IJA Teachers & Staff 2024-2025

We encourage you to take the time to meet our teaching staff. Appointments are always available after school hours.

Eunice Barney

Principal

Mrs. Barney has worked in the field of education for over 20 years in both SDA schools as well as public schools. She has a passion for children being taught of the Lord, but also recognizes the importance of children having a sound education to be successful citizens in this world which we temporarily call home. She believes that all students are capable of learning and that it is important for children to learn in an atmosphere where they can be free to express and live out their beliefs without feeling out of place doing so.

Paola Pizarro

Business Manager

Mrs. Pizarro holds a degree in accounting from Peruvian Union Adventist University and she worked for several years as a treasurer of different Adventists schools in her native country. She received an MBA in business management from the Peruvian Union Adventist University in 2009. She got her second MBA in Human Resources from USI (University of Southern Indiana) in 2019. She has a very strong financial and management background, very familiar with school finances, and is able to oversee school operating finances and other matters related to operating school facilities. She has a passion for Adventist Education, and her commitment is to keep IJA’s finances strong and debt free.

Sandy Montoya

Hello! I am so honored to be your pre-k / k teacher for the year 2024-2025. I’m so
excited to get to know your child and learn and grow together. This would be my first
year on formal education, but I feel I have been working with kids my whole life. I started babysitting at 13 and since then I have worked in our church children’s Sabbath School Classes and with Adventurer’s. I graduated from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) in 2014 with a bachelor’s in finances and Banking at my home country Honduras, I also studied English as a Second Language at Mercyhurst
University in Erie, PA and graduated in 2015. I went back to Honduras and worked in
the banking industry and business financial management. Moved to the US in 2018 and started working in the customer service industry. I feel now humbled to serve the Lord’s little lambs and venture on the education field. I’m thrilled to be part of your kid’s first school experience and pray that we all will have a blessed year together.

Kelly Taitano

Mrs. Kelly Taitano (Miss Kelly) graduated from Purdue University with a B.A. in Secondary English Education and from La Sierra University with a Master's degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English. She has taught high school and college as well as home schooled Pre-K through 8th
grade, and she has received her elementary certification. Kelly is married to a CT Technician named John Taitano, and they have three children: Brenna, Zane, and Vance. Kelly enjoys cooking/baking, preaching, reading, writing, and kayaking. She loves children and wants to help bring them into a saving relationship with Jesus. Her favorite Bible passage is Romans 8:35-39.

Mrs. Rita Paunganwa is a native of Zimbabwe, Africa. She emigrated to the USA in October of 2000 after completing her Bachelor's of Business Administration at Solusi Adventist University. When she and her husband were blessed with their daughter, her interest turned to Education. She has worked over 10 years as an Instructional Assistant in the public-school sector, focusing on Math and Reading interventions. She also taught Preschool here at the Indianapolis Junior Academy for a year. Presently, she is working on her Master's degree in Elementary Education.

Rita Paunganwa is excited to join the IJA family. She hopes to build lasting relationships with both the students and their families that are motivated by the love of Jesus Christ. In her leisure time, Mrs. Paunganwa loves to garden, sew, sing, and try new recipes.

I’ve been an educator for over 22 years, with 17 of those spent teaching in the United States. Throughout my career, I’ve taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels—though most of my experience has been with fourth and fifth grade students, as well as in middle school. I’ve also had the privilege of teaching gifted and talented learners and serving as an instructional leader both inside and outside the classroom.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Universidad Santo Tomás in Bogotá, Colombia, a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a graduate certificate in Academically and Intellectually Gifted Education from Duke University.

I am passionate about fostering student growth in all areas—academic, emotional, physical, and spiritual. I believe in creating a safe, Christ-centered classroom environment where students feel seen, challenged, and supported as they grow into who God created them to be.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife, Gladys, and I have two wonderful children: Daniela, a sophomore at Walla Walla University studying Physics and Computer Science, and David, a chemical engineer living and working in Colombia. Our home is also brightened by our energetic little dog, Benji.

I’m looking forward to a 2025–2026 school year full of learning and collaboration with IJA students, their families, and the entire IJA community.