Stacey McCarter, a native Baltimorean, has been a part of our GGCA community for 21 years, including 3 years where she worked in the school office. She and her husband, Kevin, also sent their children to GGCA. Their daughter graduated in 2015 and their son in 2019. Stacey has faithfully run events such as Harvest Night for 15 years and the High School Graduation for many years. She can be found at all sporting events with her famous cowbell, cheering on our students!
Office Staff
Katrina Freeman
Katrina Freeman graduated from high school at the GGCA in Budapest, Hungary in 2004. She then went on to receive her Bachelors in Biblical Studies from MBC&S in 2011. In the process of earning her degree, she served on the Greater Grace Christian Fellowship church planting team, located in Silver Spring, MD, from 2006-2012. After graduation, she served at Grace Words Bible Church located in York, PA from 2018-2022.
Katrina has always had a real passion for working with children. She has been a Sunday School teacher, a camp counselor, a lifeguard, a nanny, a kindergarten and first grade teacher, an administrative manager for the Youth Advocate Program, and an office manager for a non-profit youth organization called Teen Haven. She will continue to pursue her dream to teach this fall by furthering her education at Bryan University. Katrina is currently working with the GGCA administration team.
Ara Shishmanian
Ara Shismanian joined GGCA as the Assistant Principal in the fall of 2020 and brought a wealth of experience to our school having served in 61 schools during his career. Currently a Doctoral Candidate at Morgan State University, he holds several degrees: a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Connecticut, and Advanced Certificate from Loyola University of MD, a Bachelor of Arts from Springfield College and a degree from Maryland Bible College. He is Maryland Certified, and served 26 years in the Baltimore City Public school system. He was a teacher for 18 years, an Administrator for 8 years, a curriculum specialist, and mentor of teachers. He also taught at Springfield Christian School in MA for 5 years, and our very own GGCA for 2 years.
Ara was ordained as a Pastor at GGWO in June of 2023. He is married to Terry and they have three daughters, Beth, Danielle, and Tara, and one grandson, Preston, a student at GGCA.
Karelia Powers
Karelia Powers was born in Finland and grew up on the mission field in Bangkok, Thailand. She graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies from Maryland Bible College & Seminary, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Linguistics, with minors in Spanish and Psychology at UMBC.
She joined the GGCA team in 2017, after serving as a teacher’s assistant at the Greater Grace Learning Center, and is currently serving as GGCA’s Office Manager.
Barry Quirk
Pastor Barry Quirk joined Greater Grace Christian Academy in July of 2014, fresh off the mission field of Budapest, Hungary where he and his wife, Veronica, and their daughter, Kendel, had been serving since 2004.
Pastor Barry is an administrator, an educator, and a pastor. He has been part of missionary teams to Jakarta, Indonesia and has been involved in leading outreaches to Vienna, Austria and Szolnok, Hungary. He has 10 years experience as a Bible college teacher and served for 9 years as the director of the Central European Theological Academy in Budapest. Pastor Barry has more than 16 years of pastoral experience and has served as an elder in the Budapest church and is a trustee in GGWO Baltimore.
Pastor Barry graduated from Stevens Christian High School in 1984, Stevens School of the Bible in 1987, and Maryland Bible College and Seminary in 1992. He also has earned an MBA from Bryan College in 2015.
While in Hungary, Pastor Barry had been serving as the managing director of our sister school, Greater Grace International School, a prestigious preschool-12th grade Christian private school in Budapest. Pastor Barry served on the advisory board of GGIS from 2004-2007 and as the Managing Director of GGIS from 2007-2014, 2 years of which he also served as the principal of the school. The Quirks have returned to Baltimore to the school where their daughter, Kendel, attended up until the third grade before leaving for Hungary. Kendel graduated from GGIS in June of 2014 and is now attending Stevenson University.
Trish Watson
Trish is the Registrar at Greater Grace Christian Academy and assists with various events and projects as a member of GGCA’s administrative team. In addition, she is the secretary in the Tech Ops office. Trish earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology, with a minor in education from Westfield State College.
