Administration

Lindsay Journo - Executive Director, Upper Elementary & Jr. High Lindsay Journo received her Honors Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education from York University, and her Honors Specialist Certification in the Teaching of English from the University of Toronto. Before joining LePort Schools in 2003, Mrs. Journo worked as an administrator and teacher of English and history at private schools in Toronto, Canada, where she specialized in writing curriculum, leading teacher training workshops, and creating classroom resources. As Exective Director of LePort Upper Elementary and Junior High School, Mrs. Journo focuses on curriculum development and implementation for grades 4-8. E-Mail:

Monica N. LePort - Administrative Director Since joining LePort Schools in 2000, Ms. LePort has been running the operations of all the LePort School campuses. With her supportive leadership style and commitment to excellence, Ms. LePort has helped LePort Schools become one of the leading places of learning in Orange County. Ms. LePort's duties include human resources, facility management, liaising with parents, and daily operations. Ms. LePort's enthusiasm for education, and life in general, has created a safe and caring environment where parents are pleased with their child's learning and social development. This same environment makes for a satisfying work place for our teachers, who are committed to both LePort Schools and the Montessori philosophy. E-Mail:

Teachers - Mission Viejo

Lindsay Journo (Literature, Language Arts, History) Lindsay Journo received her Honors Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education from York University, and her Honors Specialist Certification in the Teaching of English from the University of Toronto. Mrs. Journo has ten years of experience teaching English and history to a wide range of students (elementary to high school, international, and gifted) at private schools in Toronto, Canada. She is thrilled to be teaching history, literature and language arts at LePort Schools, as it offers her an opportunity to pursue two of her passions - working with children and exploring great works of poetry, drama, and literature. What is the most fulfilling aspect of teaching, according to Mrs. Journo? " I love to witness the children's growth and progress in my classroom: they develop a thirst for knowledge and a love of reading from our shared literary adventures, they build genuine self-esteem from their mastery of academic skills, and they gain maturity and insight from their growing understanding of the world. For me, seeing each child blossom intellectually, socially, and emotionally is teaching's greatest reward." E-Mail:

Ray Girn (Math, Science) Ray Girn received an Honors Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, and in the process acquired an extensive background in developmental psychology and philosophy. In addition to his degree, Mr. Girn has taken a wide range of courses related to thinking methods, essay writing, learning, and pedagogy. In 2004, he obtained an Early Education Certificate from Vanguard University. Over the past six years, Mr. Girn's personal and professional interests have led him to explore readings on the foundations of mathematics, and the philosophy and history of science. Mr. Girn has substantial experience working closely with children. He has been teaching and designing curriculum for LePort Schools since 2003. Before that, he worked as an assistant teacher at a successful private school, where he organized and taught a semester long course in SAT preparation. Mr. Girn has also tutored professionally for many years, helping 8-16 year olds to improve reading comprehension and grammar, and to develop and master proper study skills. Mr. Girn finds teaching very fulfilling and stimulating. When asked why he chose to teach as a career, he answered: "Teaching offers me the refreshing pleasure of daily interaction with children. It offers the exciting theoretical challenge of identifying how to objectively impart knowledge to those children. And at the end of the process, it offers the rewarding sight of knowledgeable minds in love with learning and eager to apply their education in achieving their chosen goals. I cannot imagine a more noble and enjoyable profession to pursue." E-Mail:

Ms. Sandra Shaw (Art History, Art Studio) Sandra Shaw received her master's degree in philosophy, including graduate studies in art history, from the University of Toronto. She has taught sculpture studio to young adolescents at Delisle Youth Services in Toronto, and has over ten years experience lecturing on art history to college students in the United States and Canada. Ms. Shaw is a professional sculptor. Her works are in public and private collections throughout the world. She studied sculpture and life drawing at the National Academy of Design School of Fine Art in New York City. Sandra authored the introduction to Great Art to the Grotesque by Kenneth Forbes (Atlantean Press). Ms. Shaw loves the challenge and rewards of teaching children about art and about the exciting story of human achievement that has made the arts possible. She finds the spectacle of young people rising in their personal and intellectual abilities especially rewarding. E-Mail:

Doug Peltz (Science, History, and Geography) Doug Peltz received a B.A. in history from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), where he took courses in the sciences and the humanities, with a particular focus on the history of science. Mr. Peltz has had a lifelong passion for science. He is an amateur naturalist who takes great pleasure in getting outdoors to study flora, fauna, earth, and sky. Prior to joining LePort Schools, he taught in a Montessori-based environment at a private school in Illinois. Mr. Peltz loves working with kids, and relishes the opportunity to instill in them an enduring love of science, technology, and the natural world. He says of his new position with LePort Schools: "Once I met the staff and students, I was sold on teaching at LePort. Here are teachers who are driven, and whose driving purpose is to give their students the skills crucial to maturing into thinking, happy, successful adults. Here are students who are experiencing real enchantment with their education--it is, in my opinion, exactly what a school should be." E-Mail:

