4-5 YEAR OLDS - STEM

I was born and raised in Delta, Colorado.  My husband, two sons, and I moved to Utah in 2019. I have an Associates Degree in Child Care Ministries and I have been teaching preschool for 15 years.  I can’t imagine doing anything else!  I started as an aide when I was 16 years old, and found my calling to be a preschool teacher. I got my first teaching position when I was 18 and have been teaching ever since. I took a couple years off to be a stay at home mom to our two boys, Liam and Grant.  My husband is in the process of being diagnosed with MS. Even though we cannot always get out as a family we love to hang out together, watch movies, play games, and visit new places when we can.

I love teaching at Hilltop! 

2-3 YEAR OLDS, 3-4 YEAR OLDS - YOGA

I started as a teacher's aide at Hilltop Christian School in 2013 and have been a teacher here since 2014. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and spent most of my free time there volunteering in different programs for children. During and immediately after college, I had the privilege to work with young children from many different backgrounds and some with special needs. I am also a certified yoga instructor. When I’m not at Hilltop, I enjoy hiking, singing, and curling up with a good book.

3-4 YEAR OLDS - ART HISTORY

I am one of four sisters, originally from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in northern England. After qualifying as a teacher many years ago, I taught 4th and 5th grade near London. Since then, my husband, Alasdaire, has been employed by an international mining company which has sent us to different wonderful locations around the world.

We lived in Newfoundland, Canada for a little over a year; Chile for 7 years, where our children Eleanor and Patrick were born; 3 years in Guadalajara, Mexico, where I began my career in Early Childhood Education; and over 5 years in Tucson, Arizona, where our youngest son Jonathan was born.

We moved to Sandy in 2007 and I hope we’ll stay!

In my spare time I like to read and relax, listen to music, walk our dog Max, and I have always been a keen ornithologist. Most of all I love to spend time with my two young grandsons, Philip and Miles.

I have been teaching at Hilltop since 2010 and I am extremely happy to be here.

3-4 YEAR OLDS

I am so excited to be joining the Hilltop team this year! I have my bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Utah in elementary education and curriculum design. I have taught first and third grades, and worked at the U as a supervisor for student teachers. 

My husband, Don, and I are the proud parents of four kids. We love to travel, cook and explore national parks together. I can’t wait to spend the school year with you and your student! 

3-4 YEAR OLDS - MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

My name is Mary Margaret Arndt. I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. I attended Catholic school from kindergarten through high school in Utah and received a B.F.A. in Modern Dance from the University of Utah in 2002. I started my teaching career in 2003 as a dance educator and have since worked as a middle school educator and early childhood educator. After staying home with my young children for a few years, I returned to one of my passions: working in early childhood education. In 2018, I completed a master in early childhood education from Concordia University, Nebraska. When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my husband, three sons, ages 16, 14, and 12, two golden retrievers named Hermione and Neville, and our cat, Amelia. I love animals, children’s literature, camping, being in the mountains, reading, and gardening.

KINDERGARTEN, FIRST GRADE

Hi, my name is Deborah Anderson; I have taught the kindergarten class at Hilltop since 2011. Children have such a love for learning, and I love making learning fun for them. For as long as I can remember my answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” was always “a teacher”.  I have been working with children for 30+ years now.  I started in an infant room in California right out of high school, moved to a Pre-K classroom and then when my husband and I moved to Arizona, I oversaw an after-school program as I attended The University of Arizona to obtain my bachelor’s degree in education. My husband had a great job opportunity with Northwest Airlines (now Delta), so we left behind family and friends and moved to Minnesota. It was a far cry from “Sunny California” or the “Hot Desert” of Arizona. There I taught in a private school for 12 years. I worked as a Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade teacher, summer camp teacher and summer camp director. I have also worked in administration, where I learned new aspects of school dynamics.  With the closing of the school, our family found ourselves moving closer to family. Delta Airlines had an opening for my husband here in Salt Lake City, so we moved here during the summer of 2011.  My husband, our son Jack, and our dog Rogal love our life here in Utah and our families love the one-day drive to visit from California, Arizona, Idaho, or Colorado.