Suzie Calarco

Hello! My name is Suzie Calarco, and I am one of KDE's music teachers. This will be my 20th year teaching music, and the 10th year teaching music at KDE! I graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor's of Music in Music Therapy, and enjoyed a 10 year career in that field before starting my teaching career. I have completed Kodaly training, and I am a Kodaly certified music teacher. My teaching certifications are EC-4 Generalist and K-12 Music. I am predominately a flute player, though I also enjoy singing and playing the piano and guitar. I have been married for 28 years to my hubby Daniel, and we have 3 children and 1 grandchild together. My oldest son Ben is a Lt. JG in the Navy, and serves in the submarine service as a Nuclear Engineer. Although he and his wife Elle were married during Covid quarantine, they will have their wedding celebration this year! My middle son Brett is a specialist in the Army, and serves as an Air Traffic Controller. His son, Aaron is such a delight, and we are thrilled to have him in our family. My daughter Sarah graduated from Tompkins HS this past May, and I adore watching her compete as an International Latin Ballroom dancer! I feel extremely fortunate that I get to sing and play with children for a living.

Rachel Fortenberry

Hi! My name is Rachel Fortenberry. I am excited to start my 12th year of teaching! I taught 5th grade ELA for 2 years at Fielder Elementary and began teaching Art in 2014 when Davidson Elementary opened it's doors. I have a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies and am certified to teach ec-6th general education and ec-12th art education. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for over 20 years and we have 2 amazing boys together. Teaching art to my students fills me with so much joy. In the classroom I live for those "aha moments". Just like Picasso, I believe every child is an artist. I love helping my students learn how they can make beautiful things that enrich theirs and others lives, and make them smile. When I am not teaching I enjoy spending time with family, creating with my boys, painting, working out, reading, gardening and cooking. I can not wait to create with my amazing little artists this year!

Jessica Garcia

Hello! My name is Jessica Garcia, and I am excited to begin my 15th year of teaching. I’ve had the privilege of teaching Elementary Music my whole teaching career and can’t imagine teaching anything else. I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and love of Music with our students. I taught in San Antonio, TX for my first 5 years, then helped open Davidson in 2014. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education EC -12 with a focus in Vocal Music from the University of Texas – San Antonio. I also am Orff certified and have taken three levels of Kodály training. I was born and raised in Houston, been married to my husband for 3 years, and have 2 babies. My hobbies include watching movies, going to concerts, and listening to my favorite genre of music, K-pop. I can’t wait to meet all our little dragons and have a fun year!

Marci Grubert

My name is Marci Grubert and this is my 17th year teaching and my 5th year as a PE teacher. My husband, Toby, and I have been married for 16 years and our son, Thomas will be an 8th grader at Tays Junior High. He keeps us super busy with select baseball and school sports. I look forward to an amazing school year!

Emily Havens

Hello, my name is Emily Havens and this will be my 4th year here as Physical Education Aide at Davidson Elementary. Before that I was a stay at home mom for 12 years, and before Davidson I also worked as a substitute in Katy ISD. I have been happily married for 16 years to the love of my life Ray, and we have 2 wonderful children. Our daughter, Faith, is going into 9th grade at Katy High School, and our son, Trey, will be a 7th grader at Katy Junior High. Faith plays select softball, and Trey plays football. I enjoy watching our kids play the sports they love, watching movies, exercise, the outdoors, serving at my church, growing in my Christian faith, traveling, and spending time with family & friends. It is so great to work on the Specials team here at Davidson because I get the privilege of seeing all of the students that attend on campus! I especially love PE because of the excitement the children have coming to our class while they play all of the fun games & participate in physical activity for themselves. I am very excited to start this school year & meet all of the wonderful new faces, as well as see the old ones that are returning!

Donna Long

My name is Donna Long and I have been a library clerk for 22 years in KISD. This is my 10th year working as a library clerk at Davidson Elementary. I absolutely love working with Mrs. Matovich in the library! It’s our happy place! What I love most about the library is that I get to see all our KDE students and I am able to help them find that perfect book! I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends. I am so excited to start another year in the library!

Crystal Matovich

My name is Crystal Matovich and I am the school librarian. This will be my 22nd year in education, my 20th year in Katy ISD and my 15th year as an elementary school librarian. I am so excited for this school year to begin! I have many fun programs and activities planned for our students in the library this year. I can't wait to welcome our students back to the KDE Library and help them find their just right books! My husband Jonathan and I just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in Hawaii! We have three boys-Alex, Evan and Oliver. This will be my first year to now have a child in elementary school with me. They are growing up way too fast! I have one spoiled cat named June Bug Pickle Matovich. I love to travel, read books, ride bikes and watch my boys play football and soccer! We are going to have a great 10th KDE anniversary year! Hang ten and read lots of books Dragons!!!

Vanina Orendorff

Hello, my name is Vanina Orendorff and I am one of the two art teachers at KDE. This will be my 21st year teaching elementary art. Art is my passion. I have a BFA, Bachelors of Fine Arts, from the University of Houston. Go Coogs! I am certified to teach ec-12th Art. I am originally from Mexico and studied most of my life in the US. I love foreign cultures and continuously explore them through art. My teaching career includes a private school, charter school, Cimarron Elementary, Griffin Elementary, and now KDE. I am one of the original teachers who opened Davidson Elementary. It is a true joy to celebrate it's tenth anniversary this school year. I am a practicing artist and muralist.You can see some of my murals in both Griffin Elementary and Davidson Elementary. I am married and have two children. I am looking forward to a great school year full of art adventures with my students!!!

Kim Whitman

Hi! My name is Kim Whitman, and I am eager to start my 23rd year of teaching! I helped open Davidson Elementary and have served as one of the PE teachers as well as the Team Leader for Specials since we opened the doors to our first group of Dragons back in 2014! I was blessed to grow up in Katy ISD schools (K-12) as well as work in Katy ISD throughout my entire teaching career! I teach physical education, so I have the BEST job in the school! Each child I teach brings their own strengths, challenges, and interests, so my role is to teach with enthusiasm, empathy, and a commitment to their growth and well-being. I will provide opportunities for all students to participate and feel successful, regardless of their athletic ability or background. My husband, Trevor, is also an elementary physical education teacher here in Katy ISD, and we have 2 beautiful children. Aubrey is an 8th grader at Tays JH and Parker is a 5th grader here at Davidson. We also have a spoiled Chiweenie dog named Darby. I look forward to a fun and successful year!