Shannon holds a BSE in Elementary Education from Missouri Southern State University and a MSE in High Incidence Disabilities from the University of Kansas. Her teaching career began in public school in 2007 with her most recent time spent teaching in a Special Education classroom. Mrs. Biggerstaff and her husband Charlie have three boys who all attend Veritas. Her family attends Lawrence Heights Christian Church where they enjoy worshipping and being actively involved in various ministries. Outside of school and church, they love spending time at the lake, kayaking, playing sports, and hiking 14ers in Colorado.

Steve holds a BS and MS in Industrial Engineering and Management from Oklahoma State University. In the last few years, his concern about the prevailing worldview has caused him to look for ways he can help prepare young people for the cultural challenges they are facing. Following God’s leading, he left his 35+ year information technology/engineering career to teach at VCS, a place he knows holds fast to a biblical worldview. He is the husband of Penny, the father of 2 daughters and sons-in-law, and grandfather of 2 girls and a boy. He and Penny attend and serve at Redemption Bible Church in his hometown of Baldwin City.

Gary is in his first year at Veritas as Athletic Director.  He has been the senior pastor at BridgePointe Community Church, here in Lawrence, since September of 2020.  He also is the director of The Bridge of Lawrence and their program "Lunch Buddies".  He has been married to Jennifer Greer since July of 2009.  They have three children together:  Stephen, Spenser, and Madelyn.  In his spare time he love watching baseball and playing golf.  He is also a huge fan of The Great British Bake Off. 

Melissa graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in chemistry. She has taught a variety of subjects over the years, including science, math, Bible, drama, and leadership, in both public and private schools. At Veritas, she teaches Biology, Physical Science, Life Science, and Algebra, and serves as the Director of Student Services. In that role, she supports students both academically and emotionally, coordinates scheduling, leads the House and Mentoring Programs, and assists the Student Council in planning student life events. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in School Counseling through Emporia State University. She and her husband, Paul, have two children, Noah and Mary Kate, who both attend Kansas State University. 

Kristol has been teaching visual art at Veritas since 2016. She holds a Masters of Visual Communication and Design from Liberty University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is the owner of Kristol Kumar Photography, voted #1 photographer by Best of Lawrence for 2024 & 2025. She is also a staff photographer for Topeka City Lifestyle Magazine. She and her husband, John, have two sons and live in the Lawrence area. Kristol is thankful to be saved by Jesus and covered by His grace daily.

Francesca is a proud 2007 Veritas Alumni. She graduated from Geneva college with undergraduate degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education. She also has her Master’s in Education from Baker University. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Brad, and they have four boys that attend Veritas. Her favorite thing about being at Veritas is that she is able to worship Jesus and mentor her students to become strong in their faith. Outside of Veritas she enjoys reading, baking, drinking coffee, and crafting.

Shanee earned her BA degree in Advertising and Marketing from Iowa State University in 1999. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Adam, for 26 years and has two sons: Logan (junior at KU) and Colby (12th grade). She was able to stay home with the boys for many years while her husband served in the Kansas Army National Guard. The military brought the family to Lawrence in 2014. Since being in Lawrence, Shanee has held various elementary school positions including instructional/SPED paraprofessional, reading specialist, and 3rd and 4th grade classroom teacher.  This is her third year at Veritas where she has helped as a paraprofessional, substitute, and administrative assistant. In her free time, she loves to be with family and friends, go boating on Clinton Lake, and snuggle with their Miniature Schnauzer, Scout. She feels very blessed to be part of the amazing Veritas family!

Wendy, a licensed master social worker (LMSW), earned her BA in Social Work from KSU and MSW from KU. Wendy spent eight years in the Army Reserves during which time she served in Desert Storm as a Hospital Food Specialist and later trained to be a Military Police Officer. She worked in the social work field in the Elderly and Disabled Department at SRS and later as a mental health therapist before taking time away from social work to raise her two daughters—both attended Veritas from kindergarten through graduation. During this time Wendy also worked as a polymer clay artist and continues to do so. She served on the Veritas board for nine years. Wendy came on staff at Veritas in the fall of 2022. She has been married to her amazing husband, Mike, since 1996.

