Little School

Dena Hoenig Valdez

Hello! Welcome to The Little School of Keystone! My name is Dena, and I joined the Keystone staff in April of 2012. I am thrilled to have started Keystone’s first preschool program! I hold a Master of Education and an Elementary Teaching Certification with a specialization in Early Childhood from Southwest Texas University, now referred to as Texas State University. I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Family Studies with a Minor in Psychology from The University of Arizona. I am a native of San Antonio and graduate of Robert E. Lee High School.

I have always loved children! My Early Childhood experience has included being a camp counselor, teacher, and Early Childhood Director. After finishing graduate school, I was hired as the Director of Heintz Preschool of Congregation Agudas Achim. I started their early childhood program and was there for 14 years before leaving in 2012 to start The Little School of Keystone.

I am married to my high school sweetheart, Christian. We have two wonderful children. Sari is 11 and graduated from The Little School of Keystone, she is currently in Fifth Grade. Gavin is 13 and entering Eighth Grade.

I would describe myself as a hugger and a kisser. Each day I look forward to greeting the children when they walk in our preschool doors. As the Head of Preschool, I look forward to working with each of you and making your child’s early childhood education a very positive and memorable experience here at The Little School of Keystone.

Ofelia M. Linkenhoger

Welcome to our school! My name is Ofelia, but our little ones call me “Ms. O.” I was born in Tampico, Mexico, a beautiful port right off the Gulf Coast (about 300 miles south of the border). I love relaxing by the beach just listening to the sound of the sea. I am the proud mother of my 26-year-old twins, Heather and Mikael, and the proud grandmother of Anabelle, who will be born in late August!

I have been a teacher for over 25 years. I started my career at The American School of Tampico teaching Pre-K in the late 80’s early 90’s. In 1995, I took a break to raise my twins and in 1999, I began teaching again. I was the lead, homeroom teacher in third grade for ten years. My family and I moved to San Antonio in July of 2010. From 2012 to 2017 I was a teacher and an administrator; teaching 2nd grade, then Math and Spanish in Middle School, being the RenWeb/FACTS Specialist, and Head Coordinator of the Extended Day Program at a private, Catholic school here in San Antonio. I have a bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy with a concentration in Educational Psychology and hold a Master of Science degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from Buffalo State College, State University of New York. I have experience working with children of diverse cultures and different ages ranging from Pre-K3 thru Eighth grade. In 2017, I became a part of the community here at The Little School of Keystone. I have been blessed to be in one of the most fulfilling professions in life, the formation of children.

It is my hope that your child will find our program to be an enjoyable and rewarding educational adventure!

Isabel Henry

Welcome to the Little School of Keystone! My name is Isabel, and I am a small group instruction teacher for our Jr. Pre-K classrooms. My focus will be working with individual children or small groups observing where they are, what they are capable of, and what the next steps may be for success. I will add support for students in order to enhance learning or aid in the mastery of tasks.

I was born in Havana, Cuba and arrived in the United States at the age of two. I received my bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Special Education. I am certified to teach Spanish, which is my first language. I am the Spanish Enrichment Teacher on Thursdays during after school enrichment. My passion for the Spanish language and culture allow me to give your child a gift of a second language.

I am a mother of two adult boys, Douglas and Luis Andrés. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my children, traveling, going to the beach, baking, and walking.

I have been at The Little School since its inaugural year. I am incredibly lucky to be able to do something I love. Knowing that I’ve made a difference in my students’ lives is one of my greatest joys.

Erin Ochoa

Hi there! My name is Erin, and I am very excited to be your child’s teacher this year! I was born in San Francisco, California, and lived there for the first five years of my life. I moved to San Antonio just in time to begin Kindergarten. It was then, at that young age, that I realized I wanted to become a teacher when I grew up. I aspired to bring the passion and enjoyment my teachers brought into our classroom every day!

I graduated from Texas State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. I am certified to teach Early Childhood through 4th grade and English as a Second Language. After graduating from Texas State, I was a substitute teacher for Northside ISD. Soon after that, I was offered a teaching position at Primrose School, teaching Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten. In my last three years at Primrose, I was the Administrative Assistant and Mentor Teacher. In 2014, I became one of the teachers at The Little School of Keystone. I absolutely love being part of the Keystone family and am now able to bring my passion for teaching to our classroom!

