Administration & Staff

Amy Rush
Principal & Head of School
​arush@tscs.org

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Amy Rush has a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Emmaus Bible College and a Master’s in Education from Regent University.  During her 21 years as an educator, she served as an elementary classroom teacher in Virginia for 11 years, an elementary music teacher in Virginia and Dickeyville, WI for a total of 3 years, and an Educational Therapist for 12 years. 

​In 2018, Amy and her family returned to Dubuque where both she and her husband became professors at Emmaus Bible College: Amy as a faculty member in the Teacher Education Program, and her husband, Christopher, as English professor.  In June of 2019, Amy was hired as the Principal of Tri-State Christian School and is entering her 3rd year in this position.  Amy continues to demonstrate a passion for education and leadership and feels blessed to be part of Tri-Sate Christian School.  Her two children have been attending TSCS for 3 years.
Jason Zelle
Assistant Secondary Principle
​& Secondary Science
​jzelle@tscs.org
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Jason grew up in Waverly, Iowa where he graduated from Waverly-Shell Rock High School. Jason then attended the University of Northern Iowa and earned a B.A. of Earth Science with a minor in Geology. It was at UNI where Jason started attending church regularly and accepted Christ as his Savior. At Northern Iowa he also met his wife Mandy. Jason spent 13 years managing restaurants around Iowa and Illinois. He then spent the last few years at the Dubuque Dream Center working with parents, the schools, and the students to improve math and reading skills all the while developing the student's basketball skills.
 
This fall Jason was led to come to Tri-State and teach science for Jr. and Sr. High students. He thoroughly enjoys coaching basketball and challenging his players to be excellent examples of Christ, and take on the role of being leaders by example, both on and off the court. Jason also enjoys teaching and building mentor relationships, enabling the students to be the next generation of Christians leaders.
Christy Leverentz
Admissions Director
admissions@tscs.org
​
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Christy is so grateful to have grown up in a Christian home where she was taught about the Lord Jesus at an early age.  Both of her parents demonstrated a disciplined godly life, serving Him and others in ways that she still tries to emulate. She accepted Jesus as her Savior when she was seven years old, but rededicated her life to Him as a freshman in high school.  When she chose Emmaus Bible College, she planned to only receive her one year Bible certificate. Thankfully, Emmaus had begun their Elementary Education Degree, which she graduated with three years later. 

Her first teaching job was in second grade at Tri-State Christian School, and she thoroughly enjoyed her teaching experience!  She was grateful for the supportive families and close- knit faculty and staff. She married her best friend, KT Leverentz, after her first year of teaching and they both taught at Tri-State for four more years. In 2002, she stayed home with their first born and loved being a stay-at-home mom and a homeschool parent for 15 years.  She has four wonderful children, two who are enrolled, and two who graduated Tri-State Christian School. Christy is excited to be back at Tri-State in a new capacity as the Admissions Director.  Her family enthusiastically fellowships and serves at The Great Adventure Church in Dubuque, Iowa.

Bible Certificate - Emmaus Bible College, Dubuque, Iowa
B.S. Biblical Studies - Emmaus Bible College
B.S. Elementary Education - Emmaus Bible College
Kari Litscher

Development Director 
& Bookkeeper
klitscher@tscs.org
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Kari Litscher has spent most of her life in the Tri-State area. Kari has been with TSCS for 9 years and has held many roles in her tenure here. She has taught English, Latin, and Spanish. At one time, she ran the preschool program and was even the building/facilities manager! Currently, Kari is serving as our Development Director and is in charge of the Business Office. She also teaches two sections of Junior High Writing and offers 1:1 English tutoring. She loves having a variety of job duties . . . she's never bored!


Kari holds a Master's degree in Communications from University of Dubuque and a Bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University. She also holds teaching and leadership ACSI certifications. 

Kari came to know the Lord at a young age and has walked with Him ever since. She is the proud mom of three children. Her sons Maverick and Beau are TSCS alumni and her daughter Laina is a student here. In her spare time, Kari enjoys writing children's books and as an Iowa real estate agent, loves to help friends and family find their dream homes.​Bio Coming Soon
Dana Koeller​
Office Manager
​office@tscs.org
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Heather Taylor
Kindergarten
​htaylor@tscs.org
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Heather came to know the Lord at an early age through the godly influence of her parents, Sunday school teachers and school teachers. They instructed her in God’s Word, but more importantly they set godly role models that she found consistent with the Scriptures. She is so excited to be part of that molding process as she partners with parents at Tri-State Christian School. Her family has been involved with Galena Bible Church for over 20 years where they enjoy going to church with many families from Tri-State Christian School.

