Our Faculty & Staff

Mrs. Jankowski spent her formative years at Inter-American School in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, where she attended from 3rd through 12th grade. Quetzaltenango, a vibrant city surrounded by majestic mountains, provided a rich cultural and educational foundation that shaped her early years. She later attended Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, where she pursued her passion for education and earned her bachelor’s degree in 2000. She began her teaching career at Abiding Savior Lutheran School in Lake Forest, California, and has dedicated her life to Lutheran education ever since. In 2007, she accepted a call to serve as assistant principal and teacher at Emmanuel Lutheran Church and School in western North Carolina. While continuing her ministry in education, she earned a Masters of Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University, Irvine, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Concordia University, Portland. The following year, she was called to Hope Lutheran and Christian School in Levittown, Pennsylvania, where she served as principal and teacher. In 2015, she began her service as principal at Hope Lutheran School in Shawnee, Kansas, where she continues to lead with commitment and faith. Throughout her career, she has remained steadfast in her service to Lutheran schools and Christ-centered education. Outside of ministry and education, Mrs. Jankowski enjoys hiking and traveling with her husband.

Meghan joined the staff of Hope Lutheran in March of 2019.  She attended Missouri Western University with a degree in Chemistry.  Before coming to Hope, she worked in cardiology management at KU.  She is married to Brent Adams and has two high school daughters; both attended Hope Lutheran School.  She enjoys gardening, board games, movies, and being entertained by her crazy cats!

Miss Olivia Haley joined the staff of Hope Lutheran in 2025. She graduated this past May from Pittsburg State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education Unified. Olivia is licensed to teach both general education and special education. A former student of Bethany Lutheran, where she attended from 1st through 7th grade, Olivia developed a strong foundation in the Lutheran faith. She is passionate about using her education to reach all students and to help shape the next generation with compassion, excellence, and purpose. Miss Haley is especially excited to guide her students in their academic growth, spiritual development, and character formation, teaching them about God and religion, as well as how to become exceptional students, caring friends, and responsible citizens.

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” I Peter 3:8-10

Mrs. Chrissy Heiss is excited to join Hope Lutheran School as our kindergarten and first-grade blended teacher.  She received her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of Central Missouri and a Master’s in Elementary Administration from Concordia University Nebraska. She was raised in Concordia, Missouri, where she attended Lutheran school. She recently completed a fellowship at Arizona State University for Microschool Entrepreneurs.  She has two adult daughters, one granddaughter, and a grandson expected in December. She has been married to Chuck Heiss for 35 years.  She enjoys volunteering with the DAR, participating in aquatics, and spending time with her family.  She has taught various grades and blended classrooms from preschool through grade 7 for most of her career. Her passion is providing learning for each student at their level.

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”  Psalm 143:10

Miss Hannah Christian graduated from Concordia University Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and an emphasis in Lutheran Elementary Education in 2022. She grew up in Golden, Colorado and was homeschooled with her two brothers. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. She realized her passion for Lutheran education in college. Her favorite subject to teach is religion so her students can learn about what Jesus has done for them. She enjoys reading, knitting, painting, singing, baking, and walking outside. Miss Christian is excited to teach second grade at Hope!

Margie Krzesinski has been at Hope since 1985, teaching first and second grades as combined and single grade classes. She received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Concordia University, Seward, NE. Margie has been active the youth groups, VBS, Sunday School and Mid-week programs at Hope. She has enjoyed LWML, singing in choir and playing handbells. Margie and her husband, Ed, and their daughters, Bethany and Michaela, have enjoyed the family atmosphere at Hope. Beth and Micki are both Hope alumni and have kept ties with Hope classmates through high school and college. Besides enjoying time with family, Margie also enjoys walking, reading, and finding projects on Pinterest when she has time.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:ll

Mrs. Janet Begley has 34 years of teaching experience in Lutheran grade schools and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. In her years of experience she has taught grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 in single-grade and in combined-grade classrooms. She is married to Simon Begley who is retired from MoDOT. Their daughter Erica is married to Eric, and they have a nearly three-year old daughter named Brynn. Erica is a K-5 art teacher, and Eric is an elementary school principal and highschool boys basketball coach. Janet and Simon’s son Aaron is a civil engineer in Kansas City and will be married this coming November to Amanda who is a medical speech pathologist and endoscopist.

Janet’s mother and father, Harold and Dorothy Schimke, sister JoAn Markworth, and two sisters-in-law were graduates of Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. Janet has three brothers and three sisters. Faith and Family have always been central in Janet’s life, and she enjoys spending time with her family whenever possible! Her hobbies include baking, reading, family time, and being a Nana to Brynn!

God has blessed Janet over the years with many students and their families who are now her extended family! She looks forward to teaching 5th grade for Hope and getting to know and making connections with the church and school family!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28

Kathy McIntosh has taught at Hope Lutheran School since 1991. She currently serves as fifth-grade teacher. She is a graduate of Concordia Teacher’s College, River Forest, Illinois. She received her Masters of Art in Education from St. Mary University, Leavenworth, Kansas. Kathy and her husband, Ted, enjoy traveling and spending as much time as they can with their grandchildren. They also enjoy offering their time and talents to volunteering in a variety of inner-city ministries.

