St. Luke
Preschool
"Building foundations to last a lifetime."
St Luke Preschool Staff
Our team has extensive experience in the education field or working with young children, totaling over 300 years. It requires a compassionate heart to mold young minds!
Danielle Baur
-Preschool Director-
Danielle was born and raised in Fairfax, VA and lived there for ten years after graduating from Georgia Southern University where she earned her Early Childhood Education degree. After graduating, she taught elementary school for five years and then worked with her mom at her in-home childcare business for an additional five years before staying at home with her children. She has four children and they enjoy spending time outdoors together, playing sports, and in the summer, you can usually find them at Smith Mountain Lake.
Katherine Wheby
-4s teacher-
Katherine teaches one of our four year old classes. She received a BA in Elementary Education from UNC Chapel Hill and taught elementary school before joining our staff in 2011. She enjoys reading, gardening, playing the piano, and spending time with her family, including her two daughters who are graduates of the preschool program.
Jordan Boggs
-4s teacher-
Jordan was born and raised in Sanford, NC where her and her husband now raise their three children. This will be Jordan's third year at St. Luke Preschool. She received her Bachelors degree from UNC-Charlotte, where she majored in Elementary Education and minored in childhood studies. She worked as a Kindergarten teacher for 5 years before becoming a SAHM to raise her three children. She now is so excited to work with your children at SLP.
Holly Mohan
-4s teacher-
Holly is one of our four-year-old teachers. She attended Campbell University and completed her BS degree at UNCW. Holly has worked for Lee County Schools as a tutor, teacher assistant and substitute teacher. She is the mom of four St. Luke Preschool grads and has served on our Board, as a classroom parent and as a substitute. She loves traveling and spending time with her family and dogs. Holly joined our staff in 2021.
Ashtyn Golden
-3s teacher-
Ashtyn graduated from Meredith College and has experience teaching both preschool and kindergarten. She truly loves working with young children and enjoy creating a fun, safe, and nurturing classroom where kids feel comfortable being themselves while exploring and learning every day. When not in the classroom, Ashtyn lives in Sanford with her husband, a Raleigh firefighter, and two children who also attend St. Luke Preschool. They love cooking together and spending time outdoors, enjoying everything from backyard adventures to deep sea fishing at the beach.
Chelsea Banks
-3s teacher-
Chelsea is new to our staff this year and teaches one of our three-year-old classes. She graduated from NC State University and taught middle school before taking several years off to stay home with her children. Chelsea and her husband have three children, and their youngest currently attends SLP. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting, shopping, and spending time with her family. She is so excited to be back in the classroom and is looking forward to a wonderful year with her students!
Ana Martinez
-2s teacher-
This will be Ana's 6th year at St. Luke! She is a Sanford native and graduated from Lee Senior High School. She has been married to her best friend for almost 20 years, and they share three beautiful daughters together. They are active members of St. Luke. She loves the outdoors, and they camp often at Lake James. Ana also enjoys working in her garden and spending time with her flowers. She also loves shopping at Hobby Lobby, Cotsco, and Sam's Club.
Courtney Penninger
-2s teacher-
Dazym Rodriguez
-1s teacher-
Dazym attended UNC Wilmington and earned a Bachelor's Degree in World Languages. She is a Sanford native and has taught at two different elementary schools here in Lee County. Her and her husband have two children, a 6 year old son and a 3 year old little girl. She enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, and reading. She is very excited to start a new school at St. Luke Preschool!
Myra Cole
-music teacher-
This will be Mrs. Myra's 3rd year at St. Luke Preschool teaching music. She is a retired elementary school teacher where she taught Kindergarten, second grade, and elementary K-5 music. She was also the owner/teacher of "Kindermusik of Sanford" for 16 years. She and her husband have 2 adult children. She graduated from Appalachian State with a BS in Elementary Education and received her Master's degree in Early Childhood Development from UNC Greensboro. She enjoys spending time with family, playing piano, reading, painting, and cooking.
Logan Maness
-4s assistant-
Darlene Smith
-4s assistant-
This will be Darlene's third year at St. Luke Preschool as one of our 4 year old assistants. After 25 years working for Lee County Schools as a substitute and a tutor she is excited to be working with your children at SLP. Her and her husband have a son and a daughter-in-law who gave them the most perfect granddaughter. She cannot wait for another wonderful year at SLP.
Alex Diaz
-4s assistant-
Lauren Thomas
-3s assistant-
This will be Lauren's third year working at St. Luke Preschool as on of our 3's assistant. Prior to working at SLP, she worked as a Clinical Support Technician in the ICU and also taught at CCCC for the Cardiovascular Program. She and her husband have three children, two of which are twin boys. Spending time with her children is her favorite thing to do. She loves Mexican food, shopping at HomeGoods, and her favorite color is green! She cannot wait to begin this new year with your sweet children.
Katie Harris
-3s assistant-
Katie joined the St. Luke Preschool team in 2023 after retiring from her 30 year teaching career. She graduated from Appalachian State University where she earned her Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. When not at SLP, you can also find Katie and the YMCA and the Library. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family. Some of her favorite things include: the color Carolina blue, Diet Coke, and shopping at Target.
Kristi Oldham
-3s assistant-
This will be Kristi's second year at St. Luke Preschool. She will work as one of our three year old assistants. She is married and has three wonderful sons! Prior to staying home and raising her boys, she was a preschool teacher in Morrisville. She is very excited to join the St. Luke Preschool team and meet everyone.
Pam Cosimo
-2s assistant-
Mallory Crissman
-1s assistant-
This will be Mallory's second year with the St. Luke Preschool team this year as our 1's assistant. Local to Broadway, NC, she obtained her CNA certificate from CCCC. She has been a private nanny for multiple families and has gained experience in the childcare field. She is thrilled to jbe back for another year at SLP!