Knightly News

Please join us in welcoming the newest members of our Episcopal community.

Lower School

Dr. Michelle Grantham-Caston - Lower School Assistant Head

Dr. Michelle Grantham-Caston serves as the Episcopal Lower School Assistant Division Head. Dr. Grantham-Caston earned a doctorate, master's and bachelor’s degree in curriculum and instruction, early childhood education from Louisiana State University. Before joining Episcopal, Dr. Grantham-Caston was the Director of the LSU Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool. She has been published in a variety of publications such as “Infant Mental Health Journal” and “A Journal of the International Literacy Association’s Language Experiences Special Interest Group.” Dr. Grantham-Caston has received grants from a variety of organizations, such as the Nora Roberts Foundation, Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the Academic Distinction Fund. She is an adjunct faculty member of Baton Rouge Community College and an LSU instructor. Dr. Grantham-Caston has consulted and presented extensively regarding early childhood best practices. She is actively involved in her community, serving in various roles including on the Louisiana Early Learning and Development Standards Review Committee, on the Louisiana Department of Education Teacher Leader Advisory Committee and as an LSU Distinguished Communicator Review Panelist. Dr. Grantham-Caston is a member of the Child Care Association of Louisiana, the National Association for the Education of Young Children and  a Louisiana Farm to School member.

Gregory Snee - Lower School PE Teacher

Gregory Snee served as an Episcopal permanent substitute teacher, varsity football assistant coach, fifth and sixth grade flag football coach and eighth grade assistant basketball coach before joining the school full time as a Lower School PE teacher. Snee is a well-known Baton Rouge bowler, holding the record for the youngest bowler to bowl at 300 in Louisiana, the record high scorer in the  Baton Rouge City Tournament and a three-time Baton Rouge City Champion. Snee is a two-time “The Advocate Star of Stars” bowling athlete honoree and a 2012 Top 100 High School Bowler in the Country. In addition to his success on the lanes, Snee was also a high school all-district football player. Snee earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies – history, sports studies, kinesiology from Louisiana State University.

Morgane Spence - Lower School French

A native French speaker, Morgane Spence began teaching in 2001 in France. Throughout her career, she has shared her love of the French language and culture with college students, adults and children. Spence was the French immersion teacher at Baton Rouge Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet for 14 years. At FLAIM, she adapted Louisiana curriculum for an immersion setting, teaching math, science, social studies and French. Spence earned a master's degree in cognitive psychology and a bachelor's degree in French as a foreign language from the University of Nantes in France.

Jenifer Vinci - 1st Grade Teacher

Jenifer Vinci has extensive experience in early childhood education, including time as an Episcopal PreK lead teacher, PreK aid/co-teacher, kindergarten aid/creative expression and substitute teacher. In 2023, Vinci joined the Episcopal Lower School team as a first grade teacher. Prior to that, she taught in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and served as a bilingual kindergarten teacher in Dallas, Texas. Vinci is proficient in the responsive classroom method and participated in the Master Teacher Program through the Academic Distinction Fund and Exxon. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from the University of Memphis.

Middle School

Katie Carpenter, LCSW - Middle School Counselor

Katie Carpenter, LCSW has dedicated her career to working with children and youth and making a positive impact on their lives. Katie has served children and families at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital and the St. Jude-affiliated clinic. As a hospital social worker, she assisted patients and families in understanding a diagnosis and treatment options and educated patients and families on community resources. Prior to this, Katie worked with the Department of Children and Family Services. She earned a Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University, including a Graduate Certificate in Children and Youth Services, and a Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern Louisiana University in Social Work.

Tashawnda Jamison - Middle School Math Teacher

Tashawnda Jamison has extensive classroom experience, including six years at Ascension Christian High School, where she taught Middle and Upper School math. Jamison was the high school math lead teacher, providing her the opportunity to create and implement professional development for the department. In addition to teaching, Jamison was the BETA organization's assistant sponsor and assistant varsity cheer coach. She is a certified dual enrollment math facilitator for Southeastern Louisiana University, a Who’s Who Among American Teachers honoree and the Alliance Christian School Teacher of the Year. Jamison earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in STEAM from the University of San Diego and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics with an emphasis in Statistics and a minor in Dance from Old Dominion University. Originally from Virginia, Jamison and her husband Alton have two children, Madison and Joshua. 

