MEET OUR TEAM

Mrs. McClure has a bachelors degree in elementary and special education from the University of Delaware along with a certificate in early childhood education. . She been a teacher for over 20 years, including teaching at CUMC Preschool for 8 years. She became Director in 2021. Her three children are alumni of the preschool and include a college sophomore, a college senior and a recent college grad. Outside of school, Mrs McClure enjoys volunteering at the county animal shelter and spending time with her friends and family.

Mrs. Keeley has a bachelors degree in business with a concentration in marketing from the University of Mississippi. She also worked in a preschool as an assistant when her children were younger. She will use her skills to manage the business side of the school as well as handle all marketing and community outreach. She has four mostly-grown children. Outside of school, Mrs. Keeley enjoys crafting and reading, as well as hanging out with friends and family.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in elementary education from BYU in Provo, Utah, Mrs. Mills taught elementary school for three years. She then took a break from teaching, got married, and raised four kids of her own (three boys and one girl). While raising her own children during their early years, Mrs. Mills found that her passion for teaching had turned toward early childhood education. She went on to pursue an associate's degree in early childhood education from Great Basin College in Elko, Nevada where she worked as an assistant in a 3-4 year old classroom for two years. More recently, Mrs. Mills has worked in prekindergarten as the lead teacher. She enjoys running, exercising, cooking/baking, and playing games with her family.

Andrea was born and raised in the DMV region and spent most of her life living in Northern Virginia before relocating to Taneytown, MD in November of 2021. She has a professional background in both Early Childhood Development and Human Resources. Andrea has an innate desire to help others, and a strong passion for impacting the lives of children and families. She considers it her life’s mission to positively influence the next generation. When she’s not teaching she enjoys spending time with family, reading both fiction and non-fiction, aimlessly browsing the aisles of Target, and giving back to the community. She is married to her best friend, Vaughan, and is a proud mother to three girls: Annelise, Victoria, and Elizabeth.

Mrs. Rucker has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood Certificate from York College of Pennsylvania. She also has a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland and taught for 13 years in the MCPS system before choosing to be a stay-at-home mom after her second son was born. She has 3 boys- one in middle school and two in elementary school. All 3 of her boys attended CUMP! She also has 2 Labrador retrievers- a yellow male named Bailey and a chocolate female named Kahlua. In her free time she enjoys reading, baking, spending time with family and friends, and watching her boys play sports.

Mrs. O’Keefe has been a Preschool Teacher for 6 years and an Aide for 5 years at Mt. Zion Christian Preschool in Howard County, Maryland. She lives on a farm in Howard County with her husband and three children—A daughter, aged 23, A son aged 21 and another daughter aged 17. Mrs. O’Keefe enjoys walking, camping, being in nature, and life on the farm. She has a cat named Milo, a dog named Teddy, a horse named Sunny, and several goats and chickens.

Mrs. Barnett has been a member of Covenant United Methodist Church for over 22 years. She has also been the church’s Sunday nursery care provider since 2008 and assisted in the former Terrific Two’s Program since 2009. Mrs. Barnett has a 15 year old son who is an alumni of the Two’s Program and the Preschool. She also has a 30 year old step daughter. Mrs. Barnett enjoys spending her vacations in Ocean City, Maryland, loves reading, crocheting and cross stitching.

Mrs. Modarress earned a business management degree from Franklin and Marshall College and worked as a commercial claims adjuster for various insurance companies. After the birth of her first son, she stayed home to be a full-time mom. All three of her boys attended Covenant United Methodist Preschool and in 2016 she joined the staff as an assistant teacher. In her spare time, she loves to cook, bake, read, and spend time with family and friends.

Mrs. Durning received her Bachelor’s Degree from Penn State University in elementary education. She has been a private tutor for 18 years and an assistant preschool teacher for 7 years. Her adult sons include a statistician, a Towson senior and a UMD senior. In her free time, she keeps busy with her new pug puppy, Gideon. She also enjoys cooking large amounts of food on weekends during football games when all 3 sons are at home.

Nadia obtained her bachelor’s degree in studio arts at the American University of Beirut in 2011. Shortly after graduating, she took on a discovery flight and fell in love with flying this led to acquiring her FAA Flight Instructor license in 2015. In 2019,Nadia began to teach drawing to children through the Young Rembrandts after-school program allowing her to further build her teaching abilities, advance as an artist, and most importantly share the joys and benefits of drawing, as well as the creative process itself, with some of the most creative minds. As a teacher, Nadia strives to create an environment that encourages inquisitiveness and open dialogue, where children can exchange ideas and learn from real-world scenarios and experiences. Nadia believes in the uniqueness of every child and individual, and wants to help others embrace that uniqueness!

Mrs. Liu has a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Michigan. She's excited to be back in the classroom after 16 years. She has a wonderful husband and four kids. When she's not busy driving soccer carpool, she enjoys running, working out on her Peloton,and reading.

Mrs. Hurtado was born in Lima, Peru, but has spent most of her upbringing in Montgomery County. She is happily married and has three boys who are ready to start Elementary School together for the first time. After being a stay-at-home mom for 9 years, Mrs. Hurtado is excited to work at Covenant United Methodist Preschool, and also be part of the PTA committee as the Correspondence Secretary at Harriet R. Tubman Elementary School. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, playing volleyball, and spending time with family and friends.

Bio coming soon!

Mrs. Zetts has a bachelor’s degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, VA. She and her husband pastor a church in Rockville, MD where she has served as a Sunday School teacher for over thirty years. She has also worked as an assistant teacher at a private school, as well as in the “Terrific Two’s” program (2007-2015). She is the mother of five adult children and “Dee Dee/Gigi” to four adorable grandchildren. She enjoys family time, gym classes, reading and vacationing in the mountains of Virginia.

Bio Coming Soon!