St. Martin's is proud of its teachers. You will find in this article the biographies of our lower and upper school teachers and the special subject teachers who teach all grades at St. Martin's.

Lower School

PRE-KINDERGARTEN

Bobi Glava was born in Cyprus (a Greek island) and moved to the U.S. with her family in 1974 at the age of 7.  Bobi has a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Towson State and a Master's Equivalent from Western Maryland College.  She has also taken some courses in child psychology and counseling and has worked extensively as a camp coordinator and director.  She completed her student teaching in Baltimore City and began her career as a substitute in Anne Arundel County Public Schools and St. Martin's. She has been at St. Martin's for 20 years, teaching 3rd Grade and Extended Day care prior to Pre-K.  Bobi lives in Annapolis and attends the Greek Orthodox Church on Riva Road.  She has one son, Manuel, who is a St. Martin's student.

Bobi says, "I feel so blessed to be able to have my career and be with my son every day." St. Martin's has been my extended family.  I feel as though I have grown up at St. Martin's.  It has been such a pleasure to work with such extraordinary teachers, administrators, parents and children.  I look forward to all the fun experiences/moments with the Pre-K'ers each day.  I believe in providing a nurturing, loving, and fun-filled environment for my students to experience maximum learning.  The children's stories, smiles, and hugs, involved parents, and the extraordinary staff are what have kept me at St. Martin's for 20 years.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN ASSISTANT

Judy Stroetzel is in her 8th year at St. Martin's School. For the past six years she has worked in the "before and after school" extended day program. This year she has taken on the additional role as the Pre-Kindergarten assistant. Judy enjoys working with the Pre-Kindergarteners because they are enthusiastic and excited to be in school.

She lives in Annapolis with her husband Steve and their two daughters who are both graduates from St. Martin's School. Judy and her family have been members of St. Martin's Church for the last 15 years.

KINDERGARTEN

Barbara March is a native Marylander and has spent the majority of her years in Annapolis.  Barbara is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a degree in Elementary Education and Geography.  She has been a fixture at St. Martin's for 13 years, teaching Pre-K, third grade, and now kindergarten.  Barbara says, "It's great to work with students who show such excitement and enthusiasm for learning."

KINDERGARTEN ASSISTANT

Kim Esterson is in her 8th year at St. Martin's as the kindergarten assistant.  She has lived in Annapolis for 29 years with her husband, Andy.  They have two wonderful daughters, Lauren and Nicole. Kim and her husband are avid Navy fans and enjoy sponsoring midshipmen. Kim says her favorite student activity is the "Me Boxes," because she "loves to see the children get so excited about telling the class about themselves."  Kim loves teaching at St. Martin's because she gets to see the children grow year after year to become fine young boys and girls.

KINDERGARTEN 2

Jemma Meidenbauer graduated from James Madison University with her Master's degree in Teaching and is in her 2nd year teaching Kindergarten at St. Martin's.  She grew up in Bowie and now lives in Deale with her husband and dog Luna.  She enjoys living near the water, reading, and teaching with the Smart Board!  Jemma loves teaching kindergarten at St. Martin's!

KINDERGARTEN 2 ASSISTANT

Jeannette Seipp Jeannette received her bachelor's degree from Towson University in 2008. She moved to Baltimore from New Jersey four years ago and is happy to call Maryland her new home.  Jeannette previously taught Pre-K in Towson. She loves working with the St. Martin's Kindergarteners!

FIRST GRADE

Lynn Miller earned her B.A. degree at Concordia Teacher's College, River Forest, IL, with specializations in religion and reading. Concordia Colleges are a part of a very fine Lutheran system of schools that prepare both pastors and teachers for ministry in the Lutheran Church.  Lynn has been teaching since 1970.  She taught a combined 1st and 2nd grade classroom of more than 30 children in her first years of teaching in St. Louis. From 1982-1993, she developed, directed, and taught a Gifted and Talented program for children in grades 1 to 8 at Messiah Lutheran School in Fairview Park, OH.  Lynn came to St. Martin's in 1994.  Lynn loves to watch the excitement children find in learning.  "First grade children are great because they try so hard to learn and yet they have a joy for life that they share with me each day."

