Teacher Bio's

Tresa Vernon, Principal

I have worked in both the Private School and Public School sectors since 1987.  I have worked for the same group of schools for the past 17 years (Country Beginnings, Royal Palm, and Oakwood Academy).  I have been with Royal Palm Charter School since February of 2000 when it was still on paper.  I started teaching kindergarten at Royal Palm when the doors opened that fall.  Then in the fall of 2006 I started my administration position at Royal Palm.  

My personal education background consists of an Associate of Science Degree from Mississippi Gulfcoast Community College, Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Central Florida.  I have also taken classes from the University of Southern Mississippi and BCC in Melbourne.  I have a Professional Educators Certificate for the state of Florida (Pre-K through 6).  I am also certified in Early Childhood, DIBELS, Clinical Educator Training, CPR and AED (Adult, Child, and Infant), Basic First Aid, and Brevard County Health Department Medication Administration Trained.  I have also been Certified/trained in Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, Core Knowledge, Microsoft Word and Excel (Classes at BCC), Guided Reading through Staff Development for Educators, Mortensen Math, CELLA for ESOL Screening, and FCAT Trained through Brevard County School Board.  I am currently working on ESOL Endorsement (I have taken 3 of the 5 classes plus the Administrators class).

My husband and I have been married for 23 years.  We have two children.  A son named Garrett.  He is 20 years old and a sophomore in college working on a degree in computer engineering.  I also have a daughter, Jenny, who is 17 years old.  She is a dueled enrolled junior at Palm Bay High working on a degree in education. 

In my free time I love to read, quilt, and sew.  I also love to travel. (That might come from being a “Navy Brat”).  Then on those rainy days, I enjoy watching old movies especially westerns.
 

Barbara Berman, Music

My students call me "Mrs. B.", and I teach Royal Palm Charter Music K-6.  Royal Palm offers a music club in the fall and is followed by a school-wide Holiday Program.  Recorders are used in grade 3-6. Students have music class once a week. 

I believe all students can enjoy and succeed with music!  I have taught elementary music education since 1995.  I graduated from University of Central Florida with a Bachelors Degree in Music Education.  On a personal note, my lovely husband of 11 years is Peter Berman.  We have two children.  Jessica who is 7, attends Royal Palm, and Nicholas is 3.  We have a cat named Hobbes. I like to spend time with family, play piano, dance, and swim.
 

Cindy Selikoff, Art

I have taught art at Royal Palm for six years. I have taught the gifted class for five years.  I am married to Jim, and have three grown children. The youngest, Sam, is a senior at the University of Florida. I am originally from Connecticut, but have lived in Florida since 1996. I enjoy visiting my grandchildren, reading, and long walks.

As an art teacher I believe every child has much greater potential in the visual arts than most of them realize. I strive to teach them to both understand, and produce works of art. The Core Knowledge curriculum integrates other disciplines into the visual arts, such as history and science. Royal Palm is a unique school, and I consider it a privilege to be a part of it.
 

Jennifer Weber, Physical Education

I have been teaching Physical Education at Royal Palm Charter School since August 2002.  I received my degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa.  I am married and have 2 beautiful daughters, Micah, 12 years old, and Madison, 9 years old.  I believe that a physically active life-style should be promoted at a young age and maintained through out the years.  It is my hope that every child feels successful while participating in a variety of activities and possesses a positive self image, both mentally and physically.
 

Amy Rodriguez, ESE

My name is Amy Rodriguez and I am very happy to be the ESE teacher at Royal Palm Charter School this year.  I am married and have a wonderful 6 year old son who always keeps me “on my toes”.  Two years ago my family and I relocated from Miami to Palm Bay.  We are very excited about our move and love it here in Palm Bay.

I received my Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Florida International University in Miami.   Upon graduating in 1994, I began working for a private school in Miami.  After working with various elementary grade levels, I began to teach in a “Bilingual Immersion” kindergarten class at that same private school.  Seeing those children flourish in a second language was a true joy for me. 

