First Lutheran School Staff
Dedicated to Achievement
First Lutheran School's dedicated teaching staff create challenging and safe learning environments that encourage academic excellence, communication, and cooperation with peers.
Communication between a parent and teacher is important too—you can see your child's class projects on our class page, view general class and teacher information, and access computer assignments online.
First Lutheran School is led by professional and resourceful staff dedicated to the education and safety of your children. Our Principal, David Birnbaum, strives to achieve higher levels of academic excellence by building meaningful and effective relationships between students, teachers, staff and administrators. Teachers have a electronic bulletin board with important information, so be sure to check this often! FLS teachers and staff can be reached through Fastdirect.
Meet The First Lutheran School Staff
Mr. David Birnbaum, Principal David Birnbaum, was born and raised Lutheran on a farm in Central Texas. He went to a two room Lutheran school from 1st thru 8th grade and then a small public (mostly Baptist) high school. Graduated with a Bachelors degree from Concordia Austin in 1990 and Master's in Administration from Seward Nebraska in 2000. He taught in Miami-Florida for 7 years, 4 years in Dallas and 12 years in Central Texas.
Mrs. Connie Erickson - Secretary Connie Erickson and husband, Mike, have two sons. Both boys are graduates of our educational program from Preschool thru 8th grade.
Ms. Heidi Daley- Childcare Director Heidi Daley has earned her Master Teacher degree and now her director credentials. She joined our staff in August of 2015 and is now serving as our Early Childhood Director since April 2017.
Michelle Lester - Childcare Assistant - Michelle Lester has served First Lutheran since 2008. She has been a blessing to the consistency of the program and has grown with the position.
Mrs. Karen Herard - Pre-School 3's Teacher Karen Herard served as our Day Care Director a few years ago and will now serve as our preschool teacher. We praise God for her willingness to serve in this capacity.
Mrs. Lori Kelly - Pre-K 4's Teacher Pre-K teacher, Lori Kelly, earned two AA degrees from Northern Oklahoma College and a BA degree in ECE from Northwestern Oklahoma State. Lori is starting her 9th year with us.
Ms. Elaine Miller - Kindergarten Kindergarten is served by Elaine Miller. She was born in Germany and moved with her Dad's Army career. She is an Oklahoma state graduate with 17 years here at First Lutheran.
Mrs. Julie Birnbaum - Grade 1 Julie Birnbaum, was born, raised and educated in a two room Lutheran school house for 1st thru 8th grade and then attended a public high school in Iowa. Seward-Nebraska graduate in 1994. Over those years, she taught in Springfield-MO, Dallas-Texas, and Central Texas. Her and her husband have three children. Julie holds a Texas Teaching Degree.
Mrs. Carol Powell - Grade 2 Second Grade teacher Carol Powell has served here for 32 years. Not only does she have a Bachelors degree, but she also holds a Masters in Elementary Counseling from OK State.
Mrs. Jessica Steichen - Grade 3 Jessica Steichen is starting her 9th year teaching. Her degree is from Seward and completed her Masters in Curriculum in the Spring of 2015.
Mrs. Megan Sibley- Grade 4 New 4th grade teacher Megan Sibley and her husband, Doug, moved here from Jacksonville-Florida. Megan grew up in a small rural farming town in rural northeast Nebraska, and attended a small public k-12 school. Graduated from Concordia University Seward NE in 2006, and taught in Nebraska and Florida. She holds a Nebraska Teaching License.
Mrs. Shelly Schatte - Grade 5 Shelly Schatte is our Fifth grade teacher and has been here for all 37 years of her teaching career. She too is a Seward graduate and holds an Oklahoma Teaching License.
Mrs. Krista Harbeson - Grade 6 Krista Harbeson is our Language Arts and 6th grade homeroom teacher. She has completed 9 years here and is an OK State graduate in Secondary Education. Krista maintains her Oklahoma Teaching License.
Mrs. Jennelle Hanson - Grade 7 Jennelle Hanson - Science and 7th grade homeroom teacher - is starting her 6th year. She is a Concordia Portland Oregon graduate and earned her Science Master's Degree in Spring of 2015. Her Teaching License is from Oregon.
Mr. Chris Covert - Grade 8 Mr. Covert is our History and 8th homeroom and has received his degree from Concordia University Seward Nebraska. This is his 3rd year at First Lutheran.
