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Here is an opportunity to have a glimpse of the true foundation that has honored Creative Frontiers School with such a tremendous reputation. The education level and many years of teaching experience say one thing. The commitment, capability, passion, love of children and the learning process say the rest. Here at Creative Frontiers, you will find the orchestration of talent well beyond your expectations that we are very proud to present to you!
Robert Adams, Principal
Mr. Bob is the founder of Creative Frontiers School and has been the principal since the opening of the Citrus Heights campus in 1982. He was born and raised in Southern California. The first campus originally opened in 1975. Prior to that, he also owned 3 swim schools, where children ages 6 months to 12 years were taught. Bob and his wife, Sandy, have 3 daughters, Shelby (31) Tarah (26) and Courtney (24), that graduated from Creative Frontiers. He also has four grand-children, Kelsey (6) a First Grader, Dylan (5) in Kindergarten, Bryson (3) in Ms. Barbara’s Preschool 2 “Froggies” class and Lucas (3 months), on the waiting list for Preschool 1 “Duckies”! Mr. Bob earned two Bachelors, one in Child Development and the other in Child Psychology, completed his Masters in School Administration, then started his Doctorate, but never found the time to finish! Besides administrating, he has taught swimming, kindergarten, & first grade. Bob has done a tremendous amount of volunteer work for children and education, through various agencies such as the Sacramento Children’s Commission, Placer County Children’s Council, Textbook Review Commission for the State of California, Chairman of the Folsom School District W.A.S.C. Accreditation, as well as serving on many education committees at the local, county & state level. He has worked in education for 40+ years & claims that’s what he feels so young!
Cheri Anderson, Preschool 1 (Duckies) Teacher
Cheri Anderson joined CFS last year and is the teacher of our 2 year old “Duckies” program. Ms. Cheri graduated from Sacramento State with a BA degree in English and plans to get her teaching credential sometime in the future. She was born and raised in Sacramento. In her spare time Cherie loves to watch movies, read and spend time with her family. One of her special hobbies is collecting Lion King Memorabilia!
Suzanne Benedict, Pre-Kindergarten (Honeybees) Teacher
This is Suzie’s fourth year here at CFS. She is married and has four beautiful daughters. She attended American River College where she earned a Teacher’s Certificate in Infant, Toddler and Pre-School Teacher Training. She also has 3 years experience in childcare administration before joining CFS. Ms. Suzie truly enjoys working with the Honeybees and plans for Savanna (Kindergarten Room 2) and Breanna (Fifth Grade) to graduate from the 6th grade class here at Creative Frontiers!
Randy Bobby, Consultant / Prior Curriculum Coordinator
Randy has been around Creative Frontiers since 1996 – originally as Noah and Christian Clothier’s grandfather. He retired from the San Juan School District back in 2005 where he held many titles, including School Superintendent as well as Curriculum Director during his 35-year tenure.
Randy previously earned two bachelors, one in Recreational Administration and the other one in Social Science, in addition to a Masters in Education and Reading. He has been in the field of education for over 40 years. Randy spent much of his time working closely with the preschool and elementary staff to help develop curriculum and program enhancements far beyond the typical area public and/or private schools. He places a tremendous amount of focus on team building skills, because he knows how important it is to tap into the vast abilities and resources of the CFS staff & children. Creative Frontiers is very fortunate to have someone as remarkably talented and capable as Randy sharing his years, experience and wisdom with us!
Carla Boerman, Upper Elementary Teacher
Carla joined us last year as the 4th/5th grade teacher. She moved from the Bay Area with her family: Brian (husband), and two boys - John (22) and Jake (20) both attending college. Having two children was not enough for Carla, as witnessed by her devotion to her class as well as her baby “Reeses” (a 7-year old mutt) that she just describes as her “spoiled baby”.
Carla joined the teaching credential program after being a “stay-at-home-mom” for many years. She originally obtained her bachelors (BC Before Children!) in Speech Pathology and Audiology from California State University, Hayward. She also obtained her Masters and her Credential from California State University, Monterey Bay. You can tell that Carla truly enjoys teaching and she has always told us that she wants to be the best teacher she can be.