Linda is a graduate of Maur Hill-Mount Academy in Atchison, KS.  She has more than 30 years of secretarial experience having worked for Benedictine College, Grandview Assembly of God Church, American Lung Association of WY, and currently at Veritas where she has been serving since 2001. Before joining staff at Veritas, she homeschooled for seven years. Linda and her husband, Scott, are blessed with two daughters (both Veritas alumni) and three grandchildren. When she isn’t at work she enjoys spending time with family, searching for treasures at garage/estate sales, and taking walks.  

Holly Cawthorn is in her second year of teaching K-Quest at Veritas Christian School. Before joining the Veritas community, she spent seven years teaching 2nd grade at Genesis Christian Academy in Tonganoxie, Kansas. With over a decade of experience in early childhood and elementary education, Holly is passionate about laying a strong academic and spiritual foundation for her students. One of her favorite moments from her first year at Veritas was helping her young learners take their first steps into reading.

Holly and her husband, San, are celebrating 16 years of marriage this year and are proud parents to two wonderful children, Ellasyn and Cooper. Outside the classroom, she enjoys painting, journaling, reading, coffee, and shopping.

Penny Lyons is in her third year of teaching Kindergarten at Veritas Christian School, where she delights in watching young hearts and minds grow in both academic understanding and spiritual truth. She finds deep joy in hearing her students apply the biblical foundations they’re learning—whether through a kind word or a spark of curiosity about God’s world. With over 30 years of experience as a Children’s Director, Penny has faithfully served families through vibrant ministry programs and parent seminars, always pointing others toward the love and grace of Christ. Penny and her husband of 42 years, Steve Lyons—Dean of Students at Veritas—raised their two daughters in Kansas and now cherish time with their three grandchildren. Their home is a place of welcome and warmth, where Penny loves to host gatherings, bake treats, plan events, and pour out love in every detail. Whether in the classroom or around her kitchen table, Penny’s life is a reflection of her desire to glorify God by nurturing, guiding, and loving those He places in her path.

Sandie has her BS in Education from MLC in New Ulm, MN. She is certified in Early Childhood Education and holds an ASCI Educator Certificate. Mrs. Fischer has been teaching for over 20 years in Christian schools and homeschooled her children for 6 years. She is blessed by God with her devoted husband, Dr. Ken Fischer, and thankful to God for her four beautiful and talented children who attended Veritas. Mrs. Fischer’s three main goals for her precious first graders are that they learn to love to read, that they learn to love to learn, and that they learn to love Jesus more and more each day! Mrs Fischer makes sure her students all know that in the first grade classroom at Veritas, they work hard, play hard, and pray hard!

Annette holds a BA in Elementary Education from Ottawa University, a State Teaching Certificate from 1983-1988, and an ASCI Educator Certificate. She has enjoyed teaching at Veritas since 2004 and joyfully homeschooled her children for 13 years, their two daughters later graduating from VCS. Mrs. Tiegreen is married to Roger and together they have 11 grandchildren and three bonus grandchildren from their three beloved children's families. In addition to loving and serving her family, Mrs. Tiegreen’s joy and passion is to serve and glorify God by teaching children to know and love God, His Word, and the lost. One of her favorite ways to do this is by writing songs with scripture, biblical truths, grammar rules, and historical facts to help children memorize them. She is grateful God has called her to teach at Veritas where she may continue to love, mentor, and disciple children toward His Kingdom purposes.

April is a graduate of Kansas State University with a degree in Family Studies and Human Services and a minor in Business Administration. She is married to Max and together they have Graham, Tessa, and Braden who all attend Veritas.  She loves connecting with students and encouraging growth academically and spiritually all the while learning what makes each student uniquely them.  In her free time, April enjoys nightly walks with her husband, hanging out with friends, cheering on her children at all the sporting events/concerts/etc. and looking forward to the next adventure her family gets to experience. 

