Mrs. Denise Gunderson - Preschool Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Gunderson grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia and received her BS in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1991. She married her husband, Erik in 1997 and they have five children that all attend Holy Spirit Prep School. Twins, Noah and Jonah - class of 2017, Sarah – class of 2019, Micah – class of 2022 and Joshua – class of 2024. The Gunderson family are parishioners at Holy Spirit Catholic Church where Mrs. Gunderson is the Coordinator for Eucharistic Adoration. Mrs. Gunderson is also the President of Challenge, a spiritual club for young girls, is the Coordinator for Summer in the Spirit Day Camp and has volunteered for the K4J (Kids for Jesus) program at the Lower School since 2004.

Mrs. Katie Van Zant - PreK-2/PreK-3 Lead Teacher
Mrs. Van Zant holds a BMUS in Music Education from The University of Georgia. Prior to joining HSPS in 2009 she taught at Lifespan Montessori in Athens and Oak Grove CDC in Decatur. She has attended Holy Spirit Church since 2001. Mrs. Van Zant currently resides in Mableton with her husband, Chris. They have 3 children, all of whom attend HSPS, CJ (class of 2022) Will (class of 2024) and Caroline (class of 2026).

Mrs. Theresa Sequeira - PreK-2/PreK-3 Assistant
Mrs. Sequeira is originally from South Africa where she graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a Barchelor of Laws. She worked as a Public Prosecutor and then for a law firm before starting her own legal practice. Mrs. Sequeira and her husband left South Africa in 1997 due to her husband’s work which required him to travel internationally. The family lived in Argentina and Sweden before settling in the USA in 2000. Christopher (HSPS class of 2014) is their only son and he has attended HSPS since his 1st Grade. Mrs. Sequeira has volunteered for various activities at HSPS over the years including working in the lower school library. The family resides in Smyrna and are parishioners at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Mrs. Sequeira is excited to be a part of the Preschool and of the students’ lives.

Sarah Dickson - PreK-3 Lead Teacher
Ms. Dickson grew up in Columbus, GA, and moved to Atlanta in 2011. She has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Spanish from Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL. Before coming to Holy Spirit, she worked as a substitute at St. Anne Pacelli Catholic School and in PreK through Second special education in Chattahoochee County. She is hoping to start on her M.A. in the spring and is looking forward to her first year at Holy Spirit Prep.Preschool.

Mrs. Patricia Stanchak - PreK-3 - 5 Day Lead Teacher
Mrs. Stanchak has been teaching pre-K 2's and 3's at Holy Spirit Prep since 2002. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, she and her family moved to Marietta, Georgia in 1989. Prior to Holy Spirit Prep, Mrs. Stanchak taught three-year olds at the Mt. Zion Preschool in Marietta for 11 years and also at the Goddard School for ten months. While living in Pennsylvania, Mrs. Stanchak worked as a social worker for the Luzerne County Head Start Program, as well as working as a juvenile justice planner for the Commission on Crime and Delinquency for seven years. Mrs. Stanchak attended St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist schools in Pennsylvania and received her Bachelor’s Degree from Misericordia College in Dallas, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Stanchak and her husband, John have two daughters, Melissa and Katie.

Mrs. Victoria Jones - PreK-3-5 Day Assistant
Mrs. Jones joined the Holy Spirit prep pre-school family in 2006. She grew up in the Philippines and attended St. Paul's. Mrs. Jones and her family moved to Atlanta in 2000 from San Francisco, CA. Victoria has worked as a reading and writing tutor for elementary and middle school students. She has also worked as a teacher's substitute for various schools in the Atlanta Archdiocese. For the last 6 years, Mrs. Jones has been involved with USA swimming as a referee. She has served on the Home and School Executive Board and the task force for Pleasant Hill Citizens for a better community. Mrs. Jones and her husband Cliff, reside in Roswell. The Jones' currently have one child, Mckenzie, who will graduate from Holy Spirit Prep with the Class of 2012. They also have a son, Max, that is an alumnus of Holy Spirit Prep, Class of 2008. In her free time, Mrs. Jones enjoys volunteer work, running, cooking and spending time with family, friends and pets.

