Faculty
Our faculty are the heart and soul of Knox Classical School, and we're honored to have such a talented and devoted set of teachers.
Alyssa Gerrity
Lead Teacher and Second & Third Grade Teacher
Alyssa Gerrity brings to our school over 12 years of experience as an educator and specialist in child development, language development, and the science of reading—along with 2 years of experience homeschooling her own son. While working as a certified speech-language pathologist in multiple school settings over the past decade, she’s mastered using various instructional techniques to engage students’ imagination and curiosity, and guided students with different learning challenges in studying phonics and becoming capable readers. Alyssa also has significant experience in helping other teachers improve their own teaching techniques, and she’s skilled at planning a comprehensive course of study to help students reach their God-given capabilities. Alyssa earned her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from Northwest University and her Master of Science in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Eastern Illinois University.
Even more important than these stellar professional qualifications, Alyssa loves the Lord and follows Him whole heartedly. She and her husband Jon are members of Providence Community Church where she serves in a variety of contexts, including teaching Sunday School for PreK—3rd grade. She’s passionate about sharing the gospel with students and looks forward to the opportunity to do so at all times and in all contexts at Knox Classical.
In addition to serving as our Lead Teacher helping to support our other teachers and oversee lesson planning and assignment development, Alyssa will teach our second and third grade students in a combined classroom. We couldn't be more thrilled or honored to have Alyssa as part of our founding faculty, and we know that she’ll enrich our community with her graciousness, diligence, and enthusiasm.
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.
Dottie Morgan
First 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.
Kate Wilhoft
Visual Art Appreciation & Technique Teacher
Kate graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in 2001 with a degree in fashion design. She has done computer-aided design for Koret of California clothing company and altered dresses at Bridal Designs and More. Kate designed costumes and drafted patterns at the Kansas City Costume Company.
Kate has homeschooled her three kids for the last 18 years. She now has two in college and one sophomore in high school. In homeschooling, her focus has been on teaching history and its relevance to our lives today. She is excited that Knox Classical has a vision to study art through the lens of history. For the last eight years she has taught elementary classes at Southland Academy, including poetry, electrical circuits, Latin roots, and botany. She believes that teaching should be done through telling stories and hands-on learning.
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.
