Elementary Teachers

Meet our Elementary Core Teachers

Abigail Cooner, Kindergarten

Mrs. Cooner graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and an Early Childhood through 6th Grade teaching certification. She is also certified in English as a Second Language and spent time teaching abroad in Mexico and London.

Mrs. Cooner has experience teaching in Head Start, Kindergarten, and Second Grade. She taught most recently in FWISD for two years before joining CLPS in 2018.

Mrs. Cooner and her husband got married in 2015 and moved to Fort Worth. They are involved with the young adult and children’s ministry at Antioch Community Church. Their daughter, Julianna was born in 2019. When Mrs. Cooner isn’t teaching, or chasing Julie around, she enjoys reading, DIY projects, and anything outdoors.

Lisa Ernest, Kindergarten and First Grade

Mrs. Ernest graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science in Education in May of 1990, taught for six years for FWISD, and invested 19 years homeschooling her three children. The knowledge she gained homeschooling far exceeded anything she had learned anywhere else.

Her family came to CLPS when her oldest son was in fifth grade and her middle daughter was in third (2008). Over time, the Ernests took more and more classes and enjoyed the fellowship and the comradery that CLPS offers. She began teaching Art 1 in 2017.

Mrs. Ernest met her husband, Phil, at the University of Oklahoma. Before they married, they and a group of around ten others, moved to Fort Worth to be a part of Hope Church, where they are still members. They were married in 1993 and have three children. Ryan and Anna have both graduated from CLPS and Rosalie will graduate in 2025.

Emily Burt, Kindergarten

Mrs. Burt graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler with a Bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and is certified in Early Childhood through 6th grade education, K-12th grade Special Education, and English as a Second Language.

Mrs. Burt began teaching at CLPS in 2020. She taught Kindergarten for five years prior to joining CLPS in public and private education.

Mrs. Burt and her husband married in 2020 and live in Fort Worth. They are members of Antioch Community Church where they serve in the young adult ministry and she serves in the children's ministry. Mrs. Burt loves working on home and yard projects with her husband, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying a day at the lake on their boat.

April Smith, First Grade

Mrs. Smith graduated from Texas Womens University with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education.

Mrs. Smith taught 2nd grade in the Crowley ISD for 5 years, then became a Reading Specialist in the Everman ISD for 1 year. After having children and staying home for 12 years, she began teaching First Grade at CLPS in 2016.

Mrs. Smith is the wife of Larry Smith, and has three children: Connor, Cason, & Jocelyn. She is an active member of her church, serving in the Middle School Ministry as a girls small group leader. When she is not teaching, some of Mrs. Smith's hobbies include time at the lake, camping, spending time with friends, bargain shopping and flea markets!

Jenn Pope, Second Grade

Mrs. Pope studied education at TCU and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Development and Family Studies from UNT. Mrs. Pope is certified in elementary education (K-4), Special Education (K-12), and English as a Second Language.

Mrs. Pope joined the staff of CLPS in 2016 after teaching 11 years in public education. She has experience working with all primary grades, special education, and ESL students. Mrs. Pope most loves teaching Second Grade at CLPS.

Mrs. Pope lives in Burleson with her husband and four children and attends 7 City Church in Fort Worth. Her husband Andrew is also an educator. They enjoy spending time at the ballpark, trying new restaurants, listening to live music, and participating in their church small group.

Camille Johanson, Third Grade

Mrs. Johanson received a B.S. in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas. She is certified in ESL, Reading, and Gifted and Talented.

She always wanted to teach young children, and has been teaching for more than twenty years. She began teaching at CLPS in 2009 after teaching at various private and public schools in Texas and New York. In her words, "CLPS has blessed my family in so many ways. I enjoy being a part of this ministry."

She has been married to Roger Johanson since 1998. She has three children, one who graduated from CLPS and one who still attends.

She grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and our family currently lives in Crowley, Texas. She enjoy spending time with her family, friends and various pets.

Brook Campbell, Fourth Grade & Drama

Mrs. Campbell graduated from Texas Wesleyan University with a degree in Elementary Education (1-8) with a specialization in Theatre. She has completed course work from TWU and SMU in philosophy for children and gifted education.

