St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School

Faculty Friday Spotlight Series - Mrs. Daniella Perez

Mrs. Perez’s journey at St. Thomas began when she was a child as a student at our beloved school. Her experience in kindergarten with the extraordinary Mrs. Nichols inspired her from a young age to become a teacher when she grew up. Now as both a teacher and a St. Thomas parent, Mrs. Perez’s joy comes from watching her own children and students live the same educational excellence and traditions she experienced at St. Thomas and still holds dear today.

In her first grade classroom, Mrs. Perez has built a hands-on and engaging environment for her students. She constantly achieves her goal of allowing her students to have fun and enjoy the lessons she teaches without them even realizing they are learning. As we approach the end of this school year, it is clear that her students will leave her classroom and head into second grade next year with a strong sense of confidence and the understanding that with perseverance, they can achieve anything.

This summer, you can find Mrs. Perez enjoying quality time with her two children, Antonio and Lucia, and tending to her collection of orchids in her greenhouse at home. This fall, you’ll be sure to hear her cheers for the Florida Gators on campus come football season!
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Faculty Friday Spotlight Series - Mrs. Sara Hammond

From the time she was a child growing up in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, Mrs. Hammond has always known she was destined to be a teacher. She discovered her love for teaching while playing school at home with her brother. Through teaching him his ABCs and providing an exciting and safe learning environment within her own home, Mrs. Hammond realized that teaching and being able to do the same for her students was her life’s passion. Now, after over 50 years of teaching, Mrs. Hammond has touched the hearts of countless students and made an immense impact on each and every child under her care.

Here at St. Thomas, Mrs. Hammond worked in PK3, Kindergarten, and Grade 2 before settling into her PK4 classroom working alongside Mrs. Noble. Her teaching style focuses on finding new and innovative ways to engage each student in their learning process and teaching her students how to learn to love to learn. She hopes that through their time in her classroom, her students will understand how to be respectful of others, be kind, and share love throughout their school community and beyond.

Outside of the classroom, you can find Mrs. Hammond spending her time watching Formula One and NASCAR races or curling up with a good mystery book and her adopted cat, Mitzy.
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Faculty Friday Spotlight Series - Mrs. Shirley Richard

Mrs. Richard has dedicated over four decades of her life to the noble profession of teaching. Her journey began humbly as a substitute teacher at her children's school. From there, her passion for education flourished and led her to American Heritage School, where she served as the Lead Teacher for kindergarten for a decade. For the past 25 years, she’s had the privilege of nurturing young minds at St. Thomas and has been instrumental in shaping the learning experiences of PK3 students. Through this lifelong commitment to teaching, Mrs. Richard remains deeply passionate about inspiring and empowering the next generation.

To Mrs. Richard, St. Thomas is more than just a workplace; it's a place that feels like home. Being surrounded by a supportive community and having the opportunity to positively impact the lives of children is incredibly meaningful to her. Witnessing her students’ growth and development over the years fills her with joy and reinforces her passion for shaping young minds.

Mrs. Richard’s hope for all of her students is that they develop a love for learning, exude confidence, stand strong in their independence, and feel a sense of belonging just as she does at St. Thomas.
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Faculty Friday Spotlight Series - Mrs. Shannon Loughry

When reflecting on what inspired her to become a teacher, Mrs. Loughry reminisces on her childhood and watching her mom as a teacher at her own school. She also thinks back to her involvement volunteering at an orphanage in high school while growing up in Cairo, Egypt, and caring for a child with Asperger's Syndrome during college. Mrs. Loughry’s upbringing instilled in her a deep rooted understanding of the positive impact that can be made through having a great teacher, and she strives to provide that experience for her students at St. Thomas every day.

As the Director of our Center for Excellence, Mrs. Loughry truly embodies the CFE’s goal of meeting students where they are and building up from that foundation. She teaches her students to be more confident in their abilities to advocate for themselves and to successfully implement the tools and strategies they learn at the CFE in both their classrooms and everyday life.