SECOND GRADE

Sarah Joy Smedley has a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and is certified from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.  Texas' loss was St. Martin's gain when Sarah got married in 2006 and moved to Annapolis.  She not only teaches second grade, but is the field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse coach.  Obviously, Sarah loves to be active.   Sarah says, "St. Martin's is very special to me and to many others because of the loving family atmosphere."  This year, Sarah is looking forward to presenting the Dinosaur Museum and Reading Restaurant-just two examples of the many exciting themes covered in the 2nd grade. Sarah thrives on bringing an active outlook into the classroom.

THIRD GRADE

Brianne McNallen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Susquehanna University. She has recently moved to Annapolis from Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  She looks forward to the 3rd grade Native American Museum and the speeches from the First Ladies and President.  Brianne also coaches girl's basketball at St. Martins.  "St. Martins is a great learning atmosphere and nurturing family."

FOURTH GRADE

Lois Milan began teaching in Anne Arundel County in 1971. She also spent many years teaching in Harford County. This is Lois' tenth year at St. Martin's. Lois received her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Maryland and has worked on a Masters Degree in Child Counseling. Sharing novels is a favorite fourth grade activity. "Novels afford a great time to share thoughts and ideas. It is also a time to explore challenging vocabulary," Lois explains. The fourth grade classroom has a relaxed atmosphere where a joy of learning mixes with laughter!

FIFTH GRADE

Cheryl Mees has taught at St. Martin's for ten years in her 26-year teaching career.  With a BA in English and a MEd from the College of William and Mary, she holds an Advanced Professional Teaching Certificate.  She has taught in both public and private schools in several states, England, and Japan and feels that her wide cultural experiences have given her valuable insights into cultural diversity and different ways of looking at everyday things.  She is a life-long learner who is enthusiastic about new experiences, an attitude she tries to impart to her students.

Cheryl's three children, all grown, and five grandchildren all live in various parts of Texas.  She says, "Thank heavens for summer vacations and Southwest Airlines!"  She has lived in Maryland for 17 years, currently residing with her husband, Rod, and two shelties on Kent Island, and they all love seeing the state and Atlantic region in their RV.  She is a keen student of history, especially the Civil War and England.

As the fifth grade teacher, Cheryl works to prepare her students for the upcoming challenges of middle school.  She teaches social studies and religion to both 4th and 5th graders, while her colleague, Lois Milan, teaches math to both groups.  She's happy to leave the science to Diane Williams.  As a former middle school English teacher, Cheryl can't help herself when it comes to correcting grammar and spelling in public documents such as the newspaper.

When asked what makes St. Martin's special, Cheryl replied, "The faculty here is like a big family, very supportive.  Parents, too.  And my students constantly surprise me with their insights and enthusiasm.  I can let my creativity flow here!"

LOWER SCHOOL SCIENCE

Diane Williams is in her 4th year as the Lower School's science teacher.  She started at St. Martin's as a parent 8 years ago.  Both of her sons now attend St. Martin's.  Diane graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. Degree in Elementary Education.  She had prior experience teaching Pre-K, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade.  For the past 3 years, she has been teaching Pre-K through 5th grade science.  This year Diane will be teaching grades 3 through 5.  Hands-on activities are the main focus of Diane's classes "to keep children engaged and make learning fun."  Grades 3 through 5 have formal labs on a weekly basis.  Diane says, "All of my classes get to encounter a wonderful variety of live animals, which are brought into the classroom as specific topics are being studied.  We take interactive fieldtrips, design and built projects, and much more.  The 3rd grade class runs our school and church wide recycling program.  The 4th grade class builds a project to benefit the wildlife around the Chesapeake Bay.  Our 5th grade class designs, builds, and races cars made from produce using the laws of physics.  There is so much more.  All students are scientists who learn, discover, and explore the wonderful world around them."