Kristi Schkade joined the staff at Hope in 2022 after 24 years of teaching in MN, IL, MO, and NE. She grew up on a cattle, hog, and crop farm in eastern Nebraska with her parents, brother, and sister. At Concordia in Seward, she received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education degree with an English concentration, a music minor, and a Lutheran Teacher’s diploma. Mrs. Schkade is especially passionate about teaching the Bible, fostering students’ faith lives, and sharing her love of reading and the English language. She joyfully celebrates odd holidays, such as Elephant Appreciation Day, Chocolate-Covered Anything Day, and Awkward Moments Day, so students need to keep an eye on her special calendar. Kristi will be bringing two daughters to Hope, one in 4th grade and one in her own class, 6th! She enjoys traveling, playing board games, watching movies, and taking long walks with her favorite children’s author and husband of 23 years, Jonathan. You can often find Kristi reading, singing, and biking, though not necessarily at the same time!

“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5

Miss Miranda Mondary is Hope’s fourth grade teacher. She has been at Hope since 2017.  Miranda previously taught at Christ Lutheran Church and School in Murray, Utah, where she was their third and fourth grade teacher. She attended Concordia University in Portland, Oregon receiving her degree in Elementary/Early Childhood Education with a minor in Professional Church Work and graduated in April 2016. Miranda was born into the Lutheran Church and has always had a strong connection with the church. She is excited to teach the Word of God and continue her ministry at Hope Lutheran.

Mrs. Emily Maurice joined Hope Lutheran School in 2025, bringing her passion for education and faith to the classroom. Originally from West Virginia, she was raised in the Kansas City metro on the Missouri side. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix in 2016 and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum Design and Instruction from Western Governors University in 2022. With three years of teaching experience in fourth and fifth grades, as well as several years in childcare, Mrs. Maurice has nurtured a lifelong dream of teaching. She cherishes incorporating her faith into her classroom, creating a Christ-centered learning environment.

Mrs. Maurice is thrilled to teach math and science this year, subjects close to her heart since she met her high school sweetheart, now her husband, in math class. Together, they have three beautiful daughters, and Mrs. Maurice treasures spending time with them exploring the outdoors. You can find her reading a good book, savoring a cup of coffee, or discovering new recipes to try in her free time.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”

Mrs. McKenna Carnell is originally from Olathe, KS. She has lived in Kansas for the majority of her life. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from MidAmerica Nazarene University in 2007. She was raised in the Nazarene church where her father served as a minister. In young adulthood, she found the Anglican faith and is very involved with her church. She spent 17 years bedside nursing in the areas of Women’s Health, Postpartum, Newborn Nursery, and the majority of her career in NICU. She is a certified Low Risk Neonatal Nurse, and Instructor for the American Red Cross. She has spent the last 3 years a school nurse for an elementary school in Willard, Missouri It was with this job change that she found her passion for school nursing and especially in health education. She has recently moved back to the Kansas City area with her family. She has been married to her husband, Seth, for 18 years. They have 4 children, all boys! She spends a lot of time cheering them on in their athletic endeavors, as well as time together as a family playing games. You may find her with a coffee anda  book as it is her favorite downtime activity.  Nurse Carnell is excited to join the staff at Hope and help guide the students in taking care of the bodies that the Creator made for us as our Health Teacher. She prays that God will use her at Hope to help the students exemplify Jesus’ teaching on the Good Samaritan. 

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men. 

Cynthia has been a practicing artist for over 20 years. She did not begin drawing until she was in college. She took a drawing class to help with her composition for her black and white photography that she had been interested in since high school. When she discovered that she could draw, she left photography behind and began to explore the world of fine art through painting and drawing. Cynthia’s career began with painting murals and everything else in the model homes that the Interior Design firm that she worked for in Denver, Co. Her first degree is in Interior Design, her second is in Visual Arts. She moved back to the Kansas City area in 1997. She has had 3 solo art shows and has illustrated several books. She was approached by Andover eCademy and asked to develop and teach 3 high school art classes including Drawing, Painting, and an Elements of Art class. She is passionate about art and art history. Cynthia is married (25 years this year), has 4 children, who home school virtually from ages 7 to 16 years old, and a teeny tiny dog named Winnie. When she is not teaching art or her own children, she volunteers with Wyandotte County 4-H Shooting Sports as a Coordinator. All 4 of her children are involved in the project, which is year round, because of the many different disciplines available. Cynthia has been sharing her love and passion for art with the Hope Lutheran students since 2012. We explore many different types of art. She also teach a virtual middle school art class, along with 3 virtual high school art classes for Andover eCademy.

Miss Beumer graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University with a Bachelors of Music Education. She was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, but has lived in multiple states due to her father serving in the U.S. Air Force. She grew up in the Lutheran faith and is looking forward to teaching at a Lutheran school. Rachel was surrounded by music growing up and cannot wait to share the joys of music with her students. Some activities she enjoys in her free time is reading, writing, spending time with family, and visiting zoos.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Coach Hickman was raised in Independence MO and has loved sports his whole life. He recently has taught PE in the NKC School District for 22 years. He has coached Basketball, Track and Cross-country for 22 years. He had 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren. Loves to play golf and fish. Coach is excited about working with the “Hope” students and staff this year!

