PRESCHOOL
Kasey Ring
Preschool Teacher EMAIL: kring@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Kasey Ring, born and raised in Lexington, graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Art Studio. She later attended the University of the Cumberlands, earning a master’s degree in Elementary Education. She has a passion for young learning, especially enriching young minds through play and mindful experiences. Kasey and her husband, Luke, have three children, Palmer, Leo, and Bowen, all of whom attend the Latin School. She loves cooking, gardening, sports, and cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats. |
Misty Pursiful
Preschool Assistant/Office Staff EMAIL: mpursiful@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Misty Pursiful graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communications. She began working as a Preschool Assistant and Office Assistant in the fall of 2022 at the Lexington Latin School. She is married to Jason, and they have two boys attending LLS. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching her sons play baseball, and visiting the lake in Tennessee. |
JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN
Jeanelle August
Junior Kindergarten Teacher EMAIL: jaugust@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Jeanelle August was born and raised in Northern Michigan. She graduated from Ferris State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education with minors in Integrated Science and Social Studies. She previously taught kindergarten and fourth grade from 2013-2015 at LLS before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She realized how much she missed teaching, and taught at a local preschool before rejoining the LLS family in 2020. She and her husband, Dan, made Lexington their home in 2012. They have three wonderful children, Vivian, Nora, and Henry, all of whom attend Lexington Latin School. Her hobbies include enjoying time with family and friends, being outdoors, gardening, exercising, and serving at her church. |
Brittany Hendrix
Junior Kindergarten Teacher EMAIL: bhendrix@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Brittany Hendrix, born and raised in Lexington, graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in Psychology. She later attended the University of Kentucky, earning her Master’s degree in Social Work, with an emphasis in clinical and school social work. Mrs. Hendrix has experience working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities along with management experience in various arenas. She is married to Alex, who is an administrator for Fayette County Public Schools. They have been married since 2012 and have three daughters, Paisley Belle, Amelia June, and Waverly Scout. She enjoys exploring the Bluegrass State, being outdoors, and cooking for her family. She began her teaching career at Lexington Latin School in 2020 and has loved every minute. |
Julia Witbeck
Junior Kindergarten Teacher EMAIL: jwitbeck@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Julia Witbeck graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is passionate about teaching young children, and has taught Jr. Kindergarten at LLS since 2016. Julia and her husband, Adam, have three daughters who attend LLS. She enjoys baking, crafting, gardening and reading aloud to her family. |
KINDERGARTEN
Susan Bravard
Kindergarten Teacher EMAIL: sbravard@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Susan Bravard graduated from Asbury University with a B.A. in Business Management, minor in Economics. She taught Pre-Kindergarten and worked as a Substitute Teacher in Fayette County for nine years. She joined the LLS faculty in 2017 and teaches Kindergarten. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats. |
Andrea Gilliam
Kindergarten Teacher EMAIL: agilliam@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Andrea Gilliam graduated from Morehead State University with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She also received an M.A. as a Reading and Writing Specialist from Eastern Kentucky University. She taught kindergarten and first grade in the public school system before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She taught Jr. Kindergarten at the Lexington Latin School from 2018-2020 and now teaches Kindergarten. Andrea and her husband, Drew, have been blessed with four children, Clara, Lyla, Noah, and Jonah, all of whom attend Lexington Latin School. She loves spending time with her family, being outdoors, baking, reading, studying the Word, cultivating relationships, and the local church. |
Stacey Roberts
Kindergarten Teacher EMAIL: sroberts@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Stacey Roberts graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She also received an M.A. in Education with an endorsement in Reading and Writing from Georgetown College. She taught Kindergarten and first grade in the public school system for eight years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Stacey began teaching at the Lexington Latin School in 2017. She and her husband, Nick, have 3 children, all of whom attend LLS. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and traveling. |
