What's your title at CLHS?
Deaconess; Theology teacher
Are you a Concordia alum or parent?
Parent. Our youngest son graduated from CLHS in 2017
When did you start at CLHS?
2015
Please describe your position at CLHS.
I teach courses in the theology department; play the organ for chapel services as needed; adult mentor for a Koinonia group; lead a weekly Didache Prayer Group (10 Koinonia student leaders); and co-lead one of the faculty Didache groups that meet about once per month.
What was your education that led you to CLHS?
I trained as a Deaconess at Concordia University-Chicago with a major in theology, minor in music and concentration in education. I earned a Master of Arts in Religion at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. I also have a Doctorate in Education (EdD) from Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA. Informally, my education has continued throughout my adult life through experiences writing curriculum and teaching at the undergrad and graduate level; teaching Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and adult Bible class; raising four children together with my husband; and cross-cultural ministry and living in Ghana, Ethiopia, and South Africa.
What did you love most about teaching at CLHS?
I never aspired to teach high school, and after nearly seven years I am still happily excited and amazed to find myself doing just that! While my course assignments change from one semester to the next, I primarily teach the freshman (Old Testament) and sophomore (New Testament) courses. One thing I love about teaching these courses is that students who have never been exposed to the Bible narratives learn a lot, and students who think they really know the Bible because they have attended a Christian school since they were in Kindergarten also discover that there is more to learn.
Every long-time student of the Bible knows there is always more to learn, and I like to share with my students things that I learn in Bible class at my church when it is relevant to the lesson. It's fun for me to share things I am learning, and I always tell them "I just learned this recently" because I want them to see that learning is lifelong.
I believe in teaching the whole person and not just a subject. The transition from middle school to high school can be tough for students, so I pay particular attention to freshmen in my classes. I enjoy helping students develop organizational skills and the self-discipline needed to become an independent learner. I like to encourage students and cheer them on as they reach a goal. I love seeing students grow in confidence, find their passion, discover new interests, and mature into the young adults who leave Concordia ready to take on new challenges and make a difference in the world around them.
Perhaps most of all, I love praying with students. I start every class period with a devotion and prayer, sometimes student-led, sometimes led by me. We always take prayer requests. We have prayed day in and day out for some loved ones, even in the absence of the student who has repeatedly requested that prayer. We have prayed for friends, family members, pets, sporting events, theatre performances, and for events in our community and world. Each class has its own "personality" with respect to prayer. Some classes are more vocal than others in sharing prayer requests. Recently, we may have hit a record high with sixteen requests, all of them important to the requester, and all of them important to our Lord Jesus, who has invited us to come to Him in all circumstances and with any and all concerns, petitions, and thanksgivings.
What's your favorite story about your time at CLHS?
Like all of my colleagues at CLHS, I could list dozens of memorable experiences. Since I must keep it short ... I'll limit it to two. The 2016 Football season was amazing. Our son Ted was a senior and on the varsity team. Winning the state title at Lucas Oil Stadium was a "mountain top experience" and worthy of its own feature story, but the regular season was also a highlight. This was before CLHS started live-streaming athletic events, so my husband got a hotspot and whatever other gadgets are needed to connect to our video camera and live-streamed the games on his YouTube channel so that family members in other states, especially Ted's two older brothers, could watch the games with us. (We later learned that Coach Mannigel's mother in Nebraska also watched those games.)
We went to every game, including that memorable playoff game in Garrett that was delayed by a thunderstorm for over an hour. Fans from both sides had to go into the school cafeteria and maintain peaceful relations in close quarters, and the game was won during a heavy rain after the lightning had stopped. It was my job to stand in the downpour and hold the umbrella over the cameraman (my husband) and his equipment. During a regular season game against Bishop Luers, QB Peter Morrison had his feet knocked out from under him with the football still in his hands. Before he hit the ground he was able to make an amazing pass to a receiver and I thought to myself, "that's like Aaron Rodgers."
CLHS has an amazing faculty and staff. We support each other, step in to help out when needed, encourage one another, pray for each other. I've lived and worked in a wide variety of places and environments, and I'd say Concordia is unquestionably at the top of my list. Just one small example highlights what I experience each day. Several years ago I had a screw fall out of my glasses and a lens drop onto my desk in the middle of a class. I couldn't read my notes, and wasn't sure how I was going to finish that class period much less the rest of the day. Squinting with one eye, I quickly typed out a "help" email asking whether anyone had an eyeglass screwdriver, hoping that during the next passing period I'd have a chance to put things back together. Within minutes I had three different people arrive in my classroom with a tool in hand.