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.
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. She volunteered and substituted in Fairfax County Public Schools throughout her daughter’s school years, and then joined CPCP in 2021. Kate has been the Lead Teacher for the 2.5 year old class, has worked in our Extended Care Program, and is now the Director of CPCP.
Lead Teacher
Jen Radcliffe
Jen received her BA in Early Childhood Education from Hood College in Frederick, MD and has lived in Clifton since 1994. She has been an active volunteer in her children’s schools in Japan, Monterey, CA and Fairfax County. Jen joined CPCP in 2008 and is our Lead Teacher for the 4/5’s (PreK) class. Jen has two children, a granddaughter, and one adorable dog.
Assistant Teacher
Mary Jo Kaczmarek
Mary Jo Kaczmarek received a B.S. in Education from the University of Virginia. She taught first grade and kindergarten in Fairfax County for 9 years and homeschooled her children for 13 years. She volunteers at CVHS and St. Andrew the Apostle Church. She and her husband, Mark, have five children (and 2 grandchildren), four of whom attended CPCP. Mary Jo joined CPCP in 2017 and is our Assistant Teacher for the 4/5’s class.
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 working in our Extended Care Program.
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.
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. Anne is the Lead Teacher for the 3’s class on Monday – Friday and working in our Extended Care program. 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.
Assistant Teacher
Jenny Miller
Jenny received her BS in Elementary Education from Penn State. She has three children, one who attended CPCP. This is Jenny’s second year as the Assistant Teacher in the 3’s class on Monday – Friday.
Lead Teacher
Kathie Cipolla
Kathie and her husband Mike of 35 years have resided in Clifton for 28 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, and is the Lead Teacher in the 3’s Tues-Thurs class and working in our Extended Care Program.
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 kids, Oliver, her black lab, and 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 fourth grader. This is Lauren’s second year at CPCP as the Assistant Teacher in the 3’s Tues-Thurs class.
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 7th 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 first year as the Lead Teacher of the 2.5 year olds class.
Assistant Teacher
Hilda Castillo
Hilda received a Bachelor's Degree in Health Services Administration. She moved 5 years ago from Long Island,NY with her husband and son. She has volunteered in Maps (Manassas Adventist Preparatory School) and Manassas Battlefield SDA church, as a Teacher’s Assistant. She has worked in local VBS with different age groups. This is Hilda’s second year at CPCP as the Assistant Teacher in our 2.5 year olds class.
Extended Care
Savannah Pierce
Savannah grew up in Fairfax and is now living in Clifton with her amazing family. She graduated from Robinson Secondary School in 2022. She played all four years on the Varsity Softball team and also played 10+ years of travel softball. Savannah likes to be active as much as she can, if that’s being in the gym or being outside. Savannah is also a huge family person, so she will spend as much time as she can with her family. Savannah loves to spend time with her little siblings because they always brighten up her days and always keep her on her toes! This is Savannah’s second year at CPCP, working in the afternoons as an Extended Caretaker.
Extended Care
Yana Sukharenko
​Yana was born into a Ukrainian family in Estonia and grew up in Ukraine. In 2010, she graduated from college and has an Associate’s degree in Fine Arts. In Ukraine, she was engaged in decorative stucco, sculpture and restoration. In March 2022, Yana moved to Virginia and began volunteering and working as a Special Events Coordinator at TIPS in Truro Anglican Church in 2023. She has also been a fine arts teacher at the cultural summer camp for Ukrainian children in 2024. Yana is currently engaged in painting and volunteering, coordinating art classes at the Lamb Center in Fairfax, and works as a nanny. Yana is joining CPCP this year in the afternoons as an Extended Caretaker.