Susie Thomas is in her 36th year as the Administrative Assistant of Ascension School. She attended St. Edward School and graduated from Jeffersontown High School. She has two sons, Bradley, Jr. & Troy Thomas, and 5 grandchildren, Kenley, Farrah, Presley, Maverick & Rhett! In her spare time she loves, hiking, biking, working out and the lake and the beach!
You can reach Susie at susthomas@ascension-parish.com
Valerie grew up in St Louis, Missouri. She attended college at Southwest Baptist University where she obtained a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. She has worked in the field of early childhood for 25 years. Valerie and her husband Michael have three children; Trinity, Autumn and Justice. In her free time she enjoys shopping, hiking, pinterest projects, DIYing around the house and hanging out with friends and family.
You can reach Valerie at vshell@ascension-parish.com
Madison grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. She pursued her undergraduate education at Transylvania University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Educational Studies. Continuing her academic journey, she obtained a Master’s Degree in School Counseling from Arkansas State University. Madison has a deep passion for helping students. During her free time, she enjoys hiking and traveling with her husband and dog. She is beyond excited to be a part of the Ascension community.
You can reach Madison at mmiles@ascension-parish.com
Ann is the three-year-old preschool teacher. She has been working in preschool for over 30 years. She attended the University of Louisville and has continued her education at JCC in the early childhood development field. She and her husband Kurt are parishioners at Ascension and they have a daughter Molly that graduated from Ascension. She enjoys gardening, sewing, crafting, and spending time with her family.
You can reach Ann at asinkhorn@ascension-parish.com
Laura is the assistant three-year-old preschool teacher. She has over 20 years of experience educating young children from six weeks of age through preschool. She has her Child Development Associate Credential and is a Certified Nursing Assistant. Laura recently married her best friend Stephen. She has a son named Justin who is the research manager in the Spinal Cord Injury Department at Fraiser Rehab. Laura enjoys spending time with her six grandchildren and loves being called “G”, attending plays, sporting events, and car shows with her family and friends.
You can reach Laura at lvogt@ascension-parish.com
Katie O’Bryan has been teaching preschool since 2019. She is excited to bring her enthusiasm for teaching to the Ascension family! She has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Indiana Wesleyan University. She and her husband Doug are both Louisville natives and their two children, Lily and Josh, attend Ascension. She enjoys reading, traveling with her family, writing, painting and growing deeper in her Faith.
You can reach Katie at kobryan@ascension-parish.com
Nancy has been teaching at Ascension for 14 years. She enjoys watching the children grow throughout the years since she has been at Ascension. She has 3 children, Megan, Jake, and Ryan. In her spare time she likes to swim and read.
Nancy can be reached at ngatewood@ascension-parish.com
Autumn has a love of the adventure and wonder that Kindergarteners bring to her day. She has previously taught 2nd grade at Ascension and for JCPS. Her favorite thing about Ascension is getting to work alongside her mom sister, sister-in-law, and husband. When she is not teaching, she loves to spend her time with her husband, outdoors, shopping, and cooking!
You can reach Autumn at amonaghan@ascension-parish.com
Emily is a first-year teacher and is thrilled to share her passion for learning at Ascension. She recently graduated from Mount St. Joseph University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood and Special Education. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and recently moved to Louisville with her husband Matt. Outside of school, Emily enjoys fishing, baking, beach volleyball, and spending time with her friends and family.
You can reach Emily at epfeifer@ascension-parish.com
Margaret began working at Ascension during the 2019-20 school year. After teaching preschool for over 10 years, she was happy to have the opportunity to join Ascension as a Kindergarten Assistant. She is married to Tim, and they have two sons, William and Ben. Both boys graduated from college and have successful careers. In her spare time, Margaret likes to read, spend time with her family and friends, go for walks and bicycle rides, travel, and try new hobbies, including a tomato garden and scrapbooking!
You can reach Margaret at mburchell@ascension-parish.com
Gisele is a first year teacher and will be new to Ascension this fall. Gisele was born and raised in Louisville, then moved to Crestwood where she graduated from South Oldham High School in 2021. She went on to graduate from the University of Kentucky this spring with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education. In her free time, Gisele enjoys spending time with her 5 siblings, her nieces/nephews, and her cat, Nico. She loves reading, going on runs, and cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats. Gisele is excited to start her career at Ascension and share her love for Jesus with her students!
