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| Mike Font - Principal | | Mr. Font joined the staff at Messiah in July of 2008. He has enjoyed his time at Messiah during the first half of the school year, and looks forward to celebrating the OSU victory over Texas during the early part of January. | | Barb Wehmeyer - Kindergarten | Concordia, MO is where I grew up. I attended St. Paul’s Lutheran School where I was inspired to consider the teaching ministry. Upon graduation from Concordia, Seward in 1972, my husband Don and I had the unique experience of starting Martin Luther School in Phoenix, Arizona, where I taught kindergarten. My teaching experience continued with beginning a preschool at River Roads Lutheran School in St. Louis. After moving to St. Charles in 1985, I became preschool director at Our Savior Lutheran. I later taught preschool at the St. Charles Educational and Developmental Center and also worked with kids K-12 at the Huntington Learning Center.
In 2000, I became part of Messiah’s ministry and began teaching kindergarten. I feel very privileged that the Lord has given me the opportunity to nurture these redeemed children with His Word each day at school. It continues to amaze me how the school has grown over these past eight years! I am looking forward to the addition of Beth Schult as half-day teacher as I begin the full-day program this fall.
During the past school year, my husband Don saw the healing hand of the Lord as he fought mantle cell lymphoma. After a stem cell transplant in January, healing came and he is now in remission, hoping to return to his Frito-Lay job soon. Our daughter Melanie, a pediatric nurse at St. John’s, son-in law John and grandson Camden live here in St. Charles. Son Andrew lives in Dallas, TX where he is an analyst at the Frito-Lay headquarters. Son Chris lives in St. Charles and also works for Frito-Lay in the St. Louis region.
Sewing, gardening, going out to lunch, playing with grandchildren Camden and Baylie, listening to music and singing with the Missouri Choral Society are all ways that I enjoy life!
| | Beth Schult - Kindergarten | I was born in Middleton, NY in the summer of 1968 and was raised in Wheaton Il.(suburb of Chicago) from 1969-1986. My Dad was pastor at St. John Lutheran Church. I attended Concordia University River Forest, IL and graduated with a BA in Elementary Education in 1990. I received my Masters in Church Music from CURF in 1991. It is at Concordia where I met my husband Paul, one of the pastors here at Messiah. After graduation from Concordia in 1991….we were married and traveled off to the seminary!! It is here that I taught for 2 years at St Johns, in St Louis. I taught 4th and 5th grade during this time. I also served as their Music Director. It was here that I opened my first paycheck …and remember thinking…..I get paid for this?....I was living my dream of a lifetime and I was getting paid?….
After finishing the Seminar our first call was to Council Bluffs, IA where we served as Pastor and music director for 4 years. In 1998, we were called to Messiah and knew that God was directing and guiding us to be a part of this energetic ministry! In my time here I have been blessed to be a part of the church music ministry. I have served in many different ways….from being the director ….to now assisting, Greg Worzel, our current director. My responsibilities include planning music and then gathering choirs and instrumentation during special festivals throughout the year. I have also been known to plan, direct, and execute musicals at Christmas and Easter. I also enjoy helping to create meaningful worship experiences throughout the church year.
Paul and I have 5 children that will all be at Messiah all day for the first time! Madeline is 13, Allison is 11, Nathan is 9, Samuel is 6 and Elise is 5. We have been richly blessed with a these children….what an honor to be able to serve in this church where kids are #1. I am so excited to be back in the classroom serving as a part- time Kindergarten teacher. There is no better place to be spending my mornings than with a wonderful group of excited, energized, and eager 5 and 6 year old Kindergarteners!! They will bless me in more ways than I could even begin to imagine!
| | Carol Koenig - First Grade | I was born and raised in the St. Louis area, attending Salem, Affton and Lutheran High School South. I knew at any early age that I wanted to be a teacher and began teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School while I was in high school. Upon graduating from Lutheran South, I attended Concordia, Ann Arbor for two years and then finished my undergraduate education at Concordia, River Forest.
My first teaching assignment was at Our Redeemer Lutheran School in Overland, Missouri, teaching kindergarten in the morning and music in grades 1-8 in the afternoon. Since then I have taught just about everything from 2 year olds to sixth grade in North Carolina, New Jersey, and Illinois. I've served as part-time organist, children's choir director, elementary hand bell director, preschool director, primary department chairperson, girls' volleyball and softball coach, and supervised student teachers. I've also served on the Program Committee for the Missouri District Teachers' Conference.
