Staff
Pictured above: Lisa Settle, Gardner Hobson, Lisa Purdy, Ali Hill Lyndee Valenzuela, Diana Bey (Maggie McFarland not shown)
Executive Director, Drew Sippel
Principal, Lisa Settle
Kindergarten Teacher, Diana Bey
Kindergarten Teacher, Lyndee Valenzuela
First Grade Teacher, Ali Hill
First Grade Teacher, Lisa Purdy
Adminstrative Assistant, Gardner Hobson
Intern, Maggie McFarland
Executive Director, Drew Sippel
Drew has been deeply involved with local missions at
Christ United Methodist Church for more than 14 years. As the Director
of Local
Missions for the past three years, he has strategically focused on the
Binghampton area to develop the socio-economic and spiritual capacity of
the
area.
He has been a board member for both the Binghampton Development
Corporation and Service Over Self, both self-sustaining organizations
making a
difference in the Binghampton community as well as affecting thousands
of volunteers’
lives by highlighting the brokenness of the city and the need to
thoughtfully
address the issues of the city.
Drew recently accepted the position of Executive
Director of Cornerstone Prep after studying the education needs of the
community for the past 3 years. “The Bible tells us that God hates
injustice
and oppression, and I believe that it is unjust for a child to be
destined to
receive an inadequate education simply for being born in a particular
neighborhood. A child born in the inner-city of Memphis has a 40% chance
of
dropping out of high school before graduating, and if the child does
graduate,
he or she will receive a high school education that equates to an 8th
grade education of a suburban student. That is unjust and I am committed
to
bringing glory to Christ by fighting this issue as the Director of
Cornerstone
Prep”.
Drew has researched and visited many of the
highest-performing urban schools in the country, as well as attending
the
Building Excellent Schools program in Boston, MA. And, recently, he received his Master of Arts in
Education from Union University. He is bringing the
best practices from these schools to Cornerstone
Prep, learning from the success of others and combining it with a
Christ-centered approach to education.
He has a very clear picture of success for a Cornerstone
Prep student.
“Our school will be successful when a Cornerstone Prep
student
becomes a follower of Jesus Christ, graduates from the 5th grade,
attends a challenging middle and high school, receives a scholarship to a
prestigious university, and then returns to Memphis with a degree to
invest his
or her life serving this community as a leader in his or her chosen
field,
seeking God’s favor for the people of this city.”
This exciting and long-term vision
motivates Drew to make Cornerstone Prep a life-changing school for
students,
families, and the Binghampton community.
Principal, Lisa Settle
Lisa Settle is the Principal for the Cornerstone Preparatory
School. She was selected by the Start Up Board after a prayerful 18
months search that included reviewing more than 140 applications and
conducting 45 personal interviews. Lisa is not only uniquely qualified
by also driven by her desire to impact and change our city by providing
hope and direction for God’s children in Binghampton.
Lisa plans an academically rigorous school where students and their
families will know the love of God. “Students will be able to compete
nationally, and academic standards will exceed state requirements,” Lisa
said. “We will have an extensive reading program and a curriculum that
teachers students how to think, analyze and reason. I also plan to have
Bible study so our students can learn about the Father and His love.
Students will learn from whom they receive their help and all
blessings.”
“I am excited about this opportunity. I have a lot of work to do, but I
look forward to it. I am here to do God’s will and have submitted unto
Him in this endeavor. I understand and appreciate the magnitude of this
opportunity and will work tirelessly to be excellent.”
Lisa, formerly served as chair of the department of arts and sciences at
Crichton College. Previously, she served as chair of the department of
liberal arts and humanities plus was an assistant of criminal justice at
Crichton as well. She holds her Bachelors and Master of Arts degrees
from the University of Memphis and a Master of Arts in
Education from Union University. She, currently, is a candidate for a Ph.D.
at Capella University.
She also has experience as a curriculum developer for Career Education
Online and an adjunct faculty member at American Intercontinental
University Online, LeMoyne-Owen College, Christian Brothers University,
and the University of Memphis. She has worked as criminal profiler and
instructor for the Germantown Police Department, therapist and counselor
at Lakeside Behavioral Health System, director of education services
and probation officer at the Justice Network, criminal investigator in
the Shelby County District/Attorney’s Office and interstate child
support mediator for the Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court.
