SCHOOL STAFF
EXPERIENCED AND CERTIFIED FACULTY
Our school staff are licensed in the state of Colorado and/or hold a Lutheran Teacher’s Diploma. They are dedicated to Christ-centered education and traditional family values. Above all, we are blessed with dedicated Christian teachers who seek to develop close relationships with their students in order to share with them the love of their Savior.
Karen Mead is our principal and Middle School history and literature teacher. She has taught over 25 years in the Lutheran school system. She has a master’s degree in Middle School reading. She has been at Messiah for 10 years. When she is not at school, you will find her hiking, traveling, or reading.
PRESCHOOL & PRE-KINDERGARTEN
I was born and raised in Grand Junction, Colorado and graduated from Palisade High School. I have three children; one boy and two girls. I attended Colorado Mesa University and studied Early Childhood Education. I have been at Messiah for 9 years. I love teaching because every day is different and I get to watch my students grow. My favorite verse is, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.
I grew up in Minnesota with my parents, three brothers and two sisters. I graduated from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN with an AA, then Minnesota State University – Mankato, MN with a BS in Elementary Education and a minor in Music. I taught for four years in a one room Christian school (K – 7) in Ridgecrest, CA. After that I went to Concordia University, River Forest, IL where I received my LCMS colloquy and my MA in School Counseling and Guidance. I married my husband, Eric, and then taught in Lutheran schools in Wausau, WI and Redding, CA before moving to Grand Junction in 1995. I have a son and a daughter. I taught Kindergarten and various subjects in other grades until we began our full day Kindergarten program. God has truly blessed me with the Kindergartners I GET to be with each day.
Hello! My name is Heather Anderson. This will be my 12th year teaching all together. I spent the last 6 years teaching 2nd grade at a Lutheran school in California. I earned my B.S. in Elementary Education through Concordia Portland in Oregon and my Masters in Education with an emphasis in Literacy though Concordia Nebraska. I love teaching in general but my favorite subjects are Religion and Reading. I hope that throughout the year students will learn they are precious to God and develop a passion for reading and storytelling. When I am not at school I enjoy hiking, skiing, traveling, reading, watching The Green Bay Packers, going to concerts and sleeping.
A bit about myself. I grew up in Stevens Point, WI. My father then decided to switch careers and go into the ministry. After seminary, we moved to Two Harbors, MN. I attended Concordia University, St. Paul where I studied Elementary Education with an emphasis in Language Arts and a minor in Theology. I have taught in Lutheran schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and value my Christian education to this day. I am the oldest of 4 children and enjoy running, biking, traveling, reading, and family to name just a few hobbies.
Karen Mead is our principal and Middle School history and literature teacher. She has taught over 25 years in the Lutheran school system. She has a master’s degree in Middle School reading. She has been at Messiah for 10 years. When she is not at school, you will find her hiking, traveling, or reading.
Letha Wallace has excepted a call to Messiah to be the 7th & 8th grade teacher.
MUSIC TEACHER
Dona Ramsey Kendrick
Dona is married to Dave Ramsey, the mother of three grown children, grandmother of five with their first great granddaughter who will soon bless their family. Dona is the musical director and sings bass for Good Company A cappella, is the pianist for First Baptist-Grand Junction, and performs with the hand-bell choir.
Dona recently accepted the position as Music Teacher for Messiah Lutheran Church School (Grades K-8). Additionally, Dona provides music classes for FUTURES Early Childhood Learning Center LLC (ages infant – 6 years), music classes (until recently) for Living Springs Homeschool Co-op (ages 2-16), and continues to provide Early Music Education Staff Development sessions. Teaching Music to children using literacy, rhythms, steady beat, active learning games, instruments, singing, movement, and even learning to read music notation at a very early age is one of Dona’s intense passions.
• M.Ed. – Lesley University, Cambridge Massachusetts
• National Certification – Early Adolescent English/Language Arts
• Trainer of Trainers – Six Traits of Writing
• Assistant director/teacher – Presbyterian Children’s Center, Longview, Texas
• Developed Middle School Language Arts Program and taught Spanish and English/ Language Arts- Trinity School of Texas, Longview, Texas
• Language Arts, Reading, and Spanish – Powell Middle and High Schools, Powell, Wyoming
• Summer School Director – Powell Middle School, Powell, Wyoming
• Conversational Spanish – Northwest College, Powell, Wyoming
• Six Traits of Writing – trained teachers at Powell Middle School and several districts around Wyoming
• Mother of two awesome people: James and Jessica
• Grandmother and Nanny to my wonderful grandson, Cyrus
• Caregiver of two dogs, one cat, and ten chickens
• Ardent Dallas Cowboys fan and Golden State Warriors fan
• Lover of the arts
• Love to travel
Pastor Michael “Mike” Redeker is the son of a retired pastor in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He was born in San Jose, California where his father started a mission church. They relocated to Sheboygan, Wisconsin when he and his twin sister were three years old in 1965. His Wife, Mary, was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They celebrated their 30th anniversary this past October (2016). Pastor and Mary have been blessed with seven children and one granddaughter. Pastor Redeker earned his BBA in marketing from UW – Milwaukee in 1985. He worked for the Plough Corporation as a territory manager after graduation, and for Lutheran Brotherhood following Plough. He entered the Concordia Seminary St. Louis in 1991. His vicarage was at Saint Paul Lutheran Church on the north-west side of Chicago. He graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in May 1995 with his Master of Divinity degree. He earned his Master of Sacred Theology in February 2016. The focus of his paper was the Flesh/Spirit conflict in Galatians 5. Rev. Dr. Jeff Gibbs was his advisor. Pastor Redeker served a dual parish, St. Paul/Zion Lutheran in Bowler/Eland, Wisconsin, from July 1995 to August 1998. He then served Concordia Seminary St. Louis in the admissions department from August 1998 to December 2004. From January 2005 until July 2010 he served St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lexington, Kentucky. He was called back to the Seminary in July 2010 and served in various capacities until accepting the call to Messiah Lutheran in Grand Junction.
I was born in Rapid City, SD, but have been a resident of Colorado since the age of three. I graduated from Moffat County High School in Craig, CO and then spent a year in Finland as a foreign exchange student through Rotary International. On returning, I began my education again at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, looking to major in comparative religion and philosophy. I have always been extremely inquisitive in what people believe and why, studying a range of worldviews from atheism, Islam, postmodernism, Christianity and quite a bit in between. I am an avid reader that enjoys learning and discovering Truth. I work full-time for a Christian Apologetics ministry (Alpha Omega Institute) that interacts with the culture in the areas of Worldviews and Science/Creation. I have been teaching and presenting on religion and worldview for over 10 years. I especially love engaging younger generations in their views and ideas of the world, really wishing I had had those encounters to help me at that age to sort through the morass of options. I am married to a wonderful woman and we have been blessed with two sons. I enjoy any time that I can spend in their company.