Our Team
Mr. Agramon, Custodian
Mr. Agramon started working at Carden Whittier Private School 24 years ago. He is happily married with two children. His son and daughter both graduated from Carden. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family and two pitbull dogs named Max and Charlie. He enjoys hiking, going to the beach, and watching baseball, basketball, and soccer.
Mrs. Beaubien, Preschool Director
Mrs. Beaubien serves as the director of the preschool at Carden Academy and also currently teaches in the pre-k classroom. This marks Mrs. Beaubien's 47th year of teaching at Carden. She values her on-going training by the Carden Foundation, and she greatly appreciates Carden's academic philosophy of teaching the whole child. She believes this approach is important for a child's overall success. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and enjoys being a grandma to her two grandsons.
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Mrs. Bushman, Art/ STEM Teacher
Mrs. Bushman is the Art and STEM teacher at Carden Academy. Mrs. Bushman is in her fifth year of teaching Kindergarten - 8th grade. She enjoys executing fun and engaging lessons to help teach new art techniques, celebrate holidays and seasons with creative projects, and she also helps further connect children to their Carden curriculum with exciting STEM experiments and art appreciation. Mrs. Bushman's teaching doesn't stop in the classroom- she teaches cookie decorating classes and is able to utilize her skills for her small business; Amber's Party Cookies. Likewise, her teaching carries into her involvement in the Scouts as a Girl Scout Troop Leader and as a Cub Scout Den leader.
Mrs. Carrion, Director
Mrs. Carrion's Carden journey began with her search of quality education for her own children. Experiencing her children's growth through Carden has inspired her mission to preserve Carden for generations to come. Mrs. Carrion partakes in all teacher training provided by the Carden foundation and strives to protect the integrity of the Carden method. Her pledge to Carden Academy is inspired by her four children three of which currently attend.
Mr. Castaneda, P.E. Teacher
Mr. Castaneda is one of our Playground and P.E. teachers and is 24 years old from Oceanside, California. After graduating from Whittier College in the Spring of 2020 with an Undergraduate degree in Kinesiology & Nutrition Science & Business, Mr. Castaneda went on to complete his Masters Degree in Physical Education in the Fall of 2021 at Azusa Pacific University. He feels that being a P.E. Teacher is his calling, as he is the oldest of seven siblings and loves coaching sports teams and activities. His favorite things to do are watching and playing soccer, hiking, and riding his bike. He is a dedicated triathlete who competes regularly in running, biking, and swimming competitions. If he wasn’t a P.E. teacher, he would be an Financial Analyst or an Accountant.
Mrs. Chavez, Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Chavez has been in the educational field for 24 years. She has attended Pasadena City College as well as Rio Hondo College. She continues her education because there is always something new to learn. Mrs. Chavez is currently a Preschool teacher at Carden Academy. Teaching and helping children reach their personal milestones is very rewarding.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
- Winnie the Pooh
Mrs. Cota, Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Cota has been teaching preschoolers for over 31 years. She went through extensive teacher training and completed the requirements of Basic Core certificate program in Early Childhood Education at UCLA Extension. Her husband has worked all around the U.S., China, South Korea, and India. This has given her the opportunity to travel to some fascinating and exotic destinations. She has two children: Matthew and Julie and four grandchildren. She has a Maine Coon cat name Jolene and 5 desert tortoises in the back yard. She is a full blooded Native American and is tribal member of San Ildefonso Pueblo. Her father is Pueblo Indian from New Mexico and her mother is part of the Great Sioux Nation from South Dakota.
Ms. Engelhard, 5th grade Teacher
Ms. Engelhard was born and raised in Whittier, California. She attended Carden School from preschool through eighth grade, and eventually returned to teach. Now in her 25th year she has taught French, fourth grade, and fifth grade. In her free time she enjoys plays and musical theatre and is an avid nature lover. She is proud that her daughter is a student at Carden Academy.
