for Early Childhood Educators PreK-3rd Grade
Meet Our Team
Meet the team of early childhood educators who are working to support PBS EdCamp San Antonio.
Tessa Baden
Joanna Bacon
Maricella Borroel
Mary Campos
Carolyn Cantu
Veronica Delgado
Rebecca Gibbens
Sara Heinrich
Kristina Herrera
Gina Johns
Brianna Juarez
Cristina Lopez
Mark Martinez
Diana Palacios
Rosalina Ramirez
Hayde Rodriguez
Monica Sanchez
Lindsey Vela
Fred Wicker
Yessica Wicker
Joanna Bacon is a happy, energetic, dedicated runner who has a passion for teaching. She has been teaching for 14 years, 13 of those years have been in kindergarten. She is a mother of twin girls. Joanna believes in providing a hands on, loving environment where learning is FUN!!
Tessa Baden has been an early childhood educator for fifteen years. She has taught Pre-K for SAISD and Pre-K 4 SA and served the early childhood community as a professional development coach, co-master teacher for behavior support, and is the mom of a gorgeous, amazing, almost two year old.
Maricella Borroel (BS, Education), Director of Education, has been with KLRN for over 9 years. Ms. Borroel has 16 years’ experience in early childhood education. She is responsible for designing the curriculum and program frameworks for KLRN’s educational initiatives. Ms. Borroel attended Phillips Academy Andover and the School of Education at Boston University. Following graduation, she performed a year of service with AmeriCorps.
Mary Campos joined KLRN four years ago. She is KLRN’s School Services Manager. At KLRN, she helps to coordinate projects like Play & Learn, the Healthy Kids Project, and community events. Mary is passionate about early childhood education and works to continue bridging health education in early childhood. She dedicates most of her spare time with her two children supporting them at their sport and school activities.
Carolyn Cantu has been teaching for 19 years. She taught kindergarten in 4 different NEISD schools for her first 16 years. She was a mentor to other kindergarten teachers during her time at NEISD and presented from time to time in the area of literacy. She joined the team at Pre-K 4 SA and has been teaching Pre-K for the last 3 years. Early childhood has always been a special area for her and she loves teaching little ones!
Veronica Delgado has a combined 19-years experience working with students in both bilingual education and special education. Currently, she works as a K-2 Literacy Interventionist in Southwest ISD. When she is not teaching, Veronica is thinking deeply about life.
Rebecca Gibbens is an 18-year teaching veteran with experience in 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades in NEISD and Alamo Heights. She loves to integrate literature with math, infuse technology whenever possible, and teach socio-emotional skills in her lessons. Her favorite things about teaching are celebrating ESL students' culture with the class, read-alouds, and collaboration in and out of the classroom!
Sarah Heinrich has been teaching Early Childhood for 13 years. She received her Masters of Arts in Teaching from the local Trinity University in 2004. Sarah is proud to have been part of Pre-K 4 SA for the past 4 years. She enjoys sharing her love of learning with her students and family, especially her 2-year-old daughter.
Kristina Herrera is the Assistant Director of Professional Learning with Pre-K 4 SA . She has served in education as a classroom teacher, instructional support, assistant principal, and university adjunct faculty. She is also a writer and busy mother of four.
Gina Johns has been a special education teacher for fifteen years in the Northside Independent School District, including thirteen years in early childhood special education. She enjoys collaborating with other educators, and serves as a Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) facilitator for the district. Her love of teaching and dedication to the children has taught her that no matter the challenges, EVERY child can learn!
Brianna Juarez is a Third Grade Teacher at Ball Academy. She serves on the Pre-K 4 SA Steering Committee and is a founding member of the community organizing group SA RISE. She graduated from Southwestern University.
Cristina Lopez is currently an Instructional Coach at Pre-K 4 SA North Education Center. She has been with the program for 3 years now but has 14 years’ experience in Early Childhood Education. She is excited to be part of EdCamp and anxiously awaits collaboration with other transformational leaders.
Mark A. Martinez is currently a Master Teacher with Pre-K 4 SA-West Education Center. He is in his second year with the city program. He strives to bring awareness to the importance of providing a high-quality early childhood education to all children. He is an advocate for children and families and believes that an education is one of the most powerful assets needed for success.
Diana Palacios has 17 years of experience in education. She has her Master’s in Reading and Literacy from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She currently works as Professional Learning Specialist for PreK4SA. She has an amazing husband and two wonderful children.
Rosalina Ramirez is a Master Teacher over at Pre-K 4 SA West Education Center. She has her B.S. in Education from Texas A&M University – San Antonio, and her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Curriculum & Instruction from Texas A&M University – San Antonio. Rosalina is currently working on her alternative Administration certification with Region 20’s COLA program. Rosalina is a passionate Early Childhood Educator who is always looking to enhance and share her new knowledge with others.
Hayde Rodriguez is a first grade teacher at Collier Elementary. She is a San Antonio native, wife and mother of two. Her favorite subject is math.
Monica Sanchez has been an early childhood educator for Northside ISD for 18 years, including positions in ECC, PPCD, and kindergarten. She became a High/Scope certified teacher in 2011 and currently serves as a demonstration classroom for Region 20. She is a lifetime learner and enjoys collaborating with other early ed teachers to stay current with best developmental practices (@BlattmanECC).
Lindsey Vela is a Literacy Instructional Coach at Alonso S. Perales Elementary in Edgewood ISD. She has been an educator for 15 years, teaching music, early childhood classes for children and their parents, and a classroom teacher in Pre-K through 3rd grade.
Fred Wicker is a first grade teacher in Edgewood ISD. He is the 2016-2017 campus Teacher of the Year. While education was not his first career, it is most certainly his true love.
Yessica Wicker’s lifelong love for learning has turned into a career that has spanned 21 years in education. Her belief that all children should be provided opportunities to play, explore and lead has been fostered by her work at Pre-K 4 SA. She received her undergraduate degree from St. Mary's University and master's degree from The University of Texas at San Antonio. She is the mother of two amazing high schoolers and a wife to her better half who keeps her learning every step of the way and makes every minute of life worth living.