When I returned to St. Charles I decided to work on my master's degree and obtained this degree from Lindenwood University. Since then I have received the MOCAPE Educator of Achievement Award and the Emerson Electric Excellence in Education Award.
My husband, Jim, is an accountant and part-owner of a specialized talent payment service. We have two sons. Andy, an architect, and his wife, Jamie, a teacher, are Adult Leaders for the Youth Group at Messiah. Joe a web designer/programmer, and his wife, Jennifer, a teacher, are also members of Messiah and the parents of our grandsons, Tim and Ben..
I enjoy working with the children and parents at Messiah. First graders are so eager to learn and do learn so much during the school year. I will strive to create a positive Christian environment where the children will feel comfortable asking questions, experimenting, and making mistakes as they learn; where children will enjoy learning; and where each child can grow spiritually, mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally to his or her greatest potential as a unique child of God.
| | Shannon Watkins - First Grade | I am so thankful that God placed me at Messiah to teach, fellowship, and praise Him. This year is my 15th year of teaching at the primary level. I have taught kindergarten, first, and second grade, and love working with God’s children.
I grew up in St. Louis where I attended St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Des Peres, and Lutheran High School South. I graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with degrees in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education. I received my Master’s Degree in teaching from Lindenwood University. Teaching has always been my desire, and I especially love sharing God’s word and Gods world with young children.
My husband, Brian, and I have two children. Ellie is in the sixth grade, and Drew is in the fourth grade. They both are a blessing to our family and keep busy with sports, books, music, and friends. Brian and I keep busy working in and around the house, enjoying music, theater, sports, and spending time with our friends and family.
I look forward to the year ahead and sharing God’s Good News with the students here at Messiah!
| | Janelle Schoenleber - Second Grade | I grew up in Edwardsville, IL and attended great Lutheran schools! I graduated from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska in the spring of 2002. While at Concordia I played softball and received the Concordia Academic Award and was the recipient of the 2001 NAIA Scholar-Athlete award. I majored in Elementary Education with a concentration in mathematics.
I have loved my years as a teacher at Messiah. My main reason for choosing to be a church work professional is to serve God as I work with my students and teach them to pray and rely on God in all circumstances.
While at Concordia I gained teaching experience in Kindergarten through Sixth grade, and student taught in Seward at the first grade level.
I enjoy playing and watching all sports, listening to music, traveling, and reading. I recently have become interested in marathons and triathlons!
I’m looking forward to starting my sixth year of teaching second grade at Messiah.
| | Renee Manahan - Third Grade | I grew up in the Chicago area and graduated from Valley Lutheran High School, St. Charles, IL. I received my B.S. in Elementary Education from Illinois State University, Normal, IL and my B.S. in Early Childhood from Lindenwood University, St. Charles, MO. Earlier this year, I completed the Colloquy program through Concordia University, River Forest.
My husband, Brian, and I have been married for 21 years and have lived in several states; Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Missouri. We have lived in Missouri for 13 years and now call it home. Brian is currently a Senior Account Executive for Integrated Marketing Partners in Chesterfield. Our daughter, Katie, is 19 and is a Sophomore at Southeast Missouri University and our son, Adam is 16 and is a Junior at Francis Howell High School. Our other two “children” are our two golden retrievers, Goldie and Hunter. Goldie is 11 years old and Hunter is 5.
I have taught seventh and eighth grade reading and math, 3rd grade, and kindergarten before having children. I was blessed to have been able to stay home with my children when they were younger. I then taught full day kindergarten for 5 years before teaching first grade at Messiah for two years. This will be my second year teaching 3rd grade at Messiah, and I am very excited since I had many of these children 2 years ago in first grade. I am excited to be teaching them again and seeing how much they have grown academically and spiritually.
I feel so blessed to be teaching with Kathy Brenner this year and to be a part of such a wonderful staff. I am looking forward to a fun-filled, God centered year for both my students and myself.
| | Kathy Brenner - Third Grade | It is my honor and privilege to serve God by teaching third grade this year. I consider myself blessed to be part of this amazing team of teachers and staff here at Messiah. I believe my strengths are positive interaction with students and good communication with parents.
I am a graduate of the University of Michigan and also attended Concordia College, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Before our sons were born, I taught for six years in elementary classrooms. I also served on school leadership teams as well as serving as a VBS preschool director. Working as a teacher’s aid and teaching preschool for five years are other jobs I performed at Messiah.
