Adam Lamb Preschool
Contact Us | (636) 561-5203
Meet Our Staff
Director: Sarah Ripka-Towe (sarah.ripka-towe@dpc4u.org or admin@adamlambpreschool.com)
My name is Sarah Ripka-Towe and I am the Director of Adam Lamb Preschool. I graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology where my emphasis in study was child and adolescent counseling. After graduating I accepted two job offers and went on to love them both for over 9 years. I worked full-time for the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery working directly with at risk children and families as a counselor before accepting the position of site coordinator for two of the SLCN’s nurseries. I also worked part-time for St. Cletus Catholic School as a social intervention specialist working with kindergarten through 4th graders. My passion has always been kids and helping them grow socially and emotionally.
My husband John and I have two daughters, Vivian and Carolyn. Both of our girls attended Adam Lamb and loved the teachers and staff immensely, we were blessed to get started on a great learning path early. In 2021 I joined the Adam Lamb team as the Assistant Director. In 2024 I accepted the Director position knowing that my talents and passion for early childhood education would continue to be utilized in this amazing preschool where I have always felt called. I am happy to say this is a wonderful place to learn and grow for students as well as staff. I am so excited for this journey and to be here with your amazing kids! In my free time I enjoy reading, crafting, and traveling with my family and friends.
Assistant Director: Karen Loechner (karen.loechner@dpc4u.org)
After moving to Missouri from Pennsylvania in 1987, I began searching for a preschool program for my daughter. God directed me to the “opening soon” Adam Lamb Preschool. Not long after, an unexpected teaching position became available. My teaching degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and years of experience working with children, resulted in being hired as lead teacher. I continued in that role until May 1991.
In September of 1991, the blessings continued for me as I was hired as Director of Christian Education for DPC. As the church staff grew, my title changed to Director of Children’s Ministries and my focus became children and their families. I worked in that position until I retired in January of 2023. However, I continued as director of the Kid’s Day Out program and leading Chapel for Adam Lamb. The two weekday programs joined together this school year and I am now serving as the assistant director for Adam Lamb Preschool.
I have two children who have grown up here at DPC. Each are married and have blessed me with six grandchildren. I love going to the grandkids activities and take every opportunity to spend time with my family.
In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, reading, and playing pickleball. I also like to travel when possible but vacationing at the beach is my first choice.
Watching children grow spiritually, physically, academically, and emotionally is a gift I experience every day at Adam Lamb Preschool.
Administrative Assistant: Katy Furlow (admin@adamlambpreschool.com)
My name is Katy Furlow and I am the Administrative Assistant. I graduated from Eastern Illinois University with my Bachelors in Accounting. I worked in the corporate world for 5 years before becoming a stay at home mom.
I married my high school sweetheart and we have 3 wonderful girls. We stay very busy attending all their activities.
My girls attended both the KDO and Adam Lamb programs. In 2018, when my youngest entered kindergarten I began working for KDO. In 2024, I took on my new role as the administrative assistant for Adam Lamb.
Lead Teacher: Colleen Durbin (mrs.durbin@adamlambpreschool.com) Degreed B.S. Education and M.A. Education
I have been a part of the Adam Lamb Preschool family for many years, as a parent and as a teacher. My husband and I have two daughters who both attended Adam Lamb Preschool. My personal interests include my children’s education, soccer, nutrition, fitness, and any activities with my family. I graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a B.S. in Education, a B.A. in Psychology, and a M.A. in Education. I am certified in both Early Childhood Education and Physical Education.
It is my philosophy to meet the needs of the whole child in order to nurture the growth and development of a well-rounded individual. Learning through play is an excellent way for preschoolers to accomplish this. I believe it is my responsibility as a teacher to plan and implement age appropriate activities that will meet the academic, social, emotional, physical, spiritual and artistic needs of the children.
For several years I balanced starting a family and my career, working part-time as a substitute teacher. I have taught at all grade levels in the local school districts of Fort Zumwalt and Wentzville. I gained invaluable experience along the way and it is a blessing to be a teacher at Adam Lamb Preschool!
Lead Teacher: Tracy McDermott (mrs.mcdermott@adamlambpreschool.com) Degreed B.S. in Early Childhood
My name is Tracy McDermott. I graduated from University of Missouri- St. Louis with a Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood in 1999. After graduating, I taught two and three year old's for a couple years before becoming the assistant director of the facility I was at for 5 years. Then after getting married and moving, I taught pre-k for a year and a half at a preschool in O'Fallon until I had my own children. I have also taught Sunday School and volunteer in VBS at the church I was raised in and now here at Dardenne Presbyterian Church. In late 2014 I started here as a substitute teacher and as time has gone by I became a classroom teacher. I love planning activities for the children and watching them learn.
