Mary Joe Quinn - Art

Email: mquinn@ctkschool.cdlex.org

Mrs. Quinn enjoyed her elementary years at Christ the King School ( K-8) and graduated from Lexington Catholic High School. Mrs. Quinn attended Eastern Kentucky University where she majored in ART, with a recreation minor and received her BA in 1972. She received her Masters of Arts in Education at Georgetown College in 1981.

Mrs. Quinn is an active member of the KyAEA where she serves as Private Schools Rep., she is also active member of NAEA. Mrs. Quinn is parishioner of the Cathedral of Christ the King, and has participated in Eucharistic Adoration since the chapel was created.

Mrs. Quinn is the mother of four daughters, and has five grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, gardening, time at the beach.  An active Clay Artist her work is sold locally. She is the creator of the John W. Quinn Memorial HOPE project, to benefit the St. Peter Claver Building Fund.

Jeremy Howard - Chorus, Music

Email: jhoward@ctkschool.cdlex.org

Mr. Howard received his Bachelor’s Degree from Morehead State University in Vocal Music Education and is currently pursuing a Masters in Music with an emphasis in the Kodály Methodology.  Before teaching he directed the First Presbyterian Church Choir and the Sterling Singers Community Choir, both in Mt. Sterling. Mr. Howard has spent many summers abroad (Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Ireland, Wales, England, and Costa Rica) studying music and performing with various ensembles.

Mr. Howard joined the Christ the King faculty in 2007. He has completed all three levels of the Kodály Methodology, an approach to teaching with music literacy at its core. He actively serves as a guest clinician and conductor for Kentucky Honor Choirs, and as an adjudicator for All-State Choir Auditions.  He is a member of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE), the American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA), and the Kentucky Music Educators’ Association (KMEA). Mr. Howard consistently has students from his choirs participate in select and honor choral activities through ACDA and KMEA. In 2010, Mr. Howard received a grant for the Music Department through the Lucille Little Foundation, allowing the school to purchase a keyboard laboratory to continue students’ journey to music literacy.

Kim Thompson- Library, Admissions Director

Email: kthompson@ctkschool.cdlex.org

Mrs. Thompson received her degree in education from Transylvania University and her master’s in education from Georgetown University.  She has 20 years of teaching experience.  Mrs. Thompson previously taught 4^th and 5^th grades as well as the academic support instructor where she began the Success program. 

Mrs. Thompson is currently the school’s admissions director a position she has held for the past 6 years.  She is also involved in marketing and development as well as serving as the school’s librarian for elementary grades.  Mrs. Thompson is a graduate of C.K.S. and enjoys welcoming prospective families to the school. She is also a member of the C.K.S. School Board Marketing Committee and the Lexington Catholic High School Marketing Committee.

Jamie Herndon - Physical Education

Email: jherndon@ctkschool.cdlex.org

Mrs. Herndon received her Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Kentucky University (December 1973) in Physical Education (Kinesiology) for elementary and secondary students.  She also received her Masters of Arts in Education at Georgetown College in 1981. While in college and high school, Mrs. Herndon participated in: a traveling dance group featuring folk and specialty dances at the state parks, hiking group, swim team, and water ballet team.  She also was a lifeguard, pool manager, and swim and WSI instructor. 

Mrs. Herndon joined the Christ the King faculty in the fall of 1974.  During these past 37 years she has been involved in a variety of school programs ranging from safety patrols, traffic patterns for arrival and dismissal, after school gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, cheerleading teams, dance team, and EDP director, to school Health Fairs, Diocese in service planning committee, Jump Rope For Heart, and assisted the Faith First Basketball program for the Prek-Kindergarten students. Mrs. Herndon is also an active member of the Kentucky Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.  She has been a presenter several times during their fall and summer conventions. She has also worked with the University of Kentucky’s Kinesiology Department mentoring student teachers and student observers at Christ the King.

Sandra Street - Elementary Spanish, ESL, Elementary Reading

Email: sstreet2@ctkschool.cdlex.org

Mrs. Street obtained a bachelors degree from University of Kentucky. She also obtained a Masters of Education in Elementary Reading and ESL from Texas Woman’s University.Mrs. Street has taught for 12 years. She has taught both elementary and middle school students. Mrs. Street is certified teacher in Texas and Kentucky. Her endorsements include Elementary K-5, ESL/Bilingual, Reading Specialist.

 Mrs. Street is from Medellín, Colombia. She earned a swimming scholarship at the University of Kentucky. She was a South American and Central American swimming Champion and represented her country in Pan American games and World Championships. She made the Colombian Olympic swim team but did not get to participate in LA games. She made Academic Dean’s lists and All Academic SEC while at UK. Additional roles at CKS include ESL Teacher, Spanish Market, Liturgy committee, Therese House leader, Green Team Committee, Spanish translator.  Mrs. Street also enjoys spending time with her new dog, Chelsea.

Jill McCarthy - Technology, RenWeb

Email: jmccarthy@ctkschool.cdlex.org

Mrs. McCarthy received her Bachelors Degree in Education with an Associates in Science from Ohio University.  After moving from Ohio in 2004, Mrs. McCarthy became a substitute teacher in Lexington.  In 2005, she joined the CKS staff as the fifth grade math, science, and social studies teacher. She has served on curriculum development and book adoption teams as well as having special training in Project Wild and Smartboard.  She is pleased to have the opportunity to facilitate the CKS Chess Team with her new job title.  

The next phase of teaching for Mrs. McCarthy is the technology field.  She will be teaching grades K-8 with an exciting new elective for the eighth grade.  Broadcast News is a class designed to train students in video/voice editing as well as working on their public speaking and project management skills.  Their projects will be shown to the entire school via the Smartboard.

Maria Iyescas- Middle School Spanish/Research Teacher

Email: miyescas@ctkschool.cdlex.org

Mrs. Iyescas was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX.  She, her husband and daughter recently moved to Lexington in July of this year.  In Texas, she attended the University of North Texas in Denton.   At UNT, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Spanish in 2000.  After a short stint of substitute teaching for the Crowley School District, she was offered a Spanish teaching job there at H.F. Stevens Middle School for the 2001-2002 school year.  After her year of teaching, she decided to pursue her master’s degree at the University of Texas at Arlington.  In 2004, she received her Master of Science in Social Work with a concentration in Direct Practice. 

Upon graduation, Mrs. Iyescas pursued school social work for the Fort Worth ISD.  She was offered a job for Communities in Schools where she was a Program Director for Meacham Middle School.  There she case-managed 120 students who were targeted as “high-risk” of not graduating.  She worked diligently with these students and encouraged them to continue their studies beyond high school.  After working with Communities in Schools, she was offered a job as a Prevention Education Specialist for the Fort Worth ISD.  She taught drug prevention, violence prevention and social/life skills at 11 schools to students ranging from pre-k to 12^th grade. 

After the birth of their daughter, Alexandria Grace, Mrs. Iyescas decided to stay at home with her for five years.  Alexandria started kindergarten at Christ the King this year.  She is very excited to return to the classroom and teach her students a new culture and language.  She knows it will be a wonderful year full of exciting adventures. 

 Email: gjackson@ctkschool.cdlex.org

Mr. Jackson is a Lexington native. He graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar, where he was involved in the jazz,marching, and concert bands. Mr. Jackson completed his undergraduate degree at Indiana University, where he studied music and business. He completed his Masters of Arts in Teaching degree at EKU in the spring of 2011. Mr. Jackson is very excited to be working with young band students in the Diocese of
Lexington.