Pat and her husband will celebrate 30 years of marriage this year and have resided in Mt. Airy for 21 years. She is the mother of two boys, one in college and the other living and working in Lancaster, PA. She has an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Development and Education from Northern Virginia Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree from University of Maryland Baltimore County in American Studies and Early Childhood Education, and a Masters Degree from Towson University in Early Childhood Education. She has worked as an early childhood program director for over 20 years and has taught many classes at the college and university level. She has also taught numerous workshops and seminars. Pat has over 30 years’ experience working in early childhood education. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Early Childhood Educator’s Association of Carroll County, on the Education Advisory Council and the Pre-K to Kindergarten Transition Team for the Carroll County Public School System, and the Advisory Board for Frederick Community College. She is a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. She enjoys going cruising, reading, growing flowers, decorating for the holidays, and her two West Highland Terriers. This is her seventeenth year as St. James’ Nursery School’s Executive Director.

Sharon and her husband have lived in the Mt. Airy area and been members of St, James' church for many years. Their family consists of two grown children, their husbands, five grandchildren and their dachshund, Max! She began working at St. James' Nursery School in 1985 when her youngest graduated from the Pre-K 4's. She has a BA from Hood College. Sharon enjoys bicycling, baking, card making, reading, and camping.

Kathryn holds a BS in Nursing from University of Maryland.  She has been married 37 years with two grown children. She received her 90 Early Childhood Education certification from Carroll Community College. Kathryn began teaching pre-school in 2005 after practicing nursing for 25 years.  While nursing, she specialized in pediatrics.  She loves music, gardening and arts and crafts.  Kathryn also is an avid scrap-booker. She is very excited to begin her eleventh year at St. James.

Sam is a former middle school science teacher in Carroll and Frederick Counties. She has a degree in biology and a master's degree in education with a concentration in curriculum & instruction. Mt. Airy is home to Sam, her husband and two kids (one a college student and the other in high school), however they are frequently out of town visiting far-away places. When Sam is not at St. James or watching her children play sports, you'll find her on one of the local tennis courts.

Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development from Virginia Tech and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from George Mason University. She taught elementary for six years before starting a family. Michelle has four children of her own, two of which attended St. James. Michelle is in her third year at St. James and has worked as an early childhood education in Maryland since 2014. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cheering for her children at sporting events, exercising and crafting.

America has lived in Mt. Airy with her husband and four children, ages 11-16, since 2001.  She obtained her Bachelor's degree from Marymount University and has completed much of the coursework for her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Towson University. America recently became a qualified Orto-Gillingham “Plus” tutor after taking a 60-hour course on the Orton Gillingham approach (a multisensory structured literacy approach to reading and writing, with an added focus on phonological awareness). America has worked as an early childhood educator in Maryland since 2015.  She is current in CPR and First Aid training as well as her ADA certification.  She enjoys spending time watching her children play sports.  America is excited to be starting her second year at St. James.

Amanda is a MD native, growing up in Frederick County. She graduated from Hood College in 1999 with BA degrees in Special Education and Psychology. She also attended McDaniel College and obtained a master’s degree in Reading Instruction in 2009. Amanda taught in Carroll County as a special education teacher for almost 20 years, teaching grades PK-12 over her career. She and her husband have lived in Sykesville for 11 years and have two sons (one in kindergarten and one in 4th grade). In her spare time, Amanda enjoys watching her oldest son play baseball, spending time with her extended family, and catching up with friends.

Chris Calka and her husband have lived in Mt. Airy since 1988. After Amanda and Michelle graduated from St. James, Chris joined our staff in 1998. Chris received her 90-hour Early Childhood Certification and is current in First Aid and CPR. She enjoys spending time with her family, playing with their many animals, and updating their home. Chris has worked at St. James for over twenty years.

Patti has been a resident of Mt. Airy for the past nine years. Retiring after 30 years from Montgomery County Public Schools in support staff positions, she is excited now to be working with preschoolers. Patti loves spending time outside in her flower and vegetable gardens, attending events in downtown Mt. Airy and in Frederick. She loves exploring the countryside with her best friend, Dave, on the back of his motorcycle. She is looking forward to continuing her education in early childhood development to become the most successful preschool educator possible. Her greatest joy is seeing the world through children’s eyes.

Nikki Davis grew up in North Carolina. She moved to Maryland nine years ago and settled in Frederick County to raise her son. She has an AA degree in General Studies, her 90-hour Early Childhood Education Certificate, and 45 Hour Preschool Certification. Nikki has obtained numerous other certifications all for Early Childhood. This is her third year at St. James but has been working in Early Childhood Education since 2015. Her son Alex is 10, in the 5th grade, and he wants to be involved in every activity that he can convince mom to drive him to. She currently spends her evenings and weekends going to and from baseball, swim, karate and golf activities. When she has time, Nikki loves to spend time curled up with a book, or cooking up something new and exciting in the kitchen.

Lynne is originally from Massachusetts and has called Carroll County her home for the past 15 years. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and a Master in Business with a concentration in accounting. Lynne worked in accounting and finance for several years before starting a family and staying home with her children. Since then she has become interested in early childhood education, particularly the preschool years. She has experience working in preschools as a substitute and is excited to start her second year on the team at St. James. Lynne has also both volunteered and worked in Carroll County Public schools and has served on the PTO board at her children’s school.

Rachel holds a Child Care Preschool and School Age Teacher Training Certificate from Frederick Community College and is working on her Early Childhood Development Certificate. She is current with Child, Infant and Adult CPR, AED, and First Aid training.  While working with many different ages, Rachel enjoys preschool students the most. She has lived in Mt. Airy for over 20 years.  When not at work, Rachel enjoys spending time with family and friends, kayaking, doing crafts, and working on her photography. 

Alexis Paul graduated with her Associate's Degree at Carroll Community College and returned to school to pursue Early Childhood Education achieving her 90 clocked hour Early Childhood Education Certificate and 45-hour Preschool Certification when she began her family. Alexis stays active with her family and riding her horses with her 4-year-old daughter. She has a passion for helping others achieve their goals and stays up-to-date with course work related to maintaining a healthy learning environment.

Tara has a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech and Maryland Certification in Early Childhood Education. Her undergraduate degree is in Materials Science and Engineering. She taught third grade for seven years in the Annapolis area. She lives in Mount Airy with her husband and two daughters. Her youngest daughter will be in St. James’ Pre-K 4’s program this year. Tara enjoys her family and friends, as well as reading, being active outdoors, and practicing yoga. She loves young children’s curiosity and is excited to help nurture their development.

Daniella grew up in Montgomery County and holds an Associate’s degree from Montgomery College with many electives in Early Childhood Education. She holds a 90-Hour Preschool Certification, 45-Hour Infant and Toddler Certification, and ADA: Including All Children Certification. This is her third year working at St. James and she has worked as an early childhood educator in Maryland since 2008. Since 2012, she has lived in Mount Airy with her husband and three daughters and one young son. Daniella enjoys spending time with family and friends, the outdoors, crafts and traveling.