School District, teaching in classes K-7. This included many long-term substitute positions in the regular classroom plus Library and Special Education.

The Wright’s have served churches in Kansas and Missouri all their years together. They moved to Kearney in 2000, and currently are meeting as a home church with Holt Christian Church. They have four adult children, three of whom are married, and nine grandchildren who are all serving the Lord and learning of His love and purpose in their lives.

Kristy Parks - 4th Grade Teacher

Kristy Parks is serving as the 4th grade teacher for NHCA after retiring from the Kearney School District.  She has 32 years of experience in early childhood and elementary education. She is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University and received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Webster University. Kristy and her husband Jeff have been a part of the Kearney community for 27 years. They enjoy spending time with their 2 children and 4 grandkids. Kristy is an active member of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Kearney, MO.

Eva Smith - 5th Grade Teacher

Occasionally a student will accidentally call a teacher “Mom” which has happened in my classes. Recently a student called me “Grandma” which is an indication that I have taught for a long time.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from William Jewell College in 1983. While I was in college my dad asked if I knew anything about home education. I had never heard of home education, so I did a research paper about the movement for one of my classes. A few years later I began to teach my five children at home and continued that for more than twenty years. I never imagined that God would give me my dream of teaching in a classroom until Northern Hills Christian Academy opened in 2004, just around the corner. I brought my two youngest children to school and began teaching third grade. I also taught second and fifth grade. In 2021 I completed the Orton Gillingham training and worked as a reading specialist.

In addition to teaching I also enjoy meeting new friends, hearing people’s stories, eating good food, particularly Indian food and ice cream, skiing and hiking in Colorado, reading, singing with worship music and hymns, and visiting my kids and sixteen grandkids in various parts of the country.

When I was eight years old, Jesus called me to follow Him and He is faithfully completing the work that He started.

It is a gift from God to be back at Northern Hills Christian Academy teaching fifth grade.

Cassandra Hutchison - Middle School Science Teacher

Hi, my name is Cassandra Hutchison, and I will be teaching Middle School Language Arts, Science and French this year at NHCA. Though this is my first year teaching at the school, many of you may know me from my role as NHCA’s cheerleading coach. This will be my 5th year coaching Patriot Cheerleading.

My roots are in Kearney, MO, where I attended Kearney schools in kindergarten through 12th grade. I didn’t stray too far from home and now live in Holt with my husband, Brint, and my three daughters, Grace, Arielle and Trinity. When I am with my family, you will often find us playing board games, watching movies together, and singing and dancing to music in our kitchen. In our house, there is so much singing and dancing life might as well be a musical!

I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Psychology and Minor in Religion from Park University. My degree helped to make me well rounded in the areas of literature, religion, philosophy, history, the arts and humanities. I studied French for 7 years in school and I am excited to give Middle School students the opportunity to learn this foreign language and broaden their horizons. I have completed 48 hours in undergraduate Biblical Studies and Ministry courses and have spent the last 14 years in Children’s and Youth Ministry in local churches. I am passionate about leading children and youth to a greater understanding of God and a relationship with Him and look forward to extending this passion to teaching a biblical worldview at NHCA.

Jeff Parks - Middle School/ACE Bible Teacher

 Jeff Parks teaches Bible at the middle school and ACE at NHCA. Jeff has been at NHCA since the fall of 2017. He has a B.S. in Elementary Education (grades 1-8), B.S. in Physical Education (secondary level), and a Master’s Degree in Education from Webster University. Before coming to NHCA, Jeff taught for approximately 30 years in the Liberty and Kearney school districts, primarily at the middle school level.

Jeff is also currently the pastor at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Lawson, MO and on the board of directors for Indigenous Church Strategies where he also helps train pastors in the remote areas of Oaxaca, Mexico. Jeff has been married to his wife Kristy for 30 plus years and they have two children, Jordan and Kaitlyn. Jeff and Kristy also have four grandchildren, Josiah, Harper, Megan, and Audrey.

Allie Williams- Middle School Language Arts, Journalism, and Public Speaking Teacher

Stacey Zarges – Middle School History Teacher

Stacey Zarges is excited to be returning to NHCA as a Middle School History teacher. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Education and enjoys teaching students about the Bible and about God’s love for them.