I met my husband Jason in college. We married in June 2010 and in February 2016, we were blessed with the arrival of our miracle daughter, London, after pursuing IVF. In March 2018, we welcomed our second daughter, Elizabeth. Along with our shih-tzu Ollie, we feel very fortunate to have London and Elizabeth in our lives and love experiencing the wonderful milestones they achieve. Together, we enjoy traveling, doing home improvements, and cheering at Texas Tech and Texas State football games. I also enjoy doing crafts, shopping, baking, writing, watching movies, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

I am excited to be a part of your child’s wonderful school experience here at The Little School!

Viviane van Poppel

Hi! I am Ms. Viviane and Coach “V” on Monday afternoons. I was born in Belgium, Europe and moved to San Antonio when I was 11 years old. I grew up speaking French and Dutch and I still speak both when I can. A few years ago, I became an American Citizen! Even though I was born in Belgium, I am Dutch (because that was my mother’s nationality) and have dual citizenship.
It was my 2nd grade teacher in Belgium that inspired me to become a teacher. As I grew up, I realized how much I loved being around children and knew that I wanted to be a mother and a teacher. I have 2 great boys; Chase is 18 and Vance is 15.

I am certified to teach and graduated from UTSA with an Early Childhood Education degree. My most recent venture in teaching has been working for the past 14 years as a Pre-K teacher (3’s, 4’s & 5’s). I feel a great sense of joy when I see a child grow socially, emotionally, and academically. One of the reasons I enjoy teaching so much and always brings a smile to my face is when a student comes up to me with a great sense of accomplishment from doing his or her work. As a teacher, I know that I contributed to build that student’s self-confidence and pride.

I have also enjoyed playing and coaching several team sports over the years (mostly soccer) and it has been exciting to help build a love of sports in these younger children and watch them grow. I am happy to continue coaching soccer on Mondays, during after school enrichments. I am so excited to be starting my 9th year at The Little School of Keystone and your children being a part of it!

Janet Whitworth

Welcome to The Little School of Keystone!  I am excited to say that I am one of the pre-K 4 teachers!  I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development & Family Sciences, and I am certified to teach Early Childhood through 6th grade.  I am also proud to say that I have been with The Little School of Keystone since they opened their doors!

I am blessed with a wonderful husband and three silly children: Liam, Olivia, and Nora.

I am looking forward to getting to know each of you this coming year!

Michelle Gann

Hello there! My name is Michelle, and I am excited to be your child’s teacher at the Little School of Keystone! I was born in Kennesaw, GA and lived there for about 6 months before my father was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. In all my military life adventures, I attended eight different schools. These experiences are what sparked my interest in being a teacher. All my teachers welcomed me into their classrooms with open arms; even if this was in the middle of the school year and treated me as if I was there from the first day of school. Finally, after all of our moves I settled back into my home state of Georgia where I graduated from high school and attended college.

I graduated from Berry College in Rome, GA in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education with an ESL endorsement. While I was attending Berry College, I worked as an assistant teacher at the Berry College Child Development Center. After graduating college, I accepted the Private Kindergarten teaching position at Primrose School of Huebner Village, where I worked for four years.

I met my husband when I was 9 years old in my Nana’s Sunday school class. You could say it was love at first sight! We married in August of 2012 in Castroville, TX. Even though Georgia is our forever home, we have enjoyed Texas and the adventures it has brought us thus far. We enjoy traveling, spending time with our kids, visiting our home state, playing co-ed soccer, and enjoying Disney trips together. You can say we are Disney fanatics! We have two kids; our 5-year-old daughter Georgia, who will be attending Kindergarten at Keystone School this school year, and our 3-year-old son, Sawyer, who will be joining us at The Little School this year! We also have our “dog daughter,” a Maltipoo named Snowflake, who we adopted in October of 2013.

I am very excited to continue my journey at The Little School of Keystone and getting to know the families new and old! This year will be fantastic!

