The teachers and staff at Reading Friends of Aledo are what makes our school different. Our teachers are loving, nurturing professionals who embrace each child and their individual learning style. We are pleased to present our team for the upcoming school year:
Diane Taylor
Owner
Diane is the owner of Reading Friends of Aledo. She holds a Business Degree in Management from Texas Wesleyan University, where she graduated with honors. Although her college years and beyond took her down the business path, Diane’s goal was to eventually come back to her first love of teaching children.
After 25 years in business and serving as a Vice President at JPMorgan Chase, she and her husband Paul welcomed a new addition to the family. Rainey Taylor was born in 2006 and joined her sister Rachel, who was 10 years old at the time. It was this special (unexpected) event in Diane’s life that motivated her to make a life change. When Rachel graduated from Pre-K at the Reading Friends School in Fort Worth at age five, Diane knew that she wanted to be a part of the program.
With the emphasis on education in the Aledo area, Diane felt that the time was right to bring Reading Friends to Parker County. The school opened its doors in January 2008 and was expanded to offer a K-Bridge and Kindergarten program in 2009. After ten years in their first location, Diane was able to purchase land and build her dream school in Aledo. She opened the doors of the new location on Bailey Ranch Rd. in January 2019.
Diane is an active member and supporter of the Aledo AdvoCats, served 11 years as the Co-Chair of the Aledo ISD School Health Advisory Committee, holds an executive position on the Board of Directors of the Aledo Education Foundation, served on the Aledo ISD Project 2025 Team, and volunteers her time throughout the community. As the owner of Reading Friends, she is proud to be an Aledo ISD Bearcat Backer and a member of the East Parker County Chamber of Commerce.
Diane is pleased to introduce her team of dynamic professionals for the upcoming school year:
******
Janet Sepanski
Director
Janet joined Reading Friends of Aledo during the 2011 school year as the Assistant Director. She graduated in 1990 from Texas Christian University with a BA in Education. Janet spent eight years with the Fort Worth ISD, teaching young children, before deciding to start a family of her own. Janet enjoyed raising her four children and volunteering at their schools for the next 12 years. When her youngest child went off to school, Janet decided that she needed to find something that would allow her to be with young children, yet be available for her own children at the end of her day. Reading Friends of Aledo was the perfect fit! Janet was promoted to Director of the Preschool in 2013 and welcomed Sharon Gribble that same year as Assistant Director. Janet and her husband, Tom, have been married for 25 years and have four children, Anna, Lily, Rubye, and Tommy.
******
Sharon Gribble
Assistant Director
Sharon graduated from Texas A&M with a Civil Engineering degree. She worked for Mobil Pipeline Company for two years before following her husband David around the country with the Marine Corps. Sharon first learned of Reading Friends of Aledo in 2007 when she was looking for an academic preschool for her daughter, Alyssa. Alyssa was in the first Pre-K class that the school offered! After Alyssa graduated, Sharon’s younger son, Sean, was old enough to enroll and completed the program through K-Bridge!
Sharon and David have been married for 26 years and have four children; Morgan, Kyle, Alyssa, and Sean. She has been such an incredible Assistant Director over the years and helps to meet the needs of both our students and parents!
******
Joan “Mimi” Nicholson
Resident Grandma
Mimi is in charge of making all things better!
“Mimi” is the Mother of Diane Taylor, and is the school’s resident Grandma! When a child needs an extra hug or reassurance, Mimi is there to provide comfort. You will often see Mimi at the front door handing out “bubbles” (hand sanitizer), assisting in the restroom, and tending to boo-boos. When parents are late to pick-up their child, it is Mimi who will assure the child with a nice book or a hug for reassurance.
Mimi has been married for 65 years to “Papa” and has four children and nine grandchildren. She is an avid Texas Rangers fan and enjoys Aledo Bearcat Football. There is a sign by the front door of the school that reads: “When all else fails, ask Mimi!” Everyone loves Mimi and we are proud that she is a part of our school!
