Our Teachers

Administration

Amber Smith

Director

CDA Certified – CCTI
State of Florida VPK certified teacher
Director’s Credential – SCF

Amber has been with St. Mark’s since 2012 and taught VPK until she was hired as the Administrative Assistant in 2021. She is an integral part of the team that makes the day to day functions of the school run smoothly. She is often the first face you see when you enter the school!

Amber is originally from Tennessee and moved to Florida in 2004. She lives in Venice with her husband, their three children (all St. Mark’s alumni) and their two dogs. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching all things fantasy & horror and hanging out at the pool with family & friends. She loves UT football (GO VOLS!), listening to music and traveling.

Amber chose to work in a school because she loves watching children explore the world around them and grow into independent, confident individuals.

Betty Albee

Assistant Director

BA – Eckerd College
Director’s Credential – SCTI
CDA Certification – St Thomas University

Betty started her career with St. Marks in 1979! At that time classes were available for Twos to 5th grade. She taught the Twos and Threes during her teaching era.

In 2002, Betty stepped into administration as the Assistant Director for the school. In all facets of her career she has valued each child as an individual and respected their strengths, skills and abilities. The goal for all from both an administrative and teaching perspective is to create a safe caring community where children can blossom and grow.

Betty has two children, both are alumni of St. Mark’s and three grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys working out, gardening and crafts!

Lexi Wagner

Toddler Teacher

High School Diploma – SCF Collegiate School
A.A. – SCF

Lexi is our wonderful Toddler teacher here at St. Mark’s. She was born in Sarasota and has lived in Venice her whole life.

Lexi attended Venice High School for two years then transferred to the State College of Florida Collegiate School. There she completed most of her Associates along with her high school diploma. She has two siblings; a brother and a sister.

Lexi comes from a long line of teachers! Her mother, Ms. Laura, has been at St. Mark’s for over 10 years & her grandmother was a preschool teacher and director for over 30 years.

Lexi’s interest in teaching began when she began volunteering in the summer camp here at St. Mark’s throughout high school. She is so excited to be working with her favorite age group and helping them learn and explore the world around them!

Erika Freeman

Twos Teacher

Graphic Design – Montessori Institute
Childcare Development Specialist – SCTI
Director’s Credential – Florida Childcare & Education Program

Erika joined the St. Mark’s staff in the summer of 2022. She is originally from Peru and has been living in Sarasota County with her husband and son since 2000.

Erika was an Early Child Development Teacher in Sarasota for 23 years before joining the St. Mark’s staff. Working and enjoying every day with children in the classroom is her passion! As an educator she believes that every child is an individual with different needs and abilities and it is our job to help them meet these needs through hands-on activities in a warm nurturing atmosphere.

Sarah Warren

Threes Teacher

National CDA Certified
State of Florida VPK certified teacher

Sarah has worked in the Early childhood field since 1993 and joined St. Mark’s in 2006.

Sarah’s teaching philosophy is to help children learn through play in a supportive and nurturing environment where students know that they can look to her for guidance, trust and support. Sarah believes that the child’s greatest potential is reached when teacher and parent are in collaboration and how important it is to build these relationships.

Sarah has lived in Venice with her husband and daughter since 2005. In her spare time she enjoys paddle boarding, cooking, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Laura Wagner

Threes Teacher

A.S. in Psychology
National CDA Certified
State of Florida VPK certified teacher

Laura has been teaching at St. Mark’s since 2012 and over those years has worked in/taught all of the different ages here until she found her place in the Threes in 2016.

Having a mother as a lifelong educator sparked Laura’s love of teaching. She especially enjoys watching children grow and learn, they are so full of wonder and curiosity. In Laura’s classroom, you will find she teaches both social and emotional skills so that they can then focus and learn the academics that will soon follow.

Laura lives in North Port with her fiancé and two youngest children.

Savannah Garbade

VPK Teacher

B.A. in Child and Youth Studies – FGCU
A.A.- SCF
State of Florida VPK certified teacher

Savannah has a long history at St. Mark’s! She graduated preschool here and attended the afterschool program during her elementary years. At sixteen, she started working at St. Mark’s while getting her high school diploma and A.A. degree. After high school graduation she left for FGCU to complete her bachelors degree. She missed St. Mark’s so much that she returned after graduating in 2023.

Savannah’s passion for teaching is inspired by her sister, who has worked with children for around 10 years. She loves working at St. Mark’s with all our amazing children and is excited to grow in her knowledge of early childhood education and her future here at the school.

Jenn Murphy

VPK Teacher

CDA Certified – SCTI
State of Florida VPK certified teacher

Jenn has been working in childhood development since 2004 and has been at St. Mark’s since 2009. Jenn says, “working with children is such a rewarding career, it excites me to watch the children learn and grow. Early childhood education is so important; we are the building foundation and giving them the stepping stones they will need for their future.”

Jenn was born in Connecticut and moved to Florida with her family when she was 5 years old. She lives in Venice with her husband, their two boys and their Golden Retriever. Jenn loves going to the beach, watching baseball and traveling with her family.

Steve Brown

Substitute/Floater

Steve moved here from Pennsylvania to be closer to his parents. In his spare time, he enjoy spending time with his parents and is quite the handy-man! Steve has 3 children and 3 grandchildren!

Steve was a VPK teacher at St. Mark’s for 5 years before retiring at the end of the 2025 school year. BUT he missed the students and staff so much, he has returned to sub.

Steve has worked with children for 10 years, whether it was through coaching or organizing Celebrate Children. He loves seeing the joy and hearing the laughter in a young child. Commitment and dedication are what Steve values the most in the teaching field. Having these values helps children reach their full potential.

Keni Wanbaugh

Substitute/Floater

Keni has been working at St. Mark’s since 2021. Although she has never worked in a school, she has been a mother of three for 26 years. She spent a lot of her time volunteering in organizations at schools and church.

Her favorite thing about St. Mark’s is making the children smile. Every single one has given her a bit of happiness, every day.

Sav Lindquist

Substitute/Floater

High School Diploma – Venice High School
40 hours – DCF Training

Sav moved to Venice in 2014 and is a proud mom to two wonderful girls, who have both been part of the St. Mark’s family. She even went to St. Mark’s when I was a child!

Teaching runs in her family—her mom was a special education teacher for over 15 years, and her grandma once worked at St. Mark’s. It means so much to her to carry on their legacy. Sav graduated from VHS and has completed all required trainings through DCF & plans to continue her education by pursuing her FCCPC.

Sav joined St. Mark’s in 2024 and when she’s not teaching, she enjoys being in nature, making art, and listening to music.

Helen Langelier

Enrichment Room Teacher

Early Childhood Development
State of Florida VPK certified teacher

Helen has been a teacher at St. Mark’s Day School since 1992 with various roles throughout the years, before becoming an Enrichment Room teacher in 2023.

Helen’s has always had a passion for books and that passion flourished through her job at a local bookstore. The school is lucky as her love of books is evident in everything she does at St. Mark’s. This love of reading and exploration is what became the foundation for our Enrichment room, a Montessori based room that encourages free exploration and nurtures children’s creative minds.

Helen relishes discovering new authors and reading and especially enjoys sharing that love of literature with her students. She is the grandmother of 9 children, and looks forward to traveling with them and making memories together.