Hi, everyone! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you. My name is Mrs. Kristina McKenna, and I am looking forward to being your teacher for this 2008-2009 school year. Since we will be spending the next 10 months together, I would like to give you some background about me, both personal and professional.

I was born and raised on Staten Island, New York. My parents, sister, brother, nieces and nephew still live there, so I get to visit often. Although I spent most of my life on Staten Island, I ventured off to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to obtain my bachelor’s of arts degree in Elementary Education from King’s College. While at King’s College I continued my long time love of .22 rifle target shooting. My most memorable experiences there were shooting a perfect score at National’s and student teaching in third grade!

Once I graduated from King’s College, I returned home to begin my teaching career. My first position was as a preschool teacher. Although I loved the children and the staff, the salary was barely paying my bills. The thought of teaching in NYC schools did not appeal to me personally. Therefore, I decided to apply for a position as a kindergarten teacher at St. Patrick’s School, a local Staten Island Catholic school. I was granted the position and shaped the minds of five year olds for three years. During this time, I pursued my master’s of science degree in Elementary Education from the College of Staten Island. After those three years, I was promoted to second grade!

My time at St. Patrick’s was limited to four years. During the summer of 1997, I met Bruce McKenna. We married the following summer. Since my husband was from Rhode Island and owned a small lumber business at the time, it was only reasonable that I would be the one who would relocate. I once again relocated for Mr McKenna's job in 2004 when he was offered a position with the Internal Revenue Service in Worcester, MA. We now live in Connecticut which is actually a hop, skip, and jump from Coventry.

Starting over in the teaching profession was not exactly what I expected. I worked part-time as a literacy teacher for one year and supplemented that experience by being a substitute teacher. After that one year, I was offered a position as a sixth grade teacher at Blackrock School in Coventry, Rhode Island. For the past 10 years, I have been employed with the Coventry School District. Seven of those years were spent as a fourth grade teacher at Blackrock School.

In addition to being a classroom teacher, I have also been a cooperating teacher for Rhode Island College students, was on several committees during my time at Blackrock School, including the school climate committee, math committee, Teacher Support Team, and mentoring committee. I am currently a member of the Math Team at Western Coventry School. I also facilitate a master's level course through the University of Phoenix On-line Program.

My husband and I are the proud parents of a son, Aidan, born October 2003. He starts kindergarten this year! I also have 4 wonderful dogs and 2 finicky cats to occupy any spare time that I have. My husband and I enjoy skiing and traveling within the United States and abroad.

Entering into my sixteenth year in the teaching profession, I am looking forward to continuing this journey at Western Coventry Elementary School.