Meet the Faculty and Administration
Maize Virtual Preparatory School features a distinguished faculty and staff who like you share a commitment to ensuring the best educational environment for your child. Following the Calvert curriculum that is built upon a foundation of reading, writing and arithmetic these Kansas-certified teachers create a positive environment for children that encourages learning and success in the virtual classroom.
Administration
Gary Lewis
Hometown: Lawrence, KS
Education: M.S. in School Leadership, Friends University
Biography: Gary is thrilled to return home to the Maize school district to serve as Director of Educational Outreach. One of his duties will be to oversee the Maize Virtual Preparatory School. Experienced in building the largest K-8 virtual school in Kansas from the ground up, Gary also has experience as an Education Specialist with the DeSoto school district, a technology integration consultant and teacher for the Maize School District.
Currently a doctoral student at the University of Kansas, Gary was recently named Vice Chair of the Kansas Virtual Education Advisory Council where he will continue to provide guidance and support to all of the Kansas virtual schools.
Administrative Support
Marge Hoffman
Hometown: Lawrence, KS
Biography: A former Honeywell employee who has been building virtual schools in Kansas since 2004, Marge is excited to be part of a team educating children at the Maize Virtual Preparatory School.
Brenda Kirkendall
Hometown: Lawrence, KS
Biography: Brenda has worked in Kansas public schools for over 15 years most recently at a virtual school in Lawrence. She enjoys her family, traveling the world and SCUBA diving and promises to do everything she can to make your transition and educational experience with Maize Virtual Preparatory School a success!
Faculty
Lisa Beach
Hometown: Gardner, KS
Education: Bachelor of Science in Education, Kent State University
Biography: Lisa has been an elementary educator since 1989 and has a variety of experience as a classroom and virtual school teacher, homeschool mom and an advisor for an educational company. A longtime proponent and supporter of home-based education, Lisa helped launch a virtual school in Kansas and is eager to put her passion for excellence in education to work as a teacher at Maize Virtual Preparatory School.
Lyn Carnes
Hometown: Overland Park, KS
Education: Master’s, Kansas State University
Biography: Lyn Carnes has been an educator for nearly 25 years. Most recently, she has had the opportunity to be an Education Specialist for the Lawrence Virtual Charter School working with families who have students in grades K-5. Prior to that, she taught in the Blue Valley School District as a 4th grade teacher as well as a Learning Disabilities teacher. Her most treasured teaching experience lies in the years that she has spent educating her own children at home. Over the past nine years she has had the privilege of educating three of her four children at home spanning grades K-8. She looks forward with great anticipation to this new opportunity and to meeting all of you!
Deborah Coatney
Hometown: Olathe, KS
Education: Masters of Arts in Teaching, Webster University
Biography: Deborah has 22 years of combined public and private school teaching experience at traditional and virtual schools in Texas and Kansas. With an emphasis on teaching creative writing in various home-education and private school settings, she enjoys spending time with her three teenaged children and visiting her family in Texas.
Nicole L’Heureux Flynn
Hometown: Lawrence, KS
Education: Master of Science in Education, University of Kansas
Biography: Nicole, whose middle name means “the happy one” in French, has specialized in teaching children and working with families virtually for the past five years in Lawrence. She loves math and believes there can be many “right” ways to problem solve! She taught mathematics and algebra to middle schoolers for six years prior to staying home with her own children. Nicole is now excited to team up with an amazing group of students, parents and colleagues to build Maize Virtual Preparatory School into one of the best schools in Kansas.
Melinda Holmes
Hometown: Olathe, KS
Education: B.S. in Elementary Education, Ottawa University
Biography: Melinda has experience teaching at home and in traditional and virtual classrooms at the elementary and junior high school level for almost 20 years. In addition to teaching her own children, she excelled in teaching enrichment classes in science, math, and writing, as well as serving as a technology teacher and an educational specialist in Lawrence. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Education from Fort Hays State University and looks forward to building relationships with students and families at Maize Virtual Preparatory School.
Laurie Klemm
Hometown: Goodland, KS
Education: B.A. in Elementary Education University of Wyoming
Biography: Laurie’s passion is helping children to become life-long learners. With over 23 years of experience as an educator, she sees the world as her classroom. Experienced in homeschooling, traditional, and virtual education, Laurie is working on her Master’s degree as she and her husband raise American bison in western Kansas.
Sean Oleson
Hometown: Olathe, KS
Education: BA in Education, K-8, MidAmerica Nazarene University
Biography: Sean is the oldest of in a family of 11 children including seven adopted siblings. Over the years, his parents had more than 65 children live in their foster home. An educator for nearly 20 years, Sean has taught in traditional private and public schools and has taught in a virtual school for the past six years. Married with two children of his own, he loves a good mystery novel and the Peanuts comic strip.
Karen Podschun
Hometown: Winfield, KS
Education: B.A. in Elementary Education, Wichita State University
Biography: Karen is a mother of eight who has found homeschooling a rewarding experience for 22 years. For the past five years, she has taught at a virtual school and loves helping families learn together.
Kylee Sharp
Hometown: Lawrence, KS
Education: Master’s in Education, Kansas University
Biography: Kylee has been a teacher for more than ten years focusing on science. A biology major at the University of Kansas, she is also married to a biology teacher and has two young children. She enjoys traveling, camping and hiking with her family.
Suzanne Wandling
Hometown: Overland Park, KS
Education: Master’s in Special Education, Kansas University
Biography: Suzanne grew up in New Orleans, where jazz and seafood reign! She has a variety of teaching experiences including virtual and traditional classrooms in grades K-6. In addition, she gained invaluable insight into the making of a successful home education experience by homeschooling her own daughters for five years and providing coaching and academic support to other homeschooling families. For the last seven years, Suzanne has worked in a virtual program, aiding in building a model school, serving as a teacher and team leader. She is excited to work with MVPS parents and students to build lasting relationships and achieve academic excellence.
