Mr. Rick Kerr

Mr. Kerr earned his B.S. from Kent State University, an M. Ed. from Cleveland State University, and his Lutheran Teacher certification from Concordia University in Ann Arbor, MI. He is currently in his 41st year of education, having served as a science teacher and a principal in South Euclid (Cleveland), OH, Niagara Falls, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis. He has been at St John since 1989.

Mr. Kerr has two daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter and enjoys spending time with his family. He is also an avid reader and always looks forward to Fantasy Football season.

Mrs. Norma Herre

Mrs. Herre earned her Associate of Arts degree from Concordia, Austin, TX, a B.S. from Concordia, Seward, and an M.S. from Butler University. She is currently in her 38^th year of teaching. Mrs. Herre taught at Calvary Lutheran School in Indianapolis before coming to St. John. She has been at St John since 1981.

In addition to her teaching duties, she is also the director of the school junior choir and serves as an organist at St. John Lutheran Church and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Franklin.

Mrs. Herre and her husband, Jim, have four children and 2 grandchildren.  

Mr. Mark Zimmer

Mr. Zimmer, our athletic director and upper greades math teacher, earned his BA from Concordia River Forest and an MA from Indiana University. This year is his 36th year in the teaching ministry. His first eleven years in the teaching ministry were spent at Wyneken Lutheran School near Decatur, Indiana. His next five years in ministry were at St. Paul's Lutheran School in Kankakee, Illinois. For the past eighteen years, he has served at St. John.

His wife Ivonne, is the business manager and development director at St. John. They have two children who are both married. One resides in Indianapolis and one in Chicago. He is an avid outdoorsman. He especially enjoys deer hunting and fishing at the family cottage in Saskatchewan.

Mrs. Christine Chambers

Mrs. Chambers earned her B.A. from Indiana State University. She is currently in her 10^th year of teaching, having taught different grades from 5-12 in Japan, Texas, and Indiana. She has been at St John since 2007.  

Mrs. Chambers has been on three mission trips to El Salvador and plans to continue to take these mission trips to other places in the future.

Mrs. Kristen McCartney

Mrs. McCartney earned her B.A. from Concordia University in St. Paul, MN. She is currently in her 29^th year of teaching, all at St John Lutheran School. She serves as the Kdg-2nd Grade choir director and is also an organist at St. John Lutheran Church and Good Sherpherd Lutheran Church in Franklin.

Mrs. McCartney and her husband, Bill, have three children. She enjoys her family and friends and also enjoys traveling, gardening, and reading.

Mrs. Pam Johnson

Mrs.Johnson was born and raised in Montague, Michigan, where she was baptized, confirmed, and married at St. James Lutheran Church. She attended Concordia Lutheran Junior College (now Concordia Ann Arbor) where she received her Associate of Arts degree, Concordia Nebraska, and Concordia Chicago, where in 1976 she received her B.A. in Education, D.P.M., and in 1998 her M.A. Mrs. Johnson is in her 26th year of teaching and has been at St. John since 1992.

She has also served congregations and schools in Montague, Chicago, and Evansville. Besides enjoying her fourth grade students, she serves St. John as Director of Music, adult and children's choir director, and organist. She is blessed with sharing life with her husband Paul, and their four daughters and their families. She enjoys traveling (with only 3 states left to visit), reading, knitting, tennis, and waiting each fall to cheer on the Michigan football team.

Mrs. Sarah Rothe

Mrs. Rothe earned her B. A. from Concordia University in Ann Arbor, MI. She is in her 10^th year of teaching and has been at St John since 2003.  

Mrs. Rothe and her husband, Jeff, are Michigan natives, but took a leap of faith in moving to Indianapolis shortly after their marriage began. They, along with their 2 children and dogs, enjoy traveling back to the Lake Michigan shore to visit with family and friends.

Following in the traveling theme, Mrs. Rothe's third grade "Flat Stanley" projects provide many interesting "teachable moments" with her students as she and the children learn about interesting locations from Afghanistan to Chicago and Canada to Australia.

Mrs. Valerie Schultz

Mrs. Schultz earned her B. A. from Concordia University in River Forest, Ill. She has taught at Lutheran schools Cleveland, OH, New Haven, MI, and at St. John. She also taught Art at Emmaus Lutheran School in Indianapolis. She is in her 23rd year of teaching and has been at St John since 1996.