Gisele can be reached at gkaninberg@ascension-parish.com
Sherry was a Pre-K teacher at St. Matthews Baptist for 13 years. She is married to Philip and they have 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren. Sherry is also a parishioner at Ascension. In her spare time, She enjoys visiting her daughters and grandchildren in Florida, going out to eat, and boating at the lake.
You can reach Sherry at sstrohmeier@ascension-parish.com
I previously taught in Bullitt County Public Schools for 5 years. Although this is my first year at Ascension, I’m no stranger to the Catholic school system—I attended St. Patrick and Sacred Heart Academy. My educational journey continued at Indiana University Southeast, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2019 and my master’s degree in Elementary Education in 2023. When I am not teaching, you will find me enjoying time with my family. My husband and I have been married for 3 years. We have a black lab named Lucy who is spoiled rotten! We also enjoy spending time with our three nieces, and five nephews. I’m looking forward to being a part of the Ascension community!
You can reach Lindsey at lsteltenpohl@ascension-parish.com
Kathy has been working in education since 2006. She began her career teaching pre-K at St. Matthews Baptist Preschool. In 2010 she followed her children to Christian Academy of Louisville to continue teaching Pre-K where she taught for 11 years. After hearing so many wonderful things about Ascension School she was excited to have the opportunity to join the faculty in 2021. She is originally from Cincinnati, OH (Go Bengals!) but she and her husband Mike have called Louisville home since 1997. They have two children, Emily and Logan, and a fur-baby Beagle mix named Lily. When she is not teaching she enjoys working in her garden, cooking, reading, playing games with her family, hiking, and running trails with her husband.
You can reach Kathy at ktudor@ascension-parish.com
Haley received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in Elementary Education in 2010 and a master’s degree from the University of the Cumberlands in Teacher Leadership. She taught for 9 years in the public school system before becoming a stay-at-home mom for the past 3 years to her 3 children, Garnett (6), Jaxon (4), and Olive (2). Haley and her husband, also named Garnett, have been married for 8 years. Their family joined the Ascension community last year, and have been enjoying getting involved and meeting so many new people.
You can reach Haley at hphelps@ascension-parish.com
Trinity has lived in Louisville all her life and loves everything it has to offer! Trinity attended Walden School K-8th grade and then graduated from Eastern High School. Following, Trinity attended the University of Louisville and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhood. Trinity also had the opportunity to study abroad in Red Bank, Belize where she taught Math in a first grade classroom. She is in the process of obtaining her Master’s degree in Teacher Leadership from Bellarmine University. This will be Trinity’s fourth year teaching at Ascension and she continues to help in the Ascension Summer Program as well. When Trinity is not teaching or spending time with children, she enjoys crafting, kayaking, camping, spending time with family and friends, and traveling new places.
You can reach Trinity at tshell@ascension-parish.com
Christina entered her third year at Ascension after teaching for four years at St. Francis of Assisi. Prior to that, she taught fourth grade at St. Edward, her alma mater, in Nashville, Tenn. She moved to Louisville after she and her husband, Patrick, were married. They have two children: Mary Catherine and Patrick. Christina enjoys spending time with her family and friends, exploring the outdoors, sewing, and rooting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
You can reach Christina at ccrush@ascension-parish.com
Donna is the elementary science teacher. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Masters’s in Education from the University of Louisville. She has a lifelong passion for science. Donna has three daughters, two grandsons, and another grandchild on the way. Donna is a parishioner at Ascension. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, knitting, and going out to eat and during the summer she can be found enjoying outdoor concerts.
You can reach Donna at djackel@ascension-parish.com
Hannah Pennington is excited to be starting her first year of teaching at Ascension. Hannah has been a long-time member of the Ascension community, having graduated from Ascension herself in 2013. Hannah is a recent graduate from Western Kentucky University, where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education. Outside of school, Hannah enjoys anything sports-related, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.
You can reach Hannah at hpennington@ascension-parish.com
Danny graduated from the University of Kentucky where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Social Studies Education with a focus in History and Political Science and his Master of Arts in Education with a focus in Secondary Social Studies Education. Previously, he attended Trinity High School and is a graduate of Ascension. In his free time, Danny enjoys spending time with family and friends and reading.