Kindergarten
Christy Jarvis
Kindergarten Teacher
We are excited to welcome back Christy for her 12th year with our program! Ms. Christy was instrumental in developing our K-Bridge and Kindergarten curriculum! Christy has a degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina with a concentration on Psychology. Prior to moving to Aledo, Christy taught Kindergarten in Kernersville, North Carolina, where she implemented varied teaching strategies and techniques with much success. Since moving to Aledo, Christy served as a Kindergarten Tutor at Coder and McCall Elementary for two-years.
Christy was the perfect addition to our team when we launched this program in 2009 as she has proficiency in Guided Reading, Saxon Math; Write from the Beginning, and Technology Integration – all of which is used in our Kindergarten and K-Bridge programs today. Her classroom management style, and her ability to create unique lesson plans proved to be a valuable part of the center-based Kindergarten program.
Christy and her husband live in Aledo and have two sons and a daughter, who is also a graduate of Reading Friends of Aledo!
K-Bridge
Andrea Nelson
K-Bridge Teacher
Ms. Andrea is definitely known for having lots of energy and enthusiasm! Teaching is a true passion for her and you will see her light up with energy when her students master a new concept! Ms. Andrea graduated with an Early Childhood degree from Lamar University in Beaumont and taught math and science for Frenship I.S.D, and Carroll I.S.D. for 6 years until having children of our own. She also served as Director of the K-2nd grade Awana program in Snyder for 3 years coordinating lesson plans and assisting teachers.
For the past 8 years, Ms. Andrea worked as a substitute teacher for Aledo ISD, K-6th grades, and as a three-year-old teacher at Reading Friends.
Ms. Andrea was first introduced to Reading Friends of Aledo when she enrolled her son Jack into the first-year of the K-Bridge program 12 years ago! It was then that she fell in love with all that Reading Friends stands for and the success it brought our child personally.
She and her husband, Lance have been married for 21 years, and together have a daughter Skylar (18), and a son Jack (16). They are active members at Church at the Crossing and she serves on the Just Women Ministry team, and coordinates the women’s mentor program. In her spare time, Ms. Andrea enjoys spending time with family and friends, going out to eat, bargain shopping and wakeboarding on the lake with her family!
Pre-Kindergarten
Brandy Wert
Pre-K Language Teacher
Brandy graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Early Childhood Development. Upon graduating, Brandy worked as a Pre-K teacher and Kindergarten teacher for several years before starting her own family. Once her youngest child started school, she was ready to go back into the workforce as a preschool teacher in a class of four-year-olds.
Brandy and her family moved to Aledo in 2009 and stay active in the community. Brandy married Scott Wert and has been happily married for 27 years. They have two children, Lacey and Carson, who are both in college.
After several years of being a stay-at-home mom, Brandy decided to join Reading Friends of Aledo in 2015 where she continues to serve as the Lead Pre-K Language teacher!
******
Connie Hayden
Pre-K Discovery and Art Teacher
Connie is in her 11th year at Reading Friends of Aledo. Like so many of our teachers, we got to know Connie when she would substitute teach for us during the 2008-2009 school year and then asked her to join our team permanently in 2009. Connie has extensive knowledge working with young children as she has been teaching preschool-age children for more than 22 years and is one of the most respected teachers in the community.
Connie has been married for 32 years to Terry and they have four children: Brittanie, Briley, Bryce, Brant, who is also a graduate of Reading Friends K-Bridge program! She also recently became a Grandmother to two precious little girls!
In addition to her numerous specialized training hours in Early Childhood Development, Connie also majored in Child Development at the University of North Texas.
******
Courtney Betancourt
Pre-K Math and Gross Motor Teacher
(Pending bio)
******
Kelli Miller
Pre-K Outdoor Learning
Kelli grew up in Oklahoma City, OK, and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Oklahoma State University in 1990. She worked in Risk Management at American Airlines in Fort Worth, and then as Customer Service Manager for Pratt & Whitney, an airline engine parts repair facility in Grand Prairie. Once her first daughter arrived, she instantly knew that she wanted to be with her as much as possible. Kelli has been fortunate to be able to stay at home with her since she turned one, while she worked from home as a Property Manager and Payroll Administrator for her family’s businesses.
