Meet the Staff!

Carole grew up in Lafayette, where she came to know the Lord and serve Him while a

young child. She graduated from Lafayette Jeff and then attended and graduated from

Purdue University in 1991 in Child Heath. Several years after being in her career, she

met her husband, Jim, who was also a Purdue graduate. She stepped away from the

industry to raise and educate their four children, plus two dogs. They reside in Clinton

County, where they farm. Carole has two daughters that have graduated from Purdue

University and now are in their careers, a son that is continuing the family farm that was

homesteaded back in 1820, and Naomi, who is a junior at Living Stone Academy.

Carole has over eighteen years of experience in homeschool education and is excited

to begin her second year at Living Stone. She is an administrative assistant for the

school, along with several other talented ladies on the administrative team. She is

blessed to be able to be a part of the Living Stone staff. Carole also enjoys music, from

being in choirs to listening to a wide variety of genres, playing strategic games and

puzzles, going on antique-store hunts with her husband, vacationing on the beach,

being with family, anything Purdue, their annual lake vacation with extended family, and

serving others. Carole attends Reformed Presbyterian Church of Lafayette, where she

also serves as the office manager. She currently is on the hospitality committee and has

also been on the social committee in years past. She is thankful for the opportunities

given to her at Living Stone and being involved with the next generation to help them

understand the most important thing in life is to love the Lord Jesus with all their heart,

soul, and mind.

 Hayley was born and raised in Lafayette, IN. She has attended Gathering Point Church since she was in diapers. She met her future husband at GPC when they were in 2nd and 3rd grade. They have now been married for 2 years. Her husband sells extrication tools to firefighters around the state of Indiana, and also serves as an Executive Assistant at GPC.

She graduated from Purdue University in 2019 with a degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. She served 2 years in public education. She taught K-2 Special Education at Rossville Elementary School, which was the same school she attended from 5th-12th grade. 

Hayley served at LSHA for the 2022-2023 school year as a student aide and Basic Math Skills teacher. This year, she will work from home as an administrative assistant for LSHA while raising her two baby girls, Chandler and Collins. She feels blessed that Jen Wiegers found a job for her this year that allowed her to do so. She looks forward to returning as a teacher and enrolling her girls at LSHA one day.

Outside of school, Hayley enjoys shopping, coffee, working out, and playing with her 2 dogs. Hayley loves to interact and work with children with special needs. She believes that each of them can succeed, given lots of patience, love, and the right tools. Hayley enjoys showing the love of Jesus to students at LSHA, and is so excited that it has become a successful ministry at her home church! She has loved witnessing many families and teachers at LSHA start attending GPC.

Rachel was born and raised in Lafayette. She graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. She taught 2nd grade in the Lafayette School Corporation for 6 years. She made a career change several years ago and is currently working from home in a sales position while keeping up with raising four little girls. 

Rachel and her husband, Brandon, have been married for 11 years. They have 4 daughters and live on a farm just outside of Lafayette where they raise cattle, donkeys, sheep, chickens, and goats. Three of their daughters will be attending LSHA this year. 

 As a family they enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling, Cross Fit, and playing games. Rachel also enjoys gardening, cooking, photography, and spending time with her friends and family. They attend Calvary Baptist Church. 

Rachel is grateful for the opportunity to help support the staff and students of LSHA this year.

 I was born and raised in Indiana. Everyone says I have always been a teacher at heart, and I suppose that is true. I have taught Sunday School for many years, but the last 7 years I have been teaching the preschool children and have thoroughly enjoyed it.  I learned an incredible amount about teaching as a children’s leader for Bible Study Fellowship. It’s so fun to watch them develop and be able to converse with them as they become who God made them to be.  

My husband (now deceased) and I were married for 30 years and had 4 daughters. They were my students and taught me so much about life. Before marriage and children, I was an activity director of nursing facility, which I loved. Then I worked at a small paint store helping people pick out their paint and wallpaper, and this too I loved. Being a stay-at-home mom was something I had always dreamed of and I thank God I had the opportunity. I have many favorites but here are a few: nature, wildlife, history, flowers, insects, sitting on the porch with family and friends, going to church, nose diving into the Bible, decorating, anything beautiful, cooking, and throwing parties. That's just a few! I am so stinking excited to be asked to teach the Pre-K class, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us at Living Stone Academy.

