New teachers ready to greet LCC students

LAUREL — He may be a musician, but John Mellencamp knew a little somethin’ about small towns.

He was “educated in a small town,..daydreamed in that same small town..and that’s good enough for me.”

Many alumni from Laurel-Concord-Coleridge and school districts like it have adopted the lyrics to the Mellencamp hit.

One administrator, one mental health provider, and four new teachers are now playing a part in the small town education for the district.

“For the 2020-21 school year, our district’s vacancies for teaching and administrative positions were linked to teacher retirement and career advancement. We should all be pleased by the positive applicant response and strong candidate pool we experienced for each vacancy. This reflects highly on our school, community and region. While staffing transitions can be challenging, we are confident in the professional educators who will be joining our LCC team for the upcoming school year,” said LCC Supt. Jeremy Christiansen.

Mark Leonard will be serving as the Middle School Principal.

Leonard is a native of Avon, S.D. but is no stranger to Laurel. In 1997, he did his student teaching at Laurel-Concord School before graduating from Wayne State College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education and a minor in coaching. In 2008, he received a Master’s of Arts in Physical Education with a Specialization in Coaching from Ball State University. Most recently in 2012, he received his Master’s Degree in Secondary School Administration through Wayne State College.

Leonard chose education because of three reasons. : (1) The opportunity to work with children and to have a positive impact in their lives.

(2) Interest in business and the practicality of it in one’s life.

(3) My passion for sports and the opportunity to coach.

“I loved my initial experience at LCC when I completed my student teaching here. I am thankful for the opportunity to return to such a great place and look forward to working together to provide our students with a positive educational experience.”

Leonard is excited to begin the year, “I am most eager to begin developing relationships with my staff and communities of LCC, learning more about the middle school and our school district, opportunities to get to know our students and positively impact them throughout the year.”

Leonard is married to Deana. They have four children. Jayden, just graduated this year and will be attending Colorado Christian University in the fall); McKenna senior at LCC; Landen freshmen at LCC; and Alyza fifth grader at LCC Middle School.

His hobbies include his kid’s activities, sports (especially basketball), and reading.

Brandi Settje is LCC’s new Mental Health Provider. Prior to this year, she was contracted through the ESU to provide services to multiple districts.

Settje graduated from Laurel-Concord School in 1997. In 2001, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources and Family Sciences from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She received her Master’s Degree in A g e n c y Counseling in 2003 from the University of South Dakota.

“I am the most excited about having an opportunity to work with our students and staff to promote whole child/person wellness in the areas of mental health and social and emotional wellbeing.”

“I chose LCC because this is where my heart is, and I am excited for the opportunity to be a part of the LCC faculty. LCC has really taken the lead in being innovative with their approach to taking care of their students and staff.”

Settje is married to Grant. They have three children, Kolten, Taelynn, and Ryker. In her free time, she enjoys running, being outdoors, and watching her kids in their activities.

The new Preschool teacher this year will be Kristina Steinle (Styn-lee). Steinle is a native of nearby

Steinle is a native of nearby Wakefield, Nebraska where she graduated in 2008. She received her post graduate degrees from Doane University.

“I chose education because growing up I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. The most rewarding part has been creating a little school family with each group of kiddos and watching all of them grow and learn so much. I am excited for the opportunity at LCC because I wanted to be close to my family and have heard great things about the LCC school and community.”

Steinle and her husband, Kenny were married earlier this summer.

Her hobbies are listening to podcasts (True Crime), playing volleyball, watching Husker volleyball and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Christy Koehler, a Lincoln native, will serve as the Elementary Special Education Coordinator.

She graduated high school from Lincoln East High School and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

She received her Master’s Degree in Administration from Doane University.

Although she is a city girl, Koehler has been in the northeast Nebraska region for about 10 years, so she is well adjusted. “I grew up in a city and had my first teaching job in a city, but have been in northeast Nebraska for 10 years.”

“I love the communities and culture. LCC’s mission and vision align with my philosophy of education, so I am eager to work with likeminded people who want to impact our youth in a positive way.”

“I am most excited to meet all the children here and get to know each one of them. I am in education because I truly love children and watching them grow.”

Koehler is the mother of three sons, Toby, seven, Knox, six, and Tripp four.

Her hobbies include running, kayaking, riding bikes, reading, being outdoors, camping, fishing, walking and being a boy mom.

Jennifer Backer will be teaching fifth and sixth grade English Language Arts.

Backer grew up in Carroll and graduated high school from Wayne.

Both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees were completed at Wayne State College.

“I am excited to be able to focus on English Language Arts for fifth and sixth graders in a Middle School setting.”

She and her husband, Cody, have three children: Christian, Jessa, and Shaw.

Her hobbies include reading and spending time with her family.

The new Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor will be first-year teacher, Tejlor (Tay-lor) Strope.

A recent graduate of UNL, Strope has high hopes for LCC’s Ag program.

“I am most excited about getting to know all of the students, staff and community members. I look forward to working with everyone to make the LCC FFA Chapter and Ag Program one of the best in the state.”

“I chose Agriculture Education because I have grown up in the agriculture industry and see such a strong need for Ag Ed in schools. I believe FFA is extremely beneficial in the lives of students, teaching them many life skills and giving them real-life experiences. LCC is an amazing, close-knit community with a strong agricultural background. I have already felt so much support for the Ag Program and am looking forward to starting the school year.”

When she is not at a cattle show, she enjoys golfing with friends and family.