Jackie Litofsky

Hola! My name is Ms. Jackie, and I am so excited to be the Spanish and Yoga Teacher. I was born and raised in Mexico City. I have a degree in Communications. I moved to San Antonio in 1996 when I got married to my wonderful husband, Martin. We have two fantastic boys Alec, 24 and Jordan, 21.

This is my 10th year teaching Spanish at The Little School. I am also a certified Yoga instructor for kids 2-5 years old, with a specialty in breathing techniques. This year, Yoga will take place on Mondays and Spanish will take place on Wednesdays.

I really enjoy being an important part of your child’s education and preparation for their bright future.

You are more than welcome to come and be part of my classes or to ask me any questions. Looking forward to meeting everyone! Namaste

Rhonda Payne

Hi, my name is Rhonda, but my students call me Master Payne. This will be our 9th year teaching here at the Little School. I was born in Longview, TX and have lived most of my life in San Antonio. I am an 8th degree Black Belt in both Taekwondo and Hapkido and own the House of Payne, Inc. known as the U.S. Martial Arts Training Center in Converse.

I was fortunate enough to compete in Olympic Taekwondo and won the National and World Championships from 1986-89 and 1993-94 and a gold medal from the 1993 Olympic Sports Festival that was held here in San Antonio. This year, I was honored to be inducted into the Korean Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame.

I have always loved teaching and coaching and making a positive impact on my students. I have a daughter, Angelique. My hobbies are ceramics, woodworking, leather tooling, drawing and fishing.

I teach self-defense and safety awareness and authored the book, Get REAL, A Safety Guide for Women and Girls.

Rozalia Ravitsky

Hi, my name is Rozalia, and I am looking forward to a new year of musical growth. After founding European Piano Academy over 29 years ago, I have been at The Little School of Keystone since its inaugural year in 2012.

I received classical European piano training at the Music Conservatory in Moldova. I started European Piano Academy in 1991 and taught a successful “Piano by Color” program developed to teach children as early as 3 years old. I currently teach virtual private lessons for children in San Antonio, TX, Houston, TX, Manhattan, NY, and Washington D.C.

I have two grown daughters, Greta, and Marianna, and four beautiful grandchildren, ranging in age from 7-12. I am a strong believer in quality education and building a strong foundation at an early age. I look forward to meeting all of you on Wednesday afternoons! I plan to introduce my young pianists to a beautiful and magical world of piano and music.

Lilyann Cázares-Mezquiti

Greetings! My name is Lilyann Cazares-Mezquiti, and I am excited to be one of the Junior Pre-K Busy Bugs’ Teachers at The Little School of Keystone. I cannot wait to learn more about our new Keystone families, but first I will tell you a little about myself.

I was born and raised in Laredo, Texas where I received a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Early Childhood Education from Texas A&M International University. In 2002 I earned a Master of Arts in Education with specialization in Instructional Technology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. In addition to my Texas Educator Certification, I received a Teaching Certificate from the State of New York where I had the opportunity of working in both private and public schools ranging from Preschool to a Bilingual Inclusion 1st grade classroom. During my 19 years of teaching, I have worked with curriculums inspired by the teachings of Maria Montessori, Reggio Emilio, Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. I worked at Pre-K 4 SA from 2013, when the program began, to 2019. During that time, we implemented the HighScope Curriculum. Being a Keystone parent, I have experienced a wholesome approach to learning that provides our children with a balance in social-emotional, physical, oral language and cognitive development. Together, with these experiences, I am eager to begin my third-year teaching at The Little School of Keystone!

While away from teaching, I am blessed to spend my time with my two sons, our cat “Puma” and my husband Robert of 19 years. We enjoy traveling, art, photography, food and good coffee. Joaquín is 8 years old and currently a 3rd grader at Keystone. Pablo is 3½ and in full toddler mode trying to keep up with his older brother. I hope to be able to share more about them throughout the year. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Keystone Family, and I am looking forward to a year of learning, fun, and adventure!

Blanca Rivas

Hello, my name is Blanca. I graduated from John Jay High School, attended SAC, St. Phillips and Palo Alto College for several semesters receiving a Teacher Assistant/Substitute Certification. I now hold a Pre-K4 Child Development Associate Accreditation.

