Exceptional Education, Formed in Faith

Faculty and Staff

Meet Our Staff

Mrs. Mandy Gilbart ~ Principal

B.A. In Human Studies and Elementary Education, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Special Education Certification, Reading Teacher Certification, Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner
Masters Program in Reading/Special Education and Advanced Professional Certificate, Hood College and University of Phoenix
State of Maryland Governor’s Citation for maintaining excellence in education during a global pandemic

Mrs. Gilbart joined the CLS staff in 2009. Her previous experience includes teaching first grade in Frederick County Public Schools and being the mentor teacher for student teachers at Hood College. At CLS, Mrs. Gilbart served as the Special Education Resource Teacher and the Assistant Principal for Academics before stepping into the role of Principal.

Mrs. Gilbart believes that outstanding, engaging instruction provided in a safe, loving, Christian environment is the key to an excellent education for students at CLS.  She works with each teacher to be certain that every child’s unique needs are met. Mrs. Gilbart and her husband have two daughters who have benefited from the rigorous academic program, enrichment opportunities, and faith-based learning at CLS.  She is a member at Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster and enjoys scrapbooking, family vacations, and spending time with friends.
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Elementary School Teachers

Mrs. Jane Drozinski ~ Kindergarten

B.A. in Special Education, Hood College
Masters in Education in Reading, Loyola College
Additional 38 graduate credits through Carroll County Public Schools
and McDaniel College
MSDE Certifications in Special Education K-12 and in Reading K-8

Mrs. Drozinski is happy to join us for her 24th year here at CLS! She has loved watching the school grow and expand, and particularly enjoys hearing from former students who are now in high school, college and beyond!
Prior to CLS, she taught for Baltimore City and Carroll County Public Schools. At CLS, Mrs. D. is team leader for grades K to 4.  An active member of Grace United Methodist Church/North Carroll Cooperative Parish, Mrs. D. is involved in summer camps/VBS, and missions/outreach programs.  Jane resides in Hampstead and has 3 adult children, 4 grandchildren, and the famous Lois the turtle.  Mrs. Drozinski enjoys reading, photography, history, lake visits and spending time with family, especially with the grandkids in South Carolina!

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Mrs. Karen Kastel ~ Grade One

B.S. in Communications & Public Relations from Juniata College
M.A. in Teaching from Mount St. Mary’s University
MSDE Certified in Elementary Education (1-6) and Early Childhood Education

Mrs. Kastel is very excited to begin her first year of teaching at CLS! She has taught in both Frederick and Howard Counties, in addition to spending the last six years serving on the volunteer board of directors for the nursery school owned and operated by her church, St. James Episcopal Church. Mrs. Kastel and her husband of more than 30 years live in Monrovia. They have 2 sons who live in Washington, DC and Texas. In addition to visiting them, she also enjoys spending her free time traveling, reading, and knitting.

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Miss Emily Ball ~ Grade Two

B.A. in English, Creative Writing Track from Salisbury University

Miss Ball is very excited to begin the third year of her teaching career! She graduated from Salisbury University in May 2021 with a B.A. in English – Creative Writing Track. She is currently pursuing her master’s in teaching at Mount Saint Mary’s University. Miss Ball loves learning about new things, whether it’s a fun fact or an entire Wikipedia article, and enjoys honing this passion in her own students. In her spare time, Miss Ball enjoys editing her own (and other people’s) fiction, traveling, theatre, and spending time with her friends and family. She lives in Owings Mills, MD.

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Mrs. Penny Segessenman ~ Grade Three Homeroom/Language Arts & Social Studies

B.S. in Elementary Education, West Virginia University 
Masters Degree in Elementary Education, West Virginia University
MD Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education.

Mrs. Segessenman is happy to be in her thirteenth year at CLS and in her thirty-seventh year of teaching. She has taught grades second through fifth grade. Before teaching at CLS, she taught in Prince George’s and Carroll County Public Schools. Mrs. Segessenman is very active in her church, where she teaches Sunday school, cleans, and is in charge of Children’s education. She has three adult children and resides in Littlestown, PA. She truly enjoys spending time with her family, hearing from former students, taking long walks, crafting, gardening, and hanging out at the Potomac River in WV.

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Mrs. Kristen Pysh ~ Grade Four Homeroom/Mathematics & Science

B.S. in Applied Mathematics with Chemistry Minor from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Mathematical Statistician/Programmer for the Federal Government for 15 years
Long-term substitute teacher for Howard County Public School System in the MINC Program and grades K-5
Media & STEM Teacher for grades K-8 at Bethel Christian Academy, Savage, MD

This is Mrs. Pysh’s second year at CLS. She loves a good challenge and always welcomes new and interesting opportunities. She has worked as a computer programmer, statistician, veterinary technician, classroom teacher, media teacher, technology teacher, and more. She has also had two years of teaching Multiple Intense Needs Children for the Howard County Public School System.
She loves animals and she and her family were very involved with the Howard County 4-H Program for many years. She lives in Sykesville with her husband David and her dog-children, Shuri and Gambit. Her eldest son, Jonathan, works in Pennsylvania as a small business manager. Her younger son, Matthew, is a senior at Towson University majoring in Business Administration and Marketing.
Mrs. Pysh is very excited to jump into another fun year of teaching and learning at CLS…she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up.