She accepted Christ at an early age and has worked in children’s ministries since her teens. She has taught Middle school at NHCA and has a passion for Christian education.

Stacey homeschooled her two daughters, has taught Sunday school, Backyard Bible clubs, Awana, VBS, Nursing home ministry, homeschool co-op classes, served in nursery, and various other church ministries.

Stacey teaches with a christian worldview and will always apply Biblical truth to the lesson, along with application to our lives.

Mandee Rogers- Middle School Math/ACE Teacher

Justin Culp - School Librarian / High School Math Teacher

Shelby Baker - Drama/Theater

Shelby Baker received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Oklahoma City University. She has over 20 years of theatre experience, and 11 years teaching and directing at Trilogy Cultural Arts Centre in Olathe, KS. Her theatre education includes: TCH Artist Development Program, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, JCCC Theatre, and Oklahoma City University. Shelby teaches acting and private voice at Trilogy, and is thrilled to be joining the NHCA faculty this year teaching drama. When she’s not instructing young theatre artists, Shelby is living out her true dream of being a wife and mom of three!

Meg Miller - Art Teacher

Meg, her husband Chuck and their two kids, Ruby and Race, are Kearney residents who enjoy dirt biking, camping and other outdoor activities. Megan loves to read, write and create. They are members of Northern Hills Baptist Church.

Megan graduated from K-State with a degree in Journalism/ Public Relations and a focus in art. Her sculpture teacher told her she should major in art, but she had other plans at the time. She is happy to be putting the skills the Lord gave her to use at NHCA and hopes to encourage a love of art and creating in your kids. 

Meghan McCrary - PE Teacher

My name is Meghan McCrary and I'm excited to be back at NHCA teaching PE this year.  I have been a part of NHCA in some form for the last few years.  I love the passion NHCA teachers have to speak Truth into the lives of students here.  My husband and I are very involved at Pisgah Baptist Church and have a desire to teach our two children His Word under His grace.  I am a certified K-12 Art teacher and have taught at South Callaway Public School for five years prior to being married.  I also have a masters degree in Athletic Directing and for many years coached middle school/high school basketball and track.  While in college I was blessed to be a part of Centrifuge summer camps here in the states and overseas.  I became a Recreation Director my last two years with Fuge and I loved being able to share the Gospel using sports and recreation with students of all ages. 

Nyree Howard - Home Economics Teacher

Pam Weber - Middle School / High School Spanish

Pam started working at NHCA as a substitute and as a resource teacher in 2023.  She is now teaching Spanish to our middle school and high school students.  Since college, Pam has taught Spanish to her own children and several others in homeschool co-ops.  

Joseph Toma- Music Teacher

Joseph Toma has been a professional musician since 1984 and teaching since 1995. Mr. Toma has a variety of skills, playing and teaching eight different instruments. He is an experienced stage musician having performed with Stevie Wonder, Evanescence, Lindsey Stirling, and soloist for the Liberty Symphony's Four Season concert. Not to mention, he also has performed as the violin soloist in orchestras for presidents and kings around the world!

Courtney Curry – Custodial Assistant

Hello there, my name is Courtney Curry, and I have the pleasure to be a part of such a huge mission and vision this year with NHCA!

As I searched and prayed to provide a powerful educational setting for my son God and his people not only made it possible for him to learn and grow here but I am also able to be a part of this place in a positive impactful kind of way! I simply love where our Father in Heaven places me in this world and fulfilling my calling, my purpose daily, knowing it’s a part of Gods plan!

My journey began working with kids and families at a young age; working alongside my mother in our community. I soon fell in love with people of all kinds and learned how valuable Life and community can be as we follow and believe. This passion and calling in my life really took off in 2003 in Asheville, NC and it carried me into a beautiful and powerful college experience at Ferrum College, in Ferrum VA. This is where I studied and grew in the recreation and leisure field with the emphasis of outdoor rec. connecting with our outdoor world and a minor in journalism, learning the power of words and how to use them especially Gods word.

During my college career and many years after I worked with kids and families in outdoor summer camps, overnight and day camps, before and after school care, community parks and rec programs, preschool classes, organizing special events and so much more for almost 20 years now.

So, So thankful for this Life we live and all we get to be a part of!