FIRST GRADE
Jill Applegate
1st Grade Teacher EMAIL: japplegate@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Jill Applegate grew up years in Columbia, Missouri. She moved to Kentucky to attend Asbury College, where she earned her BS degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Education. Mrs. Applegate taught Special Reading for 3 years and then Kindergarten for 7 years at Wilmore Elementary School. During this time she also began her own business, Action Gymnastics, which she owned and ran for 20 years, and she coached the Asbury University Tumbling Team for 6 years. She has been married to her husband Stephen, a Psychologist, for 34 years and they have two daughters, McKenzie and Kendall. After homeschooling both of them from elementary through high school, in 2018 she began teaching at LLS. Teaching and coaching children has been a long-time passion for Jill and she is excited to be back in the classroom teaching. |
Ellie Denney
1st Grade Teacher EMAIL: edenney@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Ellie Denney graduated from the College of Charleston in South Carolina with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Denney was a Pre-K teacher in the DC Public School System from 2010-2012. She has spent the last ten years as a stay-at-home mom. Mrs. Denney was a sub at the Lexington Latin School in the 2021-2022 school year and now teaches first grade at LLS. Ellie is married to Shaun, and they live in Lexington where they are raising their three sons: Luke, Ben, and Thomas. Ellie enjoys cooking and taking care of the home, traveling to and exploring new cities, and playing ball outside with her boys. |
Kelly Hogue
1st Grade Teacher EMAIL: khogue@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Kelly Hogue is a small-town Kentucky girl, born and raised in Glasgow. She received a B.A. in Elementary Education at the University of Cumberlands, where she played soccer and met her lifelong teammate, Aaron. She joined the LLS staff in 2010, teaching third grade for six years, then moving to first grade. Her four children attend LLS ranging from tenth grade to first grade. She runs for mental sanity and so she can enjoy dessert guilt free. |
Marie King
1st Grade Teacher EMAIL: mking@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Marie King received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Eastern Kentucky University and a master’s degree with a literacy emphasis from the University of the Cumberlands. She began her teaching career in the public school system in 2009 and has been a teacher at LLS since 2015. She and her husband have four children, all of whom are students at LLS. Marie enjoys serving at her church, spending time with family and friends, exercising, and traveling. |
SECOND GRADE
Kristy Kemp
2nd Grade Teacher EMAIL: kkemp@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Kristy Kemp has a degree in business management and joined the LLS faculty as a fourth-grade teacher in 2020. She began teaching second grade in 2022. She enjoys serving the Lord and volunteering and has taught in the preschool and toddler classes at her church since 2014. Kristy and her husband, Jesse, have three children and have lived in Lexington for 15 years. Her family loves spending time together, exploring nature, and riding bikes. |
Kelly Peterson
2nd Grade Teacher EMAIL: kpeterson@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Kelly Peterson has taught at LLS since 2018, for two years as music teacher and two years as second-grade teacher. Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, she is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a bachelor's degree in elementary education and later earned a master's degree in elementary education with a reading and writing endorsement from Georgetown College. Mrs. Peterson previously taught first grade, kindergarten, and preschool. She serves as a church musician, a piano teacher, and piano accompanist for various choirs and instrumentalists. She lives in Lexington with her husband and three children. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, playing the piano, and spending time with her family. |
Linda Powell
2nd Grade Teacher EMAIL: lpowell@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Linda Powell was born in Lexington, Kentucky, with two short stints living in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Cincinnati, Ohio. She received her BA in Elementary Education from The University of Kentucky with endorsements for preschool, kindergarten, and gifted education and has 37 years of teaching experience, including private Christian schools, public schools, and private tutoring. She has taught preschool through sixth grade (regular education and gifted education). Mrs. Powell loves to read, garden, travel, and attend/lead Bible Studies. She has been married to her high-school sweetheart for 59 years and has two daughters, both of whom are teachers. She began teaching second grade at LLS in 2016. |