You can find Mrs. Loughry off campus spending time with her two young sons or enjoying one of her many hobbies, including scuba diving, rock-climbing, and watercolor painting. While she has travel destinations like Iceland, South Africa, India, New Zealand, and the Galápagos Islands on her bucket list, she’d be happy to find herself on any kind of beach vacation.
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Faculty Friday Spotlight Series - Mrs. Natasha Dolan

When she first moved to the USA from her home of South Africa, Mrs. Dolan worked as a private chef. It was during that time spent with the kids of families she worked with that she realized what an important impact she could make on young children. Through doing hands-on activities like cooking and building, she developed a passion for helping children express their creativity and generate innovative ideas. Mrs. Dolan transitioned to her career in teaching and earned her degree in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Teaching and Learning, specializing in Math. She taught a variety of grade levels before settling into her current role as the Facilitator of Innovation and Technology in our Makerspace at St. Thomas.

In her classroom, Mrs. Dolan has high expectations for her students, especially when it comes to collaborating with one another to find creative solutions. Her goal is for her students to learn to persevere and learn from their mistakes. Her teaching philosophy embodies the idea that to FAIL is to accomplish a First Attempt In Learning.

When she’s away from St. Thomas, Mrs. Dolan enjoys spending time with her daughter, Kayley, when she is home from college. Unsurprisingly, she loves to cook, read recipe books, and travel back to South Africa whenever she can.
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Faculty Friday Spotlight Series - Ms. Fatima Delbeck

Ms. Delbeck developed her passion for teaching after witnessing her own children’s love for learning grow. “Watching my first child's enthusiasm for learning sparked my passion for teaching. I wanted to inspire that joy and curiosity in others”, she says. Now, she has been teaching for 28 years. When it comes to teaching here at St. Thomas, Ms. Delbeck says her favorite part is that the teachers, students, and parents are like one big family. "Together, each member of our community creates a warm and supportive environment that nurtures both academic growth and personal development."

When she’s not here with her St. Thomas family, Ms. Delbeck enjoys spending quality time with her own family through hiking and camping together. She loves exploring new trails and getting in touch with nature, encountering wildlife, and seeing the stars away from the bright lights of Miami with her 31 year old son and 22 year old daughter. On the weekends, you can hear her cheering on her favorite sports team, our very own St. Thomas Tigers!
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Faculty Friday Spotlight Series - Mrs. Susan Crossin

“Mrs. Crossin is one of the most caring, funny, and generous people I have ever worked with and known. Her deep love and dedication to her students and their success is inspiring. As a colleague, she will bend over backwards to help you. As a friend, she is loyal and supportive no matter what.”
- Stephanie Quinones, 4th Grade Teacher

Over the course of her 31 year long teaching career spanning many grades, Mrs. Crossin has had one constant through it all: her passion and dedication to her students’ success. She views her teaching style as ever-changing year to year to meet the specific and unique needs of each of her students. Through her individualized approach, Mrs. Crossin hopes her students leave her classroom at the end of the school year saying, “I did it even when it was a challenge; I am so proud of my effort!”

Here at St. Thomas, Mrs. Crossin values the connection she has with her students, their families, and her colleagues alike. As a proud St. Thomas alum parent to her own children, Mrs. Crossin deeply understands and values the importance of community and connection within our St. Thomas family.

When she’s not teaching, you can find Mrs. Crossin wishing she had the super power to blink her eyes and be at the beach, gardening, or spending time with her family.
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Faculty Friday Spotlight Series - Ms. Krystal Garcia

Ms. Garcia has been a teacher at St. Thomas for 12 years, but her passion for teaching has been a constant since she was a child. Teaching her siblings at home and helping her own teachers at school during teacher work days helped her foster this passion, and ultimately led to her joining the Teaching Magnet at Miami Senior High School. After graduation, she continued teaching in a variety of settings before settling at St. Thomas.

Ms. Garcia’s PK3 classroom is always creative, fun, and full of discovery. She prioritizes combining students’ interests with their actual needs to prepare them to be exceptional learners for life. Ms. Garcia hopes that through this approach, her students learn to be daring, open to new experiences, curious, and most importantly, kind.

When not at St. Thomas, Ms. Garcia can be found laying on a beach somewhere, practicing yoga, and reading books. She especially enjoys reading as new books take her places to which she has never been. Similarly, when she is traveling, her favorite destinations are new wonders of the world she has yet to discover and explore.
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