Meet the Staff of Veritas Academy
Jennifer Hotopp – Head of School
Mrs. Hotopp graduated in 2001 from Concordia University in Austin, Texas with a B.S. in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood Endorsement and specializations in reading and math. She has over 20 years of teaching experience in varied learning environments. She is dedicated to teaching and mentoring children. Her husband and five children keep her a busy mom and wife.
Rachel VanderWoude – PreK 3 & 4
Mrs. van der Woude is excited to walk alongside our youngest learners this year! She looks most forward to watching her class use their 100 languages to express, explore, and connect their thoughts, feelings and imaginations! Mrs. van der Woude feels that the potential to learn and grow is endless and she cannot wait to guide the fun and exciting projects that her students will choose. Outside of school she loves spending time with her husband and 3 children, visiting family in Canada, crafting and friends.
Kathryn Bone – K-1st Grade Guide
Ms. Bone is looking forward to using the Reggio Emilia approach with the Kindergarten and First Grade students this year! She is passionate about helping the students grow and become confident readers and thinkers. Ms. Bone believes that learning is not a “one size fits all” idea, and feels that learning is an experience that is different for each students. She loves to find new ways to help her students and knows that exploration is a vital part to their understanding of the world around them. She loves to see her students succeed and become confident in their studies. One of Ms. Bone’s favorite time of the day is Morning Meeting because this is when the students are able to share different things that they like. In her free time, she likes to read and spend time with her dog, Ruby.
Alecia Babiuch – 2nd-3rd Grade Guide
Mrs. Babiuch is passionate about helping our youngest learners become strong readers and begin to explore the power of writing. She loves when students who have previously struggled begin to make huge strides in their learning. Mrs. Babiuch also enjoys diving into fun projects with her group of learners and feels privileged to help set students up with the basic skills needed for growing in a collaborative learning environment. Outside of school she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, visiting Colorado, running, and playing games with friends.
Amy Reinert – 4th-5th Grade Guide
Mrs. Reinert loves to learn right along-side the students in her group. One of her favorite parts of the day is the read-aloud because she loves to stretch the thinking of her learners with deep questions and discussion. Developing a learning environment with both structure and freedom is something that Mrs. Reinert prioritizes to empower students to begin to drive their own learning. Outside of school she loves to spend time with her husband and four children and take spontaneous trips to the beach.
Mark Hotopp – 6th-8th Grade Guide
Pastor Hotopp is the pastor of Veritas Community Lutheran Church which is currently in its infancy as a new church plant. He has enjoyed the opportunity to serve in the school ministry with our middle school group. He is working to further develop the self-efficacy of the learners in our oldest group to better prepare them for their high-school, college, and future careers. He is also developing the DIVe program to give students an opportunity to explore career options and begin to test their interest and skills, helping learners begin to discover the path ahead. Outside of school he enjoys spending time with his family, woodworking, and playing guitar and piano.
Suzie Randle – Reading Intervention Guide
Mrs. Randle works with students requiring extra support in their journey to become a reader and writer. She is driven to help each and every student develop the skills and self-esteem needed to be successful. She is an integral part of the Veritas teaching team. Outside of school she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and playing games.
Maria Flores – Office Assistant
Mrs. Flores is a master at keeping things organized and running smoothly. She jumps in with a willing heart to support our guides and students whenever the need arises. In her free time she enjoys reading, hiking, camping, and volunteering.
Kevin Johnson – Friday Hiking Guide
Mr. Kevin enjoys spending time with our Friday group out in nature, as our Friday Fun Guide, as well as teaching them life skills during their enrichment time afterwards. He has a background in Kinesiology and loves playing games with the kids. In addition to this role he also runs his own business cooking whole foods meals to help families eat healthy even when time is limited. In his free time he enjoys playing games, camping, cooking, sports of all sorts and hanging out with his family. He loves God, life, community and the organic environment that occurs when you combine the 3!