Ms. Gardner, Kindergarten Teacher
Ms. Gardner first came to Carden School 35 years ago when she was searching for a well rounded private school for her own two children. She has been teaching kindergarten since 1987 and also started the sports program at Carden School 28 years ago and became the Athletic Director. She has taught Jr high P.E. for many years, scheduled all jr. high sports games and coached various after school sports teams. She has a passion for teaching and working with children, and considers it a privilege to teach the Carden curriculum at Carden Academy of Whittier. In her free time she enjoys gardening, going to the beach, Anaheim Ducks hockey and loving her eight grandchildren.
Ms. Green, Science Teacher
Ms. Green, our Science Teacher for grades 4 through 8, is 23 years old from Whittier, CA. She attended Whittier College and graduated in the Spring of 2021 with her Bachelors degree in Kinesiology and Nutrition Science and Public Health. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters degree in Special Education at Azusa Pacific University. Ms. Green has been a dancer her whole life, attending the Orange County School of the Arts for high school and teaching dance since the age of 17. She is also our school’s dance teacher! Her favorite things to do are read, spend time with her family, and play with her puppy, Winnie. Teaching is her true calling and passion, and she feels so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful school!
Mrs. Hernandez, 3rd grade Teacher
Mrs. Hernandez is our 3rd grade teacher. Prior to Carden, Mrs. Hernandez has taught at various grade levels ranging from Elementary, Middle, and High school. On the journey to becoming a teacher, Mrs. Hernandez worked for the after school program LA's BEST while she attended college receiving a Bachelors degree and gained classroom experience substituting. She then enrolled in the Master of Arts in Teaching program earning her degree through USC. What she enjoys most about Carden is the curriculum, the structure, and the community shared by the Carden family. She has found that the children are able to experience learning via Carden's sequential curriculum and feels honored to be part of the children's experience in learning.
Mrs. Largent, 1st grade Teacher
My name is Lorie Largent. This is my 20th year of teaching the Carden curriculum. My first two years at Carden I taught P.E. for Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Then I spent 9 years in 1st grade classroom followed by 5 years in the 3rd grade. I could not be happier to have the opportunity to come back to the 1st grade this year. I absolutely love teaching and it is my mission to instill a love for learning so that my students develop a desire to become life-long learners.
Mrs. Lopez, Music Teacher
Mrs. Lopez. graduated from the University of
Redlands with a B.A. in Music and a minor in Theater Arts. She taught music at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in La Habra for fourteen years until the school closed in 2020. Prior to that, I taught music in public schools. Teaching music is my passion. Singing in a group develops the skills
of listening, concentration, teamwork and builds confidence. Singing together fosters unity, is rewarding and is just so much fun. I have two grown sons, one of whom lives in Houston, Texas, with my grandson and granddaughter. My older
son is a jazz pianist and is married to a harpist. I am thrilled to be the music teacher, and I look forward creating many wonderful musical experiences with the children.
Mrs. Munnerlyn, Assistant Director
Mrs. Munnerlyn started working in the office of Carden Whittier Private School over 28 years ago. She is currently the Assistant Director at Carden Academy of Whittier. She was born and raised in California, graduating from Westmont College with a B.A. in Sociology. The Munnerlyn family started at Carden Whittier Private School with her late husband attending second grade in 1968. She is grateful that her children attended Carden and grateful to have been able to be a part of many families lives over their years at Carden School. She feels that at Carden we teach the children the process of how to learn and to have a love of learning which are attributes that she has seen in her family and in the lives of our Carden Graduates.
Mrs. Murrell, Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Murrell was born in Montebello, California, and has been a resident of La Habra for 34 years. She completed her early childhood classes through UCLA. Her mother-in-law is one of the original employees with Carden Whittier and encouraged her to start working at the school.
Mrs. Murrell's son also attended Carden Whittier while she was teaching preschool there. Her love of teaching young children has kept her here for 40 years. She finds it truly inspiring to be teaching young children after all these years.