Ms. Susan Pacey - Middle School Math Teacher Ms. Pacey is an Alabama girl and a new graduate from Concordia University in Austin, Texas.
Janet Goll - Middle School Religion Teacher Janet Goll is our Religion teacher for the Middle School. She has a Bachelors from Seward, a Masters from OU, and has a lot of experience here. Thank God for her 45 years of dedicated years of service to First Lutheran.
Amanda Porter-Cain - Athletic Director leads our 5th - 8th grade basketball teams and does our PE classes for 3 years to 8th grade.
Susie Ware - Librarian The new librarian, Susie Ware, has jumped into the job and is working with both the upper and lower grade libraries for the new year.
Ann Ryan - Computer Technology Ann Ryan, our technology coordinator has been serving us for nine years. She is assisted by Dylan Powell and Holly Blackstar.
Cafeteria - Sandi Lyons is serving as our Food Program Manager. She is assisted by Aprile Hunter.
Teachers Assistants - Paula Cargal and Tomi Faulkner will serve as our Teacher Assistants in the Early Childhood and Elementary/Middle School Building respectfully.
Art - for the Elementary classes will be conducted by Darcey Trenary.
Music - Katie Schelp continues to teach our K-5th music class.
Title I Special Education - teacher paid by the State is Renee Spears & Darcey Trenary.
Custodian Services - will be led by Debbie Jernagen shared between Michelle Patrick and James Kelly.
First Lutheran Church Pastor - We praise God for our Pastor Jeremy May and we can't forget the wonderful ladies at the Church offices: Care Ministries - Beverly Roedel; Church Secretary - Barbara Dewey; and Accountant Toni Cloud.
Volunteers - Volunteers like the PTL and the Board of Parochial Education, property manager, signage by Kathy Brockhoff & Chris Mudd, Lawn guys, Barb Mayer and the Willing Workers.
But our staff can't do it alone - and that's where you come in. Parent and community involvement in our school is critical to the success of our students, and we're always looking for new volunteers.
Whether you can spare lots of time or just a little, getting involved with First Lutheran School is rewarding and fun for both parents and students. Just fill out our volunteer form and let us know where you're interested in helping out, and one of our staff will contact you to discuss volunteer opportunities that work with your schedule.
Dedicated to Achievement
First Lutheran School's dedicated teaching staff create challenging and safe learning environments that encourage academic excellence, communication, and cooperation with peers.
Communication between a parent and teacher is important too—you can see your child's class projects on our class page, view general class and teacher information, and access computer assignments online.
First Lutheran School is led by professional and resourceful staff dedicated to the education and safety of your children. Our Principal, David Birnbaum, strives to achieve higher levels of academic excellence by building meaningful and effective relationships between students, teachers, staff and administrators. Teachers have a electronic bulletin board with important information, so be sure to check this often! FLS teachers and staff can be reached through Fastdirect.
Meet The First Lutheran School Staff
Mr. David Birnbaum, Principal David Birnbaum, was born and raised Lutheran on a farm in Central Texas. He went to a two room Lutheran school from 1st thru 8th grade and then a small public (mostly Baptist) high school. Graduated with a Bachelors degree from Concordia Austin in 1990 and Master's in Administration from Seward Nebraska in 2000. He taught in Miami-Florida for 7 years, 4 years in Dallas and 12 years in Central Texas.
Mrs. Connie Erickson - Secretary Connie Erickson and husband, Mike, have two sons. Both boys are graduates of our educational program from Preschool thru 8th grade.
Ms. Heidi Daley- Childcare Director Heidi Daley has earned her Master Teacher degree and now her director credentials. She joined our staff in August of 2015 and is now serving as our Early Childhood Director since April 2017.
Michelle Lester - Childcare Assistant - Michelle Lester has served First Lutheran since 2008. She has been a blessing to the consistency of the program and has grown with the position.
Mrs. Karen Herard - Pre-School 3's Teacher Karen Herard served as our Day Care Director a few years ago and will now serve as our preschool teacher. We praise God for her willingness to serve in this capacity.
Mrs. Lori Kelly - Pre-K 4's Teacher Pre-K teacher, Lori Kelly, earned two AA degrees from Northern Oklahoma College and a BA degree in ECE from Northwestern Oklahoma State. Lori is starting her 9th year with us.
Ms. Elaine Miller - Kindergarten Kindergarten is served by Elaine Miller. She was born in Germany and moved with her Dad's Army career. She is an Oklahoma state graduate with 17 years here at First Lutheran.