My husband, Dave, and I have two kids. Meredith and Aiden both attended preschool here. They both keep us busy between dance and band. As a family we love to go on trips to national parks and historical places. I love to read and crochet in my free time.
Lead Teacher: Emily O'Brien (mrs.obrien@adamlambpreschool.com) Degreed B.S. in Elementary Education
My name is Emily O’Brien and I am a teacher at Adam Lamb Preschool. I feel very blessed to work at such a great school. I graduated from the University of Missouri St. Louis with a B.S. Degree in Elementary Education. After graduating I worked for the Francis Howell School district teaching third and first grade. I truly enjoyed working with elementary aged children and now I’m very excited to be helping preschool children prepare for kindergarten!
I have been married to my husband, Tim, since 2006. We have 2 wonderful children, Adison and Caleb. They both attended Adam Lamb for preschool. They keep us very busy with all their after-school activities! I enjoy volunteering at their schools, crafting and spending time with my family and friends.
Lead Teacher: Anita Stellhorn (mrs.stellhorn@adamlambpreschool.com) Degreed B.S. Child and Family Development
My name is Anita Stellhorn. I have been a teacher at Adam Lamb Preschool since November 2003. I graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Child and Family Development. The emphasis of my education was studying child development from ages 0-6 years. Since college, I have taught preschool, worked as a Parent Educator for the Parents-As-Teachers program and was a Teacher Assistant for a pre-kindergarten program.
I really enjoy helping young children learn and grow. It is always amazing to watch how they change throughout the school year. They bring so much joy and laughter to my life. It is a great pleasure to be part of such a loving, Christian preschool program.
My husband, Lee, and I have three children. We enjoy spending time together. We like to walk and bike outdoors.
Lead Teacher: Lisa Klevorn (mrs.klevorn@adamlambpreschool.com) B.S. Elementary Education
My name is Lisa Klevorn and I am excited to be joining the Adam Lamb Preschool staff as a teacher for First Year Preschool. I graduated from Maryville University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education with certifications in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education. Later I returned to Maryville University to earn a Master's Degree in Educational Processes. I taught for the Wentzville School District from 1989-2022. All of my years there were spent teaching children ages three to six.
After one year of retirement, I missed being with young children so much that I decided to return to the classroom. I enjoy planning and implementing age appropriate activities that encourage growth in all areas of development. I like to see the children be caring and confident students who love learning!
I have been married to my husband, Ed, for 35 years. We have one grown son, Bobby, who attended Adam Lamb Preschool many years ago! I love reading, gardening, and visiting with family and friends during my free time.
Teacher's Aide: Chris Dodd-Swim
I have been a teacher’s aide since 2005 at Adam Lamb Preschool. Prior to that, I worked for the Mother’s Day Out program at Dardenne Presbyterian Church while my daughter attended the preschool. I enjoy working with the children, and find it rewarding to see them grow in size, knowledge and their love of Jesus. My mission is to help prepare them for school by giving them a solid foundation to build upon.
I grew up in Iowa, and attended Kirkwood Community College completing the Early Childhood Development program there.
My husband, Phil, and I have 4 children, and one grandchild. My hobbies include running, biking and other fitness challenges. I love to bake cakes, pies, and cookies. I also enjoy volunteer work and serving God by helping those in need.
Teacher's Aide: Colleen Fox
My name is Colleen Fox. I am the teacher's aide for Mrs. O'Brien's Junior Kindergarten class. I started this position in 2019 after retiring from 20 years of in-home daycare. I love nurturing young children in education and creativity.
I am happily married to my husband Craig. We have a blended family of five grown children; three of which went through the Adam Lamb program. I'm also blessed with five adorable grandchildren. I enjoy keeping busy with family activities, walking, playing with my dog, cooking, baking, and traveling.
Teacher's Aide: Nichole Orbin
My name is Nichole Orbin. I am a teacher's aide for Mrs. McDermott. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for over 20 years. We have two girls, Kylie and Ashlan. I have been a part of the Adam Lamb family since my own attended here. After many years juggling being a stay at home mom and in the work force, I was blessed with the opportunity to call Adam Lamb my work family. I have a passion for helping children to be the best they can be. Helping them to love, learn, and grow while celebrating the little things in life is one of my favorite things to do.
Teacher's Aide: Nineta Cheng - Degreed B.S. Elementary Education
My name is Nineta Cheng. I am the teacher's aide for Ms. Lisa's FYP class. I have my bachelor degree in elementary education.
I've always had an appreciation for different cultures and languages. My husband is Taiwanese and fluent in Mandarin. I was raised bilingual with fluency in Spanish.
