our teachers
Ms. Lawrence
Our Director and Afternoon Teacher, Peggy Lawrence, has 44 years of teaching experience. She has an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Purdue University. Peggy was a participant in the Project Literacy Showcase at Purdue Calumet and a presenter at the Northwest Indiana Early Childhood Conference in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Literacy is her passion. Ms. Lawrence’s goal for Sandpiper is for the children to become independent, self confident, inquisitive learners. She wants every child to leave school happy, wanting to come back.
Peggy is a mother of two and a grandmother of three. Her lucky grandchildren are reaping the benefits of her preschool teaching experiences.
Mrs. Noland
Karen Noland teaches in both the morning and afternoon classes who is currently finishing her B.A. in Elementary Education with an emphasis in English. Karen is excited to be apart of the classroom after being a stay at home mom for the last 13 years. She lives in Valparaiso with her husband Jake and their three kids. Adeline will be entering 7th grade, Simon will be in 5th grade and Henry will be in kindergarten. Karen has loved volunteering in her children’s classrooms over the years as a room mom and art mom. She has also been a Girl Scout leader for 5 years, and volleyball coach. When not in the classroom you can find her chauffeuring her kids to their various activities, reading, taking photographs (mostly of her kids), or at the beach. She hopes to provide an environment where her students feel safe, accepted, and loved. She wants every child to become a lifelong learner that never stop asking questions and seeking answers.
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Mrs. Yerks
Jennifer Yerks has 8 years of full-time teaching experience with an emphasis in science. She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Taylor University and a master’s of Education from Olivet Nazarene University. She and her husband, Dan, live in Chesterton with their two children: Andrew who will be entering 3rd Grade and Emily who will be entering Kindergarten. She spent the last few years volunteering in her children’s classrooms and with the preschool program at her church. Jennifer is excited to return to the classroom after her hiatus where she was home with her young children. She hopes to instill a love of learning in her students and a curiosity to investigate the world around them.