Staff
About Our Staff
The teachers and staff at Hidenwood Presbyterian School dedicate their time, patience, passion and knowledge to the developmental growth of each child. Teachers and staff are required to participate in at least 16 hours of professional development each year. The teaching staff members have completed coursework in early childhood development while earning their Child Development Associate credential (CDA), have a degree in Elementary or Early Childhood Education or they have tremendous experience working with preschool aged children. Each staff member is certified in CPR and First Aid to ensure safety in the classroom and on the playground. All staff members are finger-printed and background checked by the Virginia State Police and Virginia Department of Social Services.
Meet Our Staff
Cynthia Watson
Director
Mrs. Watson was born and raised in Newport News. She has a BA in English from CNU, Master’s in Education from ODU, Post-Master’s Certificate in Educational Leadership and Administration from GWU, and 22 years of experience with Newport News Public Schools as a teacher, reading specialist, instructional coach and specialist.
She is deeply committed to creating a safe, nurturing, inclusive and engaging environment in which all students thrive.
She enjoys reading, walking, traveling, and gardening with her husband and 2 children who are HPS alums.
Becky Kraxberger
Assistant Director of Operations
Becky Kraxberger a Management degree from the University of Missouri. She started at Hidenwood as a parent; both of her boys attended Hidenwood. She has been a Parent Volunteer, Board Member, Substitute, and enjoyed many years in the role of school administration.
Brenda Dent
Lead Teacher, Two-year-olds
Brenda holds a CDA credential. She was born and raised in Newport News. Brenda has two children – Cassie and Ryan; and four grandchildren Addison, Andrew, Sawyer and Hadley. Addison and Andrew are HPP alums.
Robin Warnick
Assistant Teacher, Two-year-olds
Robin was born and raised in Williamsburg before moving to Newport News almost 30 years ago. She is married, has two daughters and three sweet, spoiled cats. Robin was an assistant preschool teacher for six years and a lead preschool teacher for three years at Denbigh United Presbyterian Preschool prior to joining the team here at Hidenwood Presbyterian School. She is excited to join the team at Hidenwood Presbyterian School and continue to guide children on their learning journey as they discover this wonderful world around them. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, playing board games and crafting.
Jennifer New
Lead Teacher, Three year olds
Jennifer was very excited to join the HPP&K family in 2020. She was born and raised in Newport News. She has three teenage children and her youngest attended HPP&K. Jennifer is currently finishing her Early Childhood degree at TNCC. She loves teaching and seeing the smiles of the children every day. She especially loves teaching science. In her spare time Jennifer enjoys boating, fishing and spending time with family.
Martha Bott
Assistant Teacher, Three-year-olds
Martha holds a CDA credential. Two of her three sons attended preschool here at HPP. Martha loves teaching and her favorite thing is to witness a child’s eyes light up when they finally understand a concept for the first time. Martha’s favorite subjects include math and reading. When she is not in the classroom. Martha loves to spend time with her family.
Allie Edgar
Lead Teacher, 3-year-olds, Monday – Friday
Allie has her Bachelor in Music Education from CNU and a teaching license from ODU. She is owner and photographer of her own business. Allie has been a preschool music teacher. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two girls, running, baking and crafting.
Molly Woods
Assistant Teacher, 3-year-olds, Monday – Friday
Originally from Buffalo, NY, Molly brings 19 years of teaching experience (Preschool through 12th Grade) in HCS and NNPS. She is licensed in Elementary Education and English as a Second Language. Molly enjoys going on adventures with her husband and daughter Grace, who is an alumni of HPP. In her free time Molly enjoys reading, traveling and snuggling with her dogs Daisy and Stella, and her Guinea Pigs Buddy and Bowser.
Amanda Wood
Lead Teacher, Four year olds
Amanda grew up in the Newport News area. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from ODU and both an M.S. and Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education from ODU. Her favorite subjects include science and literacy. Both Amanda and her son Parker attended HPP as children. HPP holds a special place in her heart. She loves working with preschool age children and watching them explore and grow. When she is not in school, Amanda loves to read, read, read!!
