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 for over 25 years in the Lutheran school system. She has a master’s degree in Middle School reading. She has been at Messiah since 2012. 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 since 2011. 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.
Crystal Schultz has accepted the position of teacher for the preschool.
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. I Began teaching at Messiah in 2020. Before that I spent 12 years teaching at Lutheran schools in California and Utah. 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 since 2012. When she is not at school, you will find her hiking, traveling, or reading.
I grew up in Iowa with my parents, two brothers, and sister. I then followed my two older siblings and attended college at Concordia University Wisconsin. I graduated from CUW in May 2019 with a degree in Secondary Education and Mathematics along with a minor in Theology. I am thrilled to be at Messiah using my experience in teaching Math, Science, PE and STEM classes. My goal is to help equip students with the knowledge and tools to be strong Christian leaders. I enjoy exploring Grand Junction and Colorado through hiking, running, and skiing. I also enjoy playing and watching sports. One of my favorite Bible verses comes from Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
MUSIC TEACHER
Dona Ramsey Kendrick
Dona Ramsey Kendrick is a “refocused” but retired elementary music teacher with two decades teaching public and parochial elementary music classes and eight years for the Bureau of Education & Research (BER based in Bellevue, WA), traveling throughout America sharing her knowledge and experience with thousands of fellow colleagues. Dona served as CMEA General Music Chair, RMWAOSA Chapter President, and GJMTA Chapter President. Dona maintains a private piano and voice studio.
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 is the 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.
SIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER
Lisa Aikin-Allen
My name is Elizabeth Aikin-Allen, I go by the name of Lisa and I teaching America Sign Language (ASL). I’ve been teaching ASL 1 for 6-7 years (I lost track of time). I teach ASL 2 for a year. I love teaching ASL. I’ve taught ASL at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), Southwest Community College (SWC) in San Diego, CA., and Grossmont Community College (GC) in San Diego, CA. I’m currently teaching at CMU! Welcome to my ASL course. I’ve taught elementary and middle school in the past at Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. I was a supervisor for the dorms there as well, mostly elementary kids.
My hobbies are: sports, reading books, play with my children, watch TV/Movies, get involve in Bible studies with groups, and I love to travel. Love getting together with my family. Speaking of family, I have a family of 4. Me and my husband, who are deaf, and 2 children who are hearing. My children are CODA/KODA, which means: Children of Deaf Adults / Kids of Deaf Adults. They will be CODA/KODA for the rest of their lives. Their first language is ASL and learned English along the way. Both of my children are bilingual children.
My favorite verse is: John 15:5 because it’s the very first verse I can memorize. I also like: Ephesians 5:18-19. So many stories I like in the Bible which I remember most than the verses itself.
I grew up in Iowa with my parents, two brothers, and sister. I then followed my two older siblings and attended college at Concordia University Wisconsin. I graduated from CUW in May 2019 with a degree in Secondary Education and Mathematics along with a minor in Theology. I am thrilled to be at Messiah using my experience in teaching Math, Science, PE and STEM classes. My goal is to help equip students with the knowledge and tools to be strong Christian leaders. I enjoy exploring Grand Junction and Colorado through hiking, running, and skiing. I also enjoy playing and watching sports. One of my favorite Bible verses comes from Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
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.