My husband, Richard, and I will be married 18 years this summer. Our sons, Gerald and John, are both students here at Messiah. Gerald is entering eighth grade and John will be in sixth grade. This year Gerald will be among the group of students that started the first kindergarten at Messiah and will now graduate. We have been members at Messiah for eight years.
As a family we enjoy our two feline friends, Emma and Julie. Our boys keep us busy during the summer with their baseball schedules. We love to travel to Michigan and Florida to visit family. We have lived in Missouri for nine years. This is home to us and we have become huge Cardinal’s fans.
I look forward to the many blessings the Lord has in store for all of us this 2008-2009 school year!
| | Jana Brackman - Fourth Grade | I began teaching at Word of Life Lutheran School after graduating from Concordia College in Seward, Nebraska in 1989. At Word of Life Lutheran School, I gained experience in many levels including the third through eighth grades, concentrating in math and reading. I enjoyed coaching volleyball, girl’s basketball and cheerleading. I was also an advisor for Student Council and for the Yearbook Committee.
After my two sons were born, I had the opportunity to stay home with Joshua and Jacob while also working part-time at Timothy Lutheran Church as a Youth Minister. In 1996 God led me to St. Lucas Preschool where I taught for four years, and also served as the director of the Preschool Program.
My husband, Tim, is an administrator and business education teacher at Lutheran High School North. Our oldest son, Joshua, is a sophomore at Lutheran High School North. Jacob, our youngest, is looking forward to his 7th grade experience here at Messiah.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, creating cards and scrapbook pages, playing games and just about anything I can do with my family and friends.
God has richly blessed me and my family the past seven years at Messiah. I am looking forward to another fantastic year.
| | Amy Williams - Fourth Grade | I knew very early on that I wanted to spend my life working with children. I greatly enjoyed babysitting as a teen and volunteered every summer to teach preschool or kindergarten VBS. I was raised in Hazelwood, MO attending Good Shepherd Lutheran
Church, Atonement Lutheran School and Hazelwood West High School. I attended Southwest Missouri State University majoring in Elementary Education where I requested to be placed with Springfield Lutheran School for my student teaching experience. I was granted permission and Student Taught at SLS at the fourth grade level. Upon graduation I worked as a special education paraprofessional, then as a classroom paraprofessional at John Weldon Elementary in the Francis Howell School District. In 1997 I was offered a fourth grade teaching position at Fairmont Elementary School. After three years there, I was transferred to Harvest Ridge Elementary and completed two more years at the fourth grade level. During this time I earned a Masters Degree from Lindenwood University and obtained Certification in Gifted Education. My most recent experience has been teaching as a Writing Specialist and K-1 Allied Arts teacher. While teaching for the FHSD I have served as Yearbook Advisor, Science Fair Chairperson, and Assistant Choir Director, and served on several committees such as student council, master schedule, and mission/vision team.
In my free time I enjoy Scrapbooking, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. My husband, Wade, and I were married in 1996 and have been Messiah members since 1997. We live in O’Fallon and have two sons and a daughter. Ty is in thrid grade, and Jake is in second grade, and Jill is in 3-year-old preschool. As I have watched Messiah grow and the day school develop over the past few years, I prayed that the opportunity to teach in a Lutheran School may still come about. I am so thankful that God has blessed Messiah in such a way that this opportunity has come about, and that He has led me here and blessed me in such a way that I can use my gifts and talents to help the students of Messiah reach their full academic potential and grow in their spirituality.
| | Jennifer Koenig - Fifth Grade | I grew up in St. Peters, and was a member at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in O’Fallon. I was fortunate enough to attend Lutheran High School, St. Charles. After graduating from Lutheran High, I continued my education at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. Two years into my education, I transferred to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri where I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education.
Teaching has always been a natural choice for me. I have always strived to gain experience in all areas of education, working with children of all ages and abilities. This led me to an opportunity to work with children diagnosed with Autism. I began working on an ABA (applied behavioral analysis) team in high school and continued to work in this area until my son was born in December of 2004. As I continue my education and pursue a Master’s degree, special education continues to be my focus.
