I was raised by a Village that included my parents, my
church, and my school - Grace Lutheran. All pieces of this Village worked
in harmony as they all came from the same strong Christian-Lutheran base.
My memories of my 9 years at Grace Lutheran are very strong; and each memory is
part of the person I have become. Teachers like Miss Sieling, Miss
Marquardt, Mrs. Liebert, Mr. Stohs, and Mr. Liebert...all were vivid role
models in my childhood. They cared about me and each student in the
class, classes that were small enough that no student got lost in the shuffle;
they had a love for learning and teaching; they enjoyed the world that God gave
them; and they easily shared their faith with their students daily.
Of all of those incredible teachers, Mr. Liebert, my 7th and
8th grade teacher and also the principal, left the most indelible impression.
He was cool, he was Christian, he made us play by the rules, but loved us all
no matter what. He was the reason I went to college at Concordia in
Nebraska and became a Lutheran school teacher.
While I no longer serve in the classroom, I am now the Head
of Advancement, an administrator at Long Island Lutheran School (Pre-K through
Grade 12) in New York, where I have served since I received my first call
there. In my role, I do all kinds of things I never thought I would be
doing in my life. Part of the reason I have been successful at them is
because I was taught to trust in God, to believe in my abilities, to challenge
myself, and to have passion for my work. All of that was emulated in each
classroom setting at Grace.
And then there's that word grace, a perfect name for the
school, as I also learned the most important lesson of God's amazing grace to
each of us. It enables me to set goals, to try new things, to rise and
fall knowing that God loves me no matter what.
I hope, above all things I accomplish in my life, that I
continually share God's love with all people in my midst and that I serve God
through my work - whether I am talking to prospective parents, meeting with
people in our community about stewarding the gifts that God gave them,
reminding a student at our school to adjust behavior, enjoying the life stories
of families and alumni, or dealing with important issues as they arise.
While I live far away from Grace Lutheran now,
it is always close to my heart.