Patricia Bogard, Junior Kindergarten 1 Teacher
Patricia has been married for 22 years with 3 children; Stephanie (18), Melanie (17) & Chris (15) and a favorite dog, Tessie that is much more submissive than her teenagers! Patricia obtained her Teaching Certificate and has taught since 1984. She someday wants to return to school to further her education. Patricia likes scrapbooking and spending time with family.
Cheryl Flynn, Kindergarten Teacher (on leave this year)
Cheryl is a Sacramento native that got a degree in Education and her Teaching Certificate locally as well. She started teaching preschool in 1974. She taught her first Kindergarten class 20 years ago and has never looked back. Cheryl did spend 14 years in the field as a school administrator (Mr. Bob kindly refers to this as a drawn out case of temporary insanity… from his personal experience) There is something many of you do not know about Ms. Flynn; she has authored a music program for preschoolers. We feel very fortunate for having someone as energetic and talented as Ms. Flynn here at Creative Frontiers! Cheryl has two children: Jennifer and Brian who is now married and will be a father this Spring. Her daughter, Ms. Jennifer currently teaches K-3: Transitional Kindergarten. Cheryl’s granddaughters Kaylee (First Grade, Room A) and Lauren (Junior Kindergarten Room 2) also attend school here.
April Greenhaw, Pre-Kindergarten (Honeybees) Teacher
Ms. April has been a Pre-Kindergarten Honeybees teacher since 2006 and Ms. Suzi does not know what she would do without her. They make such a great team and the children love her! April moved from Grass Valley & attended American River College for her ECE teaching certificate. She likes to spend her spare time communing with nature, camping & hiking and, has a love of anything having to do with arts and crafts!
Cindy Higgins, Office Manager
This is Ms. Cindy’s second year at CFS. How time flies when the paper flies too – all over the office! You have no idea how many forms she has to deal with and how much scheduling there is for Cindy to do. You’ll see Ms. Cindy in the office or talk to her on the phone when you call into CFS. Cindy is from Chicago - the “Windy City” originally, but likes California, and is here to stay! She attended Northwestern and Loyola University in Chicago. Ms. Cindy says she was not lucky enough to have children of her own, so she tries to spoil everyone else’s! She likes spending time with her “spoiled” dog, Max and adopted Persian “Bridgett” who love to go to the park.
April Langley, Kindergarten Room One Teacher
April joined us this school year, when Ms. Flynn took off for the surgeries on her knees. Once Cheryl found out she had to go back in and have another procedure done, “Ms. L”, as the children call her, has formally taken over the K1 classroom for the year. April is a native to Sacramento, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Sacramento State in addition to her Elementary Teaching Credential. Ms. April has worked with students from Kindergarten through Sixth grade. She is very creative and enjoys working with her students to bring out their hidden talents.
Nancy Martin, Retired Junior Kindergarten Teacher
Office Administrator and past PTA President
Next to Mr. Bob and his wife, Ms. Sandy, Nancy is next on the seniority list with 24 years at CFS! Nancy has a degree & teaching certificate in Early Childhood Development. She is proud to have been chosen for the Outstanding Citizen award in Citrus Heights. Nancy also enjoys playing Mrs. Santa each Christmas all around town (however, those that know her best realize that she really is Mrs. Santa Claus all year ‘round!) Nancy says children have a way of making all of us feel special. Her love for children is one of her most outstanding attributes. Nancy’s favorite hobby is enjoying her 5 grandchildren! She also loves doing character portrayals, music, the theater and almost anything fun! Her energy and positive attitude are an inspiration to many of us here at Creative Frontiers!
Lesley Matthews, After School, PE and Spanish Teacher
Lesley is beginning her second year at CFS> She initially joined us as a substitute. She has come a long way since then. She is now our Physical Education and Spanish Teacher. Her talents have not gone unnoticed. She earned an AA degree from American River College after working in the Property Management Field. She enjoys the outdoors, hiking, camping, swimming and horseback riding. She loves working with children and creates a very creative and nurturing environment.