After college, I taught Spanish for a few years before deciding to stay home to raise our family. An and I have been married for 17 years. We have 4 children and the youngest three all attended Adam Lamb Preschool. I'm so excited to be a part of the Adam Lamb family.
Teacher's Aide: Kristie Waldron
My name is Kristie Waldron, and I am so excited to have joined Adam Lamb for the 24/25 school year. I have been involved in childcare and schooling almost my entire life- starting with being the oldest of 7 and many foster siblings, babysitting as a teenager, running my own in home childcare center, working on a mobile preschool gymnastics bus, homeschooling my children for a few years, working in the DPC Nursery, nannying, and lunch monitoring.
My husband of 27 years and I raised our 9 children in Pennsylvania, and after a very brief stint in Hawaii, moved to O Fallon in the summer of 2023. We found Adam Lamb's JK program while looking for a bridge from PreK to Kindergarten for our youngest, and the school and church touched my heart and made me feel so welcome I keep coming back even though my son has moved on to elementary school.
Watching young children grow and learn is a gift, and I thank all of you for entrusting me to do it.
Teacher: Sheryl Donahue
My name is Sheryl Donahue and I’ve been a teacher in the KDO/Adam Lamb preschool for the past 20 years. Prior to KDO I taught elementary education and stayed home and raised our twins. I’ve always loved being a part of the lives, growth, and education of children of all ages. Teaching “littles” to know and love Jesus and to know that He loves them and has a plan for their lives is a passion of mine.
My husband Jim and I are long-time members of Dardenne, as are our son and daughter -in-law and two of our grandchildren. As a grandma, I must say that there is nothing better than worshipping with family on Sunday mornings! I’m currently teaching at church one day a week because I’m caring for our four grandchildren three days a week. This keeps me very busy!
When I have spare time, I enjoy helping with the activities for children at church; leading our small fellowship group; participating in bible study, gardening, and photography. This will be my last year teaching as my husband and I explore what the next few years of “retirement” has to offer.
Teacher: Maria Blair
My name is Maria Munoz-Blair. I am the Lead Teacher for the 3- and 4-year-old Kids Day Out (KDO) preschool.
I started working for the program in 1995 as a lunch aide. I continued to work with the Kids Day Out program as a teacher for the walking and ones, 2-year-olds, and now the 3- and 4-year-olds. KDO has been my home away from home for 27 years!
My three daughters attended the Adam Lamb Preschool while I worked alongside them.
They are now grown and following in my educational footsteps as a 5th grade teacher, a speech therapist in an elementary school and a nanny.
I feel the social connection the children experience in the classroom is crucial in their educational development. Watching the children pray and learn about God’s love gives me great joy!
I have been married to my childhood sweetheart for 38 years. We are now blessed with two grandbabies and a baby boy on the way in December 2024!
I love camping, gardening, reading, and babysitting the grandbabies.
Teacher: Rachelle Broadfield
Hi, my name is Rachelle Broadfield. I graduated from Truman State University with a B.S. in Justice Systems. I went to work in the social services area in Kansas City; first as a child advocate at a battered womens shelter, and then as a Relative Care Social Worker for the State of Mo.
My husband and I moved to St. Louis for his new career , and I took a job as an Interim DayCare Director for a local church. That turned into a 3 year position. I went on to decide that I needed to focus on my family for a while and became a stay at home mom.
I came to Adam Lamb about 6 years ago to work with the 2 year old class, and I have loved watching how quickly they learn and grow at this age.
My husband, Jon, and I have been married for 29 years and have 3 children. Our daughter, Ashley is 27. She is married and teaches High School Sciences. Brittany is 23 and is in her first year of teaching Middle School English. We got guardianship of our son, Diego, when he was 15 years old. He is now married, has a Phlebotomy certificate, and is attending Nursing School.
Teacher: Stephanie Bishop
My name is Stephanie Bishop and I am one of the 2 year old teachers. After being a stay at home mom for over 8 years, I was ready to return to work and was blessed to be offered a position working with the 2 year olds in 2022. I am truly grateful to be a part of such a wonderful team where I get to watch children grow and share the love of Jesus with them.
I have been married to my husband, Ron, for 13 years. We have two boys, Elijah and Abel, who both attended Adam Lamb Preschool for 2 years. I love walking and hiking, decorating and doing puzzles and almost always have a Panera iced tea with me.
Interested in learning more?
About Adam Lamb Preschool
Adam Lamb Preschool offers a Christian based early childhood educational program for children 3 - 5 years of age. We are conveniently located in the Dardenne Presbyterian Church in Dardenne Praire, MO and serve the surrounding areas of New Melle, O'Fallon, St. Charles, St. Peters, and Winghaven. Adam Lamb Preschool has been part of these communities since 1987.
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