Shining Stars Academy
Preschool
Making a difference - one child at a time
About Miss Sam
Miss Sam has over 26 years of experience as a Preschool teacher. A native of Las Vegas, NV, Miss Sam attended Community College of Southern Nevada for 2 years, with a major in Elementary Education. While living in Henderson, NV, Miss Sam owned and operated Shining Stars Academy's Nevada location, as well as working with Henderson Parks and Recreation, teaching 15 classes to young children ranging in age from 18 months to 5 years. In the Summer of 2008 Sam moved to the Holladay area, where she worked with Granite School District Preschool for 1 year. Taking what she learned from her experience in the public school system, and building upon it, Miss Sam opened her doors to Shining Stars Academy's Utah location in the fall of 2009. As more years passed, the once home-based location quickly became too small. Eager to meet the demands of a growing business, and excited with the opportunity to touch more lives, Miss Sam was excited to open the commercial location in August 2016.
In addition to her teaching career, Miss Sam coached and directed the State-winning Morningside Elementary Chess Club for two years. She has also worked with Utah Future Problem Solvers for 4 years and has coached several problem solving teams and individuals, including a Community Problem Solving team whose year-long Homeless Children's project was awarded the Award of Distinction at the Utah State FPS Bowl. Sam also served on the Utah State FPS Board as the Scenario Director.
A mother of 4 and a devoted wife, Miss Sam loves children and is excited to meet you to discuss your early childhood education needs.
Miss Sam is licensed with the City of Holladay and the State of Utah, is trained in Pediatric First Aid and CPR, and is Food Handler's Certified
I encourage you to come in and talk to me as you make this important decision in your child’s life.
About Miss Faith
In addition to being in the first Graduating Class of Shining Stars Academy, Miss Faith has been a staff member at Shining Stars for over 6 years. Growing up in a preschool environment has given her a love for young children and has enabled her to connect with them in an extraordinary way. In addition to teaching, Miss Faith has worked as a nanny for several families and enjoys the energy and excitement of working with children of all ages. Miss Faith graduated from Summit Academy High School in 2021 and will be attending SLCC this summer. Miss Faith is a the Director Designee and is a floater for the morning and afternoon classes.
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About Miss Skyler
We are so excited to welcome Miss Skyler to the Shining Stars team this year! Miss Skyler graduated Bingham High School in 2020. She began dancing at 3 years old and continued into middle school where she was on the dance team. In high school she joined Color Guard and won the state championships in 2017. She is currently studying for her Bachelors in Elementary education at Western Governors University and aspires to be a 2nd grade teacher. She attends Life Church Utah and used to volunteer for their After School program helping kids with their homework and planning fun activities. She also like to babysit when she can and has been doing so since she was 12 years old. Miss Skyler is a teacher for the morning and afternoon classes.
About Miss Hannah
We are so excited to welcome Miss Hannah this year! She has worked with kids in many different capacities for 15 years. Miss Hannah is a violin teacher to kids of all ages, and loves teaching different kinds of music. She takes great joy in helping kids learn and discover new skills!
Miss Hannah is a mother to two girls. She loves spending time doing crafts with them. When she’s not working at Shining Stars or teaching violin, she enjoys doing aerial yoga, playing in a band and playing with her two cats. Miss Hannah is a teacher for the morning classes.
About Miss Ivy
We are excited to welcome Miss Ivy to Shining Stars Academy this year. Miss Ivy graduated from Cottonwood High School in 2022. She loves anything that involves art, singing, and dancing. Miss Ivy has worked with kids in the past, and hopes to be doing so for a long time. Her goal is to become a Kindergarten teacher and direct kids in play productions. When she's not at Shining Stars Academy, she can be seen on stage performing. Miss Ivy has been an actress since before she could read, and loves to integrate skills she learns from performing into her teaching. Miss Ivy is a teacher for the afternoon classes.