Teacher bio coming soon!

 Kris Bowers was born and raised in Lafayette, IN.  She worked for the Wal-Mart Corporation for 29yrs which is where she met her husband, Matt. They have 4 children, Miles (25), Shelbie (22), Mason (21), and Alex (12). Kris and Matt were foster parents for 8yrs and had the opportunity to love on several other children that still hold a special space in their hearts.

In 2021, Kris retired from Wal-Mart and took a job with the Tippecanoe School Corp. as a Special Ed Aide at Mayflower Elementary School.  At Mayflower, she became trained in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, Restorative practices, and Bal-A-Vis-X. She has a passion for learning new things that will help ALL kids feel confident as they learn.

Kris fell in love with teaching the 4/5's Sunday School class at Gathering Point Church and she is so excited to join the staff at Living Stone this year!

 Beth spent the first 15 years of her life in Ohio before moving to Indiana in 1985. She’s a preacher’s kid, which meant moving a lot! She is thankful her final move brought her to Gathering Point Church in Dayton, Indiana because that’s where she met Marc, her husband of 32 years. Together they raised two wonderful daughters (who are both teachers) and they’re now enjoying being grandparents to their granddaughter, Chandler. They are eager to meet Chandler’s little sister, Collins, later this fall. 

Beth attended Purdue University before her most important job: being a stay-at-home mom for seven years. She then spent 20 years in public education working as a Reading Specialist. Living Stone has been a dream come true for Beth because she is able to combine her love of teaching kids to read books with her love of teaching kids to read the Book of Books: God’s Word. You’ll find her leading Chapel every morning where we emphasize the TRUTH of Scripture: That God MADE us. 

That God LOVES us. 

That God sent Jesus to REDEEM us. 

Beth enjoys Purdue athletics, Cubs baseball, family trips to the beach, Diet Coke, and serving at church through music ministry and VBS. She does NOT enjoy mayonnaise! 

 Dawn received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Purdue University in 1993 and her Masters in Education from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1996. Dawn taught in the public school system for 24 years serving as a kindergarten, first, and sixth grade teacher, as well as a head interventionist and IDEA teacher. She received the Chamber of Commerce Golden Apple Award for Excellence in teaching in 2003 and was awarded Teacher of the Year at her school in 2009. Dawn resides on the Southside of Lafayette with her husband, Mark, their children, Gavin and Gillian and their two dogs, cows and chickens. They attend Crestview Community Church and enjoy going on mission trips to Guatemala, participating in 4H, vacationing at the beach, and going to amusement parks. Dawn is thankful to be entering her second year at Living Stone, where she feels blessed to partner with parents and pursue her love for teaching children academically and spiritually. She is honored and humbled to be given

the opportunity to help her students master first grade skills, while also growing their faith and fostering them to become lifelong learners and followers of Christ.

 Inspired by her fifth-grade teacher, Andrea decided she too wanted to become a teacher when she grew up. That was the beginning of her lifelong passion for learning and teaching. She went to LSU and Louisiana Tech, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.

 For several years, Andrea worked in Youth ministry, serving as a K-life Leader in both St. Louis, and Dallas. She went on to graduate from Kanakuk Ministry where she worked as a Young Life Leader in Branson, MO, where she ended up meeting her husband of 33 years, Steve. They are blessed to have four sons and her all-time favorite job was being a stay-at- home mom while her boys were young.

Steve, Andrea, and their four sons have lived all over the US while the boys were growing up. In

2008, they made their last move from Minnesota to Indiana.  She had previously taught in both public and private schools as well as homeschooled. When her oldest sons were entering high school, they enrolled in Faith Christian School where she continued to substitute teach until her last son graduated.