Heather began teaching full time at Tri-State in 2012 but has been associated with the school for many years, first by running the hot lunch program for the previous ten years and then by substitute teaching in all different grades for many years. When the oldest of her six children started his senior year in 2012, she felt the next natural step the Lord had for her was to join all of her children at Tri-State as a teacher.

Heather graduated from Wheaton College, is ACSI certified, and is currently working on a master’s degree in elementary education from Grand Canyon University, a Christian College. 

B.A. Business-Wheaton College
Abby Swim
4th Grade
​asanner@tscs.org
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Abby grew up most of her life in Alaska and North Africa. She loves teaching 4th grade and is looking forward to another great year. In her free time she can be found reading a book, going on hikes, or serving at camp. ​Bio Coming Soon
Megan McMillan
Kindergarten Aide
​mmcmillan@tscs.org​
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Mike Eells
Spiritual Dean & Bible
​meells@tscs.org
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Mike and his wife Julie are both Iowa kids. To use Mike's words, he was raised in a home and church that preached "good advice", but not the "good news" of God's Grace. However, when he was 17, he trusted in Jesus as his personal savior, after a friend from high school invited him to youth group where he heard the gospel for the first time. He eventually made his decision for Christ at an annual youth conference in Des Moines, IA. After high school, he attended Emmaus Bible College where he and Julie met. They have been married 20 years and have been blessed with 7 children.

After receiving his Bachelors degree in Bible and Theology from Emmaus, Mike attended Trinity Evangelical Divinity school where he received a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology in Systematic Theology. For the last 12 years he has served full-time as a pastor and youth pastor at the Atlantic Gospel Chapel in Atlantic, IA. He and his family returned to Dubuque in 2019, where he warmly welcomed the position as Dean of Spiritual Life and secondary Bible education at Tri-State Christian School. Along with his teaching position at Tri-State, he has also been an adjunct professor for Emmaus Distance Learning for the past three years.
Jennifer Dombeck
English & Drama
​jdombeck@tscs.org
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Jennifer came to understand how much God knew her and loved her because of the Godly example of her first grade teacher, Mrs. Currence. Her teacher impressed upon her how desperately she needed a Savior, and in that first grade classroom, she received Jesus as her personal Savior.
 
After graduating from Toccoa Falls College in 2007, Jennifer began her teaching career in Georgia, where she taught for 2 years before she and her husband began their family in 2009. She returned to teaching in 2014 and became an adjunct English professor for Toccoa Falls College. She moved to Illinois with her family in 2014 and began teaching at Tri-State Christian School in 2018.
   
Throughout her life, God has impressed upon Jennifer the importance of building Godly relationships and investing in others. One of the things she loves most about her role as the secondary English teacher at Tri-State Christian School is the opportunity it provides her to form lasting relationships with her co-workers, students and their families. Her goal is to glorify God in each conversation, in each class, and in each teachable moment she is provided.
​Brianne Cunningham
Spanish
​bcunningham@tscs.org
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Miss Cunningham grew up in Texas, California, and various places in the Midwest. She grew up in a Christian home and became a Christian at summer camp as a junior high student. She studied Spanish, and entrepreneurship and business in high school, college, and finally in Ecuador and has received her Certificate in Biblical Studies from Emmaus Bible College.  
Miss Cunningham thoroughly enjoys teaching Spanish and entrepreneurship. She loves seeing her students grow in their conversation and study skills, and enjoys inspiring them to show the love of Christ to Spanish speakers by learning their language and to customers by serving them well. In her free time she reads, cooks, cares for her plants, watches movies with her friends and family, and sings. 


Suzanne Sulzer
Secondary Art
​ssulzer@tscs.org
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Suzi grew up knowing who Jesus was, but never understood what it meant to give her life to Christ. At the end of her third year of college, she was at a personal low. Her best friend and a classmate invited her to go to The Salt Company, a Christian group. It was during her time attending this group that she came to fully understand God's mercy and blessings in her life.

Suzi graduated from ISU in 2001 with a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture. Her degree tied perfectly with her deep love of art, science, biology and computer programing and drafting. She married her husband Bryan in 2002 and began teaching at Tri-State Christian School as the JH/HS art teacher in 2004. She has enjoyed her years of teaching and the opportunity it has provided her to instill a love and new-found knowledge of art to her students.