I am thrilled this will be my third year at The Little School. I started in 2019 in our Extended Day Program. Before then, I was an Assistant Teacher at a pre-school for 2 years and before then, I worked at a catholic school for 7 years with children ranging in grades from Pre-k through 8th grade. I also supported the school with special projects, programs, and events throughout the years. This experience helped me to realize my true passion in life, which is to work with children and providing them with a rich, fulfilling, and nurturing environment in their pre-school developmental years.

I was born in Mexico, but San Antonio has been my home since I was ten years old. I am married, and I am the proud mother of my seventeen-year-old daughter, Victoria.

I enjoy exercising to Zumba class and traveling with my family. I am looking forward to working with the children at The Little School of Keystone and getting to know all of you!

Sabra Grainger

Hello! My music friends call me Ms. Sabra, and I am excited to continue the tradition of excellent music classes that have enriched the lives of so many children at The Little School of Keystone.

I graduated from Howard Payne University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and minors in Music and English. After graduation, I married my best friend and the love of my life. We’ve raised six amazing children who are all happily married, as well, and keeping us busy with eleven beautiful grandchildren.

In 1990, I accepted a position as Children’s Music Director for Castle Hills First Baptist Church where I served for 14 years. I enjoyed all the additional music training available in Orff and Kodaly methods for teaching children’s music. During that time, I established Kid’s Konservatory and the Young Artists’ Chorale at The Christian Music Conservatory in Castle Hills. I also began teaching music classes at Jonathan Netanyahu Academy at the JCC and the Children’s Enrichment Center. In 2004, I accepted a position as Choral Music Director for Castle Hills First Baptist School. The choirs won numerous awards and were All-state champions multiple times. In 2007, I became the Director of Fine Arts for CHFBS and the San Antonio Central Regional Director for TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools). It was so much fun; but after the last of my babies had graduated, I decided to return to a simpler joy and teach younger children. I am currently teaching private students and working with Music Masters studio and Gan Gani Preschool here in San Antonio.

I have enjoyed making and sharing music for as long as I can remember. It has been a delight to my soul, and I know it will be a source of joy for your children, too. I look forward to our music classes where we can sing, play, and learn together, so they can make and share their own music with the world.

Roxann Calderon

Hi! My name is Roxann Calderon, but our students call me Coach C. I joined Keystone in 2005. I work at the big school as the Upper School Athletic Director, where I oversee our high school sports. I am also the varsity volleyball coach and I teach PE to our 5th-8th graders. I am excited to be teaching PE to our Little School friends!

I was born and raised here in San Antonio, Texas. Growing up, I fell in love with the sport of volleyball. My talents earned me a full scholarship to play collegiately at the University of Maryland. After a year in Maryland, I transferred to be closer to home, where I continued my volleyball career playing at The University of Texas at San Antonio. I also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from UTSA. Go Runners!

I have three wonderful children, Charles 14, Madelyn 8, and Oliver 3. Charles and Madelyn both attended The Little School! I enjoy fishing and going on many different adventures with my family. I cannot wait to start having fun with your children

Jordan Meacham

Lupita Cruz

My name is Guadalupe, or Lupita, which is the short version of my name. I was born in Mexico and raised in San Antonio. Since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to become a Kindergarten teacher. In February of 2018, I started as a substitute teacher at a children’s center and later became an assistant teacher. I worked there for 4 years. I currently hold a Child Development Associate Credential. When I learned about the opportunity of becoming an Assistant Teacher at The Little School of Keystone, I was so excited; I had heard wonderful things about our Little School! From the moment I first stepped into the classroom, I fell in love.

My hobbies include playing volleyball and soccer. I am one of six siblings and I have two dogs, Kiara and Blue.

I look forward to spending time with your children and watching them grow!

Itzel Rodriguez

Hello Little Keystone families! My name is Itzel Rodriguez. This is my first year at The Little School. I am Support Staff throughout the day and EDP Staff in the afternoons. I am 22 years old, and was born in the beautiful city of Aguascalientes, Mexico. I am bilingual and currently attending Texas A & M University, pursuing my bachelor’s degree in teaching.

I am engaged and soon to marry in November 2023! I am extremely excited to work at the Little School and I look forward to spending time with your children and watching them grow!