Ms. LaFrance
Kindergarten Teacher
Ms. LaFrance, a Dallas, TX native, is a proud graduate of The
University of Texas at Austin. In her spare time Ms. LaFrance
loves to spend time with her family and friends. She also
loves to cook, travel, and watch all television shows
remotely related to the legal field.
Ms. LaFrance looks forward to this upcoming school year
with her Kindergarten scholars and working hard towards an
exemplary school year and promoting a lifetime love for
learning.
Ms. Boyd
Kindergarten Teacher
My name is Aundrea Boyd and I LOVE teaching!! I was born
and raised in Dallas, TX and I am a graduate of Prairie View
A&M University. I majored in Early Childhood Education and
am currently seeking to get ESL certified. I have no children
of my own but I have 21 special scholars that I am
dedicated to serving and putting on a path to academic
excellence.
During my rare, but spare time I like to cook and of course
go shopping!!
I am excited to be your partner in education, and I
welcome you and your child to a school year filled with
excitement, fun (yes, fun)
and most of all LEARNING!!
Ms. Witte
Kindergarten Teacher
My name is Kristen Witte and I am from Palo Alto, California. After
growing up on the west coast, I decided to try something new and
headed to Bucknell University in Pennsylvania for college. While
there, I double majored in Psychology and English with a minor in
French, and was involved in Student Government and a cappella.
As a compromise between coasts, I decided to give Texas a try and
moved to Fort Worth after graduation to teach. I’m now equally
centered between the two places I call home and couldn’t be more
excited to be living in such a great place.
In my free time I love to spend time with family and friends, read,
travel, do anything involved with music and am currently teaching
myself how to play guitar.
I am thrilled to be teaching
your scholars this year and
have already found that they
are teaching me as much as I
am teaching them. I feel so
lucky to have the opportunity
of helping to start such a
special school and can’t wait
to see where the next year
takes us!
Ms. Caldwell
First Grade Teacher
Breanna Caldwell was born and raised in Glenview,
Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago. She lived in that same
hometown until she moved to Bloomington, Indiana to
attend Indiana University. She graduated from Indiana, with
distinction and an invitation to join Phi Beta Kappa, before
moving to Texas to teach. She is passionate about providing
children with a quality education, strong role models, and
high expectations. As a founding teacher at Uplift Meridian
Preparatory, Breanna is excited to have the opportunity to
bring passion, dedication, and innovation into the
classroom in hopes of providing scholars with the tools that
the need to succeed in life. In her spare time, she enjoys
reading, traveling, spending time with family, and watching
the occasional Law & Order
marathon.
Mr. DeLaTorre
First Grade Teacher
Although I lived in California until I was 18, I fell in love with
Texas after moving here to attend the University of Dallas
and major in Economics. I spent a semester studying in Italy,
traveling all across Europe, and experiencing new cultures!
This is my fourth year working for Uplift Education. I
absolutely love teaching first grade! My scholars are always
sharing the great connections they make with their
everyday life. They never fail to amaze me!
Ms. Yu
Special Education Teacher
My name is Mirey Yu and I’m a Special Education
teacher at Uplift Meridian Primary. I am very excited to be
part of the founding team of Uplift Meridian Preparatory! I
was born and raised in Korea until second grade and our
family immigrated to America when I was ten. We lived in
California for two years and then we moved to Texas when I
was twelve. I am almost a Texan!  I have the privilege of
speaking two languages, Korean and English, fluently.
I am a graduate of University of North Texas with a
bachelor in interdisciplinary studies from EC – 6th grade.
Currently, I’m pursuing masters in counseling at
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In previous
teaching years, I’ve student taught and substituted for
elementary schools in Allen,
TX.
I have two happy
beagles, Harry and Barry.
Most of my weekends are
spent with my dogs and
friends. I love inviting friends
and family for cook outs and
filling my weekends with
much love and laughter. I
am very excited for this
upcoming year and I feel
blessed to be here with
passionate teachers and
scholars.
Ms. Berryhill
Special Education Teacher
My name is Katie Berryhill and I am very excited to be a
member of the Uplift family! I am a Texas girl who grew up
in Cedar Hill. I have a wonderful family and I am grateful I
have the privilege to work with children every day! Each
day that I can inspire one developing mind is another day
that I am inspired too! I am a graduate from the University
of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor in Interdisciplinary
Studies and receiving a
Masters of Sustainable
Education December 2012.