My husband Joe and I are former members of Immanuel, Wentzville and transferred to Messiah shortly after I received a teaching position in 2003. My husband owns a web development firm here in St. Louis. We have two sons, Timothy (often referred to as Tornado Tim) who will starting 3-yeard old preschool here at Messiah in the fall and Benjamin who will turn one in December. We recently moved to Lake St. Louis and spend free time as a family, playing at the park, doing projects around the house and (Tim’s favorite) playing with our two Labrador Retrievers, Morgan and Sydney.
| | Corey Ensrude - Sixth Grade | I realized that I wanted to be a teacher the summer after my freshman year of college at Valparaiso University. I had always enjoyed working with children through various jobs, and after one year of studying business statistics I decided I had had enough and changed my major to elementary education. I now realize that it was the best decision I could have made.
I graduated in 2004 and started working at St. Philip Lutheran School in Chicago. At St. Philip I taught 5th-8th grade science and 1st-3rd grade physical education. I am very grateful for the experience I gained at St. Philip and feel that it was a huge step in the right direction for me in my career as a Lutheran School teacher.
I first heard of Messiah Lutheran School over the internet and was very impressed even before seeing the school or meeting any of the people involved with the school. After coming to church and meeting some of the staff members and parents I was even more impressed and I knew that I would be a perfect fit at Messiah.
| | Charlie Brewster - Sixth Grade | I moved to O’Fallon with my parents in 1994 and became a member of Messiah in 1995. My wife, Carrie, and I have two children. Madison is in seventh grade and Jackson is one year old.
I grew up in south St. Louis and attended Lutheran school through high school. I graduated from Holy Cross Lutheran School and Lutheran High School South. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do in life. I was taking classes at the University of Missouri-St. Louis toward a degree in Management Information Systems, when I took the job of janitor at Messiah. Shortly thereafter, I realized my calling in life was to be a teacher. I completed my student teaching at Messiah in December of 2006 with Mrs. Carol Koenig. Student teaching was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I look forward to advancing into the next chapter of my life, teaching. Messiah is a place that has meant so much to me and I cannot wait to give something back.
| | Lyn Biesendorfer - Seventh Grade | I always wanted to be a Lutheran School teacher. I was greatly influenced by my father who was a Lutheran School teacher and principal for 40 years. Now I have finished my 26th year of teaching in the Lutheran Schools, teaching everything between 2nd and 8th grades.
I grew up in a small farming community in Northern Illinois. I graduated from Concordia College in River Forest, IL, in 1978 where I also met my husband, Rob. We have been married for 27 years and have served congregations in the Chicago area, Southern California, Southern Illinois, and the St. Louis area.
We have two children: Julee is 26 and works in Human Resources, and Tim is 23 and works in the fly-fishing industry. We also have a Border Collie, Jackson, an Australian Shepherd named Macey and Noah, a goofy golden Lab.
I enjoy cooking, reading, walking, and watching sports, especially the Cardinals. I especially enjoy learning more about teaching and keeping up to date on the latest educational theories, especially concerning Language Arts. I have presented workshops about teaching writing at the Missouri District Educators Conference and the Southern Illinois Teachers Conference. I have also conducted seminars about teaching writing to several area schools.
I am looking forward to the ministry opportunities and challenges of teaching at Messiah. I thank our Lord and Savior for the opportunity to be a part of Messiah’s outreach to the community!
| | Tim Dwyer - Eight Grade | God has opened so many doors in my life-time but none greater than the door to return to the ministry as a called teacher here at Messiah and I could not be more excited. I began my teaching career after 4 great years at Concordia, Seward, NE. Upon graduating I returned to my home area of Wentzville to await a December wedding to my wife of now 5 years Stephanie. During that year I spent my first year teaching at Wright City High School. After getting married to Steph, who was also a teacher, we took calls to teach at Faith Lutheran Jr./Sr. High School in Las Vegas, NV. During our four years there I taught Algebra, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus. Along with teaching I also coached high school football and track. I became head track coach our final two years there. While there I spent time working on my Masters in Administration which I received from Concordia in May of 2007 and am working on school curriculum in professional learning communities. Wanting to be close to family we moved back to the area in July 2007 and now live in O’Fallon where I spent the last year teaching at Timberland High School in the Wentzville School District. During this past year I taught 3 levels of Algebra and Geometry. I also served on the districts math curriculum committee. That is how God has blessed me in my teaching career to this point.
Two years into our ministry and adventure in Las Vegas we had Parker. He is now a vibrant and loving 3 year old who loves cars, the Cardinals, and games. Stephanie now stays home with him as he prepares for Pre-School and as we prepares for another son, Jack who should be here sometime near the first of September. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and a fun loving son that I hope to share with you as we get involved more at Messiah in both church and school.