Catherine Mitchell, 1st Grade Teacher
We welcome back Cathy to her fourth year at Creative Frontiers! Originally from South Carolina, Cathy and her family are enjoying exploring and camping in their new home state. Cathy graduated from Mars Hill College in North Carolina with a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms. Mitchell taught first grade at Thomas Heyward Academy for 23 years. She’s hoping the next 20 years will be as great here at CFS! For us that know her, Cathy still has the same love and passion of the classroom as most new teachers do! She & Mike (her husband) have three children Julian (1st Grader and a “Bear Scout”), Parker (age 19) and Christian, (age 23) both attending college. In case you haven’t guessed it, Cathy’s hobby is family!
Janet Molinari, Junior Kindergarten 2 Teacher
This is Janet’s ninth year with us, but most of us feel like we have known her for much, much longer. She joined our expanding Junior Kindergarten Program after teaching at another local preschool. Janet obtained her Preschool Teaching Certificate from American River College and can always be caught jogging during her lunch break – rain or shine. Janet and her husband, Jeff, love to camp, and spend time with their daughter, Chanda and granddaughter, Shaye (First Grade).
Natalie Morgan, 2nd Grade Teacher
Ms. Morgan received an Early Childhood Education Certificate from American River College. She earned a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, & C.L.A.D. (Cross Cultural Language & Academic Development) Certificate from California State University, Sacramento. Recently, Ms. Morgan completed her Masters of Arts in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) specializing in Educational Technology. She previously taught first grade for the Davis Unified School District, and substitute taught throughout the Sacramento Area for many years – just so she could find the right school! When Natalie joined us, she originally taught Kindergarten here for her first two years, then moved up to Second Grade when she finished her Masters. When not in the classroom, you might see her enjoying her cat “Mocha”, reading, gardening, traveling, or spending time with family and friends. Traveling and (believe-it-or-not!) hand cart racing are Natalie’s hobbies when she finds time away from her very dedicated classroom!
Jennifer Morrill, Transitional Kindergarten Teacher: K3
Mrs. Jennifer is the Transitional Kindergarten program teacher. Her mom, Ms. Flynn, is a Kindergarten teacher, so they both work with many of the same students! Mrs. Jennifer is married with 2 children, Kaylee (6: CFS 1st Grade!”) and Lauren (4: a CFS “PreKindergartner”) & has been in the teaching field since 1996. Jennifer earned her Associates Degree & continues her education. She enjoys working with children and meeting all the smiling faces everyday! In case you haven’t seen it, Jennifer is an avid horse person – very involved in her animals out front!
Cathie Murdock, Third Grade Teacher
This is Cathie's Ninth year at Creative Frontiers after moving here from Utah, where she had taught Third Grade. Cathie obtained her Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Utah. She obtained her California Teaching Certificate, along with C.L.A.D. certification, shortly after her move to California. Cathie has a twenty year old daughter, Kylie who attends college and lives with her. Kylie comes by and helps mom on a regular basis. Mr. Bob remembers Kylie when she was in elementary school! Cathie also has an older son, Keith, who lives with his wife, Taryn, and new baby Iris, in New Orleans. I have no idea how we would exist around here without Cathie’s smiling face and the warmth she shares with the children, parents and staff alike!
Barbara Sepanski, Preschool 2 (“Froggie”) Teacher
This is Barbara’s sixth year as Preschool 2 “Froggie” Teacher. She actually started teaching in 1974 after she earned a Bachelors in Elementary Education from Dominican College in Wisconsin and her preschool/elementary teaching credential. Barbara taught preschool and elementary for many years and was even a Preschool Director. We feel very fortunate to have her! Barbara’s enjoys her favorite hobby – Grand parenting! She now has 5: The youngest one (Alesandra-6 months) lives here in Sacramento, Alexis (age 3) and Addison (age 4) live in Fresno but visit their grandparents a lot, as well as Amberlee (Kindergarten) and Ashley (Sixth Grader) who live in Merced. All these grandchildren visiting Barbara when she is working makes CFS just a little more special for all of us! Now, the fact that she teaches Mr. Bob and Ms. Sandy’s grandson Bryson – well, that makes her even more special!