Ms. Miles
Special Education Coordinator
My name is Shari Miles. I am the Coordinator of Special
Populations for Uplift Meridian and Uplift Mighty. I am a
graduate of UT Arlington and later received my Master’s
degree from University of North Texas. I was born in
Minnesota, but have lived in Texas for the last 30 years. My
husband, Ray, and I together have four children each a son
and a daughter. Both our boys are married and we have a
grandson and a granddaughter. I have twenty years
experience in education. I have taught general education
third grade and second grade and special education
through content mastery and inclusion. For the last 3 ½ years
I was a behavior specialist. In my spare time I enjoy
spending time with family,
reading, relaxing and going
to my parents’ cottage off
Lake Superior in Ontario,
Canada or just putting my
feet up to watch some TV.
Ms. Cole-Leffel
Primary Years Program Dean
Welcome to Uplift Meridian Prep. My name is Ginger ColeLeffel and I am proudly serving as the dean for the primary
years program this year. I am originally from Iowa, but grew
up Texan here in the Metroplex. I studied psychology and
graduated from the University of Texas. I then studied
Educational Leadership and Policy to earn my masters from
the University of Texas at Arlington. As I enter my tenth year
in education, I am increasingly grateful for the families
whom entrust their children to our schools each day. It is
truly a blessing to be able to watch our scholars change,
grow, and learn!
In my personal time, I enjoy reading, playing in the park with
my daughter and taking in local festivals and events with
my husband of seven years.
I look forward to a year of family
fun and academic gains!
Mr. Wright
Office Manager
Hello and welcome to Uplift Meridian for our Inaugural 2012/2013
Academic School Year here in Fort Worth!! I come to Uplift as a
member of the Operations Team (Non-instructional). I was born and
raised right here in DFW, growing up mainly on the Arlington/Grand
Prairie border. As a mentor to children, I don’t believe there is a
better rewarding environment for me to be a part of.
I graduated from James Bowie High School in ’97 and went on to
study Business Management and Music at Tarleton State University
and University of Texas at Arlington. I have been married 13 years to
my wife Maria and we have 3 extraordinary children (Casey Jr.-13,
Apolonia-10, and Isabella-4). Away from work I am a competitive
soccer coach for 9/10 year old girls, including my oldest daughter. I
am also a huge fan of racing of almost any kind. As a product of the
DFW area, I am also a die-hard
Dallas Cowboys fan!
But enough about me…
Ms. Gomez
PEIMS Coordinator
Hi, my name is Angel Gomez. I am originally from Lubbock,
Texas and graduated from Texas Tech University (Go RED
RAIDERS). My bachelor’s degree is in Human Development
and Family Studies. I am very excited to be working for our
new school Uplift Meridian in Fort Worth. My primary role is
working with student records and updating their student
data in the computer system. I enjoy watching movies and
reading books in my spare time. I also have a pet ferret
named Billy, who is a handful 
Ms. Serna
Administrative Assistant
…coming soon…
Mr. Jimenez
Art
I grew up in Chicago, moved to Richardson, Tx graduated
from Lake Highlands high school, went to Texas Tech for a
year and wrestled all over the southwest. Went to The
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (ranked #1 art school
in the country) I took every art course I could fit in my
schedule. Moved to N.Y. For several years as a
preparator/art handler. I worked for MoMa, Christies, The
Warhol foundation, Frank Stella, etc. I've traveled Europe.
Ran the bulls in Spain. Pulled Art out of New 0rleans right
after hurricane Katrina till Rita arrived. I have a 6 year old
daughter. I am very interested in technology as a whole as
well as how it can be applied to art. Till recently, I owned
an Art installation and transportation business. We moved
art work for galleries and museums all over the country. My
favorite projects were the
art fairs, Art Basel and the
US Consulate in
Chihuahua, Mexico. I also
like cooking. I cook
professionally for a short
time for a venue kitchen. I
served The Eagles, Sade,
Ozzy Osborne, and Cher.
Ms. Kalmbach
Spanish
My name is Mrs. Nora Kalmbach was born in Mexico City,
grew up in South Texas and even lived in Hawaii for several
years! I have two daughters, a cat and a dog.
I’m very excited about us learning in a fun, playful way! We
will be learning a lot of songs and then make the
connections on those words, to written words! I’m glad to
be here at Meridian and I also teach 6th and 7th Graders!
