Mrs. Emily Marroquin ~ Director
Mrs. Emily is going on her 8th year of service as a school Director. She graduated from Pittsburg State University with Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education. After graduating, she moved to California and started working as a Para-Educator in the public school system. Her love for helping children with special needs grew during this time, which led her to also start working as an ABA therapist. After a handful of years, she and her husband moved to Indiana, and this is where her career as a Director started. She has worked in facilities that have had special education as a high focus as well as corporate childcare facilities. Mrs. Emily is married to her husband Luis, and they have two children. One who is attending Little Angels and one that is starting their journey at St. Martin’s.

Mrs. JoAnn Heredia ~ Assistant Director/ Spanish Teacher
Mrs. JoAnn studied Early Childhood Education and has over 25 years of experience working with young children. She is currently the Assistant Director for our preschool and also teaches Spanish. She and her husband, Ruben, are parishioners of St. Gabriel and they have two adult sons. The most amazing part of being a preschool teacher for Mrs. JoAnn is being a part of such an important stage of development. She says playing a positive role in a child's life brings great joy to her. Mrs. JoAnn joined our preschool family in 2004.

Ms. Erin Slay ~  Two Year Old Lead Teacher MWF
Mrs. Erin has a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American studies and she is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education while pursuing a teaching certificate. She decided on a career in education because she is passionate about creating an environment for children that supports and encourages a love of learning from an early age. She has two children, Jamesson and Aspen that attend LACP. They really enjoy being part of the church community at St. Gabriel’s. In their spare time they like to ride bikes, go on nature hikes, read books, and discover new places.

Mrs. Miriam Hernandez ~ Two Year Old Lead Teacher T/TH
We are so happy to have Mrs. Miriam in our two year old class! She is so loving and patient with the children. She likes to be creative and does fun art projects with the students. Mrs. Miriam joined our preschool in 2019. She and her husband, Joe, have 2 adult children along 3 dogs! Mrs. Miriam is bilingual and speaks Spanish.

Mrs. Ericka Presta ~ Two Year Old Assistant Teacher T/TH
Mrs. Ericka is new to our staff and she brings a strong caring attitude to our program. She has been in early childhood education since 2018 and is wonderful with our littlest angels! She holds a degree in Graphic Design where she attended Arte AC in Monterrey, Mexico. She is very fluent in Spanish and English! She and her husband, David, are parishioners of St. Gabriel along with their 3 children. Mrs. Ericka always welcomes her students with a great big smile and hug every morning! 

Ms. Carrie Parma ~ Three Year Old Lead Teacher MWF
Mrs. Carrie has previously taught at Little Friends of St. Francis preschool. Her family has been members of St. Gabriel for a handful of years now. She has been married to her husband Keith for 18 years and has two children Gabrielle and Caleb. We are so excited to have Mrs. Carrie joining our team this year!

Ms. Melanie Hernandez ~  Three Year Old Assistant Teacher M-F
Ms. Melanie is a graduate of McKinney High School and joined our staff in 2021. She is very sweet with the children and has a lot of patience for them. Ms. Melanie is currently working on earning her Child Development Associate's degree! We are happy to support her and encourage her in this effort!

Mrs. Victoria Williams ~ Lead Teacher M/W/F
Mrs. Victoria has been teaching since 1997 at the elementary level. She graduated from Fresno State University and has a multiple subject teaching credential. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with family and friends along with playing tennis and pickleball. Victoria has written a children’s book called Bryan the French Bulldog, which should be published soon! She has two children, a son who is 24 and a daughter who is 21.

Mrs. Hannah Updyke ~ Lead Teacher MWF
Mrs. Hannah is overjoyed to join our team this year! She is a graduate of The University of Texas with a bachelor's degree in Art Education. She is a North Texas native, loves living here in McKinney, and attends St. Gabriel’s Parish. She and her husband, Allen have 3 little angels of their own and keep busy balancing baseball and dance practice in their free time. Hannah teaches art class out of their home studio and loves doing hands-on learning with our students.

Mrs. Sara Holdt ~ Lead Teacher T/TH
Mrs. Sara was such a wonderful addition to our family in 2017! She has so much patience for little children and brings a certain calmness to the classroom. Along with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, she holds a State of New Jersey Teaching Certification and she has over 7 years of teaching experience. Her and her husband, Scott, and their twin children are parishioners of St. Gabriel. Mrs. Sara says she is passionate about educating young minds and helping to shape young learners into successful, responsible and faith filled individuals. We are very blessed to have her!

Mrs. Meagan Ruse ~  Assistant Teacher T/TH
Mrs. Meagan comes to us with a Bachelor's degree in Communication and with a minor in sociology.  In the past, she and her husband , Timothy, have served as foster parents. Their daughter, Violet, attended LACP. Mrs. Meagan came to us highly recommended as a loving and caring person who loves working with children! We are so happy to have her with us!

Mrs. Vivian Celedon ~ Lead Teacher T/TH
Mrs. Vivian comes to us from Colombia and is very fluent in Spanish. She attended La Guardia College and has taught Pre-Kindergarten since 2013. She and her husband, Rafael, and two children are parishioners of St. Gabriel. Victoria is a student in our 3 year old class!  Vivian loves to have fun in the classroom! 

Mrs. Nicole Thompson ~  Assistant Teacher T/TH
Mrs. Nicole has been teaching at the preschool level for over 18 years. She is married with two beautiful children. Her oldest has married and moved out and she homeschools Pierce, her 15-year-old. Nicole has been part of the St. Gabriel family for about 10 years and Little Angels for the past five. She has a love of teaching about Jesus, math, and science, but honestly just loves teaching sweet preschoolers anything! She believes the love of learning starts at home and it is her joy to help them grow and flourish. She is looking forward to working with the young 4’s class this year.

Mrs. Laura Crahan ~ Assistant Teacher M/W/F
Mrs. Laura joined our preschool family in 2020, and brings with her several years of experience as a teacher's aide. She moved to McKinney in 2018, with her husband, her youngest daughter and a puppy! Her two older children are college aged and live out of state. Mrs. Laura graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Psychology and Elementary Education. She is happy to be a part of LACP and loves the laughter, excitement and growth the children show every day!

Mrs. Jon Ann Rowen ~ Assistant Teacher T/TH

Mrs. Jon Ann has over 20 years of teaching in preschool and was a substitute teacher for McKinney ISD as well. She is from Louisiana and enjoys going home to visit her family. Mrs. Jon Ann is married to her husband, Danny. They have two adult children who are both nurses and two granddaughters and one grandson. Mrs. Jon Ann says she cherishes teaching preschoolers and is amazed at what they can learn. The students always bring a smile to her face! Mrs. Jon Ann joined our preschool family in 2004.

Mrs. Jane Freeman ~ Lead Teacher
Mrs. Jane comes to us from California where she attended the University of Southern California where she earned her Master’s Degree in Education. She has taught Kindergarten and has held many Team leadership roles at the schools where she was employed. She and her husband, Rob, are parishioners of St. Gabriel along with their 2 children. She enjoys providing effective learning opportunities for her students and she is a great addition to our team!

Ms. Elizabeth Ajala ~ Assistant Teacher MWF
Mrs. Elizabeth has a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Nigeria. Her love for impacting knowledge and caring for children was inspired when she started working in Children’s Ministry. Last year Mrs. Elizabeth joined our team as a Substitute. She has twin daughters who attended LACP. We are so excited to have her join us in the TK class this year.