Kindergarten Teacher, Diana Bey
Diana Bey joined the
Cornerstone Prep team as a Kindergarten teacher for the 2010-2011 school year.
Diana previously taught at Veritas Classical school, where she facilitated and
taught 4th grade students. She taught Bible, Grammar, Math and
Writing.
Prior to this, Diana taught Kindergarten at a Memphis charter school and
in Michigan. Diana graduated from Eastern Michigan University, where she
majored in math and minored in science. She has teaching Certification from the
State of Michigan, where she is Highly Qualified K-5 and Science 6-8 and also
has Teaching Certification from the State of Tennessee in Elementary K-6.
Diana brings a
combination of passion, mission-fit and experience to the school. When Diana
saw the job posting on the web, she immediately called her husband and said,
“This school describes my heart.” Though she was not actively seeking a new
position, she felt compelled to apply. “God drew me to this and told me this is
where I need to go and this is what I need to do,” Diana said. “This will allow
me to teach the way I believe teaching should be done in terms of format and structure. I look forward to spending years and years watching this school grow
and seeing what the Lord has planned for it.”
In the spring of 2010, she attended a weekend training session in Boston with our Principal, Lisa Settle,
learning from some of the best educators in the country. Diana also spent time studying standards-based education here in Memphis, developing Cornerstone
Prep standards for Kindergarten.
Lyndee Valenzuela joins Diana Bey as our second Kindergarten teacher. Lyndee is
from Vincennes, Indiana, where she taught.
Lyndee graduated from Indiana
Wesleyan University,
where she majored in both Elementary Education and Exceptional Needs
Education.
Lyndee
is thrilled to be a part of
accomplishing the Cornerstone Prep vision. “As a Christian, I look
forward to the opportunity to freely live out my Christian worldview
with
everyone in the educational community. I have a heart for urban youth,
and I
desire to see them reach their full potential!” says Lyndee. When
offered
the position on staff, Lyndee says she “jumped at the chance to be
involved in the founding of a successful new urban Christian school.”
Lyndee
desires to see students succeed, approaching her role with purpose.
“Because I believe in the importance of continuous improvement in
individual student performance, I am committed to administering
assessments
that drive my daily instruction. I will focus on achieving student
success
through effective progress monitoring and student data collection.”
Lyndee
is already preparing for the first
day of school at Cornerstone Prep. She recently spent 3 days observing 2
high-performing schools in New Orleans
with our Principal, Lisa Settle, learning from some of the best urban
educators
in the Southeast. Lyndee is married and has begun her transition to her new home in
Memphis.
First Grade Teacher, Ali Hill
Ali came to us from Corning Elementary school where she taught 3rd grade students. Prior to this, Ali taught First
Grade at Harlem Success Academy 2, a high-achieving New York City
charter school.
Ali came to Cornerstone Prep with strong
recommendations
from her former school. Dr. Jim Manly, Principal of Harlem Success
Academy 2,
calls Ali “a terrific instructor” who was a “real pleasure” and one who
has “an
unparalleled work ethic.”
Mr. Khari Shabazz, the Dean of Students at Harlem
Success Academy 2, describes Ali as “a high flyer” who was a great teacher
while at his school. Mr. Shabazz said “I was really sad to see Ali leave New York to come to Memphis.”
Ali graduated
Summa Cum Laude from Wake
Forest University,
where she majored in elementary education and minored in psychology.
Ali is excited to be at Cornerstone Prep. Having
experienced the fast pace and high expectations while teaching in New York, Ali brings a
firm conviction that all students can learn, regardless of their background. “I
am up to the challenge of making Wake
Forest 1 one of the best
First Grade classes in the city.”
She recently compiled a list of over 400 books
that she would like to provide for her First Graders. “I love literacy and
watching children learn to read at a very high level”, says Ali.
