English

		SH English Mrs. Carol Bergmeier What gets me up in the morning is that I get to come to Lakewood to teach. Fulfilling my life-long dream, I graduated from Grace College with a bachelor’s degree in English, speech, and Bible. I also have a standard certification through the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). After graduating from college, I taught sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade language arts for four years at North Webster Junior High in North Webster, Indiana. A couple years later, I worked one year in Geneseo, Iowa, as the librarian and study hall monitor. Then in 1979, I started teaching at Lakewood Park (formerly Faith Christian Academy). The first three years I taught third and fourth grades before I started developing the English department. For the next nine years, I taught seventh through twelfth grade English, did the yearbook, directed plays, and coached Bible quiz teams and speech students for state contests. After a four-and-a-half year leave from the school, I returned in 1997 to teach high school English. My husband, Gary, and I have two married children. Jennifer and her husband (Wilfried) live with their three children (Faith, Hannah, and Joshua) in O'Fallon, Missouri. Jennifer works at a local college and is the Director of Student Accounts. Thadeus and his wife (Monique) live with their three children (Karsten, J.T., and Annika) in Hutchinson, Kansas. Thad is an associate pastor. My husband and I have been blessed that our children love the Lord and have Christian spouses. My involvement within the church has been quite varied. I have done most everything from organizing VBS to directing plays. I have enjoyed singing in the choir. My passion, though, has been to work with women, either through teaching Bible studies or overseeing special events. My husband and I attend Wallen Baptist Church in Fort Wayne; and presently, I teach a ladies’ Bible study at the Busy Brush in Auburn on Tuesday nights. English is the language given to us from God so that He can communicate to us and we can communicate to Him. After that, we can communicate to others about Him. Therefore, I believe that my students need to know how to be effective communicators, either through speech or the written word. I love teaching at Lakewood Park. I fully embrace a school where I have the privilege to teach my students to think critically when studying literature and to study it in light of the Word of God. On the days when students begin to understand this process, I am more than thrilled that I got up that morning to come to teach. cbergmeier@lakewoodpark.org > website
		JH/SH English, Drama Mrs. Linda Barber I have a secondary lifetime license in English Education that includes a middle school endorsement. I did my undergraduate work at Huntington College, now known as Huntington University in Huntington, Indiana, and hold a Masters of Education in secondary English from Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne. Since August, 1994, I have been teaching English at the middle school level. I began teaching at Avilla Middle School in the East Noble School Corporation for ten years. I resigned my position with East Noble Schools and expected to be a stay-at-home mom. God had other plans as he led me back to LPCS as a substitute teacher and then, in 1997, as a part-time teacher for four years. In 2001, I became a full-time teacher here at Lakewood, teaching 7th, 8th, and 10th grade language arts, as well as middle school drama. I am also the director of a drama club called Active Faith that meets after school for practice and performs in various chapels and special events during the year. I am also one of the directors of our annual school play. I have attended Lakewood Park Baptist Church for over 21 years. I am married to Charlie, one of my best friends from college, and we have four children ranging from ages 7-14 who all attend Lakewood. We are all heavily involved in music and drama areas in the church. I love Lakewood because of the challenges set before me to grow spiritually, the support of both administration and the parent community, and the opportunity to see kids being stretched and prompted to become what God wants to make of them. In English, I love to see the hearts of students through their writing and various projects. In drama, I see immediate growth as the students take direction and apply it dramatically and spiritually. Though my life is extremely busy, it is also very rich as I see God work through all of the facets of being a teacher at LPCS. lbarber@lakewoodpark.org > website
		Middle School English Mrs. Kristen Cole I love coming to Lakewood Park each day. I am blessed and thankful for the opportunity to teach and be part of the lives of my students. My passion is first, Jesus Christ, and second, my family, and third, my students. I grew up in Kansas and moved to Indiana to be closer to family in 2000. I went to the same high school that my dad graduated from. Upon graduation, I went to Spring Arbor University in Michigan on a basketball scholarship. I graduated from SAU in 2009 with a degree in English and Elementary Education. I moved back home and got a job teaching English to 7th and 8th graders at a charter school in Indianapolis. In December, I married my husband, Daniel. After the school year was over, I resigned and began looking for a new job. This is where my adventure began. I searched and searched and finally realized that I had to let God do His part. The very next day, I received a phone call from Mr. Christner asking me to come in for an interview. Needless to say, I came in for the interview and several weeks later, due to God’s provision, here I am at Lakewood Park. I love coming in to teach every day, and I am still amazed at God’s provision and timing. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~John 16:33 kcole@lakewoodpark.org