Neela Ranganathan (Math and Language Arts) Neela Ranganathan's primary interest is in education: understanding its connotations and experiencing its gifts. Her passion for teaching - as an aspect of education - was kindled at age 5, when she helped her 2-year-old sibling write the alphabet. She later added to her repertoire college tutoring, functioning as teacher's assistant for freshman math, teaching at schools in India and Singapore, designing an online yoga class, and homeschooling her son. Teaching has conferred joyful moments! At LePort, Mrs. Ranganathan enjoys facilitating academic learning in a supportive environment. Demonstrating a penchant for both Eastern and Western systems of classical education, she believes in exposure to excellence and emphasis on the rudiments. The following words of W. B. Yeats reflect her inspiration: "Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire." Mrs. Ranganathan holds a BA in Chemistry from SUNY Buffalo, where she graduated magna cum laude. E-Mail: NRanganathan@LePortSchools.com

Jesse McCarthy (History) Jesse McCarthy received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied psychology and political science. His interest in teaching stems back to his own elementary days, when he would explain math solutions to his peers. Mr. McCarthy loves to learn and is an avid reader of literature, philosophy, political science, and history. Mr. McCarthy had this to say about joining the full-time teaching staff at LePort Schools: “What I'm looking forward to most is teaching students who are eager to expand their knowledge, and inspiring less enthusiastic students to acquire a new passion for learning. I've chosen to focus on history because I find it thrilling to piece together and then to convey the story of man's past. It is just so rewarding when, after telling a student (or an eager adult, for that matter) the heroic story of a Greek general or the tragic tale of a Roman Emperor or the epic account of a Revolutionary battle, you see his or her eyes light up!” E-Mail:

Serenity Fisher (Mathematics) Mrs. Fisher grew up in Orange County and received her Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Fullerton, as well as her Multiple Subject Teaching Credentials. Her previous teaching assignments have included pre-algebra through Algebra II and a technology-enhanced science curriculum, both in a junior high setting. Mrs. Fisher’s extensive background in mathematics has offered excellent preparation for teaching the enriched curriculum LePort Schools offers our students. She hopes to utilize her creativity and apply it in a mathematical setting, so that each and every child becomes curious and confident in the field of mathematics. Over the past several years, Mrs. Fisher has taught elementary classes in both private and public school settings, and is very eager to join the LePort Schools staff. In her free time she enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time with her family, and relaxing down by the beach. E-Mail:

Tiffany Bithell (Vocabulary) Mrs. Bithell has lived in Orange County her whole life. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, Long Beach, with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and a concentration in History/ Social Science. As part of her degree program she also earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. As a substitute teacher, Mrs. Bithell has had the opportunity to teach a wide range of subjects to students in grades K-8. As well, her long-term placements have given her the opportunity to develop curriculum that is engaging and challenging for students. Mrs. Bithell is looking forward to working in a private school setting, and is very eager to join LePort Schools because of its close-knit environment and stimulating curriculum. In her free time she enjoys reading, traveling, doing crafts, and hiking with her husband and dogs. E-Mail:

Shannon Shaw (Literature, Writing, and Vocabulary) Ms. Shaw holds a Bachelors degree in political science from California State University San Bernardino. She is currently completing her Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix. Ms. Shaw comes to LePort with a rich and varied background in teaching. Her most recent position was as a middle school teacher at a private Montessori school in Pasadena, where she taught language arts, math, science, social studies, and physical education. Ms. Shaw has also spent two years substitute teaching at the elementary, junior high, and high school level, and has worked as an instructional aide in special education classrooms. In addition, Ms. Shaw has over ten years experience teaching at private tutoring companies, such as Sylvan learning center. This summer, Ms. Shaw is teaching fourth through eighth grade language arts at the San Gabriel Education Center. Ms. Shaw enjoys spending her free time with her husband of just over two years, and being a role model to her two teenage sisters. Her hobbies include practicing karate and yoga, reading, writing fantasy and historical fiction, and taking nature walks. E-Mail:

Angela Schnellbacher (Literature and Language Arts) Ms. Schnellbacher recently relocated to Orange County from the San Francisco Bay area. She graduated cum laude from Saint Mary’s College of California, with both a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Ms. Schnellbacher’s background in English prepared her well for LePort’s challenging curriculum: she is already familiar with many works of classic literature taught at our school, as well as the writing process, and even sentence diagramming! Over the past several years, Ms. Schnellbacher has taught literature and language arts in both elementary and middle school classrooms. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, scrapbooking, traveling, and hiking. E-Mail: