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Clifton Presbyterian Church Preschool

Meet the Teachers

Clifton wouldn’t be the same without our dedicated team of professionals. Passionate and caring, they are here to guide students and families and help them make the most of their time here. Read their stories below.

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Director

Kate Trussell

Kate is a proud Army Brat, and has lived across the USA and in Germany.  She is a graduate of Purdue University with a BS degree in Management and a minor in Human Resources.  Kate and her husband, Jeff, moved to Clifton in 2005, and they have a college-aged daughter who is a proud CPCP graduate.  Kate volunteered and substituted in Fairfax County Public Schools throughout her daughter’s school years, and joined CPCP in 2021.  Kate has been the Lead Teacher for the 2 ½-year-old class, has worked in our Extended Care Program, and is now the Director of CPCP.

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Lead Teacher

Jen Radcliffe

Jen received her BA in early childhood education from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, and has lived in Clifton since 1994.  She has been with CPCP since 2008, and is starting her 19th year as lead teacher for the 4/5’s (PreK).  Jen has three children, daughter, Claire, son, Andrew, daughter-in-law Jessi and two grandchildren, Evie and Alex, and a very extra dog named Grover.

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Assistant Teacher

Abby Kapetanov

Abby graduated from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where she played softball and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Health Science, Health Promotion, and Nutrition.  She has experience working with children of all ages through coaching youth softball, teaching preschool, and working in early childhood intervention at Utah State University.  She and her husband have 3 daughters.  Through her husband’s military service, she has had the opportunity to live in several states and overseas, including Utah, Georgia, Texas, California, and Ukraine. This is Abby's second year at CPCP, and is the Assistant Teacher in the 5-day 4/5's (PreK) class, and works in our Extended Care program.

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Lead Teacher

Amy Glaze

Amy was born and raised in Fairfax City.  She received her BS in Education from Virginia Tech.  This is Amy's fourth year at CPCP but she has taught preschool all the way through high school in the past.  Amy has four children and several pets.  Amy currently lives in Manassas on the Occoquan Reservoir. She is the Lead Teacher 4-day, 4/5’s (PreK) class and works in our Extended Care Program.

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Assistant Teacher

Melissa Halstead

Melissa grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from UW-Madison in 1992. She joined the US Army and moved to Fort Bragg, NC, where she met her husband, Scott.  She left the Army to focus on her family.  They have two adult daughters, and have lived in Northern Virginia twice over the course of her husband's 30-year career.  She received her Master of Science in Elementary Education from Old Dominion in 2009, and has been a short- and long-term substitute teacher in multiple school systems, including parochial and public schools. They moved back to the area after her husband's retirement, and they are happy to be "home." Melissa joined CPCP in 2022, and is the Assistant Teacher in our 4-day, 4/5’s (PreK) class.

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Lead Teacher

Anne McKinstry

Anne has been providing Music Enrichment for CPCP for many years and joined CPCP’s teaching staff in the Fall of 2019.  She received her BA from BYU.  Anne and her husband Ryan have 9 children, 8 of whom have attended CPCP.  Anne has coached basketball and volunteers in her children’s schools.  She is also actively involved in many church responsibilities.  Anne is the Lead Teacher for the 3’s class on Monday – Friday, and works in our Extended Care program.

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Assistant Teacher

Deborah Holland

Deborah earned her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies from VCU focused on event planning for the arts.  She and her husband grew up in Fairfax, and have two elementary-aged boys who attended CPCP.  Deborah loves learning about early childhood development and is honored she gets to work with these amazing children for her job!  Outside the classroom she enjoys going on family hikes, experimenting in the kitchen, and just sitting and being with people she loves.  Deborah has been a substitute at CPCP for several years, and this is her first year as the Assistant Teacher in the Tuesday – Friday 3’s class.

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Lead Teacher

Kathie Cipolla

Kathie and her husband Mike of 36 years have resided in Clifton for 30 years; three of their four children attended CPCP. Kathie received her Paralegal Associates Degree from NOVA.  Kathie embraces early childhood education and teaches figure skating, hockey, and dance with many years of experience with children.  Kathie joined CPCP in 2016 teaching Creative Movement, and is the Lead Teacher in the 3’s Tues-Thurs class, and works in our Extended Care Program.

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Assistant Teacher

Lauren Kelly

Lauren was born and raised in Burke, Virginia and graduated from Old Dominion University in 2006.  Lauren enjoys running, hiking and spending time outdoors with her family.  She moved with her family to the Clifton area in 2020 from Fairfax City.  Lauren and her husband Sean have two children, a sixth and eighth grader.  This is Lauren’s fourth year at CPCP as the Assistant Teacher in the 3’s Tues-Thurs class.

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Lead Teacher

Eydie Blanchard

Eydie has been in the Clifton area for over 40 years. She is a Robinson alum who graduated with a BA from the Ringling School of the Arts in Sarasota, Florida.  Her career highlights include working at Disney Imagineering and Dreamworks animation and later in life working as a nanny for multiple families in the area.  She and her husband have 2 children attending Va Tech and a third starting 9th grade at Robinson.  Two of them attended CPCP.  Her hobbies include making graphics for local events, and raising and riding horses.  This will be her third year as the Lead Teacher of the 2 ½-year-old’s class.

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Assistant Teacher

Yana Sukharenko

Yana was born into a Ukrainian family in Estonia and grew up in Ukraine.  She earned an Associate’s degree in Fine Arts in 2010.  In Ukraine, she worked in decorative stucco, sculpture, and restoration.  In March 2022, Yana moved to Virginia, where she volunteered with the TIPS program at Truro Anglican Church, and later worked as a Special Events Coordinator.  She also taught fine arts at a cultural summer camp for Ukrainian children in 2024 and volunteered at the Lamb Center in Fairfax, coordinating art classes.  This is her second year as the Assistant Teacher for the 2 ½-year-old class, and her third year as an Extended Caretaker at CPCP.

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