Meet our Family
Caring, professional, creative, and devoted -- our team is all that and more. They each have a true gift for teaching and a love for children, which makes Ramah seem more like family than staff. Everyone here is committed to providing a well rounded curriculum and a safe learning environment for your children.
Alice Howerton,
our director
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Alice is a native of Virginia, born and raised in the Martinsville area where she still has family. She studied at Radford University, where she met Scott, her husband of 26 years. They made Huntersville their home 17 years ago and have been active in the community ever since. They are often on the go with their three wonderful children who are all active in area athletics and school activities. In her free time Alice enjoys baking and decorating cakes and cookies, spending time outdoors, and cheering on her children's teams. Alice's love for children and love for teaching through Christ brought her to Ramah, first as a teacher and now as our director.
Madlen Zeher
Two-year-olds Teacher
Danielle Phillips
Two-year-olds teacher
Kenina Santom
Three-year-olds Teacher
Kenina grew up in central Massachusetts but has lived in the Charlotte area for eight years with her husband and two daughters, who are about to be seven and nine. We became part of the Ramah family in 2017 when we signed our girls up for the 3 year old and TK class. We quickly came to love the school and I signed on to be a substitute teacher. In 2018, I became one of the teachers for the two year old class. I have also worked as a private nanny and am a registered radiologic technologist by degree.
When the pandemic began in March of 2020 I found myself at home helping my oldest with virtual first grade. We continued virtual learning for both girls for the entirety of the 2020-2021 school year. During that time, I spent hours listening to my youngest's kindergarten teacher and realized that teaching preschool is where I wanted to be when things were back to "normal."
Rachel Etter
Four-year-olds teacher
Terri Dutiel,
T-K Teacher
Terri is a native of Northeast Ohio and travels back there often. She has lived in Huntersville since 2014. She and her husband, Michael, have two teenagers who keep her busy with sports teams and community events. In her free time she enjoys thrifting for old furniture to upcycle, traveling, boating, discovering new trails, and teaching her children to cook and bake. Terri's love of teaching has taken her from the world of corporate training to volunteering in schools to leading childcare for several church ministries.
Terri is excited to be at Ramah and brings an energy and enthusiasm for making learning fun. Her passion is creating a visual craft that teaches several skills at once. "There is no better sound than a child's laughter, as those are the cherished moments that stay with them, and us, a lifetime".