Karen Morganti

Junior Kindergarden

Karen Morganti, a Junior Kindergarden teacher, has been teaching Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and first grade at USJ for 18 years. She received a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education from Mississippi State. She started teaching in 1986 and joined the USJ faculty in 1991, teaching Junior Kindergarten. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Tennessee Kindergarten Association. 

Mrs. Morganti’s teaching philosophy is to make learning fun. “I want the children to love school and have fun while learning everything they possibly can,” she says. Her favorite aspect about teaching at USJ, she says, is the children. "Everyday is an adventure," she says.

Reading, cooking, gardening, and traveling occupy her time outside of the classroom. She has two dogs, Sadie and Max, and one cat, Holly.

Karen has been married for 22 years to her husband, Jace. They have two children, Austin, 17, who is a junior at USJ, and Tyler, a 2008 USJ graduate, who is a leukemia survivor. Tyler finished treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in February 2011 and married his fiance, Andrea, in October.

Email Karen Morganti

Lori Howell

Lori Howell is Karen Morganti’s Junior Kindergarden assistant. Lori, a native of Franklin, Tennessee, received her B.S. from Auburn University. Lori is married to Joey Howell. They have two children, Mae and James, both USJ students. Mae is the second grade, and James is in kindergarten.