St. Peter's United Church of Christ

Lori Jannsen

Lori is the Preschool Director at St. Peter’s. She graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Elementary Education. Lori has been married to Jeff for 15 years, and they have two wonderful boys, Zach age 12 and Jackson age 10. Both of their boys attended St. Peter’s Preschool. Lori has worked at St. Peter’s Preschool in many capacities.  She began as a board member, MTO assistant, MTO teacher, Three’s teacher and Pre-K teacher!

Lori says,  "I have found my passion with preschool aged children. St. Peter’s Preschool holds a special place in my heart.  My mother-in-law began teaching here and then I became a parent of two boys that graduated from St. Peter’s.  My family’s friendships that we cherish today were established during our time at St. Peter’s.  It is a wonderful place and I hope you find that when your children have completed the preschool years you will look back on the time here just as I do with wonderful memories!"

Lara Blastick

Lara is so excited to be part of the teaching staff at St. Peter's this year! Her children have been attending St. Peter's for the past 4 years and she feels blessed to begin teaching again after being a stay-at-home mom to two boys.  She has an Elementary Education Teaching degree from Indiana University; has taught for 5 years in the elementary grades, and a year in a 2's preschool program.  She enjoys the creativity that teaching lends, reading, yoga, spending time with her family, and making a positive difference in children's lives. 

Cheryl Corey

Cheryl has 3 children; Natalie 28, Peter 26 and Nicholas who is 12. She is married to Tim and graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. Cheryl has been at St. Peter's for 4 years.  Her hobbies are boating, gardening and any activity in the sun.  Her passion is to help animals find their forever home. She volunteers at Little Paws on the Prairie in Westfield. Cheryl says, “St. Peter's is a great place to work -- my youngest son attended St. Peter's and loved it. The staff I work with is beyond wonderful and very committed to the children that attend the preschool. I come to work every day looking forward to seeing all the little smiles and hope I make a difference in their preschool lives. “

Jennnifer Finn

This is Jennifer's first year working at St. Peter’s, but she has five years of classroom experience as an Early Childhood Educator. She taught first, second, and third grades in Speedway and Plainfield, IN.  After being a stay-at-home mom for three years, she is excited to get back into the classroom!  Her husband, Zach, is a professor at Butler University, and she has a 3-year-old named Clark.  She says, "I love the warm, welcoming, loving environment that you feel as soon as you walk in the door at St. Peter's Preschool!"

Laurie Hesselink

Laurie has been with St. Peter’s for 13 years! She began working here as an MTO Teacher when her oldest son Tyler was in the Pre-K program and her youngest son, Evan was in the 3’s class. Tyler is 18 now and a senior at Westfield High School and Evan is 16 and a sophomore. She is still an MTO teacher and has subbed or helped out in every job position at the preschool.  She loves her job because it has allowed her to stay connected with young children; she never tires of their energy and enthusiasm. 

She and her husband Craig have been married for 23 years and have always lived in the area.  In her spare time she enjoys reading and loves April thru October when she can spend time gardening and just being outside.  During high school football season she spends a lot of time running her son Evan to and from practices and attending his games.

Sylvia Maraman

Sylvia Maraman has been a teacher at St. Peter’s Preschool for 17 years. She has a son Jason who is 38 year old. Ms. Sylvia’s classes can be found singing, dancing and of course doing lots of artwork!  She finds working with two year olds to be very rewarding.  When she is not at St. Peter’s Sylvia enjoys reading, walking and relaxing with family and friends.

Pam Mover

Pam has  a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Indianapolis. She has lived in Carmel for 14 years and has been married to her husband Mike for 17 years. This is her fourth year working at St. Peter's Preschool as a teacher’s aide. All three of her children attended St. Peters before she started working here. Pam says, "I love spending time with the children and helping them learn."

Jessica Niccum

Jessica is a wife to Tom and mother of three: Amelia, Elias and Isaiah.  She has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with Kindergarten and Special Education Endorsements form Ball State University.

Previously, she has taught Special Education, as well as second and third grades for Carmel Clay Schools.  This is her second year teaching at St. Peter’s Preschool and she feels that this is the perfect fit for her.  Her favorite part of the preschool is watching the children grow and change over the year. She enjoys playing tennis, rumba and spending time with her family.

Kathy Ratekin

Kathy is an assistant teacher in the Monday-Wednesday-Friday 3’s class.  She has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and is lucky enough to be married to Mark for 15 years.  She has three boys ages 14, 11, and 8.  (Yes, she does tend to gravitate to the little girls whenever she can!) 

Kathy loves being outdoors, walking her dog, hiking, knitting, and just being with friends and family.  She enjoys her time at St. Peter’s Preschool and says, “It has been great watching these wonderful boys and girls progress.  What a reward it is to see their self-esteem rise and their personalities come alive!”

Jill Schlies

Jill Schlies has a degree in Education from the University of Iowa and joined the St. Peter's staff in 2008.  She loves working with preschool children because watching them learn and grow in so many ways is very rewarding. The giggles and hugs are priceless perks of the job!  Jill and her husband spend most of their free time transporting their two children to sporting events and cheering them on.  She also enjoys entertaining and trips to the beach.   

Katie Shattuck

Katie graduated from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College with a degree in Art. She is married to Brian and is the mother of Paul and Jude. Katie's oldest son Paul was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two, which inspired her to learn more about typical neuron-development vs. delayed development. Nothing is taken for granted, every day and every skill is a gift!

Katie uses Relationship Development Intervention daily in her household. Her youngest son attended St. Peter's Preschool for four years and loved every minute. Katie loves the tight knit St. Peter's family and is so excited to still be a part of the St. Peter's Preschool community!

Nami Swallow

Nami has been married to Greg for 12 year and has 2 children: Madeline age 7 and Noah age  5.  She was a stay-at-home mom for the past 7 years until her youngest started kindergarten. This is her first year working at St. Peter’s Preschool. Nami shares, “I enjoy watching the  children grow and change,  and the hugs and smiles are great too.”

Stacey Wilt

Stacey is excited to be teaching your children in Pre-Kindergarten at St. Peter’s. She has lived in Carmel for 7 years and has 3 children ages 7, 8 and 11 who all attend Carmel Clay Schools. Her husband of 13 years grew up here and also went through Carmel schools.

Stacey grew up in Cincinnati and received her Bachelor of Education from Purdue. After graduating, she moved back to Cincinnati and taught 6th grade while simultaneously working on her Master in Education through Wright State University.  After Cincinnati, the Wilts moved to Las Vegas, where Stacey taught 5th grade for two years before starting a family. When her oldest child was 4, they returned to Indiana.

Now that her kids are a bit older, she has enjoyed getting back into teaching. She taught for 3 years at Carmel United Methodist Church. She says, "I am looking forward to watching your children learn and grow this year!"