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Middle School Teachers

Ms. Elisabetta Ricca ~ Grade Five Homeroom/Social Studies (History)

B.A. in Sociology, William Paterson University
M.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland College Park
M.A.T. in Secondary Education, University of Maryland Global Campus
MSDE Certifications in Secondary Education: English Grades 7-12 and Social Studies Grades 4-9

This is Ms. Ricca’s eighth year at Carroll Lutheran School. Prior to CLS, she worked for Carroll County Public Schools. Prior to working for CCPS, Ms. Ricca worked for seventeen years for the College of Education at the University of Maryland College Park. She has also served as a Religious Education teacher and Confirmation catechist for St. Joseph’s Catholic Community.  In her spare time, she likes to work on her house by the lake and watch the History and Smithsonian Channels.

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Mrs. Johanna Edwards ~ Grade Six Homeroom/Language Arts

B.S. Elementary Education, Stevenson University
M.S. Curriculum and Instruction: Leadership, McDaniel College
MSDE Certification in Elementary Education 1-6 and English 4-9

Mrs. Edwards is starting her second year at CLS.  This is her thirteenth year of teaching.  She began her career in Montgomery County Public Schools and Carroll County Public Schools as an elementary school teacher.  Mrs. Edwards loves listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and she enjoys spending time with her husband, three kids, and dog.

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Mrs. Kimberly Rose ~ Grade Seven & Eight Homeroom/Science

B.Sc. in Science and B.Sc. in Nutrition, Penn State University
Elementary Education Teaching Certification, Grades 1-6, Howard Community College and University of Phoenix
Middle School Science Teaching Certificate, Grades 4-9, Penn State University

This will be Mrs. Rose’s fifth year here at CLS.  She began her career path as a registered dietitian working for the Prince William County Head Start program.  Then she chose to home-school her three children for many years.   She has come to love the students and staff working at CLS.  She will be teaching Middle School Science this year.  She is structured and intentional with her lessons, compassionate with her students,  and enthusiastic in her learning of Science and God’s Word.  Her favorite hiking trails this summer were the McKeldin Area of Patapsco Valley State Park and the Rachel Carson Greenway Trail.  She plans to bring science alive in the classroom this year!

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Mr. Jeffrey Kane ~ Middle School Mathematics

B.A. from McDaniel College in Mathematics
MSDE Certification in Math Grades 7-12

Mr. Kane is beginning his eleventh year at CLS.  He has researched, published, and presented in the field of logic.  Mr. Kane works with students to take care of our middle school guinea pig, Twinkle.  He enjoys providing musical accompaniment for chapel songs on his guitar, using recess duty as part of a fitness routine, and working with students on flag raising, lowering, and folding skills.  Mr. Kane belongs to St. Francis Xavier in Gettysburg.

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Fine Arts Staff

Mrs. Elizabeth Gordon ~ Art

B.A. in Studio Art, Calvin College

Mrs. Gordon is starting her seventh year at CLS and is very excited to return as the art teacher!  This will be her thirteenth year working in private schools.  Mrs. Gordon met her husband while volunteering as an EMT/Firefighter in Montgomery County.  They moved to Westminster, where Thomas was a paramedic firefighter and now he works in Howard County.  They have two young daughters, Hannah and Abigail.  Mrs. Gordon enjoys spending time with her family, reading, crafting, thrift storing, and exploring new places.

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Mrs. Joy Cox – Music & Physical Education

B.M. Performance, Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore

Mrs. Joy Cox is excited to return to the team at CLS this year as the music and P.E. teacher. She received a Bachelor of Music Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore and continues to perform professionally with area orchestras and ensembles. She began teaching private lessons, working as a teaching assistant at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts, assisting with after school tutoring, and ended up falling in love with teaching. Mrs. Cox has twelve years of experience leading music classes and ensembles in a private school setting and has spent four years homeschooling. In addition to teaching music, Joy has years of experience teaching other specials classes, including Physical Education, Bible, Art, and Home Economics. When she’s not teaching, Mrs. Cox loves learning more about Jesus, going on adventures with her three kids, and drinking great coffee!

