Ms. Kristen Gavenda was born in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois but she has lived in St. Louis, Missouri for 16 years and says that St. Louis is where she is from. This is Ms. Gavenda's first year of teaching at Hayes Cooper Center. For college, she went to Truman State University where she got her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Masters of Arts in Elementary Education.
What Ms. Gavenda loves about her job is being able to see students grow in their understanding of new concepts and becoming lifelong learners.
Ms. Gavenda's family recently grew when her father married her new 'bonus mom'. Her family now includes two brothers, a sister-in-law, and a newborn nephew in addition to her sister. When she is not working hard, she enjoys making crafts, baking, and reading.