Meet Kari Planz – Director/teacher

I am delighted that you have an interest in our school! I hold the position of Director and also serve as one of the teachers. I have been a part of Calvary since 2007, except for the period when we lived in Kansas City. During that time, I worked at St. Mary’s while waiting for my position here to become available again. I was raised in Latham, but my family and I have resided in North Augusta, South Carolina and Kansas City, MO at different times. I attended North Colonie schools, HVCC, and Clarkson University, where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. However, it did not take me long to realize that engineering was not the right career path for me. Therefore, after starting our family in 1993, I returned to school to study Early Childhood at Augusta College. Since then, my husband Eric and I have been blessed with four more children, making a total of five kids in our family. Their names are Megan, Brian, Jenna, Emily, and Stephen, with ages ranging from 30 to 19. We were also fortunate enough to welcome our first grandchildren this past year! Collins is one year old, while Thomas is six months old. At our home, we have two dogs named Molly and Lennon. This year marks my 19th year working in a preschool environment. I have held various roles, including preschool gymnastics instructor, assistant teacher, head teacher, and now director at Calvary. I am truly excited to get to know your children and your families throughout this year.

Meet Stacey Hartman – Lead Teacher

Hi! My name is Stacey Hartman and I am so excited to be back at the preschool. I am from and currently live in Colonie with my family. I have a son Ayden who is 12 and is in the 7th grade at CBA and I have a 5 year-old Ellie who also attended here and is now headed to kindergarten at St. Pius X. I have an associate’s degree in Early Childhood and a Bachelors’s degree in Elementary Education. While at home I love to do DIY projects around the house and you can always find me in the kitchen cooking for my family which I enjoy. I am looking forward to the year ahead with your children and getting to know them.

Meet Michelle Hykin – Lead Teacher

Hello! I was born and raised in Latham, NY where I lived until college. I attended SUNY Geneseo where I majored in Childhood Education and Spanish. From there I went to SUNY Stony Brook to get my Master’s Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. After graduation, I moved to Syracuse where I taught K-5 English as a Second Language for over 7 years. I am married to Sam, and we have 2 kids – Jackson who attended Calvary Methodist Preschool and will be in 2nd grade this fall, and Kelsey, who is very excited to have mama as a teacher in the fall.

In my free time, I like to craft and read. I love ice cream, animals, and wearing pajamas. 🙂

Hello! My name is Tori Galvin and I am so happy to be a part of Calvary Methodist Preschool. I grew up in Troy and currently live there with my family. My husband, Tim, and I have two daughters. Ada, who attended here last year, is 5 and will be starting kindergarten. Quincy is 2 and will be beginning the 2 year old program here this year. I attended SUNY New Paltz, majoring in Childhood Education and went on to the University at Albany to get my Master’s degree in Special Education. I taught multiple grade levels before taking a few years off to stay home with my family. I have also taught dance for the past 6 years to children ages 18 months through elementary level. In my free time, I love to read, bake, and watch scary movies. I look forward to getting to know you all this year!