Ms. Bruhn
Spanish
My name is Mrs. Bruhn and I am your children’s Spanish
teacher. I am so excited to be working with your scholars
and look forward to a very successful year ahead.
I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved to Texas two
years ago after living and working in El Salvador for three
years. I learned to love Spanish while living there and hope
to share that love of the language with your scholars!
I also teach Spanish at Uplift Mighty Preparatory, and I hope
to meet you in the coming months.
I hope you will join your scholar in their learning by asking
them about their new words and practicing with them. They
will be learning many
vocabulary words, about the
weather, about the months
and so much more! My goal
for them is to be able to
converse in Spanish with
other scholars and with others
in their community. I hope
that your scholar learns to
love Spanish as much as I do.
Ms. Jackson
Dance
My name is Grace Jackson, and it is my honor to be teaching your
child dance this school year! I look forward to sharing my love for
dance as an art form and also as an excellent way to stay physically
fit, all while having FUN!
I am a proud graduate of the University of Florida, where I earned a
Bachelor of Arts and was a member of UF’s Dance Team. Following
my graduation in 2009, I moved to Dallas to teach 7th grade science
in South Oak Cliff. In addition to teaching science, I co-founded the
school’s first dance team and served as 7th grade level chair.
Currently, in my 4th year of teaching, I am so excited to be part of
the Uplift Mighty and Meridian staff!
In 19 years of dance experience, I have performed competitively at
the studio, high school, and collegiate level. I look forward to
sharing my knowledge of dance
with all of OUR young scholars!
In my personal time, I enjoy
spending time with my husband
and our 11-month old daughter.
We are blessed to be awaiting the
arrival of our son in February!
Ms. Sadler
Physical Education
Born and raised in the panhandle of Texas playing
basketball and participating in just about any UIL event
possible, I graduated Salutatorian of my class and went to
West Texas A&M University for two years. I have studied
languages in Jordan at the University of Amman and various
schools in Mexico and Costa Rica. I graduated from Texas
A&M College Station with a Bachelors of Science in
Kinesiology in 2000 and decided to travel overseas to
Uzbekistan and teach for an nongovernmental organization
for a year. I have taught for 10 years, ranging from Physical
Education, Biology, 7th &8th grade science, and coached
volleyball, basketball, and
track. I am very happy to
be with Uplift this year and
looking forward to all the
opportunities to instill a
love for activity and
healthiness in our scholars.
Ms. Keithley
Physical Education
Hi! My name is Austen Keithley. I graduated from the
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a degree in Health
and Physical Education K-12. I currently live in Arlington with
my parents and sister. I love outdoors and all sports and
activities! I ran cross-country in high school and played
Division I soccer for UAPB. I have a cat and a dog and
absolutely love animals. This is my first year teaching and I
am learning so much from Uplift Mighty and Meridian’s
super scholars!
Ms. Love
Resident Teacher
My name is Erica Love, and I am thrilled to be a Resident Teacher at Uplift
Meridian Primary this year! I am originally from Detroit, Michigan, however I have lived in
Texas for nine years now, and I graduated from Flower Mound High School in 2006. I
attended the University of North Texas, where I graduated with a degree in
Development and Family Studies. I have worked with children for eight years, and am
very passionate about working with them and their families. I want to help scholars
develop a love and passion for learning; always striving to do better than expected.
I am a fun loving young woman, and I love to laugh! I love singing, and hope to
start taking voice lessons in the near future. I played volleyball for 7 years, on my school
teams, as well as on a national select team. I still play recreationally, and I enjoy going
to the gym and working out. I also enjoy cooking and reading. One of my favorite
things to do is watch football. My weekends consist of college football on Saturdays,
and church and then NFL on Sundays! I am a University of Alabama fan (ROLL TIDE
ROLL) and a New Orleans Saints fan (WHO DAT).  I am very family oriented, and I love
spending time with my family! I have two
younger sisters, one who attends University
of Central Oklahoma, and the other is a
graduate student at the University of
Alabama. My mother is a teacher, and my
father in marketing, and they also own a
few restaurants. My parents are my hero’s,
and have set a wonderful example for my
sister’s and me.
I am an optimistic person, and really
look forward to what the future holds. I am
so blessed to be a part of the wonderful
team we have at Meridian Primary, and I
am excited about a successful school year!
Ms. Stanford
Resident Teacher
I am the primary resident teacher. I work closely beside the lead teachers to
assist in giving scholars a well-rounded education. This is my third year in a
classroom. I taught Preschool Special Needs and Kindergarten in Ohio (20092011). I graduated from the University of Dayton (Dayton, Ohio) where I
received a degree in Early Childhood Education with an Endorsement in
Preschool Special Needs.
