Miss Tessa Vander Molen has always lived in Demotte. She graduated from Demotte Christian High School and started working at preschool the following year. Tessa has worked with kids since junior high and she has loved working at a preschool. She also enjoys working at Restored Resale when she is not with the kids.

Mrs. Sarah Anderson has been a resident of Newton County for over 30 years. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Purdue University.  Through Purdue’s Transition to Teaching Program and courses in Curriculum and Instruction, she obtained her license for Elementary Education to teach K-6th grade. She has always had a heart for teaching preschool, especially at Community Church – one of her first teaching jobs was at Community Preschool! Since then, she has taught preschool for a total of 5 years, and 2nd grade for 4 years. She also has experience teaching Kindergarten, 3rd grade, and Elementary Art. She loves to watch students gain new skills and witness their “Ah-ha!” moments when everything clicks in their little minds.

Mrs. Anderson has been married for nearly 20 years and has two amazing kids. Most of her spare time you will find her cheering on the Spartans as her children are involved in volleyball, swimming, softball, track, band, and choir! When not at school or sports, she likes to spend her time in the kitchen cooking for her family, working on diamond painting or other crafts, spending time in the water swimming, floating, or boating, and taking walks to enjoy nature.

Mrs. Anderson’s favorite verse is Philippians 4:13 – “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Life can give you difficult circumstances sometimes, but it is important to know that God is in control and He can carry you through if you depend on Him.

Mrs. Jill Dahm is originally from Jenison, Michigan. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She holds a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Valparaiso University. She has taught kindergarten for over 20 years and Preschool for seven years. She has subbed, taught Library Skills, and been an RTI aide.

Mrs. Dahm is married and has four wonderful kids, two amazing daughters-in-law and two awesome sons-in-law. She also has five very intelligent grandchildren.

Some of Mrs. Dahm’s favorite verses are from Psalm 100 which is a perfect chapter for young children since we “Shout for joy to the Lord, worship the Lord with gladness and come before Him with joyful songs.”

Mrs. Evonne Menard is originally from Frankfort, Illinois. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Olivet Nazarene University. She previously taught first grade for three years, has subbed in various grade levels, and has been a preschool teacher for three years. She loves getting to teach the Bible stories and gets to teach Sunday school at Community Church also! 

At preschool, she is passionate about making learning fun and creating a space for everyone to learn and grow.

Mrs. Menard has been married for almost fifteen years and has five wonderful kids. Her family keeps her life very busy when she is not at preschool. They like to be involved with sports and love to travel and explore. Her family likes to be outside hiking and enjoying God’s creation.

Mrs. Menard’s favorite verse is from Romans 8:39 “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That is truly our greatest comfort and hope that we have in Christ.

Miss Kristin Walstra is a lifelong resident of DeMotte. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL. She has enjoyed working part time as a preschool aide for 10 years and has served as a Sunday School Teacher for over 11 years.

Miss Kristin also works in the service department at Meijer in Merrillville. She finds enjoyment working in a family friend’s greenhouse whenever she can. She enjoys puzzles

Miss Kristin’s favorite verse is 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.”

Miss April was born in DeMotte and had her first interaction with Community preschool when she was four years old. Years later, after attending Trinity Christian College and The University of Lethbridge, she’s still in preschool. She loves volunteering at Community Church and you will usually see her somewhere around Church on her non-preschool days.
At preschool Miss April loves seeing how kids learn in their own way- and loves being surprised by the ways they learn. She especially enjoys being outside with them to learn by moving our bodies and trying difficult tasks. If your preschooler comes home with muddy clothes you can usually thank Miss April for encouraging them to experience the world.

Outside of preschool she loves dispatching for police, fire, and EMS. She even answers 911 phone calls. Miss April will likely problem solve with preschoolers about how to handle a situation- just as she does as a dispatcher.

Psalm 46:10 reminds Miss April to “Be still and know that I am God.” This is important as a preschool teacher, a dispatcher, an aunt, and most importantly as a child of God- sometimes she wants to do so many things and focus too much on the world but God reminds her to be STILL and rest in God’s Grace.