Mr. Ortiz, 4th grade
Mr. Oritz attended St. Paul High School and then continued his education at California Polytechnic University, Pomona. During this time Mr. Ortiz began his work with students as a high school Cross Country and Track coach at his Alma Mater, St. Paul. He then joined the Navy Reserve and has been serving in the Navy for just over 10 years. During this time, he began coaching at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights and soon took his firstteaching job at Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Habra. He has been teaching for the last four years but is in his first year here at Carden Academy. He has taught 5th-7th grade homerooms as well as Jr. High Math. He is very excited to be part of the Carden Family this year. During his free time Mr. Ortiz enjoys playing sports and doing activities with his children. One of his favorite activities is to BBQ for the family! He has three children, two of which are now part of the Carden family as well.
Mrs. Parker, Campus Coordinator
Linda Parker was born in Pasadena California and has been a resident of Hacienda Heights for 33 years. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University Chico in 1984. Since she is a Carden graduate, she is well aware of the academic standards Carden Academy of Whittier attains. Linda was the Campus Coordinator for Carden Whittier School since 1995 and always has a can-do attitude. She is willing to do whatever is required to keep the school a safe and pristine environment for the children.
Mrs. Phillips, Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Phillips, a preschool teacher, surrounds herself with a loving husband, four beautiful girls, three fantastic grandchildren, and two outgoing dogs. Mrs. Phillips obtained her early childhood education from a junior college as well as being a licensed Massage Therapist. On her down time she enjoys taking her dogs down to the beach, baking, spending time with her family, and watching the Anaheim Ducks play hockey. She values the Carden methodology because it instills kindness kind and respect to others.
"Kindness is the universal language that can be spoken to everyone."
- Unknown
Miss. Puentes, Preschool Teacher
Miss Puentes attended Rio Hondo College where she began her education in child development. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree at California State University Fullerton. She plans to further her education in teaching and is very excited for her future with Carden. Miss Puentes is currently a preschool and physical education teacher at Carden Academy. She enjoys teaching children how to interact with others and thrives off discovering there amazing abilities.
Mrs. Rubia, Computer Teacher
Mrs. Rubia has been happily married for twenty-seven years. She has three beautiful children who have all attended Carden since preschool. She received a BS in electrical engineering from LMU but later found her passion as a teacher. She has enjoyed teaching at Carden for over 21 years. A few of her favorite hobbies include card making, reading and photography.
Ms. Sanchez, 6th Grade Teacher
Hi, my name is Ms. Sanchez. I am excited to start a new school year here at Carden. One of my favorite joys in life is teaching middle school age students. On my free time I often take mini road trips with my puppy Jack. We like to go hiking and swimming at the beach. A fun fact about me is that I was the first in my family to graduate from college.
Mrs. Serna, 7th & 8th Grade Teacher
Mrs. Serna was born in raised in Whittier, California. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a degree in Child Development and a Minor in Sociology. She has a Multiple Subject Credential with a supplement for teaching social sciences in high school. She has taught the Carden method for 26 years, but prior to her employment, her children started attending Carden in the Preschool program. She has fond memories of the many field trips she has taken over the years while teaching at Carden which has inspired her love of travel and fine arts. She is grateful that her children graduated from Carden and found success in high school, college, and their current professions.
Mrs. Srivastava, Substitute Teacher
Mrs. Srivastava has been teaching at Carden for over twenty years! She is a passionate teacher, learner, and mentor. Currently, she is enjoying being a substitute teacher for all grades. As she evolves with Carden, she hopes to prepare students to achieve their full potential to be bright contributors in our communities. As a teacher, she will always be a model for learning in diverse ways, so that she engages all students. She wishes to always be a teacher who motivate, inspire, support, and encourage students.
Mrs. Zaki, French Teacher
Mrs. Zaki is originally From Egypt. She has been teaching French for more than 13 years. She has a master's degree in the French language from Egypt and another master’s degree in the art of teaching from National Louis University in Chicago, Illinois. She is also a member of AATF (American Association of Teachers of French). Her passion is teaching students from a wide range of backgrounds and learning styles. She utilizes different teaching strategies to make learning the language interesting through songs, games and role play. She teaches students both the formal and informal language so they can apply what they learn in real-life situations and when visiting a francophone country. Some of her favorite hobbies include playing the piano, listening to music and playing volleyball.