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Day School Staff
We’re Hiring
Historic Grace Episcopal Church in Yorktown, VA is seeking its next Director of the Grace Day School who is passionate about early childhood education and who desires to help children learn and know the love of God. The Director will work in close partnership with the Rector, the Church staff, the Day School Board (oversight provided by the Vestry of the Church), and the community of Grace in carrying out the ministry and operations of the Day School. The Director will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a vibrant and loving early childhood program (half-day; 40-50 students enrolled from year-to-year; two-year-olds through Kindergarten) located on the campus of Grace Church in the beautiful and historic Village of Yorktown. The Director will be expected to maintain and promote a loving, nurturing and enriching environment that supports both students and families, and will work with the Rector to build upon the Episcopal identity of the Day School and assist the Rector in further building community between the Day School and Church. This is a 12-month, half-time position (25 hours/week). Please click here to read the full job description, which has details on how to apply.
Jean Grinnell
Director
Director, Jean Grinnell, is starting her 18th year at Grace. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in Elementary Education, specializing in Pre-K through 8th grade, and has taught the two-year-old, three-year-old, four-year-old and Kindergarten classes. She has lived in York County with her husband and four children since 1999. Prior to moving to the area, her family has lived and traveled all over the world including Florida, Las Vegas and Okinawa, Japan. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family – especially her 4 grandchildren – as well as traveling and relaxing by the pool.
Chris Giesken
Chris Giesken is the Kindergarten teacher. She enjoys working in early education and with children just starting their academic journey. Her goal is to provide a happy classroom environment filled with learning experiences to encourage a love of learning in her students. She is glad to be a part of the team at Grace Day School. Chris is a certified Montessori teacher and has a masters degree in Reading Education from the College of William and Mary. When she isn’t working Chris enjoys spending time with her family and friends and watching field hockey games. She and her husband have three daughters and live in York County.
Nayibe Sanborn
Nayibe Sanborn is the teacher’s aide in one of our 4-year-old classes. Nayibe is a native of Venezuela who spent many years as a stay-at-home mom before going back to college to start a new career. After earning an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education, she worked for three years as a substitute teacher in York County public schools. She is happy to have joined the Grace team providing students a caring, high-quality first learning experience. Nayibe is married and the proud mom of three boys: a stepson who joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2016; a biologist who graduated with honors from William & Mary; and smart, creative and energetic 15-year-old.
Meredith Moore
Meredith Moore is the lead teacher for the 4-year-old class. She has two children, both of whom attended Grace Day School from the 2’s through Kindergarten. In addition to teaching at Grace, Meredith also works at FAME Allstars. She likes to spend time with her family and friends.
Jenny Baldwin
Jenny Baldwin has been a teacher’s aide for the 4-year-old class. Jenny moved to Yorktown when she was 13 and graduated from York High School. She moved to Florida and earned her associate’s degree in computer animation and eventually moved back to Yorktown. She has a bachelor’s degree in web design and media from Westwood College Online. She has been working from home providing daycare for her five nieces as well as working as web search engine evaluator. All her nieces attended Grace Day School.
Stephanie Winter
Stephanie Winter is starting her second year at Grace and is a lead teacher for one of our 4-year-old classes. Originally from Wisconsin, she moved to Virginia with her husband and three boys. She loves arts, crafts and exploring the outdoors.
Michele Donnelly
Michele Donnelly is starting her second year at Grace after retiring in 2020 from a 31-year career as an occupational therapist assistant. During that career she was the clinical supervisor at a private therapy company, utilizing her extended training in feeding delays, sensory integration and as a Certified Early Intervention Therapist for home health services. Her passion is working with children and nurturing their growth. Michele has been a member of Grace Church for 20 years and has taught Sunday School, participated in mission trips and helped with several outreach projects. Her goal as the lead teacher for our 2-year-old class is to provide a safe, loving first school environment for all children in her care.
Jennifer McMasters
Jennifer McMasters is excited to be a part of the Grace Day School family as the five-day 3-year-old class’ lead teacher. She has taught preschool for 17 years, having earned a bachelor’s degree from Radford University and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the College of William and Mary. She and her husband Brad have been married for 25 years and have two college-aged children. Jennifer enjoys reading, tai chi, traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Mariana Nous
Mariana Nous, the teacher’s aide in our 3-year-old class, is a native of Egypt. Mariana studied law in college, then earned certification as an EKG technician from Virginia Peninsula Community College. She is married with two children, a girl and a boy. Mariana has worked as a teacher’s aide for many years and her favorite part about working with children is watching them grow and learn new things every day. Mariana enjoys reading and spending time with friends and family.
April Walker
April Walker is the assistant teacher for the 2-year-old classroom. She studied geology and secondary education at JMU, and then taught middle school science for 8 years before having her twins, Levi and Hayes. Levi and Hayes attended Grace Day School from ages 2-4. April enjoys cycling, crafting, reading, and snuggling with her miniature dachshund, Petunia!