Administration

Diane Spear – Visionary / Founder / Head of School

Diane grew up in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Slavic Studies. She worked as a legislative assistant and then attended Baylor School of Law. She came to Kinston to work in the Perry Law Office. While there she met and married Kinston native, Gram Spear, with whom she has been blessed to raise 4 children over the past 25 years. Gram and Diane were founding members of Grace Fellowship Church and continue to be active in serving their church and their beloved Kinston to elevate the welfare of this community. Diane developed a passion for Christ-centered classical education and brought Classical Conversations to eastern North Carolina. In addition to homeschooling her own children classically, Diane taught Latin and Bible at Christ Covenant School of Winterville, NC, and loves working with students and parents in Christian community to help children realize their remarkable potential as image-bearers of God.

Sara Golden – Integrator / Assistant Head of School

Sara Golden holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with concentrations in English and Counseling. She spent eight years teaching four-year-old preschool while her children were young, and later dedicated several years to classically educating her own children at home. Sara and her husband are the proud parents of four children, two of whom were adopted through foster care. As licensed foster parents, they have been deeply committed to bridging socioeconomic divides and serving under-resourced families in their community of Kinston. Though not originally from Kinston, Sara has called it home since 2010 and has worked in Kinston since 2005. She was an integral part of the launch team when Hope Preparatory opened its doors in 2019. Sara served on Hope’s Board of Directors from 2019-2022 before becoming employed at Hope as an Administrative Assistant for two years, and then moving to the role of Integrator in Fall of 2024.

Meagan Kurtz – Director of Admissions

 Meagan is a native of northern West Virginia. She married her amazing husband in 2013. Her husband is in the United States Air Force and together they have moved 4 times (from coast to coast) before finally landing here in Kinston. Meagan and her husband have 2 precious, smart, and kind children. Meagan had originally applied to nursing school before marrying her husband, but she later realized that it was education and children that really held her heart. She is currently working on obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. In her spare time, she likes to bake and play with her children.

Andrew Worthington – Athletic Director / PE Teacher / Facilities

Coach Andrew is from Redwood City, California. He studied at Sonoma State where he also played baseball. He graduated from Grace Christian University with a degree in Leadership and Ministry. He then continued his education at Liberty University for his Masters in Executive Leadership. Andrew enjoys playing sports and has played baseball at high levels in college and semi-pro. He moved to Kinston two years ago where he married his wife, Kandis. They have one precious little boy and two amazing golden doodles. Andrew is an avid sports fan and continues to support his Bay Area sports teams. Andrew has a passion for Jesus and is excited to bring his knowledge of sports and love for Jesus together.

Sue Ellen – Financial Officer

Gabriela Trejo – Administrative Assistant

Gabby was born in Mexico and moved here with her family when she was a teenager. She graduated from Greene Central High School and then continued her education at Lenoir Community College where she became a licensed cosmetologist and also acquired an Associates in Applied Science Business. She and her husband, Pedro, of 24 years started their own business. They have lived in Lenoir County since 2004 and have four sons, two of whom attend Hope Preparatory. The two eldest attend NC State. Gabby and her husband are passionate about their church, Iglesia Bautista Nuevo Amanecer, where her husband serves as Music Director. Gabby helps in the Children’s Ministry as well as Assistant Treasurer since the church opened in 2000. Together they have participated in many ministries in the community including a migrant ministry at Tull Hill Farms in Lenoir County, where every summer for 25+ years they have ministered to the men there while they are here away from their families. Bringing them hope and love through the Gospel of Jesus Christ to him be the Honor and Glory, for “God works in believers, empowering them with both the desire and the ability to perform actions that align with His good pleasure.” Philippian 2:13

Jami Granberry – Advancement & Donor Care

Jami serves Hope Prep as the Development and Partner Care Coordinator. She is passionate about building meaningful connections with families, donors, and community partners who make the mission of Hope Prep possible. Holding a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, a Master’s in Special Education, and a Bachelor’s in Birth–Kindergarten Education, Jami brings both expertise and heart to her role. She and her husband, Matt, have four children, two of whom attend Hope Prep.  They love being part of the Hope Prep family. Jami is grateful for the opportunity to serve and grow alongside this community.