Andrea attends Faith West Church, loves Jesus, and anything to do with people! Her home is

her hobby and one of her favorite things to do is reading historical fiction on a beach (any

beach!) Andrea strives to show the love of the Lord to each of her students while making a fun

full day of learning.  She loves teaching kids of all ages but is especially excited to teach the

second-grade kids at Living Stone!

 Nicole Barragato was born and raised in the Great Lakes State- Michigan, but is a Hoosier at Heart! She attended Central Michigan University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a dual major in Special Education and Mathematics. In addition to a degree, Nicole met her husband Adam while at CMU. Together they have Emmy (7), Ella (6), and Duke (1). Nicole has experience in the resource classroom, a self-contained severely multiply impaired classroom, 3rd grade, and administrative duties. Nicole has a passion for finding creative learning strategies so that all students feel confident in the uniquely wonderful way that God created them. She also has a passion for technology and looks forward to using several forms inside of the classroom. Outside of school, Nicole enjoys music, dancing, tacos, chai lattes, and an occasional Bluey episode. She is looking forward to the future and all that God has planned for Living Stone Homeschool Academy.  

 Jenn Sanders is going on her 3rd year at LSHA as our 4th grade teacher. She is from Lafayette, IN and has a dental degree. She worked in dentistry for 18 years before becoming a substitute teacher, then found her passion teaching at Living Stone. She and her husband John have 5 children, Ethan, Evan, Emery, Easton and Erik, all boys! Jenn is a member of Gathering Point Church. She enjoys her small group friends and a relaxing day laying by the pool. She also enjoys her two dachshund dogs, Bailey and Bella. Her family is very active in the Wrestling community. She spends a lot of her time driving her boys to practice and tournaments. Jenn's faith grew stronger about 3 years ago when she attended a retreat in Kentucky with Roar House Ministries. From that moment on she has been very passionate about living a life for Jesus and speaking truth and sharing God's word. Teaching 4th grade is her absolute favorite. She enjoys this age and loves the academic and spiritual growth she witnesses in her students. Jenn's favorite Bible verse is “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 

 Chelsey McCormack grew up in Benton County, Indiana. She graduated in Elementary Education from Purdue University. Before coming to Living Stone, she taught second and fifth grade in public school for several years. She then stepped away from teaching to stay home with her three children. Chelsey loves hands-on learning that makes school interactive and interesting for children. Besides teaching she has coached Robot coding classes using Legos and programming. Outside of school she thrives being outdoors with her children. She believes all children should spend adequate time exploring in nature. She enjoys gardening, yoga, running, and soaking up sunshine. Chelsey attends Northview Church in West Lafayette. This will be her second year teaching fifth grade at Living Stone. She feels so fortunate to have found Living Stone where teachers share the word of God and go above and beyond for their students. She feels God has led her to this school and she couldn’t be happier to be part of this sweet community! 

Bio coming soon!

 Sarah was born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, where she attended local Christian schools, including several years as a homeschooled student. Upon graduation, she attended a local community college and graduated from an online school course in floral design. She also taught at a local Christian school for several years. After her marriage to James, she devoted the next decade to raising and home educating four children.

Sarah has gained many skills over the years by continually educating herself with things that interest her. Sarah and her husband, have successfully operated Sunrise Acres Farm, a small table to farm adventure, for over a decade. They raise bees, chickens, and tend to a large grape vineyard and many other berry bushes. Sarah’s honey, eggs, jams, and canned vegetables are always in high demand.

Sarah has used many of her talents teaching a life skills class to students at Living Stone Academy. Her students have participated in a small chicken hatchery operation; prepared many meals, including homemade noodles and tacos; and they even made their own laundry detergent. Sarah’s students have learned many life skills that will be useful throughout their lives.

Sarah has loved the Lord since her childhood and views it a privilege to share her faith with others. She has served for many years as a Sunday School teacher and as part of a church social committee. She and her family have recently made Gathering Point Church their home and have been worshiping there for the past year.