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Mrs. Taryn Plendl – Health

Mrs. Plendl is excited to be back after an amazing first year at Carroll Lutheran School as the Health Teacher. She loves sharing her experience and knowledge from her 28 years of working in the healthcare field with the students at CLS, as well as helping in the Before and After school program and as an occasional classroom substitute. Taryn and her husband Chad, have two adult daughters, Brie and Caitlin. Caitlin is a K-8 CLS Alumni and is starting in the Fall at Carroll Community College and Brie is living her best life and thriving as an adult with autism. They live in Westminster. Taryn and Chad are actively involved at Uniontown Bible Church and the disability community. When not at CLS, she enjoys reading, cooking, spending time with their dog, Shiloh and hanging out with friends and family.

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Mrs. Kris Hayden~ Media

M.S. in School Administration, McDaniel College
B.S. in Elementary Education, University of Delaware

Mrs. Hayden is joining us at CLS after serving the students of Carroll County Public Schools as a teacher and assistant principal for almost 25 years. She loves to spend time with her family, especially her grandchildren, read, play with her dog Fudge, and go to the beach.

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Support Staff

Mrs. Jennifer Glantzberg ~ Instructional Specialist/Before and After School Care Coordinator

B.S. in Leisure Studies and Recreation, Gordon College

Mrs. Glantzberg is beginning her eleventh year at Carroll Lutheran School as the Director of our Before and After School Care Program. She is excited to repeat her role as Instructional Specialist, partnering with classroom teachers to work with a wide variety of students each day. Mrs. G also oversees the technology at CLS. Jennifer and her husband Charles, have one son who is a 2018 CLS graduate and graduated from FSK in 2022. They live in Westminster. She is actively involved at the Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Lutherville. She also enjoys cooking, sewing, photography, reading, and being at CLS!

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Mrs. Linda Frick ~ Before and After School Care Assistant

Mrs. Frick is excited about her eleventh year at CLS, as the assistant director in the Before and After Care program. Linda and her husband Tim, have two children and live in Westminster. Their son, Cody, graduated from Westminster High School and currently works full-time in Westminster, while their daughter, Nicolette is in her sixth year of full time work with The Spa on West Main as a Level 5 Stylist.  In her spare time, she enjoys movies, anime, reading and being outside.

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Mrs. Krista Citron – Special Education

B.S. in Elementary Education from Salisbury University
M.A. in Special Education, West Virginia University
Certifications in Elementary Education-PreK-Sixth, Special Education General Curriculum K-12, and Special Education Adapted Curriculum K12th

Mrs. Citron is starting her fifteenth year of teaching this year. She has taught in Arlington Virginia Public Schools, Baltimore County Public Schools, Alexandria City Public Schools, Berkeley County Public Schools, and Talbot County Public Schools. She was also fortunate enough to work as the Occupational Therapist Assistant at the Anglo-American School in Moscow when her husband was posted to the embassy. When Mrs. Citron is not at school you can find her being a chauffeur to her twin daughters (one is a competitive dancer and one is a competitive gymnast). Her daughters will be in the sixth grade this year. 

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Mrs. Karen Dutterer – Resource Teacher

B.A., Education from Western Maryland College
B.A., English from Western Maryland College
M.B.A., University of Phoenix

Mrs. Dutterer’s teaching career spans 30 years, including a ten year teaching position at Little People’s Place and short and long term substitute positions for Carroll County Public Schools and CLS.   She substituted at CLS for a few years and began her current position in November 2023.  She is looking forward to being a part of this wonderful team again this year.  In addition, Mrs. Dutterer is an active member at St. Mark’s United Church of Christ in Hampstead.  She has served as the church secretary for the past 5 years and the Consistory secretary and VBS Director for 23 years.   Mrs. Dutterer and her husband, Phil, have lived in Westminster almost all their lives.  They have four children and two step-children, nine grandchildren, three of whom currently attend CLS, and four great-grandchildren.   She enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, and being with her family.

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Mrs Cathy Shockney – Instructional Assistant

B.A. American Studies- emphasis on family and childhood, certification in E.C. education from UMBC
M.A. Education/Reading/LA-emphasis in Language Development
42 post graduate credits – Special Education, ELA – Loyola University and McDaniel College

 

After 30+ years in education, Mrs. Shockney is excited to have the blessing of teaching children about the love of Jesus in a safe and nurturing educational environment.  Previous experiences include serving BCPS in developing and teaching Pre-K., teaching K., 3rd and 4th grades and serving BCPS as a Reading Recovery Teacher.  Mrs. Shockney also worked as an Academic Support Facilitator in LS and MS in a private school.

Mrs. Shockney and her husband, Larry, live in Westminster.  They are very proud of their three grown children.  Their daughter, Carey, is the head of a MS and educator, their son, Bryan, passed the CPA, and their youngest son, Steve, is a Baltimore City Firefighter/Paramedic.  They have six grandchildren ranging in age from a junior in college to a three year-old.  Mrs. Shockney loves telling her children/grandchildren stories of her Italian heritage.  She teaches bible stories and the love of Jesus to her precious grandchildren.  Mrs. Shockney enjoys listening to spiritual music, reading, gardening, doing puzzles and playing games with her family. She and her husband are members of the Church of God where they lead bible studies.  They also spend many Sundays in fellowship at the churches where their children are members in order to spend priceless time praising God with their grandchildren.