Rae Shepherd
2nd Grade Teacher EMAIL: rshepherd@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Michelle “Rae” Shepherd, grew up in the small coal town of Mullens, WV. She graduated from Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, KY, with a degree in Social Studies Education 8-12. After 3 years of teaching middle school in Kentucky, she completed her Masters of Arts in Education at Georgetown College. She is married to Dewayne Shepherd and has one son, Aiden. Aiden has attended LLS since 3rd grade. For the past 14 years, she has chosen to be a stay-at-home mom while also substitute teaching. |
THIRD GRADE
Carol Cave
3rd Grade Teacher EMAIL: ccave@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Carol Cave is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in Elementary Education and a M.S. in Library and Information Science with school media certification. She has taught in elementary and junior high classrooms in public and private schools, but spent most of her career as a high school library media specialist. She came to LLS in 2019 and now teaches third grade. She is married to her husband, Stan, and has two married daughters, Meredith and Callen. In her spare time she enjoys running, reading, crocheting, and her two dogs, Asher and Bogie. |
Vicky Grant
3rd Grade Teacher EMAIL: vgrant@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Vicky Grant holds a B.A. and M.A. in Elementary Education (grades 1-8) from the University of Kentucky. She retired from public school after 30 years, teaching mostly middle school math and social studies. She has been teaching third grade at LLS since 2016. Vicky has two grown children, Ryan, who teaches fifth grade at a Christian school in Honduras, and Hayley, who returned to Kentucky after living in Finland for five years and now works at Lexmark as a UX designer. Vicky loves to travel, especially off the beaten path in foreign countries, and experience new cultures. She also enjoys reading, Bible study, and spending time with her family. She has two dogs, Tebow and Trevor, and frequently volunteers as a driver for various dog rescue organizations. |
Lauren King
3rd Grade Teacher EMAIL: lking@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Lauren King graduated in 2011 from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in vocal music education. She taught for two years in underprivileged schools with Teach For America in Phoenix, AZ. Mrs. King spent six years teaching in Fayette County Public Schools. She is excited to return to LLS this year to teach third grade. Her husband, Mr. Cody King, also teaches in the Upper School at LLS. They have three children: Gwenyth, Ambrose, and Theodore. Mrs. King enjoys singing, dancing, and all things interior design. |
FOURTH GRADE
Kate Ballard
4th Grade Teacher EMAIL: kballard@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Kate Ballard was born in Kentucky and raised in Texas and Louisiana. She returned to her roots to study at both Western Kentucky University and Eastern Kentucky University, with a focus on elementary education. She has been teaching for over twenty years and has a great passion for children. She is married with three older children and lives on a small farm, raising cattle. She enjoys exploring new places, antiques, and jazz music. |
Margaret Byrd
4th Grade Teacher EMAIL: mbyrd@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Margaret Byrd graduated from Samford University with a B.A. in English and minors in Classics and Philosophy. The fall semester of 2022 will start her first year of working with LLS. She especially loves poetry, reading aloud with her husband, long walks, and sky-gazing. A topic that particularly interests her is the intersection of story (especially fairytale) and faith. So, she strives to continually seek the Author of the Story of all stories-- and she can't wait to see His eyes in the faces of her fourth graders. |
Hannah Hubbard
4th Grade Teacher EMAIL: hhubbard@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Hannah Hubbard graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in Biology and began working in church administration and wedding and event coordinating. She later received a B.S. in Nursing from Eastern Kentucky University and has worked as an emergency room nurse for fifteen years. Hannah is passionate about teaching, educating, and engaging others. She is excited to join the Lexington Latin School as a 4th grade teacher. She is married to Justin and they have four children ranging from 7th grade to kindergarten. They are looking forward to their ninth year at LLS. Hannah enjoys adventuring outdoors with her family, hiking, gardening, crafting and DIY projects. |
FIFTH GRADE
Dana Henninger
