With the summer schedule ending soon, and the fall schedule approaching, Stewart Home & School has expanded upon some of it’s programs and have brought in some familiar faces to help them succeed.

Brenda Spencer, formally the Recreation Director, is now overseeing the brand new Student Center beneath Springhill Down. Hendrix Bakerfield, who spent the summer on campus working closely with our Recreation Department has been hired full time as our new Recreation Director. Jen Horseman, previously our Special Olympics Coordinator, has accepted the Science Teacher position. Zach Tipton, previously served as our Assistant Recreation Director, has accepted the Special Olympics Coordinator position. Lastly, Jennifer Zingg, who spent several months on campus teaching Art Enrichment to students, has accepted the full-time Visual Arts Instructor position.

We couldn’t be more excited about our recent additions. Please take a moment below and read their bio’s.

 

Brenda Spencer

Brenda Spencer has dedicated her time and worked at Stewart Home and School for over 15 years. Most recently she served as the Director of our Recreation Department; and, prior to that she was also the Director of both our Vocational and Redmon Hall Programs.  Brenda is  looking forward to creating and nurturing our new program for our young adults, at the Student Center beneath Springhill Down, as well as continuing to support our Recreational Department and the new Recreation Director. She has two children, a daughter in Massachusetts and a son in Florida, and loves to travel to see them.

 

 

Hendrix Brakefield

Hendrix was born and raised in Nashville, TN and attended Western Kentucky University from 2009-2014 where he was on the Hilltopper football team as a punter and holder, and graduated with a dual certificate in Special Education Learning and Behavior Disorder/Moderate-Severe Disabilities.  It was during his first summer at WKU when he found his passion for special education after working at the Kelly Autism Program.  For the last three years he has been a special education teacher in Bowling Green Independent Schools where he also coached track, football, and girls soccer.  Hendrix  loves the outdoors, weather, and being active.

 

Jen Horseman

Jen Horseman (previously Wheeler) has been with Stewart Home and School for over 12 years. She was a correspondent and teacher for Reading for five years, then Journalism for two.

She has also served as the Assistant Recreation Director, and most recently our Special Olympics and School Program Coordinator. Jen attended California State University – Stanislaus where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Education.

With her love of animals and the environment, she is super excited about resuming her Correspondent duties as the new Science Teacher!

 

Zach Tipton

Zach Tipton has been employed by Stewart Home & School since February of 2015. He started as Recreational staff and then was promoted to Assistant Recreation Director. Through all of his hard work and skills serving our students he has now been named the new Special Olympics and School Program Coordinator. Zach is from Frankfort, Kentucky, and recently married Amy Boycott who has also worked at Stewart Home & School in the Residential Department. Congratulations Zach!

 

 

 

Jennifer Zingg

Jennifer moved to Kentucky in 1992 to attend Kentucky Wesleyan College. She is thrilled to be the new Visual Arts Instructor and Arts Enrichment Coordinator for the Stewart Home & School.  She has always been an artist, but finds teaching to be the most rewarding profession. She has lived in Frankfort since 2003 and has been involved in many public art projects during that time, such as the Kentucky River Children’s Mural, the RJ Corman Children’s Mural, and art camps at Josephine Sculpture Park. She owned Full Circle Studio & Gallery in Frankfort along with her partner, Travis Kelley, until June of 2017, when she closed so she could join the team at SHS. She has also lived in Hawaii  where she was able to create and sell artwork, and also study Polynesian arts and culture. She has been a juried member of the Kentucky Crafted Program, the Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen and the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft, and she is a four time KFW grant recipient, with artwork in collections world-wide. She also created the 2009 Kentucky Governor’s Awards for the Arts.

She brings 20+ years of professional artistry and teaching experience to the Stewart Home School. Her goal  is to have a program anchored in the art-making process that provides an uplifting outlet for our students to be creative, active and expressive! “I believe art can be a voice for anyone” says Zingg. She hopes to assist in expanding our vocational program to include some of our student artists who desire to create and sell their work professionally.

In Jennifer’s free time she enjoys kayaking, being outdoors, travelling, making art, and roller skating. She has two sons, Logan & Benjamin, and lives on a farm in Bridgeport near SHS.