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Mrs. Michelle Monroe ~ Guidance Counselor

B.S. in Elementary Education, Stevenson University
M.S. in Counseling, School Counseling Specialty, Hood College

Mrs. Monroe is excited to start her fourth year at CLS as the school counselor. She graduated from Hood College in May 2021 with her Master’s degree in School Counseling. Prior to counseling, Mrs. Monroe taught in Baltimore County Public Schools for six years in third and fourth grade. She and her husband, Nick, live in Taylorsville and have two daughters, Everly and Poppy. She enjoys spending her free time baking, taking her girls to the pool and local parks, watching HGTV and the Food Network and spending time with her family.

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Mrs. Sarah Inman ~ Delegating Nurse

Masters in Science of Nursing, Grand Canyon University
Masters in Business Administration, Grand Canyon University
Certification in Case Management/ Delegating Nurse

Mrs. Inman is starting her eighth year at CLS. She has worked in various healthcare settings including Long-Term Care, Intensive Care, Oncology, Leadership, and Education. She currently manages the operations and support services of a local hospital in addition to working at CLS.

Mrs. Inman lives in Taneytown with her husband, three children, four cats named Pinto, Oreo, Cookie Dough and Panko and a puppy named Tucker. All three children attend CLS.  The Inmans are members at St. Luke’s (Winters) Lutheran Church. Mrs. Inman and her family love spending time together reading, baking, gardening, exploring new places, going for walks, hikes, and bike rides.

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Mr. Ezra Smith ~ Custodian

Ezra has seven siblings, and was homeschooled for 12 years. He is an active member of the Church of the Open Door in Westminster.  Ezra has been working in children’s ministries at the church for the past 20 years.  He is currently in charge of and runs one of the buses for the Bus Ministry and teaches Sunday School for the four year olds and Junior Church for the four to six year old class. Ezra loves church, harmonica, balloons, juggling, his zero turn mower, puns, biking, and playing golf, basketball, and tennis with his brothers.  Ezra enjoys learning new skills and the seemingly daily adventures he has while working at CLS, but he enjoys the staff and the families even more.  He uses his excellent work ethic and multitasking skills to take care of our building and grounds year round.

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Office

Mrs. Bonnie Higgins – Advancement Coordinator

B.A. in Communication Arts from Salisbury University
Minor in Psychology

Mrs. Higgins spent 20 years in the computer-based testing industry in Account Management and Client Relations before staying home with her children. She has been married to her husband, Sean, for 24 years. They have a daughter, Rebecca, who is a licensed Cosmetologist, and a son, Ryan, who will be finishing his degree at Carroll Community College this fall. Their family is complete with their rescue dog Paisley. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, the beach, and playing pickleball.

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Ms. Margaret Arnoult ~ Business Manager

B.S. in Accounting, University of MD University College
Certified Public Accountant

Mrs. Arnoult joined the CLS staff in October 2019. She has worked for various non-profit organizations, including schools and churches during her 35+ year career. Mrs. Arnoult has a heart for helping Christian organizations and enjoys serving them with her administrative and number knowledge. She and her husband, David, have three children, including Elizabeth Gordon, the art teacher at CLS, and two granddaughters, Hannah and Abby. She enjoys numbers and doing puzzles in her spare time.

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Mrs. Cindy Morrison ~ Administrative Assistant/School Secretary

Mrs. Morrison joined CLS in June of 2017. She and her husband, Scott, live in Mt. Airy and have two children and one grandchild. Mrs. Morrison attends Calvary United Methodist Church. She is a LEGO enthusiast who really enjoys anything LEGO.  Along with spending time with her family, she enjoys trips to the beach, warm weather, reading and taking walks with her two miniature schnauzers, Jagger and Luna.

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Mrs. Kristy Dean ~ Office Support Assistant

Mrs. Dean is excited to be able to provide support to the office of CLS again this year.  She has worked in Human Resources for the past 29 years, where she currently runs the office for her husband’s companies.  Mrs. Dean has been a part of the CLS community for 12 years now, and serves as a member of the CLS marketing, Fun Run, Golf Tournament and Bingo committees.  But most importantly, to her, she enjoys taking photos of events at CLS!  She and her husband, Drew, live in Westminster, and have one son, Mason, who is attending Winters Mill High School.  They are active members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Westminster.  Mrs. Dean enjoys photography, scrapbooking, baseball, roller coasters and fireworks!

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A PATH TO BETTER K-8 EDUCATION