Meet our Faculty

Tina Pennington graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and holds certifications in Secondary Reading and English. She is passionate about education and has served in various capacities throughout her career, including full-time teacher, substitute teacher, volunteer, public school board trustee, and coordinator of several programs, including the Valued Youth and Seniors to Seniors mentorship programs. In her free time, Ms. Pennington loves to spend time with her husband, daughters, assorted pets and tame deer on their quiet little plot of land in Wimberley, Texas.

Mr. Julian Moreno is beginning his first year teaching at KAPS. He has previously taught a variety of music lessons and classes of all ages. After picking up the trombone in 6th grade and falling in love with music, he decided to pursue an education in music at Texas State University in 2020. He will be graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in Music concentrating on classical trombone with a minor in Family Sciences and Human Development. During his time here at Texas State he has performed with the Texas State BMB, Salsa Del Río, Symphonic winds, and Jazz lab band. When Mr. Moreno is not playing trombone, he spends his time practicing other instruments, hiking, and traveling. He is very excited to begin teaching at KAPS and sharing his passion for music with his students!

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Most of Mr. Cockerham's childhood was spent in San Antonio until his family moved to Boerne in the mid-1980s, where he  enjoyed living in a small town and being part of that community. After graduating from high school 1988,he joined the U.S. Navy and served on the U.S.S. Wasp LHD 1 until 1992.

History had always fascinated him as a child, so he decided to share that fascination with others and teach. After graduating from Southwest Texas State University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Mr. Cockerham taught World History and U.S. History at James Madison for 12 years. Following his recovery from a stroke in 2012, he taught social studies at Southwest Preparatory School in San Antonio and was Student Council Coordinator for five years. His favorite pastimes are working in the yard at his home near Canyon Lake, reading (mostly history), driving in the Hill Country, and most of all, sharing his passion about history with students.

Ms. Munoz was born and raised in New Braunfels and graduated from New Braunfels High School (Go Unicorns!) where she was part of Future Teachers of America, Monoceras Dance Team and was Who's Who in Theatre Arts.  She went on to graduate from West Texas A & M University. Ms. Munoz has more than 25 years in the field of education. "I come from a family of educators!" she says.

Ms Munoz has one son, Ian, who is 24 years old. She also has a dog, Toby, and two cats -Emma and Stormy. She  is a musician and plays the piano and  flute. She loves all genres of music.

Mike Russett holds a Bachelor of Science in Space Physics from the US Air Force Academy, and Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He comes to KAPS after a 25-year Air Force career as a fighter aircraft Weapons System Officer, instructor/evaluator, program manager, and commander. He also ran a statewide federal child nutrition program at the Texas Department of Agriculture and was the International Undergraduate Admissions Officer at Texas State University. He is in his second year teaching Physics part time, and he is married to Teresa Russett (and lives with Ben, the dog).

Kristina Fleming graduated from The University of Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish Language and Literature. After living and working in Paris, France and New York City, Ms. Fleming returned to Texas and got her teaching certificate from Region XIII Alternative Certification Program in 2003. She has taught and tutored French and Spanish to all levels and ages and has homeschooled her two sons before happily returning to the classroom. She loves spending time outdoors, hiking, biking, swimming, and taking trips with her two boys and their dogs. 

Mr. Moore is an artist, puppetmaker/puppeteer, former musician and librarian.He holds a B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from the University of Texas at Austin, and a M.F.A. in Painting and drawing from the University of North Texas. He also Holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Mr. Moore has an extensive background in film/video and theatrical production. He has taught at both the college and lower school levels, and is excited to bring his unique and varied gifts to the KAPS program.

I was born and raised in Texas and studied in the Plan II Honors program at the University of Texas. I deeply enjoy teaching and have taught or tutored at UT-Austin, the University of Gdańsk in Poland, and for AISD. My teaching goal is always to help students develop facility with fundamental concepts while nurturing their own unique abilities and ways of seeing.

My thesis at UT looked at the co-development of early quantitative language models and interpretations of figurative language in 18th century Romantic poetry. I’m still very interested in those topics and am currently working on some NLP projects and reading all the secondary literature on the 17th and 18th centuries. I am also an outdoor sports enthusiast and enjoy open-water swimming, trail running and bikepacking“.

Teresa Russett is a dedicated educator who brings her passion for Biology and Environmental science to KAPS. With a wealth of experience in teaching, she ignites curiosity in her students, fostering a deep appreciation for the natural world. Beyond the classroom, Teresa is an active member of the community, volunteering her time to various organizations, further emphasizing the importance of community and conservation. When she's not in the classroom or out in nature, you can find her playing the upright bass. Teresa Russett is not just a teacher but a mentor, advocate for the environment, and a musician, enriching the KAPS experience in more ways than one.

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Mr. Hunter Graham is beginning his first year teaching at KAPS. he has always held a fervent passion for music and has been playing the piano since he was six, found his love for the guitar at 10 & was in his years at Kathrine Anne Porter when he truly began his presuit in music theory . He is currently pursuing his bachelors

of art in music & is also an avid gardener, rock climber, computer geek, and

Travel lover. Mr Graham is also a cat dad who enjoys spending his free time playing DND or gardening in his backyard.

 He is very excited to begin teaching at KAPS and to share his

passion for music and gardening with all of its students!

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At an early age, Zach McCrimmon fell in love with life. He wanted to experience all aspects: the good, the bad, and the in-between. Another desire Mr. McCrimmon had was to find a way to bottle up these experiences. That was when he discovered the magical world of writing.

From swimming with sea turtles in the Galápagos Islands and teaching students how to fish at Blanco State Park to helping students realize their strengths related to reading and writing, Mr. McCrimmon cherishes many moments from his years as a teacher at KAPS. McCrimmon is excited to return to KAPS and looks forward to making more fond memories within the community.

Ms. Unnasch is a recent graduate of Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a minor in Honors Studies. She's known she wanted to work with computers since she saw Tron: Legacy in the theater when she was nine, and her interest only strengthened as she made websites and small video games throughout her teenage years. Caden grew to love teaching while working as a math tutor as an undergrad, and is excited to continue her teaching career teaching Computer Science at KAPS. Ms. Unnasch loves puzzles, whether they're math puzzles, programming puzzles, or the puzzle of finding the best way to teach a concept. When she's not teaching, you can find her playing ping pong, hiking, developing video games, or reading at any one of the many coffee shops in San Marcos.