Teachers in 3rd Grade



Patti Marshall 



This is my 7th year at GWA and my 11th year teaching. I began my career in Washington County School District where a taught 1st grade for four years before moving to California. I returned after one year and began working at GWA. I love the charter school environment and our Core Knowledge Curriculum! My degree is in Elementary Education, with special focus areas of ESL, English, and Gifted and Talented Education. I have a Masters in Teacher Leadership. I love encouraging children to be thoughtful and strive for the best they can be. I have two grown children, one that lives in Northern California and one that lives here in St. George. My mom lives here, too.  I love spending time hiking, camping, and playing pickleball when I’m not working.
I am so looking forward to a wonderful new school year!


Room #120
pmarshall@gwacademy.org
Kari McCoy
This is my 7th year at GWA and my 20th year teaching. I began my career in Alpine School District at Eaglecrest Elementary where a taught 1st grade and Reading Recovery, for ten years before moving to California. There I was employed at an amazing charter school teaching 2nd and 3rd grade. Education, the teaching/learning process, and kids have always been my passion. I continually strive to stay abreast of current teaching strategies and look forward to the challenges and joys of each new year. I have a minor in music and integrate the power of music into my teaching whenever possible. I will be co-directing the school choir this year, and am excited to share my love of performance with all students here at GWA. When I am not teaching, you will find me spending time with my husband Darryl, and our combined 7 children ages 19-27. They are my best friends and we have a blast together! I feel it an honor to work at such an excellent school and am looking forward to a spectacular year!
Room #126
kmccoy@gwacademy.org 
Tiana Schoney
    I am entering my 1st full year of teaching at GWA and my 6th year as a teacher. Cedar City is my home town and I grew up doing gymnastics. I graduated from Southern Utah University and since then I have taught 2nd and 3rd grade in Las Vegas in a public and a charter school.  I moved to St. George in January and took over a 3rd grade class. I am passionate about teaching children to love reading and writing as much as I do. 
    This summer I got married to my husband Kyle, and we enjoy traveling, wakeboarding, rock climbing, and reading together. Some of my favorite things are Harry Potter, Disney, and doing anything outside!
    I'm eager to start the school year and I am proud to work at such a rigorous and engaging school!

Room #128
tschoney@gwacademy.org

 Jeff LaDow
My name is Jeff LaDow. I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio. I obtained my Bachelor’s degree from Kent State University, however the most important thing I gained from Kent State was my wife, Jessica LaDow. We have been married for 4 years now. We have a wonderful son Reuben, and are expecting our first daughter in a couple months at the end of October. Our family is rounded out by our two dogs, Capri and Chloe. I have been a teacher for two years, although this is my first year at GWA. I have taught 4th and 5th grade Math and Science, as well as 7th grade Computing. We moved to St. George about a year ago and absolutely love it. The people here are so nice and welcoming. I have fallen in love with pickleball in my short time here.(Pickleball doesn’t exist in Ohio) I am looking forward to an amazing year with my 3rd graders and can’t wait to make amazing memories.

Room #125
jladow@gwacademy.org

Jocelyn Larkin
I grew up here in St. George and I've lived here for most of my life.  It's a beautiful place to raise a family.  I have five children Tanner (19), Jacob (16), Nathan (13), Lauren (11), and Jens (7).  Tanner is currently serving an LDS mission in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, and the other four are still at home.  I graduated from BYU--GO COUGS!!!  My family and husband keep me up on anything BYU related.  Shortly after I graduated, Tanner was born, and I decided to stay home and raise my family.  Four of my children have been through this school and I have loved having them attend here.  I've worked the last two years as a substitute and fell in love with teaching. This year I am so excited to be teaching 3rd grade! It's a dream come true for me!  Some of my interests include music, reading, hiking, and going to many sporting events to watch my children play.  I've taught piano lessons for the last ten years and now only teach my own children. My happy place is in the mountains and especially love Pine Valley. One thing I get asked all the time is, "How tall and you?!"  I'm 6 feet 2 inches.  No, I never played basketball or volleyball. My husband and children all are tall and they all play basketball and soccer.

Room #127
jlarkin@gwacademy.org