Kelli has three daughters who are the center of her world, Aubrey, Sydney, and Brooke. Like so many of our fabulous teachers at Reading Friends, Brooke also attended Reading Friends of Aledo for three years, and when she was tested for kindergarten, Kelli was told, “She was more than ready!”
Kelli and her family have resided in Aledo for the past 13 years, and specifically moved here from Fort Worth because of the emphasis on education and the strong community. Prior to joining Reading Friends of Aledo, Kelli taught summer camps at First Baptist Church Willow Park for two summers, and was a teacher in the toddler class.
After spending a year as the Primary substitute teacher at Reading Friends of Aledo, Kelli joined Reading Friends of Aledo as a Primary Gross Motor teacher and Pre-K Outside teacher. Kelli loves children of all ages and is thrilled to be able to work with the same wonderful teachers who taught her own daughter!
Primary (3’s)
Lindsey Merrill
Primary Language Teacher
(Pending picture and bio)
******
Morgan Tillman
Primary Math/Art Teacher
Ms. Morgan graduated from Tarleton State University in 2008 with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. She worked as a visual merchandiser for Dillards briefly before realizing that teaching was where she wanted to be. She received her teaching certificate from Region VI and taught preschool, kindergarten, and 2nd grade before deciding to be a stay-at-home mom once her daughter was born. Once her children were a bit older she knew that she wanted to get back into the classroom and began subbing at Reading Friends, where her son was a student.
Ms. Morgan and her husband, Joe, have been married for 12 years and have two children, Hayden and Declan. She moved to Aledo in 2013 and immediately fell in love with the community.
She enjoys staying active and being outside. Her family enjoys wake surfing, snowboarding, and Oklahoma football.
Morgan is very excited to be a part of the Reading Friends of Aledo team and loves watching the children learn new and exciting concepts in her Math Class!
******
Kathryn Allen
Primary Gross Motor Teacher (M/W/F)
Developmental Teacher (T/TH)
Ms. Kathryn attended San Joaquin Delta College, majoring in Liberal Arts with a minor in Early Childhood Development. She taught preschool and kindergarten in Dover, Delaware and worked as a Camp Director in the summer for the YMCA. She moved to Aledo in 2009 where she served as a substitute teacher in Aledo ISD for two years before joining Reading Friends of Aledo in 2018 as the Kindergarten teacher.
Kathryn has been married for 22 years to Corey and resides in Willow Park with their two children. Their son is a recent graduate of Aledo ISD and their daughter is a junior. They spend most of their time at school events and enjoying family life. Kathryn has a natural ability to connect with children and is very excited to teach teach the youngest students in Developmental and Primary classes at Reading Friends of Aledo.
K-Prep I
Ashley Healey
K-Prep I Teacher
(Pending photo and bio)
K-Prep II
Jennifer Cheak
K-Prep II Teacher
(Pending photo and bio)
Developmental (2’s)
Kathryn Allen
Developmental Teacher (T/TH)
Primary Gross Motor Teacher (M/W/F)
Ms. Kathryn attended San Joaquin Delta College, majoring in Liberal Arts with a minor in Early Childhood Development. She taught preschool and kindergarten in Dover, Delaware and worked as a Camp Director in the summer for the YMCA. She moved to Aledo in 2009 where she served as a substitute teacher in Aledo ISD for two years before joining Reading Friends of Aledo in 2018 as the Kindergarten teacher. Kathryn transitioned to the Developmental and Primary teams in the fall of 2019.
Kathryn has been married for 22 years to Corey and resides in Willow Park with their two children. Their son is a recent graduate of Aledo ISD and their daughter is a senior. They spend most of their time at school events and enjoying family life. Kathryn has a natural ability to connect with children and is very excited to teach teach the youngest students in Developmental and Primary classes at Reading Friends of Aledo.
******
Linda Groce
Developmental Teacher
(Photo and bio pending)