Kimberly  graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. She grew up in New York but moved to Lawrence with her husband and two children who attended Veritas for several years. She has been teaching 4th grade at Veritas since 2001 where her students have learned that she leads the classroom with a love for the Lord, a love of learning, and a love of laughter.  In her free time, she enjoys being with her grandchildren and knitting, crocheting and weaving.

Angie is a graduate of Kansas State University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She also attended Manhattan Christian College, studying Christian Education. After working as a news producer at FOX4 and creative services employee at YouthFront, she moved to Lawrence to start a family with her husband, Brian. Her two children attended Veritas for several years before she started teaching there in 2017. It is Angie’s goal to exhibit and cultivate a love of learning. Her passion is discipleship, and she’s humbled to partner with parents in teaching their children about God’s plan of redemption through Jesus. Some of her hobbies are reading, baking, and spending time outdoors.

Megan received her bachelor’s degree in social work from Kansas State University in 2008 and her master’s in social work in 2011 from the University of Kansas. She and her husband, Chris, have two children: Annie and Silas. Megan has a passion for helping young people know the truth. She is excited to begin this new adventure at Veritas. Her interests are reading and hanging out with friends and family. 

Lindsey Foster came to Veritas to teach elementary art after many years of homeschooling her children and teaching art through their homeschool co-op.  She is delighted to share her love for Jesus and her artistic knowledge with children.  Lindsey is a Kansas native; growing up in Ottawa and then attending KSU where she graduated with a degree in Interior Architecture.  She has lived in Lawrence with her two active children and wonderful husband since 2015 and loves their home in the country where she gets to create in all sorts of ways.  Grace PCA is her family's church home, and they are all very involved in the community there.

Stephanie is originally from Southern California, where she received a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy from Chapman University Conservatory of Performing Arts in 2009. She did an internship in the Lawrence public schools and while there met her husband, Erick. They have two children, the oldest goes to Veritas. She applied to work at Veritas at the suggestion of her friend, Lauri Bernet, in 2014 and has worked at Veritas on and off since then. In her spare time, she loves being a part of her church's worship team, concerts, teaching private piano, guitar, and ukulele lessons, kayaking, and anything Disney.

Alisa attended Oral Roberts University and grew up in the Kansas City area. She has worked in the field of education since 2008. Her love for teaching kids is seen most in helping them to know and love God, and from that helping them to grow intellectually and emotionally. Alisa has been married to her husband, Gregg, since 1996, and together they have three kids. Her youngest attends Veritas. Her passion is to grow closer to Jesus everyday, to spend time with her family, and serve God’s purposes together with Gregg in the ministry in their local church. She loves teaching the bible, spending time encouraging women to love the Lord, and eating good food, especially chocolate. As long as she’s with her family, Alisa has fun doing just about anything.

Sarah graduated from Bethany College with bachelor’s degrees in both Chemistry and English Literature. After a short stint in pharmaceutical research, she took time away from the workplace to raise and homeschool her four children. During that time, she developed a passion to pass on her love of learning to kids and adults alike. She is grateful for the opportunity to use scientific inquiry and mathematics to show students that all of Creation truly does declare the glory of God. Outside of Veritas, she loves to learn new things, read, run, and talk about Jesus. 

Michelle has a BS in Education from the University of Kansas.   She has been blessed with the opportunity to be a stay at home mom and a homeschool mom for the last 13 years and is now looking forward to a new challenge.  She and her husband, Kent, have four children, the youngest will begin Veritas this year as a Junior.  Michelle is a firm believer in the benefits of a classical education and believes the goal of education is virtue: to seek truth, to love truth, to defend truth.

Lillie earned her BA in music education from Friends University in Wichita Kansas. She is currently pursuing her Kodály certification from Wichita State University. Lillie has 10 years of teaching experience as a K-12 music educator. Veritas was her first teaching job, and she was more than thrilled to be able to return to such a wonderful school in 2021. Lillie and her husband Matthew live in Lawrence with their three fur babies, Oliver, Oscar and Opal.

