Mrs. Ray grew up in Northern Illinois, and attended schools designed much like JCS! She first found her love for education through elementary school STEM science camps which she taught and designed curriculum for while still in high school. She moved to Denver for her undergraduate degree, where she studied Spanish Language and Literature at the University of Colorado Denver. There, she participated in the University Honors and Leadership program, where she was both a student and a teaching assistant through the years. She also spent time teaching and volunteering at Montessori schools in Denver whenever she could. After graduation, she worked in public health, helping educate community members about their insurance plans, and advocating for their treatments. But before too long, she found herself drawn back to her first love – teaching. She pursued her Master’s degree in Teaching and Learning through Colorado State University, and was a student teacher in both Denver Public Schools and virtually in Alabama.

In 2022, Mrs. Ray, her husband, and their dog packed up and moved to Oceanside, wanting to be closer to her husband’s family. Here, she finished her Master’s, where her thesis focused on the learning gap in reading and writing that occurred due to COVID school closures. She has been a private tutor in North County for over a year and started substitute teaching at JCS in Spring 2025. She is very passionate about problem-based learning, literacy, and finding joy in reading and writing. She hopes to spread this love for storytelling to her students and is excited to be a bigger part of the family at Mountain Oaks.