Instructors
Valerie Lietz
Mrs. Lietz received her bachelor’s degree in music education from Illinois State University. She is certified to teach grades K-12 and has 20+ years teaching experience at all levels. She has led both instrumental and vocal groups and continues to teach private lessons, as well as music theory. She has led student trips to Walt Disney World to learn Disney performance methods and to experience performing music in a professional environment. She seeks wonderful local performance opportunities for her students including pastor conferences, mayor’s prayer breakfasts, Rampage games, and Spurs games.
Erika Salas
Mrs. Salas received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Universidad de Montemorelos (Montemorelos, MX). She has a specialization in Educational Psychology and spent three years teaching bilingual education at Monterrey City School in Monterrey Mexico. She has extensive experience as a Spanish tutor working with all ages of children.
Dale Parish
Mr. Parish graduated from North Texas State University with a double major in political science and history. Prior to teaching, he was a supervisor at the Oaks Treatment Center of the Brown Schools in Austin, where he worked with ED adolescents. He then pursued a career in retail grocery management in the DFW metroplex. In 2002 he became certified as a Special Education teacher and worked with Special Needs children for the next 4 years. In 2006 he became certified in 8-12 history as well as social studies grades 4-8. He taught middle school history for the next 10 years. He retired from teaching public school in 2017. He has been a Cross Country coach since 2004, and presently leads the Grace Preparatory Running Knights cross country team. He is very much involved in church activities and volunteers at Church by the River ministry. He and his wife Rachel have a blended family of 10 children and 5 grandchildren. He is an Eagle Scout and an avid runner as well.
Jalynn O’Brien
Mrs. O’Brien received a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in math from Texas A&M University and has a Texas teaching certificate. She taught in a Texas public school in the early 90s, but her best training comes from decades of marriage, raising six children who she homeschooled, and 28 years on the staff of the college ministry, Cru, at Texas State University. She loves games, watercolor, sewing, and bringing order and simplicity to places and processes. Math was always her favorite subject even though she did not, as a young student, feel that she was good at it. It’s the puzzling, problem solving, and logic that she loves. Regarding teaching, her goal is to seek ways to make a concept simple and relevant so that students can experience the “aha” of understanding.
Whitney Ramsey
Whitney Ramsey graduated in 2002 with a BS in History and Secondary Education certification from Lander University and earned her MEd. in Curriculum and Instruction (History Emphasis) from Liberty University in 2023. Growing up in a military family, she had the chance to live overseas for a dozen years. She’s convinced that her childhood overseas developed her love of history at a young age. Over the years, she has taught in public and private schools as well as homeschool coops and University Models programs. Whitney has been married to her high school sweetheart and best friend since 2002 and fully enjoys her busy life with her four children.
Heather Casey
Shortly after graduating from Ozark Christian College, Heather Casey and her family moved to Ancona, Italy where they led a team of church planters for eleven years. She attended the Universita per Stranieri to study Italian, and her ministry included teaching English as a second language to both children and adults, teaching children’s church, hosting visitors from around the world, and raising her children. While living overseas, Heather furthered her education with NILD (National Institute for Learning Development) by completing the Level I course for Educational Therapy. Upon returning to the states, she taught kindergarten at ENAACT Family Academy, along with other elective classes, and was a tutor with Classical Conversations for several years. Heather and her husband Jason own and operate Hodell Window Covering. They have two adult children and two who are students at Grace Prep. Her hobbies include gardening, raising chickens, and restoring old and discarded items by breathing fresh life into them to create an even greater work of art.
Patty Benitez
Patty Benitez grew up in a migrant farm-working family, living in Florida during the school months and in Mexico the rest of the year. She attended Hillsborough Community College in Tampa and has an Associate Degree in Business Technologies from National Institute of Technologies. She has been homeschooling since 1999. Over the years she has been involved in leading and developing homeschool support groups. She has also had the opportunity to teach art both in co-op settings and private lessons. In 2020 she had the privilege of starting a homeschool program in the Comal County Crisis Center providing in-person classes for staff and shelter children who would have otherwise had to attend classes online due to COVID. Art has always been a huge part of her life. She took as many art classes as she could in high school and college. She has had the opportunity to design logos and t-shirts for several organizations and businesses. While in college, she was hired to produce a painting that would be awarded to Wendell N. Rollason, founder of Redlands Christian Migrant Association. Her artwork later became the cover for his biography titled A Life of Purpose.
Megan Short
Mrs. Short graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Leadership and Development with an emphasis in education and minors in communication and animal science. While attending A&M, she was the team captain of the Equestrian Team and won two National Championships. She and her husband Wes are New Braunfels natives and have three children. Mrs. Short’s teaching career began with homeschooling in 2012. She joined Freedom Academy in 2021 as the curriculum coordinator and assistant director, as well as teaching math, language arts, and enrichment classes. She is actively involved with the children’s and women’s ministries at her church and enjoys watching her kids, nieces, and nephews play sports.
Callie Smith
Callie Smith teaches Health/Etiquette and advises the Grace Prep Student Council. She and her husband Andy have 3 children: Atlie, Graylynn, and River. She loves being a mom and being involved in her kids' education. Callie attended East Tennessee State University and earned a degree in Interior Design. After college, she worked as an interior designer for several years and still dabbles in design for friends when needed. Continuing in the entrepreneurial spirit, Callie now owns a jewelry company which feeds her “creative side.” She also breeds Miniature Australian Labradoodles and loves having puppies in her home year-round. Callie loves the Lord and looks for ways to encourage and help others whom God puts in her path. She is thankful to be a part of such a wonderful school!
Vivian Turner
Mrs. Turner holds a master’s degree in choral conducting from California State University Long Beach. She has been teaching music (either in the classroom or private voice lesson setting) for over 25 years. She has also been singing professionally and/or serving on worship teams for the past 30 years. Mrs. Turner made her way to Texas with her husband and two children in 2021 as part of a church plant team to the Hill Country, and she is thankful for the warmth and sense of community of the families she has met here in New Braunfels. Mrs. Turner loves to see students increase their musical knowledge, grow in their confidence and vocal skills, and work together to make music in a choral setting.