Marnel Sexton, Kindergarten Room 2 Teacher
Mrs. Marnel Sexton, or “Ms. S” to her students, joined Creative Frontiers last school year as a long-term substitute teacher and, after we found out how talented she is, was quickly hired as one of our kindergarten teachers soon after! She spent last summer in the office as a school administrator, but could not be away for long from the teaching environment – her first love. Marnel is a local girl growing up in Loomis. She has wanted to be a teacher since she was in the first grade. By the way, that was about the time Mr. Bob met her! Marnel and Tarah (Mr. Bob’s second daughter) were dancing buddies from the studio! She graduated from CSUS with a B.A. degree in Child Development and then attended Chapman University for her credential. She is a newlywed and has 3 animals that are her babies for now. Mrs. S has taught dance from age 11 to 20, and was a nanny to 5 children for 5 years. She is a true natural with children.
Lidia Stoian, Upper Elementary After-School Teacher
This is Ms. Lidia Stoian’s third year at CFS as the upper elementary after school teacher. Lidia is from Romania and has been living in the United States since she was 14 years old. Last year, she finally got to see her dream come true and became a U.S. citizen! When she was studying for her citizenship, she unfortunately made us all painfully aware of how little history we could recall about the United States… which made Mr. Bob start reading up informally on US History! She took Early Childhood Education classes and worked as a teacher’s assistant in a Montessori Pre-School. Ms. Lidia has been married to her husband Ben for over 8 years and they have a 7 year old son Benjamin. Ms. Lidia has been a stay-at-home mom ever since the birth of her son, and we are so happy she decided to join us…and we know the children are very happy! When Ms. Lidia is not here at Creative Frontiers she loves cooking and spending time with her family.
Tamara Thomas, Junior Kindergarten 1 and Yearbook!
This is Ms. Tamara’s third year with us, after she took a short hiatus from teaching, but she acts like a teacher withmany, many more years of experience! Tamara is what I call a true natural in the field of education. It is in part due to the fact that her mom was a Third Grade teacher when she was growing up, however, her talent level goes much deeper than that. She started out substituting at Creative Frontiers but impressed us so much that we made her come on board full time as one of the Junior Kindergarten 1 Teachers! Tamara attended Ashworth College and received her degree in Early Childhood Education. She is also working on another degree in writing children’s
books. In addition to her love for children, Miss Tamara is also a natural artist (art, and more art!), and loves to paint, sew and cross-stitch. Tamara ambitiously took on the Yearbook this year as an extra outlet for her creativity and we are all anticipating a spectacular publication this Spring!
Wayne Treadwell, Maintenance/Handyman
Mr. Wayne joined us in 2005 and comes to us from the hills of the Southern Ozarks of Arkansas! He grew up on a farm with four sisters and two loving parents. Wayne acquired an early love of nature and invaluable handyman skills. After serving in the U.S. Army, Wayne moved to Los Angeles where he worked in ground’s maintenance and carpentry, in addition to building mobile homes & sailboats. Wayne also has experience working for the U.S. Forest Service as a helicopter crewman, firefighter and ranger, then worked at Sierra View Hospital in Porterville as a maintenance man, carpenter, painter, etc.. He happens to be one of those rare individuals who literally built his own home! In his free time, Wayne enjoys the mountains, hiking, fly-fishing, creative woodcarving and art. Mr. Wayne enjoys helping in any way he can, not only for CFS, but also for parents needing help with special projects!
Melissa Wheeler, Junior Kindergarten 2 & Dance Teacher
We originally welcomed Ms. Melissa Wheeler to our school as the dance teacher. Our children are already getting into the dance rhythm as she is bringing out their hidden talents. Melissa lives in Loomis with her husband. She has been a teacher since 1978 and has taught dance and jazz to children and seniors. She is also a choreographer and has worked on such productions as the Wizard of Oz. Like she tells us, “I am young at heart and great with children”. Her love of teaching and Creative Frontiers led her to the natural role of teacher when a position came available in Ms. Janet’s Junior K-2 classroom.
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