Hello! My name is Michael Weesner, and I am very excited to be part of Living Stone for its third year. I have taught at multiple schools during my 10 years of teaching in public, charter, and private settings. I’ve taught middle school history, high school US history, high school world history, and economics. My wife, Gloria, and I spent one year in South Korea teaching English to elementary and secondary students beginning in 2014. Teaching students without having to conceal my faith is truly an exciting opportunity. Christ has given me the ability to teach, and I am excited to use the gift at Living Stone. Have I mentioned I’m excited yet?

My wife and I have two children Vincent, 3, and Logan, 1. In our spare time we enjoy cheering for the Pacers and Colts, camping, hiking, disk golfing, reading, and playing board games with friends and family. My wife has been a trust officer at 1st Source Bank for about 7 years. We attend Emmanuel United Church of Christ and Lafayette Friends Meeting. 

I look forward to teaching your kids at Living Stone. It is my sincerest wish to see this school continue to grow in numbers and faith. Thank you for your trust in the school and myself.

  Heather is a tried and true southerner who spent the first 31 years of her life in Columbia, South Carolina. She attended Charleston Southern University as well as the University of South Carolina before deciding to get her Associate Degree in Science from the local community college. She met her husband, Bryan, in her hometown while he was stationed at Shaw Air Force Base. During his deployment, she rediscovered her love of science and chose to combine it with her love for exercise and become a personal trainer. She was a certified personal trainer for 3 years before they welcomed their first child and she realized she was called to be a stay at home mom. The Air Force moved them to Texas and Maryland before they decided to part ways with the military and settle down in Indiana (her husband’s home state.) She has spent the last 6 years staying home with her children (ages 6 and 3) and supporting her husband and his career. After leaving Maryland she knew that she was called to homeschool her children and she is so grateful to have found the Living Stone community. Heather was raised by her mother who loves the Lord and never missed an opportunity to point them towards Jesus. That’s her ultimate goal in raising her own children. The Norris family lives in West Lafayette. They have recently found Gathering Point Church and are happy to call it home. When Heather is not at school you will likely find her taking a Peloton class, baking all things with sourdough, ushering her children to their various sports endeavors, and making sure her children know how to properly use “y’all” in a sentence. This will be her second year as a Living Stone parent and she is thrilled to be joining the Living Stone teaching staff.  

Teacher bio coming soon!

 Krista Henson has been married to her husband, Kevin, for 26 years. They have one son, Caleb, whom Krista homeschooled from age three through High School graduation. Caleb recently graduated from Purdue with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Krista also graduated from Purdue (many years ago…) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. She enjoys antique shopping and weekend getaways with her husband. Krista has taught at Living Stone for two years and is so grateful for the opportunity to continue her homeschooling adventure with Middle and High School Students. She feels privileged to not only teach academic concepts, but more importantly, she cherishes the chance to help her students learn who Jesus is and how much he wants to be a part of their lives.  

  Jill Pastore is a second year teacher at Living Stone, and a third year homeschooler. She lives with her husband (Justin) and their two sons (Elijah & Elliott) in rural Jamestown, IN. Their two oldest sons (Ethan & Evan) live with their mother (4th grade teacher, Mrs. Sanders) and bonus father in Lafayette. 

The Pastore family enjoys hobby farming, fishing, hunting, gardening, baseball and vacations! They have 2 dogs, 3 cats, lots of chickens, and the newest addition– 3 turkeys. When there is time, Jill enjoys reading, writing, art/photography, digging into scripture, being in nature (in mild-warm temperatures), and fellowshipping with friends. 

Jill has a B.S. from Purdue University. She also works as a grant writer/social media manager/administrator for Child-Adult Resource Services; a company that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has worked in this field for the past 15 years.

Jill is passionate about helping people develop a personal relationship with God and teaching them about their identity in Christ. She is a lifelong learner and loves to share what she learns. She enjoys helping middle school students develop leadership skills. Jill also is passionate about teaching students how to overcome emotional/relationship challenges and adversity (when they are willing).

  Emma Livingston was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and raised in the surrounding area. She was homeschooled as a child and completed her education at Rossville High School, graduating in 2007. Emma has always had a passion for sports and earned a spot on the Varsity volleyball team as a sophomore by working hard to improve her skills at a professional sports club. After high school, she served as a freshman volleyball coach at Zionsville High School, Jefferson High School, and also coached for surrounding area volleyball clubs. 