Christy Kuhnle
Assistant Teacher, Four-year-olds
Christy is excited to be joining the team this year! She has 36 years experience working in Newport News Public Schools as a Kindergarten and first grade teacher, then finishing the last 17 as a Reading and Math Interventionist. Christy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Early childhood from Christopher Newport College. She currently lives in Tabb with her husband and dog. She enjoys playing piano, leading worship at her church, and visiting with grown daughter, Mia.
Megan Christopher
Lead Teacher, Four year olds
Megan grew up in Ohio and went to college in South Carolina. She holds a BA from Coastal Carolina University. Her husband joined the military and that decision brought them here in 2010. Megan first became involved in HPP when her daughters attended –Ciearra with the 4s and Caelin with the 2s. A year later Megan joined our fabulous team of teachers. Her favorite subjects include science, STEAM and art. When she is not creating a beautiful classroom environment, you can find Megan reading, exploring the outdoors and visiting her daughters at college.
Carol Burke
Assistant Teacher, Four-year-olds
Carol grew up in New Jersey and moved to Newport News in 1991 with her husband, Bill. Her son Connor attended preschool at HPP. Carol has been at the school for 26 years and loves all the families she has met over the years. She still keeps in touch with many of them and enjoys seeing how they grow over the years. Carol loves to read, watch movies, spend time at the beach and pool, and visit with friends and visit Washington D.C. to see her son.
Barbara Daniels
Lead Teacher, Four year olds
Prior to coming to Hidenwood Presbyterian School Barbara taught 2nd grade at St. Andrew’s and was a Reading Interventionist for NNPS. The majority of her career, however, was spent in Kindergarten classrooms. She loves teaching reading and helping children explore new adventures through books. Barbara holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from CNU and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from ODU. In her time off, she likes to spend time with family and friends, traveling, and exploring outdoors.
Tracy Clark
Assistant Teacher, Four-year-olds
Tracy has her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology and has credentials in Early Childhood Education. Tracy joined HPS as a parent volunteer and joined the team as a teacher. She is passionate about teaching and nurturing children to learn and grow socially and academically in the classroom. In her free time, Tracy enjoys spending time with family and friends. She enjoys watching sports, exercising, traveling and spending time outdoors with her husband and their three children.
Rebekah Loftis
Lead Teacher, Kindergarten
Rebekah is delighted to continue her teaching journey at HPS. Rebekah holds both BA in Early Childhood Education and Master’s in Teaching from CNU and Master’s in Curriculum Design from UVA. For the last 17 years, she has taught NNPS preschool, kindergarten and second grade and also shared her love for reading as a reading specialist. She values hands-on experiences and student-centered learning in the classroom.
Outside of school, Rebekah enjoys time with her husband and young daughter. They are often found snuggled with a good book, traveling, or exploring a new museum.
Paige Randall
Assistant Teacher, Kindergarten
Paige received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Christopher Newport University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher. She was named Teacher of the Year and recognized for a “model classroom”. Paige has 18 years of experience teaching kindergarten for NNPS. She enjoys gardening and playing with her grandchildren.
Kristin Shelton
Lead Teacher, First and Second Grade
Kristin is thrilled to be part of the HPP family! She was born and raised in Newport News. She and her husband, Ryan, have a daughter-Elizabeth, who is an East Carolina University Pirate and a HPP alum.
Kristin holds a B.A. in Sociology from Christopher Newport University, a Pre-K through 3rd grade teaching license from Old Dominion University and has continued her education through William and Mary. Prior to coming to HPP, she taught Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade in Newport News Public Schools for 18 years.
In her free time, Kristin loves spending time with family and friends, going to beaches, traveling, walking her dog Luna and reading.
Sondra Colbert
First and Second Grade Assistant
Sondra has been in education for 22 years and has a certificate in Early Childhood Development. She was a special education teaching assistant in NNPS and has most recently worked in York County schools. Sondra worked in youth ministry for 10 years. She is passionate about teaching all children to read and building students’ self-esteem. Sondra enjoys spending time with her family and her sweet dog.