Lower School Teachers

Joy Perez – Kindergarten Teacher

Joy Perez was born in Kinston and moved all over Eastern North Carolina with her large family of seven. Her heart for children began at an early age, and as she began searching for God’s calling on her life, she traveled on three mission trips to serve in a Honduran orphanage. It wasn’t until she started a family of her own that Joy found her calling to teach! She served her local Classical Conversations homeschool community for nine years in various capacities. Joy is now pursuing a different avenue of education, as God has directed her to serve at Hope Preparatory School. She and her husband of 17 years, Jose, serve faithfully in their local church, Immanuel Baptist, leading worship, opening their homes for small group Bible studies, and being available to serve as the Father leads. In her spare time, Joy enjoys beach days with her two girls, playing with her dog Peanut, cooking, and hanging out with her friends and family.

Arglistra Hinds – Kindergarten Teacher

 Arglistra is a dedicated and passionate kindergarten teacher with over sixteen years of experience. She currently lives in New Bern, NC with her husband and two children. She and her husband, David, are the proud parents of Cheyenne and Xavier. Arglistra attended Craven Community College before transferring to Liberty University. She and her family attend Latitude Church in New Bern. Her passion is to make learning fun and to nurture young minds, helping them reach their full potential. Her hobbies include teaching, baking, and making floral arrangements. She is so excited to be at Hope this year. At Hope Preparatory, kindergarteners receive a well-rounded educational experience through classical education, which allows children to apply critical thinking skills, enhance vocabulary, and engage in discussions.

Crystal Kennedy – First Grade Teacher

Crystal grew up in Kinston, North Carolina and attends Rivermont Baptist Church. She lives in Kinston with her husband and family of 5. Crystal studied at both East Carolina University and Mount Olive University. While working in many classrooms with several age groups, she developed a passion for elementary education. Crystal brings many years of classroom experience to Hope Preparatory School. Throughout her career, she has nurtured her love for teaching by going above and beyond for her students. In her free time, Crystal enjoys working on various crafty projects for her classroom, and she loves spending time with her grandchildren and family.

Erica Monroe – First Grade Teacher

Erica Monroe is a compassionate First Grade Teacher at Hope Preparatory School. She devotes herself to help students acquire knowledge, competencies and values. Mrs Monroe is currently a student at Liberty University. As a loving wife and mother, being an instructor brings her so much joy. As a former teacher’s assistant, she is drawn to the growth and development for each individual student. Erica is passionate about her relationship with Jesus Christ, her family and singing.

Elizabeth Mayo – Second Grade Teacher

 Elizabeth Mayo was born and raised in Greenville, NC, where she attended both Catholic (first through sixth) and public (seventh through twelfth) schools. She became a Christian by accepting Jesus into her life as a teenager. She graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in Elementary Education (K-6) with a specialization in reading. She has resided in Kinston for 26 years and has four adult children and three grandchildren. She is eager to be teaching at Hope Preparatory School. She anticipates this will be a positive change and finds the prospect of teaching in a Christian environment particularly refreshing. Elizabeth is also excited to embrace and develop a classical style of teaching. She has taught a total of 26 years. Teaching is truly her passion as she loves educating young minds and watching them grow. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, going on long walks, and listening to gospel music.

LaShawn Robertson – Second Grade Teacher

 One of LaShawn’s favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 22:6 “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” LaShawn is excited to join Hope Preparatory School. She brings 18+ years of experience as a school counselor, and she looks forward to this new chapter of growth and learning while using a Christ-centered, classical approach to education. She has a deep love and appreciation for Christ who is the head of her life and family. In her spare time, she enjoys creating cherished memories with her loved ones.

James Stainback – Third Grade Teacher

 James is married to a wonderful lady named Kay. They have three precious children. James joined the Hope Preparatory family in the fall of 2024. He enjoyed teaching humanities and language arts to the third and fourth graders his first year, and he is now embracing teaching all of the subjects to third graders. He truly loves it. He feels and sees the presence of God here at Hope every single day. The students are a true blessing to him. He knows that they are impacting our lives just as much as we are impacting theirs. There are two things that make this school special to him. The first thing is that it is truly Christ-centered. The staff prays for the entire school daily. Secondly, Hope is beautifully diverse just like his own family. James recognizes that Hope welcomes everyone to its school family. James has a B.A. in History with a minor in Education from NCCU. He was a youth pastor for many years and led various mission trips to Mississippi (for Hurricane Katrina relief), Costa Rica (to help build houses for battered women and children), and Thailand (to help start a Methodist Church). He is currently a member of First Baptist Church in Goldsboro and genuinely looks forward to continuing to serve the children at Hope.