Mrs. Susan L. Ryan - PreK-4 Lead Teacher
Mrs. Ryan has been at HSPS since 2003 and has been teaching preschool in the local area for 18 years. She attended Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J. Mrs. Ryan has been married to her husband Jeff for 37 years and they have two daughters, Erin and Kelly. They have recently moved to Marietta after 22 years in Roswell. The Ryan family attends St. Ann's parish in Marietta.

Mrs. Roberta Meadows - PreK-4 Assistant
Mrs. Meadows was raised in Villanova, Pennsylvania where she attended St. Thomas of Villanova and the Academy of Notre Dame before heading south to receive her undergraduate degree from Clemson University. Arriving in Atlanta in 1990 with her husband Todd, her professional background includes community and public relations positions in both business and non-profit sectors, including Catholic Charities of Atlanta. Her five daughters have attended Holy Spirit Prep since 2000. The family resides in Sandy Springs. She has volunteered in numerous areas of child and youth ministries over the years and holds Holy Spirit Prep community as “another member of our family.”

Mrs. Mary Shaw - PreK-4 Lead Teacher & Gesell Coordinator
Mrs. Shaw joined Holy Spirit Prep in 2005. Mrs. Shaw, her husband Brad, and three children moved to Atlanta from San Diego in 2004. Kevin attends Holy Spirit Prep class of 2014, and Mike & Jack (twins) just graduated with the class of 2010. Mrs. Shaw received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Sweet Briar College in Virginia in 1988 with a major in Philosophy, and a minor in Education. She also received her Child Development Master Teacher credential from the state of California in 2002. Mrs. Shaw and her family are parishioners at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Mrs. Shaw truly enjoys being with children and is happy to be a part of Holy Spirit Prep Preschool.

Ms. Cindy Sexton - PreK-4 Assistant
Ms. Sexton grew up in El Dorado, Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. and M.A. in communication. She spent 8 years working in College Admissions in both private and public universities before becoming a mom. Ms. Sexton has one son, John, HSPS Class of 2022. Ms. Sexton and John live in Atlanta and are members of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Ms. Sexton joined HSPS in 2009.

Mrs. Heather Brian - PreK-4 Lead Teacher
Mrs. Heather Brian is a native of Atlanta and graduated in 2001 with a B.S. majoring in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia. Prior to joining the Holy Spirit Prep faculty in 2004, she was a preschool teacher in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has taught PreK-3, Mother's Morning Out, and has been a PreK-4 teacher for three years here at Holy Spirit. She also helps her husband part-time with his furniture business, Liberty Furniture. She currently resides in Smyrna with her husband, Jason, and her toddler Jack.

Ms. Julie Balestreire - PreK-4 Assistant
Ms. Balestreire moved from her hometown of Pittsburgh PA, to Atlanta GA, in 1999. She graduated from Oglethorpe University in 2001, with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, and a minor in Spanish. After 6 years in sales and customer service roles, Ms. Balestreire was ready to open a new chapter in her life to a career in education, and in 2008 she joined the Holy Spirit Prep faculty. Ms. Balestreire is now pursuing her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education at Mercer University.

Mrs. Alva E. Loria- Spanish Teacher
Miss Alva moved to Atlanta 12 years ago from Mexico City, Mexico where she earned her degree in Hospitality Business Administration. She also earned a BS in Business and Communications at the University of Phoenix. She has experience teaching Spanish and English as a second language in both Preschool and Kindergarten. Her professional background includes advertising, marketing, community and public relations positions in both business and non-profit sectors. She lives in Smyrna with her husband and two daughters.

Ms. Esther Jackman- Art and Library Teacher
Ms. Jackman was born in San Juan, Trinidad. She moved with her family to New York a few years later, and then to Atlanta in 1996. Ms. Jackman graduated from the Atlanta Institute of Art with a B.A. in Fine Arts and will be returning to school to get her Master's in Education. She began her work at Holy Spirit Prep as a substitute teacher and then became a full-time teacher's assistant and Extended School Program coordinator in 2009. She currently is the art teacher for the pre-school, kindergarten and first grades. Ms. Jackman has been known for her stunning bulletin boards that grace the hallways of the lower school, and in her free time she enjoys painting, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.