Mrs. Campbell began working at CLPS in 2017 after retiring from 29 years in the Mansfield ISD where she taught grades 1-4 and was a gifted and talented specialist and a curriculum writer and trainer.

Mrs. Campbell has been married to her high school sweetheart since 1988. She and her husband have raised three delightful young men Cody, Luke and Samuel. Mrs. Campbell is a partner at Hulen Street Church where she and her husband share in the children's ministry.

Anna Tarpley, Fourth Grade & 6th Math

Ms. Tarpley graduated from high school at Christian Life Preparatory School and went on to complete her Bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Arlington in Interdisciplinary Studies (Biology and Classics). During her last year of college, she began work on her state certification and completed her training hours.

Ms. Tarpley has always enjoyed working with and teaching children, beginning with her six younger siblings. Having attended Christian Life Preparatory School with them, she has benefited from the opportunities that arise from participating in the education of a family. While completing her degree at the University of Texas at Arlington and working on her state certification, she continued to work with children, teaching for the STAR program, tutoring for the ACT and SAT, and instructing at fiddle camps.

Ms. Tarpley enjoys being with her six siblings and parents and attends St. John's Orthodox Church. She likes to read, paint, garden, and play violin in her spare time.

Emily Scheffler, Fifth Grade

Emily Scheffler received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Reading from Dallas Baptist University in 2001. She classically educated her four children at home for K-6th grades before enrolling them at CLPS for 7th-12th grades. She has been part of the Christian Life Preparatory School teaching team since 2016.

Mrs. Scheffler married her high school sweetheart, Matt, in 2000 and they are currently raising their four children, Noah, Caleb, Hudson and Annie. In her free time, Mrs. Scheffler loves cheering on her kids in sports, serving alongside her husband at their new church plant, Christ Fellowship Bible Church, and sharing a home cooked meal with loved ones.

Clay Carpenter, Sixth Grade History

Mr. Carpenter graduated from Tarleton State University with a Bachelors in History in 2015. He earned a Masters of Arts in Archaeology and Biblical Studies in 2018 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Archaeology with a minor in Early Christianity at the same institution.

Mr. Carpenter works as a Graduate Assistant at Southwestern Baptist Theological, which he began in 2017. He has taught small groups at local churches as well as a series of lectures at the seminary. Mr. Carpenter started teaching at CLPS in 2019.

Mr. Carpenter is currently a member of Christ Chapel Bible Church and Northside Baptist Church in Weatherford, TX. Mr. Carpenter's favorite hobbies include riding horses and roping. In past, Mr. Carpenter participated in college, amateur and professional rodeos in the event of Team Roping. He also enjoys going on archaeological excavations which he does every summer. Mr. Carpenter has excavated ancient sites in Cyprus, Israel, and Kazakhstan. He also enjoys reading, teaching, traveling, ping-pong, and watching the Rangers.

Jennifer Carter, Sixth Grade Math & History

Mrs. Carter graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and obtained her teaching license for grades 1-8.

Mrs. Carter began her teaching career in El Paso where she taught K-6 PE and 2nd grade. She moved back to the DFW area where she taught 2nd grade for 3 years then to Virginia where she taught 4th grade. Mrs. Carter has also taught in another university model school as well as spending a few precious years teaching in a homeschool co-op that her children attended. She joined CLPS in 2021 as a member of the ASC team and a substitute teacher.

Mrs. Carter is married to her high school sweetheart, Robert. They have 3 children Bo, Brody, and Zoe. The Carters are active members of Stonewater Church in Granbury where they love to teach the 2-year-old class on Sunday mornings and hold a weekly adult Bible study in their home. In her spare time Mrs. Carter loves to read and bake.

Caleb Grant, Sixth Grade English

Mr. Grant graduated from UT Dallas where he majored in Literary Studies with a focus on Romanticism. He is currently pursuing his Masters in English.

Mr. Grant has taught at CLPS since 2021.

Mr. Grant and his wife, Liesl, were born and raised in Fort Worth. They have one son, August George, and attend River Point Church.

Lisa Jones, Sixth Grade Science

Mrs. Jones graduated from University of Texas with a B.S. in Biology and previously worked as a Forensic Biologist in a crime-lab setting for both the Fort Worth Police Department and Dallas County.

