Faculty & Staff

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.

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 three children, Ava, Lee, and Nolan. 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.

My name is Courtney Webb. I graduated from The University of South Carolina with a BA in English Literature and a Masters in Library and Information Science with a concentration in children's services and literacy. I began my career in 2006 working in both public library services for children and elementary education before moving from the library into the classroom. My ultimate goal is to create a classroom environment in which every child feels safe, loved for exactly who they are and encouraged to succeed on their own individualized path to learning and life. I believe modeling unconditional love, kindness and empathy are the three greatest gifts we can give every child. When I don't have a book in my hand, I spend my time with my son William, husband John and our two crazy rescue cats Buddha and Ava. I feel blessed to have found a home at Grace Episcopal. I am excited to continue this year with my students showing every day that first grade is truly fabulous!

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 taught second through sixth grade in the Clay County school system for 34 years. In 2017, I received the Florida High Impact Teacher recognition award. I am blessed to have been married to my husband, Jim, since 1991. Becoming a member of the Grace family has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. I love coming to work each day and helping my students reach their greatest 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.

I am originally from North Carolina, but I have also lived in South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. I graduated from Winthrop College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. After college, I moved to Charleston, SC, and completed a Master of Arts in Teaching at The Citadel. I then went to the University of South Carolina and received a Master of Arts in English as well as a Master of Library and Information Science. I have worked as both a College Reference Librarian and a School Librarian. I am happily married to my husband, Steph, who has served as Rector of San Jose Episcopal Church since 2006. Our daughter, Katherine, attended Grace Episcopal Day School for 7th and 8th grades and is now a junior at Stetson University. It is a pleasure to be back as a part of this Christian-based community.

¡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 a Georgia girl who loves the Florida Gators. In 2004, I graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Therapeutic Recreation. Working with kids of all abilities is my passion 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 since 2002, and we have one child, Finn and two dogs, Penelope and Bentley.

Hello, my name is Neal Mars Jr. I have been coaching at Grace since 2016 and have served as the Athletic Director since 2017. I have been coaching youth sports since 2001, and I have been a certified soccer referee since 2010. At Grace, I coach soccer, flag football, cross country, and track & field. 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. Dream Big Work Hard!

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 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.