....Fine Arts

....Art

....Drama

....Music

....Library

Fine Arts

Director of Fine Arts Mr. TJ Faur I received a Bachelor’s degree at Northeastern Illinois in 1991 and a Masters degree from Butler University in 1995, both in Music Education. I taught in Batesville, Indiana for 3 years before moving to the Fort Wayne area. Once here I taught a year at IPFW, and 6 years at Manchester College as the Director of Instrumental Studies and later as the Jazz Band director. My wife, Lynn, and I met working up at Interlochen National Arts Camp which we attended for a number of years. We have four children: Rae, Nicole, Hadyn, and T.J. who all attend Lakewood Park. I feel very blessed to be working here at Lakewood Park as the Fine Arts Director as well as conducting the bands. I have been the Minister of Music at our Church for 8 years and feel very lucky to be able to express my love for the Lord in this venture. tjfaur@lakewoodpark.org

 

Art

	Art Mrs. Piper Placencia A graduate of Anderson University, I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts after graduating from DeKalb High School. I have attended County Line Church of God for the past 6 years. I serve on the nursery team and occasionally create artwork or props for the church. My husband, daughter, and I live in Garrett. I began teaching at Lakewood Park Christian in 2004 which was the first year for the art program. I also help coach girls’ varsity basketball. LPCS has been an answer to prayer for me. I am able to teach what I love, impact students’ lives for Christ, and grow in my own walk with the Lord. pplacencia@lakewoodpark.org
Drama
	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
Music
	HS Choir Pastor Scott Taylor I have been the music pastor here at Lakewood Park since July of 2002, but I have been involved in music ministry for over 20 years. A graduate of Huntington College in Huntington Indiana, I received my Bachelor of Arts in Music degree in 1987. Having been raised in a home where my father was a pastor, I have always been actively involved in the church. At the age of seven, I made a decision for Christ and have been serving Him ever since. My wife and I have four sons – Jordan, Cameron, Landon, and Quinton. Family life is very important to me. We enjoy time together --- playing games, watching a play at the theatre, or just hanging out. We also love to travel. I love to read the Psalms and my desire is to be used by God through music. Psalm 98:4 says “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.” and Psalm 92: 1-2 “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning, and your faithfulness at night.” One of the ways I do that is to teach the high school choir here at Lakewood Park Christian School. I’ve been doing this since 2003. It’s a joy to work with the teenagers and encourage them to develop and use their talents for God. staylor@lakewoodpark.org
	Elementary Music Miss Stephanie Longbrake I graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Science in Choral Music Education in 2003. I hold both an Indiana Professional Teaching License and certification from the Association of Christian Schools International. I completed the Beginning Teacher Internship Program in the spring of 2006. At Lakewood, I have been teaching elementary/middle school music and elementary Spanish since 2004. I am a member of Blackhawk Ministries, where I have been attending since 1980, and am involved in both children’s and music ministries. Teaching music at Lakewood is fulfilling because the students are able to sing about the TRUTH. They sing God’s words and promises back to Him, while learning about His enormous creativity through the gift of music. Throughout the year, students study different styles, instruments, and fundamentals of music. They perform in the school building and also in the community, for a total of nine different programs each year, sharing Christ with fellow students as well as adults. slongbrake@lakewoodpark.org
Library
	Librarian Mrs. Debbie Shirey I thank God for the privilege of working in the library here at Lakewood Park. I graduated from Cedarville University in 1977 with a degree in secondary education with an emphasis in English. After graduating, I was privileged to teach part-time at the university for one year in the area of English grammar and composition. I home-schooled our three boys for thirteen years before coming to Lakewood. Raised in Cedarville, Ohio, I was married and moved to Indiana in 1989. My husband, Carl, and I have three boys that graduated from Lakewood. In addition to my family, I love books, music and drama. My family has attended Lakewood Park Baptist Church for sixteen years. I enjoy reading to 17 elementary classes each week as well as to 2 Early Learning Ministry classes. I have a passion to see that our high-school students are equipped to continue their education as well by providing equipment and materials for them to do research. Both Eckhart Public Library in Auburn and the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne have partnered with us to expand our own library with additional materials when need arises. One of our most exciting events each year is our Book Fair, which encourages our students to keep reading as well as providing funds to help us continue our quest to improve the library for future classes. dshirey@lakewoodpark.org 260-925-1393 ext. 222