Emma began her college career during high school by taking online university level courses as a senior. She also completed training at Christina & Company and is a licensed cosmetologist. She is currently nearing completion for a business management degree at Indiana Wesleyan University. 

Emma worked as the corporate sales manager for Project Management, where she met her husband, Michael Livingston. Emma is the biggest cheerleader for her two children, Dallas (13) and Ryann (6). She and her husband, Michael Livingston, spend many hours on the road taking their children to sporting events, which they enjoy immensely. 

Emma made a profession of faith when she was a teenager and attended the Reformed Presbyterian Church for most of her life. She and her family currently attend Gathering Point Church.

  Laura grew up in Lafayette, and graduated from Purdue University with a major in History with minors in Religious Studies, Jewish Studies, and Philosophy. Her favorite time in college was when she got to study Spanish, Italian, and Biblical Hebrew (among other things) in the same semester. Laura has a passion for encouraging students to reach others with the love of Jesus whether it's through a foreign language, music, or drama. Laura has experience substitute teaching at all grade levels in the public school system, and spent time volunteering at the Lafayette Adult Resource Academy (LARA) teaching ESL while attending Purdue. Laura is active in her church's kid and music ministries. She is a former piano teacher. She has been married for almost 2 decades. She and her husband have 6 amazing kiddos, 5 introverted sheep, 10 loud chickens, 1 hyper dog, and too many barn cats to count. 

 Elise is not only an ever-growing follower of Jesus, she is also the oldest of 4. She is blessed to have two sisters and brother (and a brother-in-law) that she loves spending time with, and it is even better when the whole family is together! Elise loves following her two passions...being involved in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community and teaching! Her main job throughout the week involves working with families that have Deaf and Hard of Hearing babies (birth-three) as they begin their new journey of raising a Deaf and Hard of Hearing child. She helps make sure those kiddos are given every opportunity to thrive! The highlight of her week is when she also gets to come to Living Stone to share and teach the language she loves, American Sign Language! Elise is hard of hearing due to lack of oxygen at birth and has been wearing hearing aids since age 3 and started signing around age 8 all thanks to the great Provider! During her free time, she loves spending time with friends, family, and her roommate. She enjoys playing the piano, watching movies, doing Pilates, swimming during the summer, cooking new dinner recipes, reading, practicing ASL interpretations of songs, and traveling.

 My name is Staci O’Bryan! I will be teaching art this year. I have my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Purdue University. I have a passion for art and creating. I am in complete awe of God’s handiwork in this world. He is the greatest artist! I hope to share His beauty and creativity with my students.  I am very spontaneous and love adventure. I love trying and learning new things. My hobbies include hiking, biking, canoeing, running, painting, and going to garage sales!   I am a mom to four and wife to Sean. We have four amazing children: Olivia, Lily, Casey, and Lucy. We have lived in West Lafayette for the past 32 years. 

Ever since Jennifer was little she loved to encourage others and make them smile. She would create posters and make her family homemade birthday cards. She grew up in Lafayette, IN, however born in Charleston, SC, where father was stationed in the navy.
Jennifer loves God and loves people. In fact she looks for opportunities to bless others with a word of encouragement or an act of kindness.

It’s Jennifer’s heart to teach the teens in her class to understand their identity, who they are as individuals, and who they are as made in the image of God. She also desires to help them grow in their relationship with God and teach them that everyone can hear God’s voice, however everyone hears differently. 

She also desires to teach and train her class to always be kind, no matter what. She believes that no one ever has to be unkind. If people would be willing to learn how to respond to unkindness, then a lot more of this world would see kindness. After all, it’s His kindness that leads us to repentance.

Jennifer got married a little later in life, but thanks be to God it was worth the waiting because she loves her husband, family, and friends. 

She is so grateful to have this opportunity to teach kids at Living Stone. She has never seen a school care so much about their students and the students' families.