She and her husband have a darling little girl and will welcome a son in 2021. They attend Christ Church in Dubuque, Iowa.
Kelly Wilson
Academic Support
​kwilson@tscs.org
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​Kelly Wilson was born in Zimbabwe, Africa and grew up moving from place to place. She lived in NJ and California before moving to Iowa to attend Emmaus Bible College where she received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. She learned about the Lord at a young age from her great-grandparents, grandparents and parents. She made a personal decision to trust Christ as her Savior as a young child but felt like she took ownership of her relationship with the Lord as a teenager attending Christian camps in Pennsylvania. Kelly previously taught at Tri-State Christian school for 9 years teaching preschool and Kindergarten children. 

During her time at Tri-State she earned a Master's degree in Elementary education and started to feel the Lord calling her to work in Dubuque Public Schools to be a light there. For the past 6 years she taught Math K-5 for a year and then 5th grade for the past 5 years at Lincoln, Fulton and Prescott elementary school. While working in public school, she witnessed how difficult it could be for students to learn when they had gone through significant trauma in their young lives. She earned a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and hopes to become a full-time therapist in the near future. She is absolutely thrilled to be back at Tri-State this year working as an Academic Support person for many high school and junior high students that she taught in Kindergarten! 
While she does not seem to have a ton of free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family that are in town. She especially loves to spend time with her nieces and nephews who are all under the age of 8! 
Jody Dombeck

​Facilities Manager
​jdombeck@tscs.org
​
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Amanda Lopez
Receptionist
​elementaryoffice@tscs.org​
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Primary

Elissa Osworth
1st Grade
eosworth@tscs.org
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It wasn’t until Lisa was 26 years old that the Lord convicted her of sin and granted her the gift of faith in Christ and repentance towards God. Soon after she was saved, God granted her the blessing of marrying a godly man to whom she's been married to for 30 years. She has been teaching for 32 years, 18 of which have been in various Christian schools depending on where her family was living. It is her joy to once again be teaching in a Christian school and beholding all the wonderful things the Lord is doing through the ministry at Tri-State Christian School.
Tyler Jenkins
5th Grade
tjenkins@tscs.org
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Tyler Jenkins grew up in a Christian home, partially in Rochester, NY and Dubuque, IA. His father has been a youth pastor for over 30 years and his mother works in a middle school lunch room. He accepted Christ into his heart at the age of 4 during a church service and  has worked with his father in the youth group for the past eight years.

Tyler has worked with students in countries such as Greece and Germany before God called him back to Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque. He attended Emmaus and graduated in May of 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in K-6 Education. He loves the community Tri-State has created and is eager to see the part God has planned for him here as he teaches 5th grade. He is excited to work with his students and partner with their parents with the intention to learn and grow together in the Lord.
Janna Cruz
4th & 5th Grade Para
​jannacruz@tscs.org
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​Janna grew up in Dubuque and has been a part of Arbor Oaks Bible Chapel from a young age. She accepted Christ as her personal savior at a Good News Bible Study at age 5. As a teen, she witnessed her father accepting Christ as his personal Savior. This had a very profound effect on her.  It was then that her relationship with Christ became a personal relationship, and not just simply going to church because that’s what her family did.
Janna has been married to the love of her life, Miguel for 17 years. Together, they have 3 beautiful children.  The kids have been attending Tri-State Christian School for several years. What a blessing it is for the kids to be taught from a biblical worldview! While at Tri-State, Janna is helping in the 4th and 5th grade classrooms. She enjoys being able to help the students be more confident and realize their own potential.
 Family is the most important thing to Janna!  Her free time is spent hanging out with the family. Going to the pool, the library, local parks, baseball games, sled riding,  any family friendly event will do.

Junior High

Chris Fransman
Athletic Director , Math & PE
​cfransman@tscs.org
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Chris grew up in Southwest Minnesota. He was blessed to grow up in a Christian home where he attended a Bible teaching church and attended a small Christian School. After his Christian elementary education he attended a public high school where he became active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) huddle. It was through FCA that he came to know the Lord.  After high school he studied Physical Education at Dordt College (now Dordt University). While attending Dordt he ran track and helped facilitate the Intramural program. In May of 2005 he graduated with a BS in secondary education with an emphasis in K-12 Health Physical Education Recreation, and a coaching stipend.

