It is a privilege to cultivate a team of teachers who have a deep desire for students to feel known, loved, and valued. As the start of our school year approaches, we are excited to share our new hires with you! This week, we’ve welcomed them to campus through our New Teacher Orientation and have gotten to hear more about their passions and excitement for Christian education. Our community and students are so blessed by the incredible teachers who pour into their lives academically, emotionally, and spiritually. All our teachers are well-equipped to both teach and model a Biblical worldview in and out of the classroom. We are excited to add these new faces to our team!
Stephanie Bade – LS Intervention Specialist
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I love camping, paddle boarding, gardening, and boating. During the winter, I enjoy reading and sewing.
What are you looking forward to this year? I’m very much looking forward to working with elementary students (for the past 8 years, I worked with high schoolers) and being able to share the love of Jesus with them.
How has your faith influenced your approach to teaching? During my time in public school, I tried to show Christ to my students by showing them that I truly cared about them even more than their academics. Now that I’ve been blessed to teach at NLA, I am eager to be able to openly share my love for Christ and to show students how much He delights in them.
Amelia Eveland – Preschool Prep
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I enjoy music, playing guitar, and singing. I also enjoy a good crime novel or show.
What are you looking forward to this year? I am looking forward to showing my students the ropes of school and helping shape their minds to love school but more importantly to love Jesus.
How has your faith influenced your approach to teaching? Jesus is the great teacher. He shows us how to teach with love and respect. Through my faith, I have learned how to take a person-first approach to teaching and how, more important than anything, we should love first.
Richard Fenske – Middle School Science
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I like reading, photography, camping, exploring outside, finding and collecting rocks, playing sports, cheering on the Packers, board games, hanging with my family, stargazing, and weather watching.
What are you looking forward to this year? I’m looking forward to building relationships with students and other faculty, being in America and close to my family, and exploring Minnesota.
How has your faith influenced your approach to teaching? It is my motivation to teach. I want to prepare kids to enter the post-Academy life prepared to take on the challenges they face confidently in their faith.
Emma Garner – First Grade
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I really enjoy spending time with my family. I am also a bookworm, so reading a good book is one of my favorite things to do.
What are you looking forward to this year? I am looking forward to meeting all my new students and getting to know them! I cannot wait for the first day of school.
How has your faith influenced your approach to teaching? My faith is a huge part of who I am and how I teach. I love being able to integrate that biblical aspect into all subjects. My goal is to educate, inspire, and show God’s love to my students.
Tori Matsch – Third Grade
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I love spending time with friends and family, reading, swimming, and listening to Taylor Swift!
What are you looking forward to this year? I am looking forward to building relationships with students, families, and staff and being able to share my faith with my students.
How has your faith influenced your approach to teaching? I view teaching as a mission rather than just a job. I want to use my faith to show students the love of the Lord and encourage them to love each other.
Lilia Pugh – Fourth Grade
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I love to spend time outside, hiking, swimming, boating, and more! I love to hang out with my 3 sisters, parents, fiance, and friends.
What are you looking forward to this year? I am looking forward to sharing the love of Jesus each and every day. I can’t wait to meet my students and get to know more of the New Life community.
How has your faith influenced your approach to teaching? My faith has influenced my approach to reaching in a unique way. I got this job later in the summer and it has become so evident that God placed me at NLA for a great purpose. I am so excited to see what Jesus has in store for us this year.
Steve Richter – Pre-K
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I love spending time with my family, traveling, and reading.
What are you looking forward to this year? I am so excited to join the NLA family and to be partnering with parents to teach young children and to share God’s love with them.
How has your faith influenced your approach to teaching? Jesus says, “Let the children come to me.” My goal is to share God’s love in every interaction.
Jacki Steinkamp – Lower School Counselor
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I love spending time with family and friends, traveling and exploring, hiking, and photography.
What are you looking forward to this year? I am looking forward to being a part of a special community, supporting teachers, and investing in the lives of children to be faith-filled and future-ready.
How has your faith influenced your approach to teaching? My faith impacts and shapes my perspective of people as created and cherished by a Heavenly Father. My desire is to help children to align their lives with God’s special and unique purposes.