Sra. Reimer joined the Hope staff in 2021.  She graduated from Truman State University (formerly NMSU) with a degree in English and a minor in Spanish. She also worked towards a Master Degree in Education while there. She has worked in the Telecommunications & Transportation Fields, but her passion has always been teaching. She is a member of Bethany Lutheran Church where she is involved in Child Ministry, LWML, and teaching Sunday school.  She was the Spanish teacher at BLS for several years.  Her two sons attended BLS and are now at the Lutheran High School of Kansas City.  She will be teaching Spanish at LHS as well as at Calvary Lutheran School this year. She is a soccer fan and player, and a volleyball player & coach. In her spare time she gardens, exercises, loves to read novels and spend time with her husband, boys, and cats. 

Julia Mueller lives in Shawnee, KS with her husband, Pastor Jacob Mueller and their three children: Hannah, Zachariah, and Abigail. Before moving to Kansas in 2024, she served as a school counselor at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Concordia for 12 years and Saint Paul Lutheran High School in Concordia for two years.  She studied Social Work at Concordia University Chicago and enjoyed studying abroad at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Julia completed Stephen Ministry training before serving as a short term missionary with LCMS World Missions in NtShongweni Village, South Africa for two years. She currently supports missionaries as part of the Member Care team for Mission of Christ Network. She enjoys spending time with her family, serving as part of a Comfort Dog Ministry team, playing handbells, and learning more about other cultures.  Julia will provide Christ centered counseling and resources for the students, faculty, and staff at Hope.

Mrs. Stefanie Buckmaster has been a lifelong resident of the Lenexa/Shawnee area. She attended Pittsburg State University (go Gorillas!), where she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has been a nurse for 13+ years, but the most recent five years have been in pediatrics, her true passion. She lives in Western Shawnee with her husband, two young children (Sam & Lucy), and their dog (Gertrude). She enjoys being active/outside with her family, visiting local parks, and walking in her free time. She is so excited to help care for the children at Hope!

DeeAnn Fugett is the Title I Tutor for Hope Lutheran School. She works with students in various capacities in small groups and individually in math and language arts activities. DeeAnn finds joy in helping students achieve their goals academically. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, adventuring, visiting National Parks and history & science museums. DeeAnn is actively involved as a volunteer in various areas here at Hope for both the church and the school. She is a life-long member of Hope Lutheran Church.

Mr. Moyer comes to Hope after working at Shawnee United Methodist Church with their facility for 27 years, where he also volunteered teaching adult, youth and children’s Sunday School, and participated in many choirs, band, and youth activities.  He grew up in a small town in south-central Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn State University Harrisburg with a bachelor’s degree in electrical design engineer in technology. He also went two years to seminary at Lancaster Pennsylvania and volunteered for eight years with A Christian ministry in the National Parks. He loves the outdoors and serves at the district and council level with Boy Scouts of America.

Jonathan Schkade (pronounced “Skah-dee”) is joining Hope’s staff as kitchen manager. He loves cooking and baking, and his favorite school lunch as a kid was salisbury steak with mashed potatoes. He received a degree in elementary education from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, and works at home as a freelance editor and author of devotions, curriculum, and books, including The Love Bridge; Icky Sticky, Hairy Scary Bible Stories; and the Not-So-Nice Bible Stories series. He enjoys cartoons, board games, odd artsy projects, and long walks with his two daughters (who attend Hope) and his joyful wife, Kristi (who teaches 6th grade at Hope). 

Doris Stava has served Hope Lutheran Church and School as Technology Director since November 2007. She enjoys the wide variety of IT challenges at Hope and also coaching the Robotics Club. Doris graduated from Emporia State University with a BS in Math and Computer Science and worked in programming and project leadership positions at DST Systems in Kansas City, Missouri. She left DST after 12 years to devote more time to her family before coming to Hope Lutheran to fill the Technology Director position. Doris and her husband Steve joined Hope Lutheran Church in 1994. They have two daughters who both attended Hope Lutheran School from preschool through 8th grade. Doris feels blessed to be a part of the Hope family.

Laura joined the Hope technology department in 2015.  Laura graduated from Kansas State University with Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.  She also obtained an Associate of Applied Science in Electrical Technology from Johnson County Community College and received her Master Electrical License.  Laura has over 15 years of experience as a software developer, tech lead, and consultant.  She is a co-inventor for two patents:  #7640337 – Framework for application monitoring and management and #8326767 – Customer data privacy implementation.

Laura volunteers and serves at Hope in many capacities: Sunday School Teacher, Church Choir, Board of Youth Ministry, Miriam Circle Bible Study Leader, and LWML at Hope.  During the school year you can find her running Math Club and coaching volleyball, basketball, and track.

Laura grew up attending Hope Lutheran Preschool and Hope Lutheran School.  She was baptized, confirmed, and married at Hope Lutheran Church.  Hope is home.