I have always enjoyed teaching children because of their enthusiasm and willingness to learn.  It is my goal to see all of the students in my classes triumph and reach their full potential.  

 

Betty Henning, Kindergarten

I joined the Royal Palm staff in January 2008 as one of the Kindergarten teachers after moving from Iowa in December 2007.  I grew up in Minnesota and attended Bemidji State University, just 40 miles north of where the mighty Mississippi River begins.  I have taught Music, 4th grade, 1st grade and now Kindergarten throughout my 22 years of teaching.  I have had the pleasure of working and living in the wonderful states of Minnesota, Arizona, Iowa and now the great Sunshine State of Florida.  

I have been married to my husband John for 24 years and have 4 children, 3 boys and a girl.  Our oldest son, Nicholas, lives here in Melbourne and our 3rd child, Adam is a sophomore in college at SMSU in Marshall, MN.  Our daughter graduated from college in May and joined us here in West Melbourne, (you might know her as Miss Henning, 2nd grade teacher here at Royal Palm :0) ). Our youngest son, Sam, is a 7th grader at Central Middle School in West Melbourne. 

We love the beautiful Florida weather and don’t miss the snow and ice at all!  We also enjoy football and baseball and love watching the Minnesota Vikings and Twins games.   
 

Michele McCormack, Kindergarten

I’m thrilled to be a member of the Royal Palm Family. It is truly a pleasure to be working with such an amazing group of dedicated professionals, wonderful parents and such motivated students. I hope the students are enjoying school as much as I am! 

I grew up as an Air Force Brat, so I’ve been all over this great country of ours. When I was in 7th grade we finally ‘landed’ here in Palm Bay. I attended Southwest Jr. High (the first year it opened) and then graduated from Palm Bay High School in 1994. After obtaining my AA from BCC, I attended Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL. In 1999 I graduated from Flagler with my double major in Elementary Education and Deaf Education and began my teaching career. In 2000 I married my high school sweetheart, Mike, and in 2002 we started adding to our family. We have two great kids, a son and a daughter, and in fact our son attends Royal Palm as well. He is thriving and we couldn’t be happier about his educational experience here. Currently I’m working toward my MA in Educational Technology from the University of Florida and hopefully will complete the program within a year. 
 

Kelly Hambidge, First Grade

I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. After I graduated, I taught in Ida, Michigan until I moved to Florida in 2002.  I worked in the private tutoring sector until coming to Royal Palm in the fall of 2006.

I live in Suntree with my husband, Paul and our calico cat Morgan.  In my free time I enjoy reading, biking, boating, gardening, traveling and spending time with my family.
 

Susan Hutchinson, First Grade

I'm Susan Hutchinson and this is the eighth year I have had the pleasure to work with and teach the children at Royal Palm Charter School.  I have been teaching for 32 years in the public, private and now the charter school sector.  I really like the Core Knowledge Curriculum - both for the depth of learning at an early level and the opportunities it gives for creative teaching.
 
I believe all children can learn.  It is part of my job to help them make the most of their abilities and to help them become helpful and caring classroom citizens.
 
I have an under graduate degree in Elem. Ed. and a Master Degree in Specific Learning Disabilities.  I live in Melbourne Beach with my husband Ed and my son Ian.  We are not native Floridians, but have grown to love both its natural beauty and the unique environment.  I enjoy reading, gardening, beachcombing, and being with my family.
 

Meghan Henning, Second Grade

My name is Meghan Henning and I am new to Royal Palm Charter School this year.  I am also new to the Palm Bay area.  This summer I relocated from Mankato, MN to West Melbourne.  I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN with an emphasis in Math and Social Studies.  I am very excited to be teaching second grade!  My goals as a teacher are to open children up to new learning experiences, challenge their strengths while developing weaknesses, and guide them in their enthusiasm to learn. 