5th Grade Teacher EMAIL: dhenninger@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Dana Henninger graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in Psychology. Prior to teaching at the Lexington Latin School she enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom for 11 years. She began her tenure at the Lexington Latin School in the front office in 2017 and began teaching 5th grade in 2018. The Lord has blessed her and her husband, Tom, with two lovely daughters who both attend the Lexington Latin School. Her interests include: spending time with her family, reading, being out-of-doors, having a Dr. Pepper on the patio with friends, and attending the ballet. |
Eileen Wright
5th Grade Teacher EMAIL: ewright@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Eileen Wright, born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in music and a minor in English. Subsequently, she earned a master’s degree in teaching at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and taught in the public school system for six years in Washington and Arizona. For the past seventeen years, she has been homeschooling her three sons from kindergarten through high school—implementing a Christian classical education curriculum. In addition to schooling her own children, she has remained active as a teacher outside of her home, teaching both music and science in various local co-ops and teaching Christian education through her church. She has also been involved with a tutoring program that reaches at-risk students in the Wilmore, KY area. Eileen is joining the Lexington Latin School staff fall 2021, where she will be teaching fifth grade. She resides in Jessamine county with her husband, Scott, and dog Mabel. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading and cooking. |
SIXTH GRADE
Laura Mitchell
6th Grade Teacher EMAIL: lmitchell@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Laura Mitchell was born and raised in Minnesota and attended college in South Dakota. She received her B.A. degree in elementary education with endorsements in middle school science and English. She taught in Norway, London, Nebraska, and Minnesota before being blessed with the opportunity to join the LLS community in 2016. She has taught 2nd grade, 4th grade, and she is currently teaching 6th grade at LLS. Laura and her husband, Nat, have Myles, Tyler, Natalie, and Tessa all attending the Lexington Latin School. Growing up on a farm has given her a great love for the outdoors and she is happiest when she is with her family outside enjoying all of God’s creation....Or eating cheese. Cheese always makes her happy. |
Lynne Williams
6th Grade Teacher EMAIL: lwilliams@lexingtonlatinschool.com Lynne Williams, a Louisville native, now lives in Versailles and enjoys being with family, gardening, reading, camping, traveling and learning new things. Lynn earned Bachelors degrees in Math and German (Honors Programs) and a Masters in German Languages and Literatures from the University of Kentucky. She was an exchange student for two years at Heidelberg University. Lynne is currently studying for her MAT at Georgetown College. She taught German at the UK and was a teacher in a private school setting. |
SPECIAL AREA TEACHERS
Kim Butler
Physical Education Teacher EMAIL: kbutler@lexingtonlatinschool.com Kim Butler attended EKU and majored in journalism. She worked as a sports writer for the Richmond Register. Kim and her husband, Rick, are blessed with three sons: Manning, Mat and Mason. Kim was a stay-at-home for 11 years before she began teaching PE at LLS in 2015. She has helped with athletics since 2016. She enjoys staying active through running, jazzercise, and going on hikes. Kim attends Southside Church of Christ with her family and loves her church family and our community at LLS. |
DeeAnn Miller
Physical Education EMAIL: dmiller@lexingtonlatinschool.com DeeAnn Miller received her B.S. in Allied Health Sciences from the University of Kentucky and her Master of Science in Communication Disorders from the University of Kentucky. She worked as a certified speech-language pathologist for two years before staying at home with her children. She has been teaching PE at LLS since 2009. She and her husband, Steve, have three children: Kailey, Morgan and Jay. |
Carolyn Rutter
Lower School Choir (preschool-1st) EMAIL: crutter@lexingtonlatinschool.com Mrs. Carolyn Rutter graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. While there, she met and married her husband, Landon. They have two children, Lincoln and Charlotte, who attend LLS. Carolyn has been teaching preschool-1st grade choir classes since 2020 at the Lexington Latin School. She enjoys singing, making coffee at La Petite Delicat, and cheering on the Cross Country team. Go Gladiators! |
Chelsea Steyn
Lower School Choir (2nd-6th) EMAIL: csteyn@lexingtonlatinschool.com Chelsea Steyn began teaching music at the Lexington Latin School in 2016. She is a Lexington native, attending the University of Kentucky with a degree in Vocal Performance and a Masters in Choral Conducting. She and her husband, Wehan, have three small boys and enjoy gardening, 'braaing,' reading and building things. |