St. John Lutheran School: Staff Profiles

Neil Grepke, Principal – Mr. Grepke is in his fifth year as principal at St. John after three years of teaching middle school language arts part-time. He currently teaches seventh grade language arts and sixth grade guitar. Mr. Grepke received his bachelor’s degree in English from Concordia College in Ann Arbor and will received his M.A. in Educational Leadership from Ball State University in May of 2010. Before coming to St. John, Mr. Grepke taught English at Lutheran High School North in the Lutheran High School Association of Greater Detroit, where he was also publications advisor, and a coach in baseball, softball, football and wrestling. His wife of 14 years, Sara, is a social worker with Hand-in-Hand International adoptions. They have three children. Jonah is a fourth grader at St. John. Claudia is a first grader and Isaiah is a preschooler. Outside of school, Mr. Grepke enjoys baseball and music. He leads a worship team once a month in informal worship and has written 30 songs that have been used in worship and have been recorded on two CDs. His philosophy of ministry is that St. John is a mission outpost through which God reaches the lost in the Kendallville area. Every interaction is a chance to share God’s grace and love.

staff cathy thiem[1] Cathy Thiem, school secretary – Mrs. Thiem has been school secretary for 22 years. She also serves as PTL co-treasurer with Mrs. Buuck. Her husband of 30 years, Dave, works at Parker Hannifin in Albion. Their son Christopher was killed in a car accident on January 19, 2004 at the age of 22. Their daughter Laura is a special education teacher at North Side Elementary in Kendallville. Outside of school, Mrs. Thiem is active in the Compassionate Friends, a support group for bereaved parents. She enjoys sharing children’s books as “The Book Fairy” in her daughter’s classroom and loves to brighten someone’s day with her greeting card ministry. Her philosophy of ministry is that there is no such thing as a coincidence. God puts each of us where He wants us to be and uses us for His great purpose.

staff angi goldey[1] Angi Goldey, Special Education Director/Teacher – Mrs. Goldey is in her 10th year at St. John and 19th year overall in education after receiving her B.S. in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Learning Disabilities from Ball State. She is currently working on Graduate level certification Learning Disabilities through Indiana Wesleyan. Her husband of 13 years, Josh, is a welder/fabricator at Alum-Elec Structures in Kendallville. They have two children: Ryan, a St. John fifth grader, and Elizabeth (Libby), who is in kindergarten. Outside of school, Mrs. Goldey leads a parents Bible study and likes to Sing, read, and do anything outdoors with her family. Her philosophy of ministry is all children are special and unique gifts from God. We need to embrace their unique talents and abilites and strive to help them be the most effective that they can be with the gifts that God has given them. The challenges in their lives are blessings that will glorify the Lord in His way someday.

staff janet hunter[1] Janet Hunter, preschool and 3rd grade – Mrs. Hunter is in her 29th year of teaching, including 19 years at St. John. She received her A.A. at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, MI, her B.A. in Elementary Education at Concordia University, Chicago, and her M.A. from Wayne State University in Detroit. In addition to teaching all three sections of preschool, Mrs. Hunter teaches part of the language arts curriculum for third grade. Her husband, Kent, of 40 years, is an ordained Lutheran clergyman, leads Church Doctor Ministries, consults churches, and is an author. Their daughter Laura is a special education teacher at Garrett High School, Garrett, IN. Their son Jonathan is a missionary, planting a church in Sheffield, England. Outside of school, Mrs. Hunter likes spending time with her family, especially playing with her granddaughter, Kailyn. She also enjoys Colt’s football, contemporary country music, concerts, movies, wildlife, traveling, and experiencing other cultures. Her philosophy of ministry is to provide a joy filled, relevant, Christ centered beginning to education for children, while sharing God’s love with children and their families.