You can reach Danny at: dmonaghan@ascension-parish.com
Taylor was born and raised in south Florida and graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in mathematics education before moving to Louisville in 2021. She is so excited to begin teaching at Ascension and have the opportunity to share her passion for math with her students. Outside of school, Taylor loves to cook, garden and spend time with her fiancé and their two cats.
You can reach Taylor at tpendarvis@ascension-parish.com
Dr. Shell teaches philosophy, logic, and ethics at Jefferson Community and Technical College here in Louisville and earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Kentucky. He earned two Master’s degrees at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Biblical Languages and Archeology and did his undergraduate work in Bible and Biblical Languages at Southwest Baptist University in Missouri. Michael and Valerie have three children: Trinity (who is well known to the Ascension family), Autumn, and Justice. Dr. Shell also pastors a small church in the west end of Louisville. In his free time, he enjoys reading and the great outdoors.
you can reach Michael at mshell@ascension-parish.com
I am excited to join the Ascension teaching team and bring my passion for Spanish education to the classroom. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, I graduated from Sacred Heart Academy and earned my degree in elementary education with a Spanish minor from Ave Maria University. I previously taught Spanish at St. Athanasius and later moved to Miami, where I taught 3rd-5th grade. Outside of the classroom, I love reading, spending time in nature, and exploring different cultures—having already visited six countries with plans to visit more. I also enjoy spending time with my two nephews and four nieces, who keep me on my toes and always bring joy to my life.
you can reach Mary at mcrush@ascension-parish.com
This will be Isabelle’s 13th year as an Educator. Born and raised in Louisville, Isabelle graduated from Presentation Academy. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from University of Louisville. She graduated with her Master’s in Education from Indiana Southeast. Isabelle had been married to her husband for 3 years. They have 2 dogs named Teddy and Shin. In her free time, Isabelle enjoys pottery, painting, dancing, yoga, biking, hiking, boating, music concerts, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.
You can reach Isabelle at iclements@ascension-parish.com
Barbara is the Library / Technology teacher. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Louisville. She also has an Associate’s Degree in Data Processing Technology from Speed Scientific School at UofL. She was a volunteer in Ascension’s Library for 12 years and a substitute teacher. Barbara is a parishioner at Ascension. She has been married to Tom for 28 years and has two children, Lauren and Madison. She enjoys walking, hiking and traveling.
You can reach Barbara at bwagner@ascension-parish.com
Megan is returning to teaching after a five-year stint at St. Martha where she served as the school’s PE and Health teacher. Megan graduated from Western Kentucky University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Family Science and a master’s degree in Recreation and Sport Administration. Previously, she attended Sacred Heart Academy and is a graduate of Ascension (2001). In her free time, she enjoys coaching her kids sport teams and spending time with her family.
You can reach Megan at msoverns@ascension-parish.com
Joshua is a native of Rochester, NY, and has lived in Louisville only since August 2021. With a bachelor’s of science in music education from Roberts Wesleyan College in western New York, and a master’s of music from Florida State University, Joshua has performed as a trombonist in professional ensembles throughout Indiana and Kentucky and as soloist in concert and at universities in recital. Joshua is also an active writer and has had several short stories and essays published. He enjoys red pandas, reading, baseball and football, and family movie nights with his wife and children.
You can reach Josh at jbritton@ascension-parish.com
Mrs. Kellie Hood, born and raised in Louisville, earned her B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Brescia College in 1998 at which time she began her teaching career. In May of 2005, Mrs. Hood earned her M.S. in Elementary Education from Indiana University Southeast. In 2010, she earned her Rank I in Instructional Leadership from Bellarmine University. In over a twenty-year span in Catholic education, she has served in numerous capacities including teacher grades K-6, assistant principal, principal, and learning coordinator.
Mrs. Hood is committed to Catholic education and its importance in shaping young lives. She cherishes spending time with both her extended and immediate family which includes her husband David, and their children Robin and Nash.
You can reach Kellie at khood@ascension-parish.com
Jim Grider attended Chenoweth Elementary and graduated from Waggener High School. He has three children, Mary Ann, Patricia and Sid, Jr. and eight grandchildren. Jim has worked as the maintenance supervisor at Ascension since 1999. When not at Ascension, Jim enjoys Nascar Racing and spending time with his grandchildren.