Some of the extracurricular activities I enjoy are spending time playing t- ball, cars, and games with Parker, watching the Cardinals, playing golf, cooking, and spending time with family, and my beautiful wife.
God has brought me to Messiah through a long winding path through Missouri, to Nebraska, back to Missouri, to Nevada, and now back to Missouri here at Messiah. I know God has plans for me and has used me at every stop along this journey and will continue to work through me as I share His message with my students and everyone I meet in my new ministry here. To God be the Glory.
| | Carol Iskra - Preschool | I graduated from Riverview Gardens and attended Florissant Valley Community College. I have lived in St. Peters for 9 years.
I was blessed to stay home with my children. I worked at Zion Lutheran as a teaching assistant for 4 years. I moved on to Messiah for the next 3 years as a teaching assistant.
I have been married to Joe for 19 years. Joe is a Senior Programmer / Analyst at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. We have 3 children; Megan is 17 and twins Matthew and Joey are 14.
I am very excited for my 6th year at Messiah. I will continue to teach 3 year old preschool and now also I’ll be teaching 4 year old preschool. I love the children at Messiah and am very happy to be a part of this ministry.
| | Mary Schlie - Preschool | I am so excited to be able to serve God by teaching at Messiah! This is a great school and I am thankful to be a part of a dedicated team of teachers and staff.
I grew up in St. Louis where I attended Christ Community Lutheran School and Lutheran High School South. It was in the eighth grade when I knew that I wanted to become a teacher. It is a great profession to be able to work with children and share Jesus’ love with them.
I attended Concordia College in River Forest, Illinois and have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. I have taught for eleven years and have enjoyed working with a variety of ages. Children are such a miracle from God and it is so much fun to watch them grow and develop into the special people that He created them to be.
I met my husband, Chuck, in college. He is one of the pastor’s at Messiah. We love our church and are thrilled that Messiah’s church and school ministry is a united one, centered in living to know and share the love of Jesus Christ.
Chuck and I have been blessed with five children: Janie (8th grade), Shelby (6th grade), Kate (3rd
grade), Grace (1st grade), and Will (3 year Preschool.)
I am grateful for this opportunity to work with the preschoolers and their parents and I know it will be a truly wonderful year!
| | Kelly Huning - Preschool | I grew up in Florissant, MO where I attended Salem Lutheran School. After graduating from Lutheran High School North, I received an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Early Childhood Education and began teaching at The Child Development Center located on the campus of St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. I worked with children from birth – aged 4 and supervised college students enrolled in the Early Childhood Program. In addition to these duties I taught classes for the Continuing Educations Program, one of my favorites being “Be a Better Baby-sitter”.
After my son Zachary was born, I began working part time as a Parent Educator for the Parents As Teachers Program. Although this was very rewarding for me, I realized something was missing and found the answer when an opportunity to teach at Messiah Lutheran Preschool became available to me. I was able to work with young children and teach them about the love of Jesus. In addition to teaching preschool, I also lead the preschool music program for our Sunday School and direct Vacation Bible School each year.
I married my high school sweetheart, Matt. We have 3 children, 2 who attend Lutheran High and 1 who attends Messiah. Zachary is a Senior, Ali is a Sophomore, and Madison is in 7th grade. Our favorite family activity is camping! I also enjoy walking, reading, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
I look forward to another great year in preschool and thank God for allowing me to be part of such a great ministry here at Messiah.
| | Connie Gray - Preschool | I am just thrilled to get back into teaching and especially at Messiah Lutheran School.
I was born in Staunton, IL and moved to Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO shortly thereafter. I attended Grace Chapel Lutheran School and graduated from Lutheran High School North. I simply loved my teachers at Grace and felt they were excellent role models. I knew I too wanted to be a Christian role model for children and so I went on to Concordia College in River Forest, IL to pursue a degree in Elementary Education. In 1989 I received my teaching degree from R.F., met my future husband John in the school cafeteria, and accepted my first teaching call to Bishop, TX.
I taught a combination first and second grade and was Youth Minister at St .Paul Lutheran School. I then accepted a call to Zion Lutheran School in Harvester, MO as second grade teacher and cheerleading coach. I was thrilled to get back to St. Louis to be close to my family and fiancée. I taught there for five years until Jared was born. I then decided to work part time as a Parent Educator for the Parents as Teachers program in the St. Charles School District. Once our second child Julia arrived 19 months after Jared, I knew being a full-time mom was my next calling. Three and a half years later God gave us Jaclyn and our family was complete.
