Staff

 

Margie Gendke is the beloved teacher of the little tykes in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten. What a treat it is to see them rush up to her at church to give her a hug and to receive one in return! Ms. Gendke has been teaching for more than thirty years . . . thirteen of those years right here at our Joshua Adventist Multi-grade School (JAMS).

 

She and her husband, Mike Gendke, have three sons—Brady is vice president of Cooks Children’s Hospital, Bo is employed at Seminars Unlimited in Keene, and Buck, who lives in Missouri, works with stocks and bonds. The Gendkes have six grandchildren and one on the way. In addition to watching her grandchildren, Ms. Gendke enjoys participating in and watching sports, such as, baseball/softball and basketball.

 

She also enjoys reading the Bible and Ellen White books. She became a Seventh-day Adventist when she was 21 years old. When her husband said he wanted to go to church, she remembered her mother’s grandmother was an Adventist and so she knew about the Sabbath. A flyer for an evangelistic meeting on the topic of the Ten Commandments captured her attention. “Mother always said you need to keep the Ten Commandments.” God led them step by step . . . “He has blessed us so much!” she marvels.

 

 

 

Elle Louvie-Nelson, our teacher in the First and Second Grade Classroom, brings more than ten years of teaching experience to her classroom . . . and she brings her young children, Joshua and Kesiah, too. She holds a BA in Sociology and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in Education. Ms. Elle was born in South Africa and came to the United States in 2002.  She says, “I have always been a Seventh-day Adventist!”  Ms. Elle is married to Todd, who teaches math at Burton Adventist Academy.

 

You will find Ms. Elle during her free time doing such things as knitting, playing field hockey, netball, or track-n-field. She considers exercise a good free-time activity as well.

 

What she loves about her teaching is the energy that she gets from the students and sharing God's love with them.  She likes all subjects, but her favorites are math and science.  Her students, on the other hand, are learning to enjoy handwriting as they start to learn cursive.  And of course, lunch and recess are everyones favorite activities in the classroom...including Ms. Elle's. 
 

 

 

 

Barbara Federowski loves to teach the lively youngsters in her Third and Fourth Grade Classroom. What are her favorite subjects to teach? She loves to teach reading; however, she explains, our students are good in reading. But she loves to teach math, which is a much needed subject. Science, too, which teaches how God created this universe is a special subject to her. She simply loves to teach. Ms. Federowski adds, “I enjoy watching the development of their characters.” She values their conversations as they test what they are learning in the Bible and apply it to their own lives. I really believe in Bible memorization so that the words of God are hid in their hearts, planted for future need.

Ms. Federowski has taught here at JAMS for five years, although her teaching career has spanned more than twenty-five years. She is a second generation Seventh-day Adventist and the product of Adventist education. Her undergraduate BA degrees are in Elementary Education and English from Southwestern Adventist University. In addition, she has a MA degree in reading from Central State University of Oklahoma.

Ms Federowski was a PK (pastor’s kid) and lived in various areas of Oklahoma and Washington. She attended Auburn Academy and Ozark Academy.

In her spare time Ms. Federowski likes to do art projects, as well as, to study and experience the natural world, to spend time outdoors, and to swim. She and her husband, Alex Federowski, have two children—Kathryn and Coby, and to dogs-Chloe and Gretchen.
 

 

 

Carol Schneider—In addition to being the principal of Joshua Adventist Multi-grade School, Ms. Schneider teaches Grades Seven and Eight. She received her BS in biology at Southwestern Adventist University and her MA in Leadership from Andrews University. Since entering her work in Adventist education twenty years ago, she has been girls’ dean, and science and math teacher among other things. . . then principal and teacher in a junior academy, a boarding academy, and a day academy (K – 12). She is in her fourth year of serving at JAMS. She grew up in the home of a minister and was baptized at the age of 10. Often when she was a youngster, her dad would say to her, “Who is your best friend?” Her response would be, “Jesus is my very best friend.

 

Ms. Schneider especially enjoys teaching math and leading her students in spiritual discussions. She likes to play games with her students and to organize programs showcasing her kids.

 

Other activities Ms. Schneider enjoys include quilting, playing the harp, riding her dirt bike and rough housing with her dogs, Daisy and Molly. She loves to travel and has led a number of tours in Europe—Germany, Italy, France, Scotland, and Ireland—as well as in the United States.