Breanna Hathaway – Third Grade Teacher

Breanna Hathaway grew up in Beaufort County but moved to Greene County five years ago. For the past three years, she has worked as a Behavioral Therapist for children with special needs. During that time, her heart grew for God’s children and the unique way He designed each of them with their own qualities and characteristics. Her passion is helping children learn and grow according to their God-given design. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her Labrador Retriever, friends, and family.  She appreciates the simplicities of life. Ms Hathaway has lovingly been nicknamed, “Miss Honey.”

Callie Thorpe – Fourth Grade Language Arts & Humanities

 Callie is thrilled to be joining the Hope Preparatory staff as a 4th grade teacher. Originally from South Alabama, she earned her bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in philosophy and religion from Troy University. Over the past several years, the Lord has cultivated in her a deep passion for making quality education accessible to all. She was genuinely moved when she discovered Hope Preparatory and the beautiful mission that the school is built upon. Callie is eager and excited to help cultivate in students an earnest desire for wisdom, learning, goodness, and truth. She considers it an honor to now get to play a part in advancing that mission!

Lydia Neeley – Fourth Grade Math & Science

 Lydia is excited to have joined the Hope Preparatory family! She graduated from Houghton University with a degree in math and adolescent education, and she is passionate about creating a loving, Christ-centered classroom where students can grow academically and spiritually. She believes learning should be fun, so she strives to make each lesson engaging and meaningful. Outside of the classroom, she loves thrifting, traveling, reading, and playing sports. She loves the idea of connecting with students and families and being a part of the Hope Preparatory community.

Upper School Teachers

Dr. Debbie Golden – Science

Debbie has a Doctorate of Ministry in Christian Counseling and she is a Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor. She is a Prayer Team Member at Open Door Church in Winterville and a member of the Christian Motorcycle Association. She is married to Dr. Jerry Golden and they have three grown sons and 9 grandchildren.

Mr. Lipari –  Math

Dominic’s interest in math originally led him to pursue an engineering degree at UC Berkeley, where he would often tutor friends in their math and science classes. After four years of school and a year working as an engineer, he came to two conclusions that led to a career change: 1) he enjoyed the math on its own more than its applications to engineering, and 2) he loved helping others find delight in discovering the beauty and order in math. Dominic taught high school math in Oakland for 10 years and hosted weekly math clubs to help students build their problem solving skills. He then worked at The Art of Problem Solving, teaching math enrichment classes to students interested in competition math, before moving to Kinston a year ago to work at Hope. He loves asking the right questions to help students solidify their conceptual understanding of the material, and making up problems that stretch students’ ability to apply new ideas. Most of all he loves the fun of doing math collaboratively, trading solution paths and building on one another’s ideas. When not teaching and doing math, Dominic can be found playing with his five children, exercising, practicing his guitar, or expanding his extensive music library.

Jacob Valliere – History & Literature

 Jacob Valliere is originally from Ashburn, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. He graduated from Liberty University in 2021, and he has lived in Kinston for the past three years. He began teaching at Hope Prep in 2024. Since 2022, he has served as a Young Life leader at Arendell Parrott Academy, and has co-led a house church ministry as part of Grace Fellowship Church. In his free time, Jacob enjoys spending time with his wife, Claire, and their golden retriever, Shep, and supporting his hometown teams, the Washington Commanders, Capitals, and Nationals.

Kelly Taylor – Composition, Grammar, & Latin

Kelly Taylor, a native of Eastern North Carolina, has degrees in psychology and religion from North Carolina Wesleyan College. Kelly is currently in the trenches of graduate school at Belmont Abbey College. She homeschools her three kids (17, 14, 14) with Classical Conversations and is well-researched in classical pedagogy. She spent ten years as children’s ministry director at Grace Fellowship Church. Kelly loves to empower students to enjoy learning about God through the study of His creation.

Jon Hoover – Biblical Worldview

Support Staff

Joi Lemon – Kindergarten Assistant

Joi grew up in Niagara Falls NY, where she studied Mass Communications at Niagara County College. Joi then served in the US Armed Forces for seven years.