Watching Messiah grow and seeing its ministries touch so many families in the way my family has been touched the past 12 years, excites me. I look forward to meeting the pre-school families of the children I will be teaching.
| | Valerie Schwentker - Preschool | I have lived in St. Charles all of my life. I graduated from Francis Howell High School and attended Southeast Missouri State. I have also taken classes at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and St. Charles Community College. I have been in the Early Childhood field for over 15 years as a teacher, van driver, cook and as a Daycare Director for 2 Daycare Centers. I have taught both the 3 & 4 year old preschool classes at Messiah Lutheran School. I am starting my eighth year at Messiah and I am as excited to teach this year as I was the day I started teaching. I have been a member at Messiah since the church began. Education has always been a major priority at Messiah and I feel blessed to be a part of the plan that became reality. It is a joy to be a part of a staff that is so committed to the Lord and to the children.
Jerry and I have been married over 25 years. Our family consists of our son, Jeremy and a spoiled rotten Iris Setter, named Samson. I enjoy scrap booking, reading; watching sports of all kinds, cooking and time spent with my family and friends. I love all types of music and going to concerts and plays.
I feel blessed to be a part of the ministry at Messiah Lutheran School. I wish everyone could experience Jesus through the eyes of a child, I am thankful I get the experience everyday.
| | Tracy McRae - Preschool | I was born in the St. Louis area, but became a "military brat" and moved all around the southeastern states with my family. I eventually ended up back in St. Louis and graduated from the Ritenour School District. I entered the University of Missouri-St. Louis and completed my undergrad studies in the education department with a degree in general and special education in 1994. My student teaching placement at Immanuel Lutheran in St. Charles was my first experience with the Lutheran Schools and I loved it! During this placement, my then boyfriend and I became members at Immanuel and later married there in the fall of 1992.
After my graduation we moved to the Atlanta area where I taught 2nd grade at an area private school. Upon moving back to the St. Louis area we built a home in St. Charles Co. and I was hired to teach Special Ed. with the Wright City School District and then the Fort Zumwalt School District, where I completed my Masters in Early Childhood at Lindenwood. I taught three years at Dardenne in the Special Ed. Dept. and decided to stay at home upon the arrival of my second daughter.
My husband is a loan officer for First National Bank of St. Louis and has been in this industry since 2001. Brian and I have been members of Messiah since 1997 and have seen God's plan in action here over the course of those eleven years. Brian and I now have three girls at Messiah. Lilly 5, Emily 9 and Aubrey 11. I have felt God guiding me to gradually get back into my professional career, and I feel blessed to be doing so at Messiah!
| | Kay Davenport - Computer | A St. Louis County native, I grew up attending St. Paul, Des Peres, and then Lutheran High School South. I attended University of Missouri – Rolla for a couple of years, then entered the work force. Throughout my career, my job always gravitated towards technology, ending as a Research Coordinator for May Department Stores, specializing in Geographic Information Systems.
I quit corporate life to become a stay-at-home mom, but as my boys grew older, I gradually became more involved in volunteering first at Messiah Lutheran Church, then School, assisting in the maintenance of computers, as well as various other “geek” tasks that others didn’t have the knowledge, desire, or equipment to do.
When Mr. Biesendorfer asked me to teach Kindergarten computers, it was a natural fit. I am allowed to introduce the children to computers, a skill, I believe is as essential to life as knowing how to use a pair of scissors. Children have a natural affinity for computers, and it is a joy to watch them grow in their knowledge and skills as they begin to discover the wonders of technology. I look forward to working with God’s children at Messiah again this year.
| | Julie Hillis - Art | I was born in Ohio and earned my Master's degree in Education from Ohio State University. I have been married to my husband, Walt, for 17 years and we moved to St. Charles about 13 years ago. We have two childre, Steven and Brian, and one dog, Mo.
Both my mother and my aunt were teachers for over 20 years, so teaching is definitely in my blood! I have taught kindergarten in Ohio, art in Michigan, and sixth grade in Winfield, MO. This is my fourth year teaching art at Messiah. It has been a wonderful opportunity to be able to do something I love at a place where the staff and students are such a pleasure to work with.
When I am not chauffeuring my boys to their various sporting events, I enjoy traveling, photography, scrapbooking, and Buckeye football. |
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