Jonnie holds a BSE in Language Arts Education from the University of Kansas and she is ACSI certified. She graduated ‘With Highest Distinction’ from KU, with honors, as a Watkins-Berger scholar, Phi Alpha Theta (history honor) and Phi Kappa Phi (scholastics honor). Mrs. Finger has been listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers three times. She has been previously certified by the State of Kansas in both Language Arts and Social Studies Education. Before teaching at Veritas, she ran a home-based tutoring business, Class Act Tutoring Services, for 15 years. She has been a teacher at VCS since 1997. Jonnie was the first person to serve as chairperson of the VCS Library Committee. She and her husband, Mark, have 5 children, all who attended VCS. She enjoys collecting books, drinking coffee, and spending time with her five grandchildren.

Kevin holds a Master of Divinity degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics and a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas. He grew up in Denver and has lived in Lawrence for almost a decade. Before joining the faculty at Veritas, Kevin was the Next Generation Ministry Coordinator at Central United Methodist Church, and he currently attends Free City Church and serves as a drummer on the worship band. Kevin enjoys books, music, and sports, and his favorite phrase to say is, “Jesus is Lord.”

Pastor McFarland holds a BS in Info Systems / Mgmt. Science (from Geneva College, PA), an M.Div. (from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, PA), and a D.Min. (Biblical Counseling emphasis) from RPTS. From VCS parent to Board member, John transitioned into teaching HS Bible (incling worldview, apologetics, and church history), then courses in speech, government, history, and senior thesis. John also coordinates Secondary Chapel and our Worldview Wednesday program. Veritas seniors are now able to gain college credit for the VCS Speech course. John and Lisa have four daughters and five grandkids (so far). He pastors a Reformed Presbyterian church in Lawrence, a congregation with deep commitment to this school and its Biblical vision.

Debbie earned a BS in Business/Marketing from Liberty University before beginning her professional career in the business arena, eventually culminating in the role of Director of Marketing at Baker University’s School of Professional and Graduate Studies. She left the business world to focus on her children. During 11 years of homeschooling, Debbie discovered her passion for history and began teaching in a local homeschool co-op. Debbie earned a Master of Arts in History from Grand Canyon University and is in her 10th year teaching at Veritas. Debbie and her husband, Scott, have 3 grown children.

Spencer holds his BS in Christian Ministry from Tabor College and has earned a Master of Theological Studies from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been teaching at VCS since 2013 and previously taught at Victory Christian Academy in El Dorado, KS. Before teaching, Spencer spent ten years as an Associate Pastor at New Life Equipping Ministry in El Dorado. The Holy Spirit has given him great joy in teaching the glory of God in the preeminence of Christ for the joy of all peoples. Spencer and his wife, Amber, have three precious children.

Ms. Baylor holds degrees in Music Education from MidAmerica Nazarene University and The University of Kansas, as well as a certification in Social Studies. Her thesis "Character Education in Choral Music Settings" passed with honors. Ms. Baylor has 26 years of teaching experience in a variety of subjects and settings. She currently teaches Elementary Latin, Middle School Latin and Middle School Logic at Veritas Christian School, and music classes at Red Bird Studio in Lawrence and Greenleaf Performing Arts Academy in Olathe. Ms. Baylor considers it an extraordinary privilege to explore "the art and science of reasoning well" with adolescents, especially in the current culture. It is just plain fun to delve into Latin with students and Ms. B hopes it equips them to understand the English language better and be ready for many intellectual pursuits in the future. Ms. Baylor enjoys hiking, dark chocolate, travel, singing, competitive card games, all things Narnian and sweet time with friends and family. She knows from Scripture and experience that every good thing in and out of her classroom is from our generous, true and beautiful God. 

Mrs. Gorrell’s is excited to share her love of drama with the secondary students. Prior to this, she homeschooled her two girls for 11 years and was a junior/senior high homeschool co-op teacher for 2 years. She has a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from West Texas A&M University. The Gorrell family moved to Lawrence in 2024 after 20 years of active-duty service in the Air Force. Their house and 5 acres outside of town is Mrs. Gorrell’s happy place. Mrs. Gorrell’s favorite verse is: “So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10