staff darlene buuck Darlene Buuck, All-Day Kindergarten – Mrs. Buuck is in her 27th year of teaching, including 19 at St. John. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education with an early childhood endorsement from Concordia College in St. Paul, MN. In addition to teaching, Mrs. Buuck is PTL co-treasurer with Mrs. Thiem. She has been married to St. John third grade teacher Paul for 27 years. They have two daughters: Sarah, who is a junior at IPFW, and Katie, who is a senior at East Noble High School. Outside of school, Mrs. Buuck enjoys reading, relaxing with her family and her very spoiled dogs, and anything to do with nature, flowers and birds especially. She decided to become a teacher after working with the kindergarten teacher at her school when she was in the eighth grade. Helping young children learn gives her great joy, especially experiencing the excitement children feel when they learn to read. She feels that God has richly blessed her with the opportunity to spend her days helping young children learn and grow.

mrsannesimon Kam Anne Simon, ½ Day Kindergarten – Mrs. Simon is in her first year at St. John out of 18 years in education, including eight years of first grade at Albion Elementary. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education and her M.A. in Education from IPFW. She and husband of 28 years, Richard, have four children who attended St. John: Kay Ellen, who is a registered nurse at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis; Trenton, who works as a mechanical engineer for Novae Corporation in North Manchester; Holly, who studies Interior Design at IUPUI, and Erin, who attends Cedarville University for Food Science. Outside of school, Mrs. Simon helps run the farm with Richard and his brother, Paul. Her philosophy of ministry involves that of thanksgiving. Truly, God is good. she praises Him for bringing her here. She considers working with your children a sacred trust and deems it a privilege. She seeks to treat each student as she would her own.

Linda Atz, 1st grade – Mrs. Atz is in her 23rd year of teaching at St. John and her 26th year overall. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education with an early childhood endorsement from Indiana University in Fort Wayne. In addition to teaching first grade, she is the chapel offering co-coordinator with Mrs. Griebel. She has been married to Terry for 31 years. Terry is the owner/operator of Atz Ice Cream factory in Kendallville. They have three children: Krista, who is married and has 2 children, Tim, who is also married, and Elizabeth, who is a junior at Indiana Wesleyan University studying Secondary Education. Outside of school, Mrs. Atz loves gardening. Her philosophy on ministry is that all children are loved by God. We want as many of them as possible to know this great truth. Also that Jesus Christ died for them so that they may be in Heaven with Him someday.

staff cindy griebel[1] Cindy Griebel, 2nd grade – Mrs. Griebel received her B.Ed. in Elementary Education from Sturt College in Adelaide, South Australia. Since then, she has served nearly 30 years in education, including the last eight years as the second grade teacher at St. John. She also serves as chapel coordinator and chapel offering co-coordinator with Mrs. Atz. Mrs. Griebel’s husband of 39 years is Paul, the church’s senior pastor. Together they have raised two daughters, Brianna and Sarah. Brianna works for an international media consulting firm and is married to Sean, an actuary. They have recently moved to Louisville after living 3 years in London. Sarah graduated from Purdue with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. She works for Resort Condos International in Indianapolis. Outside of school, Mrs. Griebel likes to work in the garden, travel, spend time with family and friends, and read. She wants to help each child she teaches know and experience God’s great love for him. She thinks each child is entitled to the best possible education we can give him. She wants children to enjoy learning and to feel successful, so that they will want to be lifelong learners. She wants to help children become successful readers who will enjoy reading for pleasure.

staff paul buuck Paul Buuck, 3^rd grade – Mr. Buuck is in his 22^nd year of teaching at St. John after five years at St. John in Madison, Nebraska. He has a B.A. in Elementary Education from Concordia College in St. Paul, MN. In addition to teaching 3^rd grade, Mr. Buuck handles IT for the church and school and teaches technology, choir and Praise Band. Mr. Buuck also coordinates school performance programs and leads informal worship once per month. His wife of XX years, Darlene, is the full day kindergarten teacher at St. John. Together they have two daughters: Sarah, who is a junior at IPFW, and Katie, who is a senior at East Noble High School. Outside of school, Mr. Buuck loves to ride horses. His philosophy of ministry is that God is uppermost in all we do in the classroom. In Him and through Him we learn together, live together, and love together.