Mrs. Schultz writes children's devotions for “My Devotions”, published by Concordia Publishing House. She has also written Sunday School Curriculum for CPH.

She and her husband, Wayne, enjoy spending time with their sons, Matthew and Aaron, daughter, Emily, and son-in-law Chris. She also enjoys traveling and sports.

Mrs. Sandy Pride

Mrs. Pride earned her B.S. from Concordia University in Seward, NE, and an M.S. from Indiana University. She is in her 38^th year of teaching and has been at St John since 1985.  

She taught third grade for one year at St. John, and then moved to first grade where she has remained. She has served at St. John Lutheran School in Napoleon, Ohio, teaching a first and second grade combination. She has also taught at Emmaus Lutheran in Indianapolis, where she taught 5th grade, kindergarten, and second grade.

Mrs. Pride's husband, John, a teacher in Lutheran schools for many years, was called to glory in October of 2011. She has two daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren. She loves technology and trying out new trends in her classroom. She is a native of Nebraska and is very excited that the Cornhuskers are now part of the Big Ten. She reads, sews, and knits in her spare time.

Mrs. Cheryl Willig

Mrs. Willig earned her B.A. from Concordia University in River Forest, Ill. She has taught in Northville, MI, Mineola, NY, and two other Lutheran schools in Indianapolis. She is in her 30^th year of teaching and has been at St John since 1992.

Mrs. Willig is married to Fred, who is also a Lutheran school teacher in Indianapolis. They have a son, a daughter, and a grandson.

She enjoys traveling, especially to Florida to visit her grandson.

Mrs. Pauline Lehenbauer

Mrs. Lehenbauer earned her B.A. from Concordia University in River Forest, Ill. She is in her 18^th year of teaching and has been at St John since 1995.  

Mrs. Lehenbauer and her husband, Jim, have four sons, one daughter, and twin graddaughters. They love spending time with their family, which entails much traveling to Wisconsin, Seattle, and will soon include San Francisco.

In her free time, you will find Mrs. Lehenbauer with a book or knitting needles in her hand.

Mrs. Roxanne Wixson

Mrs. Wixson joined the St. John staff in 1994 when the Learning Center was opened. She worked previously as a Teacher's Aide in a learning disabilities classroom in Franklin Township. Mrs. Wixson was instrumental in establishing the Learning Center and has been its only director for 18 years.

Mrs. Wixson and her husband, Jim, have two sons who help them with all of the work required to manage their sheep flock and farm.

Mr. Zachary Dirr

Mr. Dirr earned his B.A. in Health and Human Performance from Concordia University in Mequon, WI. This is his first year in teaching and his first year at St. John.

He is also a business owner in the health industry as a professional trainer. He specializes in a wide variety of services to help people live a more healthy lifestyle. He also volunteers his time for Club 3:16, an after-school fitness club at Zion Lutheran School in New Palestine.

Mr. Dirr is the oldest of three children in his family, has been a life-long resident of Indianapolis and is a proud Hoosier.   

Mrs. Paula Chappell

Mrs. Chappell is a graduate of Indiana University and has taught in a variety of art education positions since 1975.  She is currently working with the Munce Art Center in Zionsville.

Mrs. Carla Van Pelt

Mrs. Van Pelt is the Teacher Aide in our Kindergarten class.

Mrs. Maridee Krupski

Mrs. Krupski received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Concordia University in Chicago. She has served as a teacher’s aide since 2001.

Mrs Krupski, and her husband, Phil, have three children. Bethany and Bekah are currently students at Purdue University and Katherine is at Lutheran High School.

She enjoys music and gardening during her spare time.

Ivonne Zimmer

Robin Reno

Mrs. Shannon Velzen

Shannon Velzen graduated from Indiana Business College (now Harrison College) with an Associate Degree in Business Management in 1987. She has worked as an accountant, paralegal and administrative assistant at various central Indiana businesses, before finding a truly enjoyable job here at St. John in 2006. 
 
In 1998 Shannon met and married Patrick Velzen, an Engineer with Ryobi Die Casting. A short three years later their first child, a little girl, was born and just a few years after that their family was rounded out with the addition of a son. Both of their children attend school at St. John. The children would insist that you not forget their two dogs and gecko that think they are also "children." When not chasing around children or animals or keeping Patrick in line Shannon loves reading "books" on her Kindle, enjoying family movie nights and traveling (especially their semi-annual family trips to Disney).

Mrs. Lori Reno-Howard