Mrs. Julie Birnbaum - Grade 1 Julie Birnbaum, was born, raised and educated in a two room Lutheran school house for 1st thru 8th grade and then attended a public high school in Iowa. Seward-Nebraska graduate in 1994. Over those years, she taught in Springfield-MO, Dallas-Texas, and Central Texas. Her and her husband have three children. Julie holds a Texas Teaching Degree.
Mrs. Carol Powell - Grade 2 Second Grade teacher Carol Powell has served here for 32 years. Not only does she have a Bachelors degree, but she also holds a Masters in Elementary Counseling from OK State.
Mrs. Jessica Steichen - Grade 3 Jessica Steichen is starting her 9th year teaching. Her degree is from Seward and completed her Masters in Curriculum in the Spring of 2015.
Mrs. Megan Sibley- Grade 4 New 4th grade teacher Megan Sibley and her husband, Doug, moved here from Jacksonville-Florida. Megan grew up in a small rural farming town in rural northeast Nebraska, and attended a small public k-12 school. Graduated from Concordia University Seward NE in 2006, and taught in Nebraska and Florida. She holds a Nebraska Teaching License.
Mrs. Shelly Schatte - Grade 5 Shelly Schatte is our Fifth grade teacher and has been here for all 37 years of her teaching career. She too is a Seward graduate and holds an Oklahoma Teaching License.
Mrs. Krista Harbeson - Grade 6 Krista Harbeson is our Language Arts and 6th grade homeroom teacher. She has completed 9 years here and is an OK State graduate in Secondary Education. Krista maintains her Oklahoma Teaching License.
Mrs. Jennelle Hanson - Grade 7 Jennelle Hanson - Science and 7th grade homeroom teacher - is starting her 6th year. She is a Concordia Portland Oregon graduate and earned her Science Master's Degree in Spring of 2015. Her Teaching License is from Oregon.
Mr. Chris Covert - Grade 8 Mr. Covert is our History and 8th homeroom and has received his degree from Concordia University Seward Nebraska. This is his 3rd year at First Lutheran.
Ms. Susan Pacey - Middle School Math Teacher Ms. Pacey is an Alabama girl and a new graduate from Concordia University in Austin, Texas.
Janet Goll - Middle School Religion Teacher Janet Goll is our Religion teacher for the Middle School. She has a Bachelors from Seward, a Masters from OU, and has a lot of experience here. Thank God for her 45 years of dedicated years of service to First Lutheran.
Amanda Porter-Cain - Athletic Director leads our 5th - 8th grade basketball teams and does our PE classes for 3 years to 8th grade.
Susie Ware - Librarian The new librarian, Susie Ware, has jumped into the job and is working with both the upper and lower grade libraries for the new year.
Ann Ryan - Computer Technology Ann Ryan, our technology coordinator has been serving us for nine years. She is assisted by Dylan Powell and Holly Blackstar.
Cafeteria - Sandi Lyons is serving as our Food Program Manager. She is assisted by Aprile Hunter.
Teachers Assistants - Paula Cargal and Tomi Faulkner will serve as our Teacher Assistants in the Early Childhood and Elementary/Middle School Building respectfully.
Art - for the Elementary classes will be conducted by Darcey Trenary.
Music - Katie Schelp continues to teach our K-5th music class.
Title I Special Education - teacher paid by the State is Renee Spears & Darcey Trenary.
Custodian Services - will be led by Debbie Jernagen shared between Michelle Patrick and James Kelly.
First Lutheran Church Pastor - We praise God for our Pastor Jeremy May and we can't forget the wonderful ladies at the Church offices: Care Ministries - Beverly Roedel; Church Secretary - Barbara Dewey; and Accountant Toni Cloud.
Volunteers - Volunteers like the PTL and the Board of Parochial Education, property manager, signage by Kathy Brockhoff & Chris Mudd, Lawn guys, Barb Mayer and the Willing Workers.
But our staff can't do it alone - and that's where you come in. Parent and community involvement in our school is critical to the success of our students, and we're always looking for new volunteers.
Whether you can spare lots of time or just a little, getting involved with First Lutheran School is rewarding and fun for both parents and students. Just fill out our volunteer form and let us know where you're interested in helping out, and one of our staff will contact you to discuss volunteer opportunities that work with your schedule.