Emily Nikolaus '00 - Middle School Science Teacher

Emily Nikolaus is a 2000 graduate of Episcopal who brings a wealth of classroom experience to her alma mater. Nikolaus earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Louisiana State University. Since 2005, she has served as an educator, creating a comprehensive and well-rounded curriculum to meet the needs of all learning styles. Most recently, Nikolaus was an upper elementary teacher at St. James Episcopal Day School teaching fifth grade science.

Ben Young - Middle School Math Teacher/Head Boys Basketball Coach

In the spring of 2023, Episcopal named veteran coach Ben Young as the new Head Boys Basketball Coach. Young joined the Knights after two successful seasons as the head coach of the Salmen High School Spartans in Slidell. The Spartans were co-district champions and made it to the second round of the state playoffs. Young previously served as the Knights’ assistant varsity/head JV boys basketball coach. For a decade, Young was the head coach for Runnels High School, winning 145 games over the final seven seasons. Young led the Raiders to a 2019/2020 state championship game where they finished as the state runner-up. In addition to coaching basketball, Young was the Runnels High School baseball coach. Young earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics: Secondary Education from Bryan College and was a four-year member of the Bryan College baseball team. In addition to coaching, Young will teach Middle School math.

Upper School

Melissa Easley - Upper School English Teacher

Melissa Easley joins the Upper School English faculty after nearly two decades of studying literature and writing. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Mississippi University for Women. In addition, Melissa has a Master of Teaching, Secondary English and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Louisiana State University. In July 2023, Melissa was the Writer in Residence at the Fairhope Center for the Writing Arts in Fairhope, Alabama. She also earned the AP Capstone Research Certification from Colorado Education Institute. Most recently, Melissa was the Literacy Coach at Liberty Magnet High School. In her tenure at Liberty, she also served as an ELA teacher, the English Department Chair and a Mentor Teacher. Melissa was a Teacher of the Year Nominee three years in a row and helped develop a community summer reading program and a writing center.

Robby Hernandez - Upper School Math Teacher

As a member of Teacher for America, Robby Hernandez served as a math and computer science teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio. In this role, he boosted student participation in AP Calculus and AP Computer Science and increased the number of students enrolled in computer science courses by 500%. In addition, Hernandez has been an esports coach since 2019, leading teams to the top 8 in the state for Smash Bros. and Rocket League and the top 2 in Region 20. Hernandez earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a minor in Cognitive Science from Trinity University and a Master of Arts in Teaching with a focus on Mathematics from the Relay Graduate School of Education. Hernandez was a Thomas Jefferson High School Teacher of the Year Nominee and is a Level 2 Google Certified Educator. He has been featured on “Good Morning San Antonio” for his work in esports. 

Adam Rowe - Upper School Social Studies Teacher

Adam Rowe began teaching in 1998 at Grand Haven Senior High School in Grand Haven, Michigan. Since that time, he has excelled as an educator. Rowe was most recently a history teacher at Zachary High School. Prior to that, he taught Middle and Upper School students for 20 years in Mandeville. Rowe was recognized as the 2013 Lakeshore High School Teacher of the Year, the 2013 American Legion of Lacombe Social Studies Teacher of the Year and earned numerous Teacher of the Month awards. He is active beyond the classroom as a chess club sponsor, fifth grade volleyball coach and high school soccer and golf coach. Rowe has also organized school participation in the Louisiana Model United Nations and Youth Legislator.

Cross Divisional

Ginny Barr, LMSW - Service Learning Coordinator

As the Service Learning Coordinator, Ginny Barr, LMSW works with school administrators to develop partnerships with local and international service organizations to integrate service learning into the Episcopal curriculum and co-curricular activities. Ginny earned a master’s degree through the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work, where she focused on community and administrative leadership and nonprofit management. In addition, she has a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Ginny also participated in the Institute of Shipboard Education through the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea Program, where she studied abroad in South America, South Africa and Asia. Ginny has nearly two decades of experience working with youth and developing community coalitions. Most recently, she was the Director of the Centene Center for Health Transformation for Centene Corporation in Austin, Texas. In this role, she managed strategic planning, outreach, collaboration with university partners, monitoring and budgets, and worked closely with students, faculty, non-profits and community partners.