Chris enjoys teaching PE and being the Athletic Director here at TSCS. He also helps coach the boys and girls volleyball teams. He loves to challenge his students to use their gifts and abilities to bring glory to God. ​
Kyle Graw
Faculty & Academic Support
​kgraw@tscs.org
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Specials

Jill Scheirer
K-8 Music & Band
​jscheirer@tscs.org
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Jill Scheirer grew up in a small town in North Dakota, where she was baptized and confirmed in the Reformed Church of America (RCA). Through the spiritual direction of this faith community, Jill developed a love for the church and God's work in the world. Her love for music was developed through piano lessons, singing in church, and later through school band and choir. Music soon became integral to her prayer and faith life. Jill studied at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where she received a B.A. in Music Education - Instrumental. She is currently working toward an online masters degree in Music Education - Music Studies, from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Her focus is on music teachers' mental health. She also gives piano and clarinet lessons at Northeast Iowa School of Music.
 
Jill most enjoys sharing her love of music and faith with students, whether through singing, games, playing instruments, or sharing about music history and culture. She is especially excited to be starting a band program at the school. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, traveling, writing, hiking, and - always - listening to music.
Sue Briggs
Dyslexia Specialist
​sbriggs@tscs.org
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Stephanie Cunningham
College & Career Advisor
​scunningham@tscs.org
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Stephanie grew up as a pastor’s kid, mostly in Kansas and Southern California, but has moved 17 times since getting married in 1994. She asked Jesus into her heart as a very young child and has had many ups and downs as she learns to follow him daily. 
 
Stephanie studied Family Studies and Accounting in college and Financial Planning in grad school and has used what she learned working in higher education and various areas of finance since graduation. 
 
She is super excited to be serving at Tri-State as the College & Career Advisor, helping guide students toward using their God given gifts through the high school years
and beyond. When not at Tri-State or working with clients at The Life Group or homeschooling her girls, she enjoys serving her church through helping lead worship and women’s ministry, collecting items for Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes, reading historical fiction and researching genealogy.
Jordan Roundhill
Receptionist
​office@tscs.org
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Jordan grew up in Dubuque and never left. She loves Dubuque. She was very thankful to attend TSCS during her elementary years. She trusted Christ as her Savior at a young age. She ended up going back to TSCS for high school and was a 2008 graduate. Jordan attended Emmaus Bible College and received a degree in Counseling/Psychology. She loves being in the office and getting to know the students. In her spare time she loves to hike, read and drink lots of coffee.

& Intermediate

Becky Vannorsdel
2nd Grade
​rvannorsdel@tscs.org
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Becky is originally from Dubuque and is grateful to have been raised in a Christian home.  While in her grandmother’s Sunday School class, Becky came to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus.  After attending Lake Geneva Youth Camp during her high school years, she re-dedicated her life to serving the Lord. 

Upon receiving her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Early Childhood from UNI, Becky served 8 years in the Dubuque Community Schools as a substitute and second grade teacher.  In 2003 she had the privilege of becoming a stay-at-home mom when she and her husband Randy celebrated the arrival of their first son, Benjamin.  A few short years later, they also welcomed their second son, Nicholas.  As the boys grew, Becky enjoyed working part time as a receptionist at Emmaus Bible College.

As Becky begins her third year as a second grade teacher at Tri-State Christian School, she feels truly blessed that God has allowed her to return to teaching within a school that strives to bring glory to God in all they do.
Kayla Test
6th Grade
​ktest@tscs.org
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Kayla is grateful to have grown up in a family who loved the Lord.  She has fond memories of attending church with her family and feeling the love of God draw her to Jesus as a child. Kayla was born in Peoria, Illinois and lived in central Illinois until 2019 when she moved to Dubuque with her husband, Jeremy, and two children, Avery and Milo.  
 
Kayla received her Bachelor's in Elementary Education from Western Governors University and is passionate about encouraging students to reach their full learning potential as well as instilling a love of learning and reading in every student! In her free time Kayla enjoys hanging out with her family and friends, reading, and being outdoors.

& High School

Sarah Cone
​Social Studies & YearBook
​scone@tscs.org
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Sarah grew up in a Christian home and made a personal decision to follow Christ in middle school. She attended East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, where she was active in a campus ministry and discipling younger ladies. She met her husband, Wesley, while working at a Christian camp during the summer.She graduated from East Carolina University with a B.S. in History Education and a minor in Art & Design, gaining certification to teach both social studies and art. She began teaching in public schools the fall after graduation; during this time, she earned a Master's of Education in Middle & Secondary Education with a concentration in Secondary Social Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 
 
