Staff-Bios

Adam Lamb Preschool

Welcome

About Us

Preschool Programs

News and Announcements

Calendar

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: Tracy McDermott

(tracy.mcdermott@dpc4u.org) 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 and now assistant director. Love getting to help and work with all the teachers and students!

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.

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, Junior Kindergarten: 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, First Year Preschool: Julie Bentley

(mrs.bentley@adamlambpreschool.com) Degreed M.Ed.

My name is Julie Bentley. I am married, and have two children, a dog, and a cat. Both of my children attended Adam Lamb, so I have been involved in the program for the last 4 years. I am excited to join the team this year as a lead teacher after having subbed last school year.

I have a Masters Degree in Education and my classroom goal is to encourage children to explore, play, and create! This year will be filled with laughter, learning, new friendships, and growth. I am honored to be part of your child’s early educational journey.

Lead Teacher, FYP and Pre-K: Susan Feldt

Degreed B.S. English and History with a minor in Art History William Woods University

Child Development Associate St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute

Hello my name is Susan Feldt and I am a new teacher this year at Adam Lamb Preschool. I teach FYP on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Pre-K on Mon-Wed-Fri. I have worked in the field of Early Childhood Education my entire career. I am very grateful to now be part of such a wonderful staff.

I have been married to my husband, Craig, since 1989. We live in O'Fallon. We have four grown children, Molly, Emily, Jacob and Abigayle and one Granddaughter Gemma. I volunteer as an usher at the Fabulous Fox theater on Wednesday evenings. I also volunteer each July at the Friends for Life conference in Orlando Florida. I provide childcare in Kiddie Kove while parents learn about caring for a child with Type 1 Diabetes. My youngest was diagnosed at age 10. My hobbies include flower gardening, taking care of my indoor plants, camping, watercolor painting, cruising and all things Disney. In my free time you can find me visiting Gemma in California or facetiming with her.

You will find my classroom filled with color and art and excitement. I am blessed to be able to help your child grow, learn and belong. Thank you for sharing them with me. I also hope to create new experiences outside for all the children. Teaching young children is my life's work and I am thrilled to be able to do it here and have the added blessing of growing their faith and mine.

Lead Teacher, Half-Day FYP: Kara Ungerboeck

Degreed in Elementary Education

My name is Kara Ungerboeck, and I am the Lead Teacher in the Half-Day First Year Preschool classroom. I earned my degree in Elementary Education from Lindenwood University. Before staying home with my children, I worked as a preschool teacher. As a stay-at-home mom, I remained actively involved with children and education by serving as a PTO president and Vacation Bible School director, as well as substitute teaching at the elementary school for the past 7 years.

My connection to Adam Lamb Preschool began when I was a student in its very first First Year Preschool class! I later returned to Adam Lamb as a Kids Day Out teacher and Lunch Bunch teacher. Both of my children also attended Adam Lamb, and I am excited to continue our family’s special connection to the school as a member of its teaching staff.

My favorite part of teaching preschool is watching the children’s excitement as they discover and learn new things. I love helping them grow, gain confidence, and build a strong foundation for their education.

My husband, Justin, and I have two children, Catherine and Aidan. In my free time, I enjoy reading, spending time with our dog, Daisy, watching Catherine play softball, and cheering on Aidan at his soccer and football games.

Teacher's Aide, PK & FYP: 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 biking and other fitness challenges. I also enjoy volunteer work and serving God by helping those in need.

Teacher's Aide, Junior Kindergarten: 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 eight adorable grandchildren. I enjoy keeping busy with family activities, walking, playing with my dog, cooking, baking, and traveling.

Teacher's Aide, FYP: Nineta Cheng - Degreed B.S. Elementary Education

My name is Nineta Cheng. I am the teacher's aide for Mrs. Bentley's classes. 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.

FYP Teacher Aide & Fun and Fitness Teacher: Samantha Schaeperkoetter

Hi, I am Samantha Schaeperkoetter, also known as Ms. Sam. I am the teacher aide for the half day FYP class and am also taking on the teaching role for Fun and Fitness this school year.

I went to Truman State University and majored in Business Marketing. I was fortunate to leave my corporate job to become a stay-at-home mom to my 3 sons, now 18, 15 and 13 for 15 years! They all 3 spent their preschool years at Adam Lamb. I am married to my college sweetheart Seth, and we just celebrated our 22nd anniversary.

I absolutely love spending my days with young kids and joining the Adam Lamb staff has been such a blessing to me! In my free time my family loves to golf, travel, hang out at the lake and participate in all things sports related! I’m really excited to be taking over the Fun and Fitness program this year and spending time with all the kiddos in our program!

2's Teacher: 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.

2's 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.

2's Teacher Aide: Erin Pirih

Hi, my name is Erin Pirih and I am the teacher's aide for Mrs. Kristie's 2's class. I have always loved being around young children and started babysitting and volunteering at my church's nursery from about the age of 12. I met my husband, Mike, when we both attended the University of Illinois where I got my degree in Community Health in 2012.

Now that my fourth and youngest is starting kindergarten, I'm looking forward to joining the Adam Lamb family. My 3 youngest attended Adam Lamb for pre-school and we all loved it! I am so excited to help nurture the children's educational, and emotional, and spiritual growth!

2's Teacher Aide: Sarah Shinn

Hi! My name is Sarah Shinn, and I am the twos aid for the Wednesday/Friday class. I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, moved to Missouri, and I attended Missouri State University. After moving around between Missouri, Texas, and Florida, I left my corporate job to stay home with our 3 kids, all of whom have attended Adam Lamb. I started as a substitute and lunch aid last year, and am thrilled to have a spot with the sweet youngest kiddos this year!

My husband Josh and I have been married for 11 years. We love going on trips, golfing, plus I am one of the biggest Packer fans! This has been one of the biggest blessings of my life to have found a spot at Adam Lamb, and look forward to an amazing year!

2's Teacher Aide: Jessica Goughenour

My name is Jessica Goughenour and I am excited to be the aide to Rachelle in the 2's classroom. I began subbing at Adam Lamb last year and have enjoyed getting to know the kids and the Adam Lamb community. I left my career in banking behind to spend more time with family when my kids were younger and have found that my passion is helping kids grow and learn.

My husband Gary and I have two daughters, Hanna and Maya, who keep our hearts and our schedules full, and we have a dog names Gus who keeps us on our toes. I am looking forward to having a great year with your kids.

Interested in learning more?

News and Announcements

About Adam Lamb Preschool

Adam Lamb Preschool offers a Christian based early childhood educational program for children 2 - 5 years of age. We are conveniently located in the Dardenne Presbyterian Church in Dardenne Prairie, 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.