Our Preschool Staff

Mrs. Cummings is excited to be teaching at the Kirk Preschool! She has an AA Degree in Early Childhood Education from Baker College and 20 years’ experience in early childhood education along with a true passion for working with young learners. Mrs. Cummings believes that learning through play is so important because it gives children the opportunity to build confidence, develop curiosity, and foster a lifelong love of learning.   Some of her favorite things are beaches, her pets and traveling.  We are happy she is a part of the Kirk team!

Mrs. Pennazoli has a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Rochester College. She also has over 35 years of experiences working with children.  She has been married for 25 years and has two wonderful daughters at home along with 2 cats and a rabbit.  Mrs. Pennazoli believes preschool should be a place where children feel safe, loved, supported and excited to learn! She loves the Detroit Tigers, scrapbooking and reading.  We are glad she is a part of our preschool team!

Mrs. Kiryakoza has a background in Law yet has been drawn to and has experienced every facet of Early Childhood Education for the past 3 decades. She is currently teaching our Parent and Toddler Program and loving it. She has a big passion for helping little learners grow, explore, and build confidence.  She knows that every child is special, capable and full of potential! Mrs. Kiryakoza has a wonderful husband of 12 years and three beautiful children who all have been a part of our Kirk Preschool family. Fun facts about our teacher are that she loves fitness and being outdoors, and loves reading and history!  We are lucky to have her.

Mrs. Fry had a career in Business for several years. Then after having her two wonderful boys, which both attended Kirk in the Hills Preschool, she felt an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for our nurturing environment and wanted to join our Team in a more permanent way.  Mrs. Fry worked for the preschool as a substitute teacher and a para-professional for a few years and even spent time on our Preschool Board as a board member.  Working at the Kirk Preschool made sense since her desire to re-enter the workforce in a way that aligned with her family values and needs. And now Mrs. Fry is our MWF 3’s assistant teacher and she is thrilled to be a part of our teaching team!

Mrs. DeLisle is one of our Multi-Age teachers and comes to Kirk in the Hills Preschool with impressive credentials.  Mrs. DeLisle has her education degree (K-12) with an endorsement in early childhood and music from Wayne State University.  She has been an educator for 13 years working in early childhood for the last 8 years after spending the first part of her career in the K-5 classrooms. She is a certified music educator for grades K-12 and has her Music Together Training Certificate.  She also currently teaches children from 6 months olds – 4 years old at Motor City Together as well as our Kirk students.  After school hours, Mrs. DeLisle is also a busy cello instructor in her private studio. She is excited to work here at Kirk in the Hills as she is also a parent of one of our preschool students this year. We are lucky to have her and her family and on team!

Mrs. Parks has been teaching for over 30 years.  Sue has her AA degree in Early Childhood Education. Throughout her time teaching, her passion for Early Childhood has grown stronger-“There is just something truly special about the early years”. She is excited to be teaching at Kirk in the Hills Preschool and with our 4-year-olds.  Creating a nurturing, play-based environment where children feel safe, supported, and inspired to learn and grow is very important to Sue. Mrs. Parks loves spending time with her family, watching baseball, shopping and enjoying a Starbucks coffee when she can.  We are happy to have her at the Kirk!

Kaelyn Matsos is one of the Monday -Friday Multi-Age teachers here at the Kirk Preschool.  She has an AA degree in Children and Family Studies from eastern Michigan University.  Before joining the Kirk in the Hills Program, she taught 2.5 year olds for two years and Pre-Kindergarten for one year.  Kaelyn was also an Early Childhood gymnastics instructor for 3 years.  Kaelyn is passionate about early learning and helping children foster a positive social environment for students to learn the essential skills to grow that thrive.  In her spare time, Kaelyn loves to do yoga, try new restaurants, and spend time with her family and friends.  Kaelyn is thrilled to be a part of the Kirk in the Hills Preschool Program and is looking forward to supporting children and their families.

Mrs. Espinoza-Rodriguez holds a BA in English Literature and a CDA (Child Development Associate) Degrees.  She is very excited to be a part of our Kirk Preschool Team.  She has been working with young children for over ten years.  Not only has she been a preschool teacher, but she has also taught Spanish for K-5th graders.  Angelica is very creative and believes that creating strong bonds with students and their families will always make for a great school year! Some of her favorite things are, her morning coffee, Autumn walks, and visiting historical places.

Mrs. Modich is back at Kirk in the Hills Preschool after retiring in 2022.  She realized that her love of children and working at the Kirk Preschool was like a family and something she very much wanted to be a part of. Pat has been teaching in early Childhood for at least 25 years and has experienced teaching Parent/Toddler classes, three year olds, four year olds, and JK. Mrs. Modich enjoys working with children and their families ensuring that each child is treated as an individual, making sure they are loved, nurtured, and celebrated.

Sandy Jewell has a B.A. degree with an Elementary Teaching Certificate and an Early Childhood Endorsement from Wayne State University and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Saginaw Valley State University.  She comes to us with 25+ years of Early Childhood teaching experience before becoming an Early Childhood Specialist and Supervisor in 2014.  Even though Sandy enjoys her time in the classroom with our youngest learners, she is passionate about supporting, mentoring, and growing a positive high-quality preschool community.  She is thrilled to be on our Kirk in the Hills Preschool team!

Meghan Lorang received her B.S. in Family Community Services (Child Development) from Michigan State University. She also received a degree in Elementary Education from Eastern Michigan University. Meghan has many years of teaching experience in preschool and early elementary classrooms. In addition to her degrees, Meghan also has earned her Montessori certification in Pre-primary education (3-6 year olds).  Meghan taught in the 2 1/2-year-old class starting in the Fall of 2016 before becoming a 3 day 3-year-old teacher starting the Fall of 2020. Meghan has known from a young age that she wanted to work with children. She loves the children’s energy and watching them grow, and also enjoys reading and singing with them.