Mr. Randy Hinshaw - Administrator

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Mr. Hinshaw is beginning his third year as the MCA administrator. He has degrees in both elementary education and psychology, and is working toward his master's degree in educational administration. Mr. Hinshaw considers his career a ministry and loves working with children and families.

He thoroughly enjoys the opportunities he has had to study classical learning and teaching methods and see their application in the classroom. He is blessed with a wonderful wife, a daughter who is off to I.S.U., a son who is a junior at Mahomet schools, and a son who attends here at MCA. Mr. Hinshaw enjoys golf and watching most sports. God has blessed him abundantly with a great family and an amazing work environment. It is clear that he truly loves what he does.

His Thoughts: "I feel blessed to be a part of the wonderful things God is doing at Monticello Christian Academy. I believe that children learn best in a respectful, creative learning environment. I love the emphasis on character development, and inquiry-based learning."

Mrs. Heather Marshall - Pre-School Teacher

Mrs. Marshall joins the MCA staff after completing her Associates in Elementary Education at Parkland College. She will spend this year working with the 3 and 4-year-old classrooms and is very excited about the learning experiences this year will hold for us all. She believes children learn best when they are in a loving environment that is focused on God and features their personal interests.

Mrs. Marshall has been blessed with her husband, David, and two wonderful sons, Aidan and Nathaniel. Aidan will be attending MCA this year. The Marshall family attends Crossroads Church of Monticello.

Mrs. Marshall's hobbies include reading, writing poetry, scrapbooking, and spending time with family. She is very excited about the upcoming school-year.

Mrs. Angela Patrick - Developmental Kindergarten Teacher

Before entering the teaching profession, Mrs. Patrick had extensive experience in hotel and retail management when she and her husband, Gary, finally decided to start a family. Upon the birth of their only child, Sean Collin, she chose to leave her career behind to be a stay-at-home mother.

The first time Mrs. Patrick walked into MCA, she was looking for a suitable place to send Sean to pre-school. What she found inspired her! It wasn't just a place she wanted to send her child; it was a family she wanted to be a part of. She started as an Aide with Mrs. Weber last year in the Kindergarten classroom, and now is ready to start another exciting year as the Developmental Kindergarten teacher.

Mrs. Patrick's family attends Crossroads Church in Monticello.

Mrs. Lori Cox - 1st and 2nd Grade Teacher

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Mrs. Cox earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University. She was a substitute teacher for 4 years and a teacher at a Christian school for two years before joining our staff. Mrs. Cox joined us as a substitute teacher in the fall of 2005 and then as an assistant for the Kindergarten/Pre-School in January of 2006. She is currently our 1st and 2nd grade teacher.

Mrs. Cox and her husband, Dave, have two children. Ashley is an 8th grader at MCA, and Jonathan will be a freshman at St. Louis University during the 2007/2008 school year. The Cox's share their home with Juno, the black lab and Hermione, the Cornish Rex cat. The whole family loves watching, coaching, or playing soccer!

Her thoughts: "I am so very blessed to have been led to MCA.. It is an absolutely incredible experience to be able to teach with faith as a welcome companion rather than a forbidden subject. When my students leave my classroom at the end of the year, it is important to me that they have grown in faith and character as well as academically."

Mrs. Lynn Spicer - 3rd and 4th Grade Teacher

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Mrs. Spicer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and an Elementary Teaching Certification from Millikin University, Decatur, IL. She thoroughly enjoys teaching in such a loving Christian school. She appreciates the opportunity to interact with Christian students and their families.

Beginning the day reading God's Holy Word, she feels so blessed, as the students are already so grounded in their faith. They feel a sense of value knowing that the hairs on their head are counted and that God has a divine purpose for their lives.

Mrs. Spicer enjoys her free time spent at home with her family and pets.

Her Thoughts: "I became a Christian School teacher, because I could not teach in a public school, where I had to deny God. My mission is to serve the Lord by serving students and their families."

Mrs. Meghan Conatser - 7th and 8th Grade Teacher, Art Teacher

I graduated from Millikin University in 2002 with a degree in Art Therapy. After working for a year as the Director of a group home for Developmentally Disabled adults, I decided that a different career path would be a better fit. I went back to school and earned my teaching certification in May 2006, and began my first year of teaching at M.C.A. in the 7th and 8th grade classroom in the fall of 2006. This past year I have enjoyed splitting my time between being a stay-at-home mommy, teaching art, and teaching 7th and 8th grade. I find working with middle-school age students very fulfilling.

Mrs. Jean Ann Foltz - Spanish Teacher

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Hola y bienvenido a MCA! Mrs. Jean Ann Foltz, aka Sra. Foltz, is the Spanish teacher. It has been her great pleasure to have taught at MCA since the doors opened five years ago.

She graduated from Monticello High School and received an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from Parkland College. She has been married to her husband, John, for the past 22 years. John is a attorney at Glasgow & Foltz in Monticello. They have two daughters, Kristin & Lauren. Kristin will be a sophomore at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has very much enjoyed attending a Christian college! Lauren will be a senior at Monticello High School and is our missionary! She has done missions work in Mexico (twice), Haiti, inner-city St. Louis (twice), and So. Africa for 30 days in July, 2007.

Her thoughts: "It has been such a joy to teach and minister to the students at MCA. We are like family. We appreciate and value the individuality of each of our students and work hard to ensure their academic success. With God's help we strive to build Christian character and conduct within our students so that they will be true ambassadors of Christ within the world in which they live."

Mrs. Helen Lee- Music and Piano Teacher

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Mrs. Lee is the music teacher at MCA. She received her Music Education degree at Oberlin College Conservatory and Masters in Music Education degree at Temple University with an emphasis in Elementary Music Education and Piano Pedagogy.

Her husband, John, works at State Farm in Bloomington as a System Analyst. Their daughter, Stephanie will be a Senior at Wheaton College and their son, Daniel, will be a Junior at Mahomet-Seymour High School. Mrs. Lee enjoys listening to classical music and praise music.Her favorite thing to do is to reach out to children through teaching music.

Her thoughts: "I am very blessed to teach at MCA where I can express my love for God freely to students and staff. I also enjoy teaching a small class with a loving environment. It allows me to build relationships with students on a personal level. I love to hear a student say, 'You are more than a music teacher or piano teacher.' I would like to be a positive role model to our students."

Mrs. Jen DeVries - Computer Technology Teacher

Mrs. DeVries earned a Bachelors of Science degree from Central Christian College of the Bible with majors in Bible and Counseling. She worked for the college as the school tutor and yearbook advisor for two years after graduation.

Her family then made the decision to go into the ministry and they have never looked back. Her husband is currently the youth minister at First Christian Church in Monticello, which is what brought them to the area and introduced them to MCA. Mrs. DeVries has some unique experiences that make her an interesting technologies teacher. She worked in a robotics lab at Iowa State University for four years while in high school and during college. There they used a self-designed program to teach elementary-aged children about technology and how everyday items in their houses utilize technology to function.

Her thoughts: "I love it when you can see someone have one of those 'ah ha' moments in learning. It doesn't matter if it's my 2 year old learning some basic concept or an adult who finally masters something difficult. Learning is a life-long process that should be a delight for all ages."