Faculty & Staff

I am the PK3 class teacher, Jennifer Clark, and I am very excited to continue my teaching career at Grace. I have taught at Charter Schools and in Duval county, and I am thrilled to be at an independent school. I believe in a true play-based learning environment that is highly engaging for each individual child. I have my Reading Endorsement as well as my ESOL certification.

My name is Cari Rahn, and I teach PK4. I graduated from the University of North Florida with my Bachelors in Elementary Education in 2001. I have taught first grade, second grade, and preschool. I am happily married with two daughters, and I feel extremely blessed to have found such a wonderful home here at Grace. I enjoy teaching at Grace, and I'm looking forward to many years to come!

Hi, my name is Jennifer Hite, and I am the Kindergarten teacher at Grace. I am a graduate of Florida State University. Go Noles! I have two children, Ava and Lee, and together we love doing anything outside, especially wake-surfing behind the boat. I started teaching Kindergarten at Grace in 2012, and I thank the Lord everyday for giving me this opportunity. Kindergarten rocks!

My name is Mary Beth Marzec, and I will be co-teaching Kindergarten this year at Grace. This is my twentieth year at the school, and I have loved every minute of it. I started out as the P.E. teacher while my children were young, and then I went back into the classroom where I taught second grade for many years. I took a year off to regroup and tend to my family. Then I returned to Grace to substitute teach in the classroom and work in Extended Day, which allowed me to stay connected with the children, whom I truly love. These past two years at Grace, I served as the school's librarian and taught library classes.

I have a B.S. degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. I have taught Preschool through Eighth grade students throughout my teaching career.

I was born and raised in Orange Park and began pre-school here at Grace Episcopal before going on to St. Johns Country Day School. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, and I completed my student internship in First Grade at Grace. I began my teaching career teaching First Grade in Duval County, and then I transferred to Clay County where I taught Kindergarten at Fleming Island Elementary. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, gardening, and dancing. I am thrilled to be back at Grace and look forward to working with all the First Grade students in a nurturing and exciting environment!

I graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. I have taught children in preschool through third grade in public and private schools in Georgia, South Florida, and Orange Park. I have been part of the GEDS faculty since 2011, but have been part of the Grace family as a parent since 2007. I am married and have one daughter who attended Grace from PK3 - 8th grade. I absolutely love teaching second grade and feel truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful school community.

I attended the University of Georgia and received a degree in early childhood education. I have teaching experience in grades first through fifth. Although I am originally from Georgia, I have taught in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. I joined the faculty of Grace Episcopal Day School in the spring of 2014.

I have a daughter named Mimi. I enjoy cooking and reading to Mimi. We share a love for animals and have four dogs and two cats. I also enjoy tennis, riding horses, and walking.

I graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and Reading. During my teaching career I have taught 3rd through 8th grades. I am married and have two children. In my free time I enjoy shopping, going to the beach and boating with my family.

I graduated from Berry College in Rome, Georgia earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and Exceptional Student Education. I have taught second through sixth grade in the Clay County school system for the last 34 years. In 2017, I received the Florida High Impact Teacher recognition award. I have been blessed with 26 years of marriage to my husband, Jim. We have two sons and four wonderful grandchildren. I am very excited to join the Grace family and help each of my students reach their full potential. My motto is, "Taylor Made For Success."

I am a Florida native, as were my father and his parents, and I have lived in Florida all of my life. Upon graduating from The University of Alabama with a BA in Communications, I worked in the advertising field, for The St. Petersburg Times newspaper, and for Allstate Insurance. After going back to school to earn my Masters Degree in English Education from the University of South Florida, I have enjoyed teaching many different grade levels over the past 20+ years, from 4th to college level language arts, history, writing, and grammar. I recently received my gifted endorsement, which included courses in differentiating instruction for various student learning styles. I am married and have one son who is a college student, and a yellow Labrador retriever named Belle. I am looking forward to continuing my teaching career in a loving Christian environment.

I graduated from University of North Florida with a B.S. in Business Administration/Marketing and had a career in the Pharmaceutical Industry prior to becoming a mother in 1992. I have four children and in 2006, I began substitute teaching at St. Johns Country Day School while taking the college classes necessary to obtain a Florida Teaching Certificate. I taught 8th grade Physical Science at St. Johns Country Day School and then joined Grace Episcopal Day School in 2013 as the 7th and 8th grade math and science teacher. I have enjoyed teaching at Grace and being involved in such a wonderful Christian environment and school.

I graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a BA in Secondary Education History. I am currently working towards earning an MA in American History at Southern New Hampshire University. I have worked in the field of education for more than twenty years, and during this time have worked as a Director of Education for a Sylvan Learning Center, taught public elementary, middle, and high school, and taught private elementary and middle school. I have taught middle school language arts and social studies at Grace Episcopal Day School since 2013.

¡HOLA A TODOS! My name is Amy Cid. While I'm a New Hampshire native, I'm Hispanic at heart, and have loved languages for as long as I can remember. I graduated with honors in Hispanic Literature from Colby College, studied and lived abroad in both Spain and Argentina, and have been teaching since 2008 when I moved to Florida. There is nothing that I love more than helping students broaden their horizons through language, and I am beyond blessed that I can do that with all the sweet "estudiantes" here at Grace Episcopal!

I graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education. I taught Art for 4 years in the Clay County School System and was selected as Teacher of the Year at Grove Park Elementary School. I began teaching at Grace Episcopal Day School in 2010. I have three children who all attended GEDS. I have always been passionate about art and physical fitness. I was an athlete in high school and received both an art and athletic scholarship when I entered college. In my free time, I enjoy walking, running, reading, painting, listening to music and learning new things.

I am from St. Mary's, Ga. I graduated from the University of Florida, and I am a huge Gator fan. I love working with kids and have done so for over 20 years. My first job was with the YMCA when I was 15 as an overnight camp counselor. I have been married for 15 years, and we have a seven year old, Finn and two dogs, Penelope and Bentley.

My name is Sloan Lewis, I am a wife and Christian mother of two amazing boys. I grew up in Auburn Alabama and received a B.S. degree from Troy University. I have over five years experience working in a preschool as an assistant and over ten years experience working in the children's ministry at my church. I enjoy interacting with children and watching them grow and develop new skills. I am blessed and privileged to work with the talented and dedicated team at Grace Episcopal Day School.

Hello, my name is Neal Mars Jr. I am entering my third year coaching for Grace and starting my first year as Athletic Director. I currently coach soccer, flag football, and track & field. I have been coaching youth sports for 15 years and have been a certified soccer referee for six years. I enjoy teaching student athletes about sportsmanship, rules of the game, importance of physical fitness, and the importance of being part of a team. I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Masters of Business Administration both from the University of Phoenix. I believe there is an athlete in all of us and there is a place in sports for everyone.

I was raised in Richmond, VA. I attended college at James Madison University and transferred to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and Music Education and Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Music. I’ve been involved in education for over twenty years teaching Kindergarten through High School, in both public and private school settings. I love my labs, Molly and Sophie and sometimes playing tennis! I’m married to Joe Porfidio and have three adult children and an adorable three year old grandson, Sterling. I attend Resurrection Anglican Church, where my husband is the Rector. One of my great joys has been to serve the church in children’s ministry as a teacher and children’s pastor.

I have been happily teaching at Grace Episcopal Day School since 2005. I have taught grades 4-8 here, and I am currently the Director of our Enhanced Learning Program, which supports PK3-8th grade. I am excited for the opportunity to offer math enrichment to grades 2 and 3, and STEAM classes to grades 4-8. I received my M.S. degree from FSU in Exceptional Student Education. Since then, I’ve received Math Endorsement for grades 5-9, as well as a Reading Endorsement. I am trained in the LiPS method, a multi-modality program that helps children with reading, spelling, and speech. I have also received training in On Cloud Nine, which addresses math visualization. I married my college sweetheart, and we've raised three beautiful daughters. Now we enjoy visiting them in Arizona and Colorado. It’s especially fun playing with my beautiful grandchildren! When I’m not perusing Pinterest for fresh, fun classroom ideas, I choose to spend my time kayaking, hiking, or combing the beach for shark’s teeth. God speaks to me through nature, and through the people of Grace Episcopal Day School.

I graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Computer Science and had a career in Information Technology prior to becoming a mother in 1998. In 2003, I became the Lower School Technology Teacher and provided technology support to the teachers and students at St. Johns Country Day school while taking the college classes necessary to obtain a Florida Teaching Certificate. I joined Grace Episcopal Day School as the Director of Technology in the Fall of 2016. I enjoy being a part of Grace’s small, Christian school community.

I am a professional musician who has been teaching at Grace Episcopal Day School since 2008. I graduated from University of North Florida with a B.A. in Music in 2002, served as Band Director at St. Johns Country Day School '00 -’07, and founded Ronan School of Music in 2010. While at UNF I was fortunate to study percussion with Charlotte Mabrey and drum set with Rick Kirkland. I also toured the southern and eastern United States playing in a variety of musical settings; opening shows and sharing stages with such notable performers as Booker T., Diane Schuur, Dwight Yoakam, Dick Dale, Syl Johnson, Mickey Thomas from Starship, Evan Dando, Randy Weston, and Junior Brown. I have provided percussion for local productions of musicals such as Pippin and Bye Bye Birdie, and along with respected Broadway pianist Eugene Gwozdz as music director, backed Theater Jacksonville executive director Sarah Boone on her show, "The Double Threats: A Celebration of Composer/Lyricists.”

I am very excited to be a part of the Grace family in a new way. I am the Christian Formation teacher, and I can't wait to walk with your children as we explore the Bible, prayer, and living our lives for Jesus. My undergraduate degree is in psychology from Tennessee Tech University, and I have continuing education credits in youth ministry from Trinity School for Ministry. I have worked with children and youth teaching Bible, Christian Formation, and mentoring young people since 1993. I have also worked in a virtual classroom for seven years teaching and encouraging people through herbal and natural health education programs. Through my teaching experiences, it became very clear that not everyone learns the same way, so we will use creative ways like games and music to learn, as well as traditional learning methods. My hope is to make the atmosphere fun and engaging and create a space to ask questions and have amazing conversations about our relationship with Jesus.

I am extremely blessed to be a part of the “Grace Episcopal Day School Family” since 1998. In that time, I have been a teacher’s assistant in the PreK-3 and PreK-4 classrooms, a substitute, and I have always worked in the Extended Day Program. I am a member of Grace Episcopal Church, and my two sons attended Grace Episcopal Day School as well. In my free time, I love spending time with my family, walking on River Road, and cooking!

I have been a teaching assistant in grades K – 6 here at Grace since 1993. In all of these years, I have been blessed to have been both a parent and a grandparent of a student. I truly love this school.