Peggy Schroeder, 4th grade – Mrs. Schroeder is in her 11th year of teaching at St. John and her first year after a 9 year layoff to be a stay-at-home mom and part-time art teacher, as well as a St. John School Board member. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education from Ball State University and her Lutheran Colloquy was aquired later…. In addition to teaching fourth grade, Mrs. Schroeder teaches preschool Sunday School and participates in music for contemporary worship services. She has been married to Don for 12 years. They have three children: Emma and Andrew, who are in second grade, and Naomi, who is three years old. Outside of school, Mrs. Schroeder likes to read, take walks, listen to music and paint. Her philosophy on ministry is love like Jesus. Each student is a special gift from our loving father God, who deserves to be loved and repected and treated with the same grace that Christ has treated her with!

staff vernie scheiber Vernie Scheiber, 5th grade – Mr. Scheiber is in his fifth year of classroom teaching after serving 19 years as principal. Before receiving the call to St. John, he served in a variety of roles at Zion in St. Charles, MO. In addition to being the 5th grade home room teacher, Mr. Scheiber teaches 6th grade English. He also coaches basketball, supervises afternoon bus pick-up, organizes the Washington D.C. trip, and coordinates the Learning Expo. Mr. Scheiber’s B.S. in Education is from Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska, and his M.Ed. is from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Mr. Scheiber’s wife Jane is a children’s librarian in Butler. Together they have two daughters: Carrie is a junior at East Noble High School and Mollie is an 8th grader at St. John. Outside of school, Mr. Scheiber enjoys gardening,collecting and selling antiques, and watching sports. His philosophy of ministry is to share the love of Christ with children and their families and to equip others to serve their Lord.

staff paul albertin[1] Paul Albertin, 6th grade and Athletics Director – Mr. Albertin is in his 12th year at St. John after 22 years at St. Paul in Troy, IL; Atonement Lutheran in Florissant, MO; and Trinity in Cape Girardeau, MO. He has an A.A. in Education from Concordia, Wisconsin, a B.S. in Social Sciences from Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska, and a Master of Elementary Education from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. In addition to being the 6th grade home room teacher and the school’s director of athletics, Mr. Albertin teaches 8th grade science and 5th grade P.E., health and art. He coaches soccer and basketball. His wife, Tara, is an instructional aide and lunchroom supervisor at St. John. They have three sons – Nathan, who is a teacher in Hobart Indiana, Matthew, who is a senior at Valparaiso University with a education major, and Adam, who is a seventh grader at St. John. Outside of school, Mr. Albertin enjoys woodworking. His philosophy of ministry is committed to prodiding a Christ-centered environment and sharing the Christian faith in our community.

staff art grawcock Art Grawcock, 7^th grade – Mr. Grawcock is in his 43^rd year of teaching, the first 35 of which were at Central Noble Middle School in Albion. His B.S. in economics and Elementary Education came from Manchester College and his M.S. in Elementary Education came from St. Francis College in Fort Wayne. In addition to being the 7^th grade home room teacher, Mr. Grawcock teaches 8^th grade U.S. History. With his wife, Esther, Art has had two children. Ben is a father of two who works at Ratheon. Alyssa is a teacher, having graduated from Concordia, Ann Arbor with a Lutheran Teacher’s Diploma. Outside of school, Mr. Grawcock does lots of work around the farm, including tapping maple syrup and chopping wood for the family’s wood-burning furnace.

Melissa Monn, 8th grade – Miss Monn is a graduate of Concordia University in Wisconsin and is now in her eighth year of teaching – all at St. John. In addition to 8th grade, Miss Monn teaches 6th and 7th grade mathematics, Pre-Algebra, Algebra and Geometry, as well as 7th grade Social Studies. She is the head coach of the girls and boys track teams. Outside of school, Miss Monn likes to travel, read and spend time with her family. Her philosophy of ministry is to help students reach/see mental, physical, and spiritual growth through physical, educational and spititual means. Also that this growth will go with them and carry them through their teenage years.