Sarah worked for 8 years in public school settings, teaching both high school history and middle school art, before entering Christian education. She taught K-12 art and yearbook for 3 years at the Christian school where her daughter attended preschool. In the fall of 2020, she and her husband felt strongly that God was calling them to leave NC. Through prayer, they settled on moving to Iowa and found Tri-State Christian School. She enjoys teaching history through simulations and other engaging activities that help students learn.
​
 

& Electives

Tracey Rush
Strings
trush@tscs.org
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A native of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Tracey earned a degree in Music Education from Bob Jones University and her masters in music education from UNI. She was the TSCS general music teacher for three years and continues to teach the string instrument students and conduct both the elementary and secondary orchestras.  She also teaches lessons at Northeast Iowa School of Music, which she founded in 2001, as well as the University of Dubuque. She continues to direct the Dubuque Community String Orchestra, which she started in 1998. In 2023 she became a certified Master Gardener and delights in sharing her knowledge of God’s creation with TSCS families.

Tracey was the principal violist with the Dubuque Symphony for almost 20 years and served as their Education Coordinator and librarian for many years. As a published composer, she is thankful to have had the opportunity to conduct one of her own compositions at Carnegie Hall. Her husband, John, is the librarian of Emmaus Bible College.
Chris Rush
Thesis & Reading Electives
​crush@tscs.org 
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Zeineb Keister
​
International Program Coordinator
​zkeister@tscs.org
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Zeineb grew up in a Muslim country, practicing Islam. She moved to the U.S. to attend University where she majored in Foreign Languages with a concentration in French and a minor in education and theater.
Upon her arrival God surrounded her with the most loving people which is something she hadn’t experienced before. She didn’t understand why someone would act that way toward a stranger and especially one so different from them. She became curious about their religion. She would read various translations of the Bible in different languages, devour comparative religion books, talk to pastors and missionaries until one day, Jesus got hold of her heart. She converted to Christianity her sophomore year of University.
The University she attended had an International Student Program with Host Families, which had a huge role in her Christian journey. Zeineb is excited to walk alongside international students, and be to them what her professors, college mates and Chritian friends were to her when she first came to this country. She’s thankful to be surrounded and encouraged by other Christians daily and in turn use her gifts to bless them. Aside from her love for the Lord, and serving Him, Zeineb enjoys ballet, Farrell’s, spending time with her husband and three children, but her favorite of all is her alone time with her two dogs.
Lindsey Stilwell
3rd Grade
​ltemesvary@tscs.org
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Lindsey grew up most of her life in Warrenville, Illinois. She learned about the Lord at a young age from a church she attended in the area, and made a personal decision to trust Christ as her Savior with a friend a few years after. Years later, she studied at Emmaus Bible College and received her B.S. in Elementary Education and Bible, along with a K-8 Reading Endorsement. 

Lindsey thoroughly enjoys teaching 6th grade. She has loved building relationships with her students, and teaching them spiritual truths that the Lord has taught her through life. In her free time she can be found running or walking, spending time with people, journaling, or cooking.
Patti Peters
Kindergarten Aide
​ppeters@tscs.org
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​Patti is an Iowa native, growing up in Eldridge, a small town just north of Davenport. She was raised in a church tradition but came to know and have a relationship with the Lord as a young mom after attending MOPS  (Mothers of Preschoolers) when she, her husband and young son lived in Everett, WA. Patti graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in Elementary Education with emphasis in both Reading and General Science.

Patti is returning to the classroom after 20 years spent raising her family and working part-time in the dental world. She is enjoying working with kindergarteners as a classroom aide. Being able to combine the academics of kindergarten and sharing the love of Jesus with these little ones is a daily joy! In her free time, Patti enjoys family time with her husband and grown children, walking, gardening, cooking and reading.
Tracey Kosin
​Math
​tkosin@tscs.org
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Tracey came to know the Lord when she was 25 and is so thankful for the transforming work God continues to do in her life. When she is not in the classroom she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, taking walks and bike rides, or curling up with a good book. She has been married for 33 years and is mom to three amazing adult children and one son-in-law, and one son-in-law to be who are spread across the nation. She and her husband welcomed their first grandchild in May. She is a graduate of Emmaus Bible College, with a double major in Secondary Education and Biblical Studies and an ACSI certification endorsement in mathematics. She has been teaching secondary math in Christian school settings for the past 15 years, and currently teaches 9th-12th grade Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry and Advanced Math at Tri-State Christian school.
Leela Fernandes
Elementary Art
lfernandes@tscs.org
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Julie Eells
Academic Support
​julieeells@tscs.org
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To schedule a tour of the school and learn how Tri-State can partner with you to give your children a biblical education, please call the number below.