I was born and raised in Kansas City! I went to undergrad at Colorado State University where I earned my bachelors in Early Childhood Education. I taught for 5 years in North Kansas City School District, both Kindergarten and 1st grade. I received my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction at Baker University. In 2014 I had a baby girl and took a couple years off to be home with her. I am back at it again here at Quality Hill Academy and couldn't be more excited to spend my day with these AMAZING Kindergarteners! In my free time (HAH!! That's a joke..) I enjoy spending time with my husband, Adam and my daughter, Allie. And of course, our friendly yellow lab, Barley. We love to hike around Swope Park, test out new restaurants and explore fun spots in KC! I'm happy to be sharing the inaugural year of Quality Hill Academy with such an wonderful group of kiddos and families!
I am the oldest of three girls and a native Kansas Citian. After high school, I attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where I graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts in Communications. I returned to KC and worked in the advertising industry before returning to school for my Certification in Education at Ottawa University. I have taught kindergarten in Liberty and North Kansas City and I am thrilled to be working in the heart of it all at QHA!!
On the side, I have a small business to keep me busy, along with 3 nieces and 5 nephews. I enjoy my church, farmers markets and gardening in the fall, skiing in Weston in the winter, golf and and traveling the secret nooks and crannies of KC and beyond in the summer! Currently, I am attending UMKC, where I hope to obtain my Master's in Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction in May.
I am one of four girls born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. My dad is an MD who practices on the business side of medicine now. My mom is a retired teacher of 40 years who got her Masters in Biology and then a second Masters in Special Education later in life. We moved to Kentucky in 1997. I was uprooted from everything I had ever known. Though it was a difficult transition, I am better for the experience.
I have always loved children, babysitting and building relationships with kids. So, after graduating high school I was given the opportunity to be a counselor at White Mills Christian Summer Camp. I spent my days teaching, counseling, loving on kiddos and loving every minute spent with them. I would go on to spend every summer there for 6 summers.
I had a stint at Murray State University in 2004, but the shock of college and my unpreparedness from high school made me realize I needed some time to gather those skills. I spent the remainder of the year as a full time nanny to a little girl whom I still get Christmas Cards from today! It was one of the best times in my life; a unique time finding out who I was as a person in the world.
Following that year, fall of 2005, I re-started my college career at Indiana University Southeast. I met the man I would marry 9 years later and graduated with a Bachelors in Theatre with an emphasis in Acting and Classical Voice and a Minor in Religion. During my time at IUS I became the Youth Minister at my church where I was able to impact kid’s lives further. Being a Youth Minister was a very rewarding change. So rewarding that I decided that the degree in Theatre, I just earned, was not the path I would take. However, my degree came in very handy when I was hired to teach Theatre Basics to students at Oldham County Arts Center in Kentucky. I spent 6 years teaching, directing, and performing with, sometimes, 50 kids at a time with ages ranging from 5 to 18. We had a blast!
My life changed again when I reconnected with my now husband. Nathan was living in Kansas City where he worked at Lyric Opera KC. I joined him when we got married in May of 2014. I began working for Kelly Services to substitute teach. Through serial subbing at one particular school, I got to know my family away from family at Winnwood Elementary. I was hired there as a real life teacher, Interventionist, in January 2016. I worked in small groups to help students make those missing math and writing connections.
I was given the opportunity to apply to Quality Hill May of 2016 and to my delight and surprise I get to call QHA my new family! I am so happy to be a part of this new endeavor and thrilled to work with each amazing teacher and student!
Chelsea Wininger was born and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee (Go Vols!). After completing high school and having a quarter life crisis at 19 she left nursing school to do service work. She lived in Malawi, Africa for a year, teaching English and supporting a village clinic. When she returned to the states and continued service through an AmeriCorps program called City Year. During her first year, with City Year Cleveland, she worked with 3rd graders, mentoring and tutoring an amazing group of kids then went back to the same school as the Team Leader the second year. She came to the City of Fountains for City Year's start up year in Kansas City as a Team Leader at the Kauffman School. She is beyond thrilled to be at Quality Hill for its start up year, working with an amazing staff, and helping some wonderful kindergarteners realize that the world is their oyster. =)