"IT IS THE SUPREME ART OF THE TEACHER TO AWAKEN JOY
IN CREATIVE EXPRESSION AND KNOWLEDGE."
Albert Einstein
Meet Our Team
Meet Our Team
Courtenay M. Conzelman
Courtenay M. Conzelman
SCHOOL FOUNDER
& BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR
SCHOOL FOUNDER
& BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR
Courtenay Conzelman, or Miss Courtenay, is the Founder and Business Administrator of Pacific Shores Day School. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and Family & Community Services with a Young Child emphasis from Michigan State University. Miss Courtenay has been active in the field of child development since 2002 and has been a preschool administrator since 2007.
Upon gaining experience teaching in both private and public school settings, Miss Courtenay recognized a need in the community - a need for a highly academic yet incredibly fun, motivating and interactive junior kindergarten program that children couldn't wait to attend each day. In 2009, with the support of her incredible husband and business partner, and after months of research, preparation and planning, Pacific Shores Day School was born. There truly is no other program like Pacific Shores Day School's junior kindergarten program!
Professional Development & Certifications:
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC)
California Teachers Association (CTA)
Trained in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Trained in the behavioral intervention and education program Second Step®
Trained in handwriting instruction program Handwriting Without Tears®
Holds a music education certification from Music Together®
In addition to her experience as an early childhood educator in Orange County, Miss Courtenay has worked with children and families in high-risk, low income neighborhoods as well as prestigious academies in the United Kingdom. She has also served as a volunteer in children’s orphanages in Central America.
Miss Courtenay and her family reside in southwest San Clemente. She loves to read, sing, dance and be silly and incorporates music, rhythm activities and physical activity into many facets of the daily curriculum. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband and their two school-aged daughters, reading her Kindle, doing Pilates, and spending time with her many amazing neighbors in her laidback beach community.
Miss Courtenay strives to provide families with the best customer service in the industry and is passionate about early childhood education. Each day she feels so fortunate to have the best career in the world!
Christina Rygiol, M.ED
Christina Rygiol, M.ED
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
& LEAD TEACHER
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
& LEAD TEACHER
Mrs. Christina Rygiol, or Miss Christina, has been teaching since 2003 and proudly joined the Pacific Shores family in 2018! Born and raised in Southern California, she earned both a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology as well as her Teaching Credential from California State University, Long Beach. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Education with a specialization in Reading Instruction.
Her first five years of teaching were spent in Huntington Beach before moving with her family to Maui and teaching kindergarten there. In addition to teaching, Miss Christina was one of the founding members of the first MOPS chapter on Maui.
Immediately prior to coming to PSDS, Miss Christina spent four years teaching at a private school in San Juan Capistrano. Throughout her years of teaching, her greatest joys have been watching students grow both academically and socially under her guidance. She loves being a part of that “light bulb moment” when students grasp a new concept and their faces light up.
Miss Christina has been married since 2002. She lives in Ladera Ranch with her husband and their teenage daughter. In addition to teaching, she enjoys reading, baking and spending time with her family. As a family they love to hang out at the beach, travel to new places, try new foods, and ride bikes in their neighborhood.
Miss Christina is warm, thoughtful, reliable and dedicated. She goes out of her way to understand each of her students and to learn how she can encourage them to be their very best. She takes the time to ask meaningful questions and patiently foster lifelong learners. She prides herself on communicating effectively not only with the students, but also with the parents. She believes that the most important part of a child’s education is successful teacher/parent communication. She is committed to providing each child a safe, loving, and motivating environment to learn and grow.
Jessica Simon
Jessica Simon
ASSISTANT
TEACHER
ASSISTANT
TEACHER
We are thrilled to welcome Jessica Simon into our PSDS family! Miss Jessica graduated from college in 2021 with a degree in Liberal Arts. Her collegiate area of emphasis was in Social and Behavior Sciences and she graduated with an award for Academic Excellence. She is currently working toward obtaining her Child Development certificate.
Miss Jessica discovered her love of working with children while babysitting during high school. After high school, Miss Jessica worked as a private nanny for one family throughout her college studies. Miss Jessica's passion is helping children learn while watching them grow to be the best they can be.
Miss Jessica is a volunteer in the desert at the Morongo Preserve and loves teaching the children who visit the preserve about nature and wildlife. While continuing to advance her education, she also enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, and cooking and baking for friends. She also likes to hike and go on bike rides.
Miss Jessica is thrilled to join our team and is eager to continue creating a fun environment for children to accelerate their education and life skills.