First Grade Teacher, Lisa Purdy
Lisa Purdy, a resident of
the Binghampton Community, is the latest addition to the Cornerstone Prep
staff!
Lisa graduated with a 3.99 G.P.A from Hope
College in Holland, MI,
where she majored in Special Education and received a Learning Disabilities
Endorsement. Lisa has taught at Douglass
Elementary School and Dr. W.H Brewster
Elementary school and has also spent 2 years as a missionary in Africa.
She believes God has called her to use her
gifts and talents to reach the students of Cornerstone Prep.
“God has clearly called me to the task of promoting excellence
in urban education – encouraging and leading the students of our neighborhood
to higher standards of achievement in academics and behavior,” says Lisa.
Lisa’s passion for excellent urban education, experience with teaching and
living in the community of Binghampton, and commitment to serving the Lord with
obedience and integrity will be valuable assets to the Cornerstone Prep team.
“It is a real privilege to be a part of a school like Cornerstone
Prep, especially since the school will be located in the Binghampton community,
a neighborhood I have come to know and love.
"This is my dream job,” says Lisa. With her husband Brian and their new daughter Leila, they are excited at what God is doing at Cornerstone Prep.
Administrative Assistant, Gardner Hobson
I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. I became a Christian
when I was young, but over the years I have grown to have a deeper and
more intimate relationship with Christ, and still strive for that
daily.
I graduated from high school in 2006 from Westminster Academy, a small
classical Christian school located at Ridgeway Baptist Church. Westminster
is very special to me because God blessed me there with wonderful
friends
and faculty, a rewarding curriculum, and a Christ centered environment.
I am blessed to have a loving family with my parents, step-parents,
and my older sister, Katie, and my younger half brother, Joel. Recently,
I graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama with my
degree
in Sociology, and am ready to move back to my home, Memphis.
In the summer of 2008 and 2009 I was on staff at the ministry Service
Over Self. SOS exists to glory God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus
Christ in word and deed through urban home repair camps. Those times
really helped form who I am today because I learned more about the Lord
and His heart, especially His heart for the poor. I have never been
so broken and challenged, nor have I ever experienced such joy there,
and I fell in love with Binghampton and the people there. My upcoming
internship, The Academy, will consist of me living in Binghampton,
working
at Cornerstone Prep, being discipled, and taking an overseas mission
trip.
I could not be more excited about working at Cornerstone
Prep because I have a strong passion for kids living in poverty. Throughout
my summers at SOS, I grew close to many children that live in
Binghampton,
and know the Lord put them in my life for a reason. My desire to work
with children in poverty is stronger now that it even was then, so I
know the Lord has put this on my heart.
I am even more excited about
my upcoming opportunity at Cornerstone Prep because this past semester
I worked in a Birmingham city school as a kindergarten teacher aid and
it confirmed to me that I love being in a classroom environment and
love the kindergarten age. I love seeing children excited about
learning,
and I want children to feel loved and wanted at school, because it
breaks
my heart to think they may not feel this way at home.
After learning
more about Cornerstone Prep and its values and mission from Drew Sippel,
it truly confirmed to me that I want to be here. I want to be in
Memphis,
I want to be in Binghampton, and I want to be at Cornerstone Prep, and
more than that I really feel the Lord calling me to all three places. I really could not be more excited about working at Cornerstone Prep,
and I am so grateful for the opportunity given to me.
Intern, Maggie McFarland
Maggie
McFarlane joined Cornerstone Prep’s team as an intern for
the 2011-2012 school year. Maggie will work full-time Tuesday through Friday of
each week, helping out in a number of ways at the school. Maggie will spend
time with students in the classroom, with parents from the community and
supporting Principal Lisa Settle in the office.
Maggie
recently graduated Cum Laude from Auburn University, earning a degree in Social
Work. She has been working with children in Mobile this summer while preparing
to come to Memphis.
"I love helping them grow."
In
the past 2 years, Maggie has worked with the Department of Human Resources of
Alabama and the Child Advocacy Center in Auburn. Maggie is excited to
join Cornerstone Prep, saying “I love children and especially helping them
grow. I also love Missions and like to show my faith through serving others.”