Faculty & Administrators
Our teachers and administrators are the heart and soul of Knox Classical School, and we're honored to have such a talented and devoted team.
Katie Montoya
Head of School
Susan Phillips
Assistant Principal
Sarah Sander
Kindergarten Teacher
Sarah has over 20 years of experience teaching in public and private Christian schools, and now she homeschools her own son. Teaching in each of these contexts has made her passionate about partnering with parents to help them give their child the best education possible, and it’s convinced her of the eternal value of a Christian education.
Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Northwest University and her Master of Arts in Secondary Education from National Louis University. Since then, she’s taught a variety of subjects to students grades K—8, gaining outstanding experience in using different techniques to maximize each student’s learning and in cultivating an orderly and God-glorifying classroom culture.
Sarah has been recognized repeatedly for her stellar performance in the classroom, especially through her efforts to communicate clearly and graciously with students, parents, team members, and administrators. She’s training to become a certified biblical counselor and is passionate about the transformative power of Scripture. Sarah and her husband are members of Ascend Church where she serves in a variety of contexts.
Sarah is eager to guide our kindergarteners in developing not only as excellent students but more importantly as faithful followers of Jesus. She can’t wait to share her love of great stories and good books and stir up a passion in our kindergarteners to keep learning throughout their lives.
Cyretha Horton
First Grade Teacher
Bio forthcoming!
Shannon Calloway
Second Grade Lead Teacher
Bio forthcoming!
Dottie Morgan
Second Grade Teacher
Despite receiving a purportedly phenomenal high school and college education (B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Dottie wanted more for her own kids. After discovering the classical Christian model, she and her husband David have spent the last 15 years homeschooling.
When embarking on this project, she envisioned creating a STEM powerhouse. It didn’t take long before use of the Tapestry of Grace curriculum changed her top priority to character formation through history and literature analysis. The older Morgan children have homeschooled through high school: the oldest attends a classical Christian college and the middle child is a junior in high school. The youngest is an eighth grader at Whitefield Academy in KCMO, where Dottie has been a substitute teacher for four years.
In addition to teaching our first grade class, Dottie also serves on the Board of Directors of Knox Classical School.
Michele Phillips
Third & Fourth Grade Cohort Lead Teacher
Bio forthcoming!
Tiffany Vadnais
Third & Fourth Grade Cohort Teacher
Bio forthcoming!
Krystal Strong
Visual Art Appreciation & Technique Teacher
Bio forthcoming!
Kaitlin McFadden
Music Appreciation & Technique Teacher
Kaitlin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music cum laude from Friends University and her Master’s in Music Education and Music Therapy from the University of Kansas. She’s used her musical training in various settings to teach and serve, including teaching private and group lessons for children and adults; working with older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease as a certified music therapist; and serving as the Music Coordinator at Calvary Baptist Church in Lenexa, where she and her husband have been members for over seven years.
In her role as Music Coordinator, Kaitlin not only organizes and directs music ministry performances, and plans and leads all congregational worship services, but she also leads music for the children’s Sunday school class and organizes and directs children’s choir performances. Kaitlin lives in Lenexa with her husband, daughter, and two cats.
Kaitlin is eager to help us establish a music program at Knox Classical that helps students become capable singers and learn music theory, and more importantly, learn to love and achieve excellence to the glory of God.
