St. Luke
Preschool
"Building foundations to last a lifetime."
St Luke Preschool Staff
It takes a big heart to shape little minds! Our staff has over 300 collective years of experience in the teaching field or experience with young children!
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. 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.
Amanda Powers
-4s teacher-
Amanda teaches one of our four-year-old classes. She attended East Carolina University and graduated with a BS in Child Development and Family Relations. Amanda joined our staff in 1989. She served as a previous director of the St. Luke After School program. Amanda and her husband Jim have two children and three grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with family, cooking, gardening and reading.
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.
Maddie Bunn
-3s teacher-
Maddie joins our staff in 2023 as a 3s lead teacher. She was born and raised in Sanford, NC and attended preschool here when she was 3 and 4 years old. She is working on her Bachelor's Degree in Education and is excited to follow her true passion of working with children. Maddie loves spending time with her family, friends, dog, and spends her evenings working at Triple Pointe Dance Academy. She is so excited for her new adventure at St. Luke!
Jennifer Orellana
-3s teacher-
Jennifer teaches one of our three year old classes. She was born and raised in Sanford and has planted roots here. She has two children, a 2 year old boy and a baby girl. She graduated from CCCC and transferred to Meredith College where she graduated with a BS in Family Consumer Sciences and a minor in Psychology.
Ana Martinez
-2s teacher-
This will be Ana’s 3rd 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 18 years, and they share three beautiful daughters together. They are active members of the Primera Iglesia Bautista, and have been attending there for decades. She loves the outdoors, and they tent 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, Costco, and Sam’s Club.
Sarah Garrett
-2s teacher-
Sarah is excited to be a part of such a wonderful learning environment at St. Luke Preschool. She has been in early education for the past 10 years with varying job titles, but her favorite title is "teacher". She has a B.S. Degree in psychology and her Teacher Certification in English. She has her own 2-year-old and he teaches her how to enjoy the little things: flowers, the beach and just sitting still and looking at a book together.
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 schools. She also has two children. She enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, and reading. She is very excited to start the school year at St. Luke.
Nathaly Escalante
-teacher assistant-
Nathaly was born and raised in Sanford. She has experience with caregiving and loves working with children. She is currently at CCC and is planning to transfer to Western Carolina and major in computer science. In her free time, she loves to read, go hiking, or spend time with her dogs. She’s very excited to be at St. Luke this year!
Hannah Sherwood
-teacher assistant-
Hannah currently attends American Military University. She graduated with an Associate in Early Childhood Education, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies. She previously worked as an assistant in a preschool before moving to North Carolina with her husband and two children. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, reading, and gardening.
Karoline Mangra
-teacher assistant-
Karoline joins our staff in 2024 as a Teacher's Assistant. She has previous experience with children when she worked as a counselor at summer camps as well as in an after school care position. She also has her dental assisting certification because she loves orthodontics! She loves to travel, meet new people, and try new foods. Working with kids has brought many fun and exciting experiences to her that she hopes to continue to have throughout her life.
Katie Harris
-teacher assistant-
Katie joins the staff in 2023 as a Teacher’s Assistant. She received a BA in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University and a Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology from East Carolina. She retired in December 2022 after 30 years as an elementary school teacher. She loves spending time with her family and reading as many books as she can get her hands on.
Anna Russell
-teacher assistant-
Anna is one of our Teacher’s Assistants and joined the staff in 2022. She earned a BA in History from Texas A&M University. She served as Children's Director at FUMC Huntsville, TX and as the Elementary Camp Director at a UMC summer camp. She also has experience working in nurseries, teaching Sunday School, and leading VBS. Anna enjoys reading, baking, hiking, and spending time with her husband, their dog, and their cat.