I grew up in Englewood, Ohio the youngest of five siblings. My three sisters have
always been my best friends. Growing up, I loved going to school. My favorite
subject was always Social Studies because I love learning facts and about
history. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I married my husband Scott in
June 2011 and immediately after moved to Fort Worth, Texas. We have a hyper
3 year Lab mix dog named Zeus. I love working on our yard, playing soccer,
watching sports, and taking Zeus to the dog park. I play indoor soccer on a
regular basis. It is definitely one of my favorite ways to get a good work out
in. My one obsession would be
anything elephants. I have
collected them as long I can
remember.
I am excited to be a part of the
Uplift team. I cannot think of
anywhere I would rather be than in
a classroom. I think it is important
to instill a lifelong love for learning
in kids and primary is where it all
begins. I am excited to watch the
scholars grow this year!
Ms. Knox
Senior Director
…coming soon…
Ms. Cho
Operations Director
…coming soon…
Nurse Campbell
I am your school nurse, and my life has been full of surprises! Let me tell you about a few of
them.
I grew up in a small town in central Kentucky, and I lived in the same house until I left for Auburn
University’s School of Nursing. My mother, a 5th grade school teacher and a great cook, forgot
to teach me something before I left…how to COOK! How surprised I was to discover that I
could learn to be independent… going to school, taking care of myself, having a job after
school at the local hospital, and even learning to cook.
Before I left for University, I was surprised to meet a very interesting young Canadian man living in
Ottawa, Ontario. We were married soon after I graduated from University, and I settled down in
that lovely and very COLD part of the world. Seeing snow piled higher than a two story building
was a big surprise. Soon two of our wonderful children, David and Sarah, were born. I was a
“mummy” -- that’s how they say “mommy” in Canada.
After living for eight years in Canada, another surprise came along. We were offered an
opportunity to move to Orleans, France! I’ll bet you can imagine how surprised our children
were when we told them that no one in the school could speak English, except for them. We
had many adventures when we lived in Europe. Ask me someday how I learned to check for
LICE!
When we returned from France, we had another surprise. Our third child, Anna, was born. A
few years later, we moved to El Paso, Texas, where we saw tumble weeds rolling down the street
and rattlesnakes in the school playground. We
enjoyed living in the desert, even though the surprises in
our swimming pool were not my favorite surprises.
Tarantulas and scorpions---yikes!
Would you like to guess the latest surprise in my life?
Choosing a career in nursing has allowed me to work in
many different places, like hospitals, day surgery clinics,
and nursing homes. I’ve enjoyed each one of those
opportunities. But I’ve always thought that I would love
to be a School Nurse, because I enjoy helping young
people to be safe and healthy and teaching you good
health habits.
How excited I was to become the school nurse for Uplift
Mighty and Meridian Schools!
I can hardly wait to see how each of you begins your
adventure in education. Where will it lead you? What
adventures and surprises will be possible for YOU,
because of receiving a wonderful education?
Lynda Cooper
Special Education Paraprofessional
My name is Lynda Cooper. I moved to Texas in 1999
from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Such a big change. Now I
feel Texas is a great place to live. (Anyways for me it is). I
live in Cedar Hill and love it there.
I have been a part of the education field for twenty years
(lost count). Most of those years have been in Special
Education. Working in this field has always been interesting
and challenging. Every day is a new learning experience.
Every time I meet a new child it is a new learning challenge.
I have one son who works in the Special Education field as
well. He turned twenty five on Thanksgiving Day. My loves
are my son of course, reading, my dog John Henry and
learning new ways to teach our scholars. I love what I do!
Priti Bhakta
Special Education Teacher
My name is Priti Bhakta and I am excited about being a
teacher with Uplift Education. I grew up in Anaheim,
California. I graduated from California State University
Fullerton and obtained a Bachelor's degree in Speech
Therapy.
My previous work experience includes substitute teaching at
a charter school in Dallas and being a Program Director
with Score Educational Center. I have solid experience
working with children with special needs in an afterschool
program.
My hobbies include reading, traveling, zumba and trying
different types of food. My favorite travel destination is
Santorini, Greece. I really enjoy teaching and helping
students reach their full
potential. I am looking forward
to working with scholars and
inspiring a life-long love of
learning.