I have lived a number of places in my life.  I was born in Minnesota, moved to Arizona for ten years, and then relocated to Iowa before attending college in Minnesota.  In my spare time I enjoy reading, scrapbooking, playing piano, and shopping.  I am a die hard Minnesota Twins fan and I try to catch rare games on TV. 
  

Linda White, Second Grade

I began my teaching career in a small town in Illinois.  I taught students in grades 1-8 in a Title I reading program and then a second and third grade combined classroom before moving to Florida.  I taught pre-kindergarten for several years in a private school here in Palm Bay as my children were growing up. When Royal Palm began, I taught kindergarten for three years and then began teaching second grade, which is my current position here at Royal Palm. I am married with two children.  My son is currently at UNF, and my daughter graduated from UF and Washington University in St. Louis and is currently working at an architectural firm in Melbourne. My husband is a CPA in Melbourne.

I enjoy teaching children because of their enthusiasm and curiosity.  I believe in challenging them to use their strengths and helping them grow and develop their weaknesses.  I’m not perfect and I don’t expect them to be, but I do expect them to not be afraid to make a mistake.  I tell them their mistakes are my way of learning how to do a better job, to help me know what I still need to teach them.  I also believe that the school and home must work together to help our children grow.  We have the same goal--to help our children grow to their fullest potential and to be caring, responsible individuals who can contribute in a positive way to our society.
 

Crystal Leonard, Third Grade

I am very excited to be teaching third grade here at Royal Palm Charter. I grew up in Vero Beach and moved to Omaha, Nebraska to attend Grace University, where I received my Bachelors in Elementary Education with a minor in Bible. While in college I taught Early Childhood, different ages and also lead classroom management workshops where I would train teachers. I have been teaching on the elementary level for 3 years now, as I have recently moved from the private school setting to teach in public.
 
I have been married over a year and have recently had my first child. Her name is Presley and she is the love of my life. Being a mommy is the most rewarding feeling I have ever had...oh and of course I love being married too!! :)
 
Teaching children on all levels is a passion of mine; I enjoy watching the "lightbulb" go on when they understand something. It's my goal to better the world one child at a time!
 

Miss Heipp, Fourth Grade

Shannon Shupe, Fifth Grade

I was born and raised in Melbourne, Florida.  I found my way to Gainesville when I went to the University of Florida to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. 

Immediately out of school, I took a position planning conferences for a network of CPAs.  Still searching for my niche, I found my way to the North Central Florida March of Dimes where I was the Youth Development Director for two years.  In this position I worked with elementary, middle, and high school students to educate them about healthy lifestyles and raise funds to help further the March of Dimes’ mission of helping to save babies.  Although this position was closer to what I was looking for, it still did not completely satisfy my desire to work with kids.  That is what led me to the SITE program.Project SITE (Site-based Implementation of Teacher Education) is collaboration between the University of Florida and Alachua County Schools.  The program is designed for students with experience in fields outside of education. After I completed my Master’s program in Elementary Education my husband and I decided to come back home to Melbourne to be closer to our family.  In December, we celebrated our sixth anniversary and we have a 3 year old daughter, Erin and ten-month old son, Brody. I worked as the Managing Director at Huntington Learning Center for the two years prior to joining the Royal Palm staff.  My responsibilities included assessing students, creating academic programs, training teachers, and conferencing with parents.  I believe this experience has given me a great foundation for the classroom.

Kelly Giesecke, Sixth Grade

My name is Kelly Giesecke and this is my fifth year teaching. I was born in New York and raised right here in Melbourne. I received my Bachelor of Science degree from the Florida State University in Child Development in 2004 and my Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a reading specialization this year from the University of Central Florida. I am a die hard Seminoles fan and Seminole Booster with the FSU Alumni Association.

In my spare time, I enjoy the gym and the beach as well as reading political history books (now that I have time as my master's degree is finished!). I have an 8 pound MinPin-Chihuahua puppy named Lilly who is spoiled rotten. I look forward to a planned trip to Europe next summer for two weeks as a celebration of finishing my master's degree.
 
Go Noles!