She joined 6th grade team in 2019 as the Life Science teacher. Her family has been at CLPS since 2016; She has been involved with the school in various positions during this time and currently also serves as the parent work team coordinator. Before coming to CLPS, she spent one year as a third-grade teacher and five years as a Pre-K teacher in a faith-based setting, including First Methodist in Burleson and Saint Andrew Catholic School in Fort Worth. She has also developed, implemented, and taught a Forensic Biology course for Mansfield ISD high school students.

Mrs. Jones is married to a professional firefighter and they have three boys, Dylan, Hayden, and Jarod. They feel blessed to be able to have their boys in private, faith-based, education for the majority of their schooling. As a family they are very involved at their church Our Mother of Mercy Catholic serving in a variety of roles such as, ushers, hospitality, livestream, and alter serving, along with attending bible studies and prayer groups. Mrs. Jones enjoys watching movies as a family, playing games, being involved in share groups at church, and time with friends either going for coffee or out to eat. She would definitely call herself a people person.

Amy Thom, Sixth Grade English

Mrs. Amy Thom graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU) with a B.S. in Speech Communications, Cum Laude. She was a NCAA women's golf scholarship athlete for both University of Texas and TCU, competing in both Big 12 and National Championships.

Mrs. Thom has taught High School Speech and Debate & P.E. at Brazos Christian School in College Station. She also taught, The Essentials of the English Language for Classical Conversations, homeschooled 4 children over the last 10+ years and will begin her teaching career at CLPS in the fall of 2020.

Amy is married to Jeff Thom and has 4 children. She is an active member at Fort Worth Presbyterian Church, and enjoys reading, running, biking, hiking, and the occasional golf game. Mrs. Thom enjoys sharing the gospel to her neighborhood kids and is the "neighborhood momma." She has lived overseas and enjoys international travel.

Meet our Elementary Elective Teachers

Jodi Crowell, Physical Education

Mrs. Crowell graduated from Abilene Christian University with a degree in Social Work. She later received her Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Mrs. Crowell began teaching Physical Education at CLPS in 2017. She homeschooled her three children for ten years prior to coming to CLPS.

Mr. and Mrs. Crowell have three children who have all attended CLPS. They enjoy camping and spending time with their large extended family and friends. The Crowells have been attending Christ Chapel Church.

Lydia Laughbaum, Art

Mrs. Laughbaum received a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Howard Payne University and a Master's degree in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Seminary.

Prior to having children, Mrs. Laughbaum taught four years of third grade in the public school system. Her children started at CLPS during their elementary years and both graduated from this school. When her youngest child started college, Mrs. Laughbaum began teaching Art III at CLPS.

She and her husband are members of Hope Church in Fort Worth where she has worked with the children's ministry since 1988. Their daughter, Rebekah, is married and lives in Colorado while their son, Timothy, is in process of finishing college. She enjoys cooking and gardening and occasionally finds the time to read a good mystery!

Brenda Jones, Art

Mrs. Jones graduated from Tabor College with a B.A. in Business Communications.

Mrs. Jones served as an assistant Art III teacher at CLPS in 2021 and has supported the school in other areas.

Mrs. Jones met her husband, Bryan, while they were in college. They have two daughters who are current students at CLPS. As a family they enjoy camping, traveling and spending time together. Mrs. Jones enjoys baking, gardening, crocheting and reading a good historical fiction book. The Jones family attends Christ Fellowship Bible Church and have previously served in Children's Ministry.

Katie Sutton, Music

Mrs. Sutton graduated from Liberty University with a B.S. in English Literature.

Mrs. Sutton began her teaching career at Tattnall Square Academy in Macon, Georgia. She taught general elementary music as well as honor choir. After a move to Atlanta, she taught preschool music at Mountain Park First Baptist Preschool. She spent 15 years as a volunteer church children’s choir director in both Georgia and Tennessee and has served as a seminar speaker for children’s music education at various conferences. She joined CLPS in 2022 as the elementary general music teacher.

Mrs. Sutton married her best friend and college sweetheart, Josh, in 2006, and they have three children, Sophie, Zoe, and Ethan. They attend Christ Chapel Bible Church, and they are involved with the children’s and middle school choir ministry and MusiCamp. Mrs. Sutton enjoys writing children’s music, gardening, reading, and watercolor art, but her main hobby is her family.