About Our School

Lord of Life offers Christ-centered, preschool through 8th grade education to the families of our community.

Our Educational Philosophy

At Lord of Life, we work to give each and every student a solid grounding in the core subjects. Small class sizes give each student individualized attention to fit his or her needs. This philosophy has resulted in Lord of Life students consistently scoring above the national averages on standardized tests and benchmarks.

We aim to provide our students with a foundation for a healthy mental, physical and spiritual life by guiding each child to develop personal discipline, motivated by gratitude for God’s many blessings.

Through a high-quality curriculum and gospel-centered instruction, we strive to partner with parents to develop our students into young adults, firmly rooted in God's saving word.

Lord of Life Faculty

Our teachers are part of a system of 300+ Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Schools in the United States. They have all been trained from our own nationally-accredited educational college. Each teacher has a deep care and concern for each child – spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

Carol Schmidt

Preschool Director

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Carol Schmidt, Preschool Director

Kids of all ages love Mrs. Schmidt -- she’ll be the first one to greet you with a smile when you walk in the door. Through play-based activities, music, and dancing she enjoys helping preschoolers develop socially and emotionally. Mrs. Schmidt has been teaching for over 25 years and although she’s also taught in grades K-8, Preschool is her jam, and her joy is contagious!

Mrs. Schmidt grew up on a small pig farm (affectionately known as the “Hog Estate”) in Wisconsin. She has 4 children and 4 grandchildren and would love to show you their pictures.

Nicole Shade

Lead Preschool Teacher

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Nicole Shade, Lead Preschool Teacher

Mrs. Shade has over 14 years of preschool experience, including 6 years as a Lead Teacher. Mrs. Shade cultivates the joy of learning by creating a safe and loving environment for each and every student. Her goal is for all students to leave her classroom knowing they’re loved by Jesus!

Mrs. Shade and her family are huge soccer fans (Go Rapids!). Outside of school you can find her cheering on her children at their sports and theater events, or coaching cheerleading at Lord of Life. Music is also one of her interests -- ask Mrs. Shade about the music studio she co-owns if you’re looking for music lessons!

Maria Kappel

Lead Preschool Teacher

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Maria Kappel, Lead Preschool Teacher

After 8 years of teaching preschoolers, Mrs. Kappel is still amazed at how much kids grow, change, and learn during the year. Still a kid at heart, she loves building relationships with preschoolers through play. You’ll usually find her running around the playground, racing cars on the floor, pretending in the kitchen and sharing her love for Jesus with the kids through reading, story time and songs.

Outside of school, Mrs. Kappel stays busy attending her daughter’s music events and her son’s sports games and drama performances with her husband. She loves decorating her house seasonally, bargain shopping, and works out regularly so she can keep up with the preschoolers!

Meghan Draper

Preschool Aide

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Meghan Draper, Preschool Aide

Mrs. Draper is in her 4th year of teaching preschool and finds joy watching kids learn and grow throughout the year.

Mrs. Draper believes coloring is not just for preschoolers, and enjoys relaxing at home with a box of colored pencils. She enjoys playing video games with her husband and 3 sons (they don't always win), is a Star Wars fan, and her dog Rio and 4 pet fish keep home life interesting.

Shaun Glowicki

Kindergarten

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Shaun Glowicki, Kindergarten

Mrs. G (as her Kindergarteners call her) has over 20 years of experience sharing her love of learning and love for Jesus with her students. Naturally artistic, Mrs. G pours her creativity into her lesson plans and teaching style. She never gets tired of the light bulb moments when students learn a new concept or skill, and especially enjoys teaching students how to read.

Originally from Milwaukee, Mrs. G spent her summers at her family’s lake cottage enjoying water sports of all kinds. Now having lived in Colorado for over 19 years, she’s also an avid fan of the mountains and loves hiking, camping, skiing, and family time.

Shaun and her husband Josh have 4 kids who have graduated from Lord of Life. Curious how to pronounce her last name? Glow-wick-ee is how it sounds.

Violet Brucker

1st-2nd Grade

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Violet Brucker, 1st & 2nd Grade

Mrs. Brucker is an educator at heart and loves spending time with kids. Her favorite moments are teaching students how to read, and the powerful ways that reading can enable kids to connect with others and the world around them.

Mrs. Brucker is married to Ethan Brucker (who is a Lord of Life School alumni!). She loves playing piano, crafting, and board games. Ask her which one is her favorite!

Natalie Thiel

3rd-4th Grade

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Natalie Thiel, 3rd & 4th Grade

Having recently moved to the Boulder area where her husband serves as a Pastor, Mrs. Thiel is excited to get back in the classroom and teach 3rd and 4th graders at Lord of Life. She loves exploring science with hands-on activities to spark their curiosity, and her greatest joy is sharing Jesus with her students as they grow in their faith.

Mrs. Thiel enjoys spending time outdoors with her family hiking, boating, and exploring Colorado along with their dog, Ziggy. She and her husband have 3 children – her youngest is at Rocky Mountain Lutheran and her 2 older children are studying for the ministry. Fun fact -- this is the 5th state that Mrs. Thiel has lived in, ask her what the others are!

Nathan Deering

5th-6th Grade

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Nathan Deering, 5th & 6th Grade

Now in his 7^th year of teaching, Mr. Deering engages students through teaching, classroom discussion, student-led presentations, and group projects. His favorite subjects are history, geography, and science, which allow him to share the wonders of God’s creation and his personal love for the outdoors.

Mr. Deering enjoys spending time with friends in Colorado’s wilderness, whether it be camping or hiking up its many mountains (he’s completed 10 of Colorado’s 14ers so far!) Originally from Michigan, he’s a big fan of most Michigan sports and his favorite dessert was originally created in Michigan — Moose Tracks ice cream!

Josh Thiesfeldt

Principal & 7th-8th Grade

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Principal Josh Thiesfeldt (pronounced “thees-felt”)

Josh spent most of his early years in Wisconsin -- and yes, he is a “cheese head” (if you don’t know what that means, ask him). His parents were both teachers so he had great role models who inspired him to want to teach children about God’s amazing creation and the truth of His Word.

Josh credits his love for soccer with developing his leadership gifts, and has a great story to tell you about rivalries and winning goals. Ask him about it sometime.

Josh and his wife, Taylor, have one son, Silas, who was born in May 2024, and they recently moved to Colorado from Michigan. He is excited to be our principal and looks forward to getting to know all of our students and their families!

Philip Kieselhorst

Pastor

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Philip Kieselhorst, Pastor

Pastor K is happy to be serving Lord of Life church as its vacancy pastor while Lord of Life's next pastor is called. Pastor Kieselhorst also serves as pastor at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran in Westminster, CO, a sister church to Lord of Life. He loves all sports, traveling and foods, especially sauerkraut and Pop-Tarts.

What he enjoys most about his role as Pastor is witnessing how the truth and grace of Jesus Christ brings profound peace and hope to people's hearts.

Got a question about how Lord of Life can help you find inner peace and hope? Send him an email: pastor@lordoflife.net

Natasha Mauer

Secretary

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Natasha Mauer, Secretary

What you’ll immediately sense as you talk with Natasha is her love for people and her love for her Savior. Ever since she was little, she’s loved hearing God’s Word and loves sharing it with others. When you meet Natasha, ask her what her favorite Bible passage is, and hear about the summers she spent on a sheep farm!

As secretary, Natasha relies on her previous experience in customer service to create a friendly and welcoming environment while managing all the details (that sometimes aren’t as friendly or fun!). Outside of work, Natasha loves spending time with her husband and 2 kids, reading, being outdoors, and exploring new places.

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