Hi my name is DeeAnn Dupler, and I am the director here at Peace Lutheran Preschool. I have been a preschool teacher at Peace Lutheran Preschool off and on for thirteen years and have served as the director since May 2020. I graduated from the University of Nebraska Lincoln with a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and Early Childhood Education.  My past work experiences have also included Service Coordinator with the State of Nebraska Developmental Disabilities Division and Child and Family Services Specialist with the State of Nebraska Division of Children and Families Services.   

I am very passionate about working with children, and I believe that as long as children feel safe and loved they can accomplish anything.  I love creating relationships with the children and families that we serve.   I feel so fortunate to be able to share God’s love with the children and let them know how much Jesus loves them.

In my spare time, I love to travel and spend time with my husband Mike and our three children, Austin, Addisyn and Nate.  All three children are graduates of UNL.   Austin is married and he and his wife, Hailey, are expecting our first grandchild in January 2025.  We have two Labrador Retrievers, Murphy and Hank, who I adore.  As an empty nester, I have time to pursue my other passions which include reading and crafting.

I have a Elementary Education degree from the University of Nebraska Kearney, with a minor in Early Childhood and Reading.

I have lived in Grand Island all my life and met my husband Jim at Barr Junior High.  We have two sons, Spencer and Nolan, a daughter Emmaline, and a daughter-in-law, Daniela.

Hello! My name is Stephanie Kissler. The 2023/2024 school year was my first year

teaching at Peace Lutheran Preschool! I love working with children, especially the

three- to five-year-olds. They are so fun, and it is a joy to watch them learn and grow

every day. Teaching preschool has been a dream job of mine, and I am so thankful for

the opportunity here at Peace; I especially enjoy being able to share the love of Jesus

with the students.

I graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early

Childhood Development. Over the years, I have enjoyed being part of PTO, teaching

Sunday school classes and participating on the Foster Care Review board.  At present, I am also involved with the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry through Peace Lutheran Church.   My past work experience includes working at Principal and prior to coming to Peace I worked at the Heartland United Way for the last 15 years.

I am married and have three girls – Kennedy, 27, Elsie, 12 and Reagan, 7. My girls'

activities keep us busy, but we do love spending time on vacation, preferably a beach

somewhere, when we can.

Hello!  I am Mrs. Olson and have been blessed to be part of the Peace Preschool team for five years.

I moved from Iowa to Grand Island eight years ago (Go Hawkeyes!) with my husband, Mike, who is originally from the Kearney area.  We have two children, Ella who is ten and Paxton who is six.

I have a bachelor's degree in Physiology and Criminal Justice and have spent the last thirteen years working in different positions with children in the social work field.  I have also worked with providing respite care services for children in the foster care system.

Working with and being around children is an absolute passion of mine.  There is nothing better than watching and learning through the eyes of a child.  I feel so lucky to be able to go to work each day at Peace and continue to share the love of learning with your children, watch them grow, support their curiosity and imagination, and support each and every child's individuality.

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Hello, I am Mrs. Bowers.  I teach the MWF 4-5 all day class and Tu-Th 3-4 all day class. I have been at Peace Lutheran Preschool since August of 2018.  I have been working with children for 15+ years. I have my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education.

I love teaching children the basics and watching them grow.  I love to see them smile when they learn something new.  I enjoy growing my faith and teaching them about the love God and Jesus has for them and watching their faith grow throughout the year.

Peace Lutheran is my home church, and I am blessed to be able to teach here and grow as a Christian and a teacher.  My husband Blake and I have been married since 2014, and we have two beautiful girls, Paysen & Nicklin. We live on a family farm and have cow/calf pairs, dogs and farm cats.  I love spending time with family and watching our children grow.

In my spare time I love to stay at home with my family watching TV and movies, listening to music and just being outside hanging out with family when it’s nice out. We love to watch our children participate in their activities.

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I have been employed with Peace Lutheran Preschool since 2012.  I have my associate's degree in Early Childhood Education.  My husband, Aaron, and I moved to Grand Island from Columbus in 2006 and have three children, Ashlynn, Taylor and Austin.  We enjoy watching our children participate in their activities and taking vacations. We are also members here at Peace Lutheran Church.

CLICK HERE TO EMAIL MRS. BROWN

My name is Lindsey Hiegel.  I have been married to my husband since 2008.  We have two girls, Alexxa (15) and Alivia (13) and two Cavalier King Charles spaniels.  I started working at Peace Preschool in the fall of 2019 as an aide.  I now have my own class as a lead teacher!  I love being one of the first experiences that these children have with school.  It is such a pleasure to see them grow in all the different ways that they do.

Click here to email Mrs. Hiegel

Hi!  I'm Ms. Poppert.  Teaching is an absolute passion of mine.  I love watching and helping children grow their brains!  I believe learning should be fun and exciting.   

I am a proud mother of Raegan who is in the 6th grade and twins Rilee and Jax who are in the 3rd grade.  They take up most of my free time, but some hobbies I enjoy are crafting and spending time with my pets...a cat Donut and our dog, Dunkin.  I also enjoy traveling and fishing.

This is my fifth year of teaching at Peace Lutheran Preschool.  It is my mission to instill a lifelong love of learning for all of my students.  The most important thing I want all of my students to learn is to be kind to one another.

CLICK HERE TO EMAIL MRS. POPPERT

Hello, My name is Stephanie Villanueva, and I am the lead teacher  for the four and five year olds Monday thru Friday.  This is my third year at Peace Lutheran Preschool, having been an assistant the past two years.  I currently work with children at church and also worked with children in my previous job, which lasted for a few years.

My family and I moved to Grand Island in November of 2017 for my husband's job, shortly after our third child was born.  We have three children in total, with our oldest being a high school senior, our second child is a ninth grader, and our youngest will be in the first grade.

When I have free time, I enjoy baking and staying home, but I also enjoy attending local family-oriented events in Grand Island.

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Hello, my name is Ashlynn Brown.  I have been employed at Peace Preschool since 2021!  I am currently in college studying for my nursing degree.  I love working with children, and I eventually will become a NICU nurse.  When I'm not at school or work, I love to travel, read, and be with friends and family!

I have worked at Peace for 14 years. My husband and I moved to Grand Island 17 years ago and have enjoyed raising our family here in Grand Island. We have two sons, both of which attended Peace Lutheran Preschool.

CLICK HERE TO EMAIL MRS. GARRETT

Hello! The kids call me Mr. Jared. This is my fourth year as an assistant at Peace Lutheran Preschool, and I am also a member of Peace Lutheran Church. My first priority is to make sure the children know they are loved by God. It's been my great joy watching the kids grow in knowledge and character. If you see me in the hallway, don't hesitate to say hello!
CLICK HERE TO EMAIL MR. JARED

I've been married to David for 23 years (I think!)  and have three children, two in college  and one who attends Northwest High School.   I've been working at Peace Lutheran Preschool for eleven years in various capacities.  The majority of my time has been spent in Mrs. Brown's classroom as her aide.  

CLICK HERE TO EMAIL MRS. TRAUSCH

We have been fortunate to have Mr. Bill as a volunteer for the past 11 years.  Volunteering in Mrs. Villaneuva's classroom, she describes him as involved, compassionate, hard-working, engaging and wanting the children to learn. His kind, gentle demeanor has made for a happy and comfortable learning environment.