After moving to North Carolina, she worked in the radio industry for eight years as an announcer and sales representative.

In the early 2000’s, Joi developed the passion to teach children, which led her and her husband, John, to become homeschool parents for nearly 20 years. Outside the home, Joi has taught preschool and tutored for Classical Conversations.

The last three years at Hope Prep as a Teacher’s Assistant have been most rewarding. Each child holds a special place in her heart. Philippians 2:4 “Each of you should not only look to your own interests but also to the interests of others.”

Michelle Bayless – Kindergarten Assistant

Debbie Johnson – First Grade Assistant / Chorus / Family Ministry

Debbie is originally from Chicago, IL, but she has lived in Kinston for over 40 years with her husband Stuart and their four daughters. She is retired from her Nurse Practitioner position, serving our community for 25 years. Last year, she served as a substitute teacher with Lenoir County Public Schools, where a love for teaching blossomed. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with family, serve her church, and lead and mentor a middle and high school choir. She has a passion for our youth to learn, to grow, and to serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lizzy Peterson – Director of Student Life / Behavior Interventionist

 Lizzy is a native of Greene County. She attended the University of Mt. Olive where she double majored in Human Services Counseling and Psychology and minored in Criminal Justice. After working as a case manager for at-risk youth and individuals with disabilities, she obtained a Master of Arts in Teaching from East Carolina University. She is married to the greatest man on earth and together they have three amazing children. Her goldendoodle, Ramen, keeps her on her toes and in happy spirits. Lizzy loves traveling and is attempting to reach her goal of visiting all of the US National Parks. Hope Preparatory’s mission is very dear to her heart.

Ellen Tilghman – Instructional Coach

Ellen Tilghman is a native of Johnston County, NC. She was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Elementary Education, as well as an add-on license in Gifted and Talented Education (K–12). She served in Greene County Public Schools for 12 years before following a call to serve closer to home.

Ellen is the proud wife of Justin Tilghman and the mother of two precious boys. Together, she and her husband also serve on staff at Grace Fellowship Church in Kinston. She has a deep passion for helping children grow in Christ and for guiding them to thrive through effective, engaging instruction in the classroom.

Jeanette King – Academic Interventionist

Daniel Rogers – Custodian

Criztina Ramirez – Custodian

Specials Teachers

Rachel Maw – Music

Rachel grew up in Northern Virginia before moving to Greenville to attend East Carolina University. She met her husband Chris through a campus ministry, and they married in 2013. Rachel received a Bachelor of Music in K-12 Music Education from ECU, and taught music for several years in Pitt County before having her first child. She then began teaching music at Hope Prep in its launch year, and has been blessed by the staff, students, and parents since the very beginning. Rachel is passionate about teaching students about the truth, goodness, and beauty of God through the gift of music. Rachel and Chris have three precious children and are active members of Integrity Church in Winterville.

Joy Hall – Art

In 2004, Joy began her teaching career teaching upper elementary in Mississippi. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Social and Rehabilitation Services from the University of Southern Mississippi and earned an alternate route teaching certificate for grades 4-8 through William Carey University. In addition to teaching 5th and 6th grade in Mississippi, Joy has served as a preschool teacher. Joy is married to Wes Hall, and they have three children. She is excited about teaching her students art and helping them understand and appreciate the classical artist.

Laura Powell – Art & Music

 Laura graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in Early Childhood Education. She taught kindergarten at Bethel Christian Academy for three years right after she and Bill were married. Laura also taught in the Pitt and Lenoir County Public Schools for 25 years as a kindergarten teacher and reading interventionist. She worked at Lenoir County Mental Health as an infant specialist for 3 years. Laura and Bill have 2 grown children, Gray and Catherine, and 4 granddaughters who bring great joy to their lives. Music and art have always been her passion and her love languages. She has sung in her church choir since she was a child and has also had the privilege to sing in choruses and Messiah concerts several times. Laura loves singing with children and creating art with them, and she is so thankful to have the opportunity to teach art and music to the kindergarten and first graders at Hope Preparatory. They are such a blessing to her, and she loves them.

Carrie Himes – PE & Leadership

Debbie Jones – Gardening & Horticulture