Explorers I – Alison Eitel

Coming to New Jersey from St. Louis, MO, Mrs. Eitel is an experienced youth worker and Sunday school teacher.  She is also a great lover of books with a special passion for education.  In the past, she has worked with Booksource, a children's book distributor, where she helped schools and teachers select books for their classrooms and at Princeton University Press.  While earning her BA (summa cum laude) in English Literature at Butler University, Alison served for two years as a writing and study skills tutor. Mrs. Eitel also loves learning foreign languages, running, and cooking. Her husband, Adam, is pursuing his PhD studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. Alison enjoys sharing with her young Explorers the wonders and challenges of nature and books, of art and music, of the Bible and Christian living.

Explorers II – Frances Baird

Mrs. Baird  comes to TWS from Whittier, CA. She earned her BS in Elementary Education, along with Multiple Teaching Credentials, from California State University at Long Beach. Frances has taught in both K/1 and fifth grade classes, where she was singled out for her creativity, compassion, consistency, and collegiality.   She has served actively in her church for many years, working both on the worship team and as a junior high youth group leader. Frances is an avid athlete, captaining her high school cross-country team and participating in club swimming and soccer. She enjoys theater arts, reading, and singing. Her husband, Thomas, is pursuing his MDiv studies at Princeton Theological Seminary.  

Class One -  Hillary Overbeck

Mrs. Overbeck came to Princeton from California, where she earned her BA in Elementary Education at the University of California at Davis.  Before joining TWS, Hillary taught both elementary and preschool students and also worked as a special education tutor.   Hillary loves to run, swim, and surf; when away from the beach, she is an avid reader.  When her husband Travis' M. Div. studies at Princeton Theological Seminary brought them East, Hillary joined the TWS faculty, where she loves helping students discover the world and develop a Christian perspective on life and knowledge.      

Class Two – Hyme Choi

Ms. Choi comes to us from Charlotte, NC where she taught both first and second grade for the last three years.  A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Hyme earned a BS in elementary education, with a minor in Social Studies.  In addition to her classroom experience, Hyme has also tutored both K-12 and ESL students.  In all of her teaching, Hyme has distinguished herself through her deft classroom management, her mentoring abilities, her upbeat attitude, and her sensitivity to learning differences.  Hyme has also actively served in her church's children's ministries, both in North Carolina and now in New Jersey.  Hyme's father has been a pastor and church planter for many years, and Hyme is assisting him in planting a church in the Edison area.  Hyme attended middle school in Russia and knows not only Russian but a number of other languages as well. 

Class Three and Four – Grace Cho

Mrs. Cho earned a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland and a Masters in Christian Education from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  Her extensive experience in both teaching and youth ministry display her obvious love for children and her gift for teaching.  Before joining our faculty Grace taught elementary school for six years in Virginia and Maryland.  Grace also started the junior high ministry at the Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA, capping off eight years of youth ministry.  She also worked nearly two years as a Project Editor for McGraw Hill Education.  Mrs. Cho especially enjoys sharing "living books" with students and experiencing along with them the excitement of discovering God's world and themselves within these pages.

Class Five and Six – Leo Yoon 

Mr. Leo Yoon comes to us from Staten Island, NY. He is a graduate of State University of New York Binghamton with a degree in electrical engineering.  He also has an M. Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and is near completion of a MA in math education from Columbia University's Teacher's College.  For the last six years, Leo has taught both math and standardized test preparation during the summer months.  As well, for the past seven years, Leo has worked as the youth director at his church, not only leading the secondary students but also helping with the children's ministry.  In all his teaching activities, Leo is known for his ability to combine fun with real learning, and faith with real-life experiences.  Leo is also an avid golfer and an accomplished martial artist (second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do).  He loves working with students, especially in environments where people are challenged to live up to their highest God-given potential.  

Specialty Teachers

Music, Teacher’s Aid – Charlotte Chong

Ms. Chong is from Cherry Hill, NJ, and she is a graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music with a BS in Music Education.  Charlotte has taught private piano lessons, led junior high choir and general music classes, and taught music play to preschoolers.  Charlotte has worked as an accompanist (choirs, recitals) and has served as a counselor in two different arts camps.  In addition to her piano skills, Charlotte also plays the flute, and her major at college was vocal performance.  At Oberlin, Charlotte served as president of her Inter-Varsity Fellowship.  Charlotte enjoys sharing her gifts with her students and seeing each one of them develop their musical skills and appreciation.

Explorers Art – Angel Beeson

Mrs. Beeson graduated from Northern Arizona University with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Psychology.  She completed a MA in Biblical Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary. Angel is a professional counselor and works for Westerly Road Church in Princeton.  Wherever she has lived, Angel has been involved in children's ministry.  She has her own on-site ministry, taking care of her two children Camille (a TWS student) and Soren.  When Angel has free time, she loves to read and to experiment with photography. 

Lower School Art – Ester Smith

Mrs. Smith is an experienced artist, and she has taught art in various venues, including the Westerly Learning Center and Scicore Academy (technical  drawing).  Bilingual in Spanish, Ester majored in Design and Spanish at Illinois State University, and worked in commercial art before moving to home schooling her four daughters who now range from high school age to out of college and teaching part-time.  In addition to enjoying the fine arts, Ester loves to travel and to read.  Ester enjoys seeing our students develop both as those who appreciate art and as those who produce it with care and creativity. 

Latin, Logic – Audrey Hindes DiPalma

Ms. DiPalma comes to Princeton from California, where she earned a BA (cum laude) in Biblical Studies and  Classics (Fresno Pacific University) and an MA in Biblical Languages (Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley).  She has taught at the university level for five years, teaching both Biblical studies and the Hebrew language.  Ms. DiPalma also worked as a youth minister for two years, and she has been a featured speaker at a Mennonite Camp.  While Audrey misses the beauty of California's mountains and beaches, she enjoys being in NJ as her husband studies at Princeton Theological Seminary.  Audrey combines a love for language with a desire to see students grow in their faith in and service for Christ.