My name is Lauren Lipsey and I have been working with preschool age children since 2011. In that time, I was a 3k preschool teacher and a nanny. In 2016, I took time off to raise my two children and stay home with them. I have worked and loved working in preschool classrooms. For the last two years I have helped and volunteered in my son’s preschool classroom for years 3k and 4k. I am so excited for this upcoming school year!

I currently live in Sturtevant Wi with my husband of 10 years and my 7 year old daughter and 5 year old son. My hobbies include spending time with my family exploring pumpkin farms, going to the beach, gardening, going to parks, baking, and playing piano. My favorite time of the year is Fall time when all the leaves turn and I have a good cup of coffee, surrounded by family and a great Pumpkin Farm! I am so excited to get this school year started!!

Email: [email protected]

Hi! I am Danielle Davis. I have always loved being a part of the lives of children and knew that I wanted my career to be in the field of education. I graduated from Trinity International University with a degree in Elementary Education. I then started teaching Kindergarten in Antioch, IL for 2 years. Following that, I spent the next 5 years teaching in Kenosha, WI. I taught 4 years in a first grade classroom and then spent one year doing small group and individual support for reading and math for grades K-8. My favorite role as an educator so far has been as a Reading Recovery Advocate, providing one on one tutoring for the first grade students who were in greatest need. I have always found much joy in laying foundations in the early years and providing students a great start on their educational journey. I then spent 10 years at home, raising my 4 young boys. I homeschooled my sons for 2 years, covering 4k-grade 3. Then I was hired to be the Kindergarten teacher at TOA. This year, I'm looking forward to teaching Kindergarten in the mornings, and 4 courses for the sixth grade in the afternoons.

I live in Pleasant Prairie with my husband of 19 years and four boys ages 10, 10, 9, 6. I love gardening and being outdoors. I also enjoy reading. Traveling has been a fun addition to our family over the past few years. I especially love visiting tropical places! As a family, we also love baseball! We often go to Milwaukee Brewers games and Kenosha Kingfish games. All of my boys play baseball (and basketball and flag football)! We love to cheer them on for all of their games. We are a part of Living Light Christian Church and have served in various capacities over the years. We love God and love spending time together!

Email: [email protected]

I’m Jacqulin Dubinsky and I am thrilled to be a part of the Tall Oaks team. I studied art at UW-Parkside where I mainly focused on painting, drawing, and ceramics. Before Tall Oaks, I was a florist in Milwaukee. I also had experience teaching swim lessons, dance lessons, and art classes at a camp for intercity children. This will be my second year with Tall Oaks Academy, and my second year teaching! It’s such a privilege to be a part of the mission of this school, to see God working in the hearts of these children is truly incredible!

Jonathan and I have been married 5 years and have 2 beautiful pet ducks (Wolfina and Trixie) and a handsome cat (Tigger). We just moved to the south side of Racine. Jonathan and I love adventure, whether that’s camping, hiking, kayaking, or 60 feet underwater while scuba diving! A fun fact about me, I love sharks and hate being stung by jellyfish! We also love our church family at Racine Living Light. As Christ has been our center all these years, we know nothing is impossible for those who place their faith and trust in Jesus.

Email: [email protected]

Hi, my name is Amy Utigard! I am passionate about sharing the love of Jesus Christ with children of all ages. This calling over my life started at the age of 17 after returning from a mission trip. Since then, every place of employment has involved working directly with children. I had the privilege of living half a year with a family of eight homeschooled children between the ages of 2-13, and I organized educational activities for the preschool children.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Studies with 21 credits in early childhood education. As most of my places of employment were in urban locations, many of the children I worked with were multi-cultural and multi-ethnic and most were marginalized and under-privileged. Over the years, I have also worked with faith-based organizations and churches. My positions have included Bible teacher, Bible coordinator, lead administrator, preschool teacher and preschool director.

In my free time, I love to go for walks and enjoy nature. I also enjoy reading and interior decorating. Creating a cozy environment brings me joy. I am very much looking forward to utilizing what I have learned from my varied roles of educating, nurturing and caring for children here at Tall Oaks Academy.

My name is Karyn Hall. I was born and raised here in Kenosha/Pleasant Prairie, WI. I went to Prairie Lane, Lance, Tremper and UW-Milwaukee. I earned my bachelors in Psychology in 2017 and later returned to the American Board for my Teaching and Special Education certifications. I then worked in a self-contained Special Ed classroom at Lincoln Middle and Special Education at Pleasant Prairie Elementary. I am extremely passionate about teaching, family, and foster care!

When I am not working, I love hanging out with my daughter Maisy and husband Brad. We love to go for walks, drink coffee, explore new places, and I love to read! One of my biggest passions is travel, though since getting married and having a baby it has been put on the back burner. I hope to return to it soon! I am so excited to be teaching at Tall Oaks! I cannot wait to meet you all soon.

Email: [email protected]

Jason Hughes lives in Pleasant Prairie with his wife Sarah, son Jacob and daughter Shelby. They relocated to Wisconsin in 2014.

Jason received his Bachelor’s Degree in Middle Level Education (focus on History and Math) from Georgia State University and his Master’s Degree from Concordia University. He began his teaching career in Atlanta, Georgia and most recently taught at Kenosha Christian Life School.

Jason grew up in San Diego and despite being in Wisconsin for years, still can’t get used to the winter. His hobbies include coaching soccer and watching his kids play soccer, baseball, and gymnastics. He enjoys playing golf, volleyball, soccer, or any other sport he can find time for. He and Sarah enjoy live music, catching a movie, or finding a moment to spend together at dinner.

Email: [email protected]

I have been teaching since 1978. I came to Kenosha to attend Carthage College and I never left! Two weeks after graduating with a triple major (Art, Music, & Education) I began my career in Kenosha Unified School District. God has continued to open doors of favor to me here in the area. I spent 14 years teaching 2nd Grade, Art, and Music at Christian Life School, 29 years teaching Art Pre-K-5 (+Special Ed), in Racine Unified School District. During that time I acquired a Master’s Degree in Education, then back to CLS to teach Art K-8 for 4 years. I have also been an adjunct professor at Carthage and taught workshops at the Racine Art Museum. This past year I have been an Artist in Residence at CLS and been mentoring younger adults both professionally and spiritually. This has afforded me more time to spend with my 36 year old son, Austin and fiance’ Randy Wesner.

I find myself both privileged and BLESSED to have taught over 10,000 students throughout my career and now count it an honor to be here at Tall Oaks Academy to help lay a foundation for yet another group of precious souls. I pray that I am able to encourage them to appreciate God’s creation, and inspire them to want to tap into their God-given creativity. Through the use of Art materials, imagination, and Holy Spirit direction I believe we will develop relationships that will cultivate a climate where each student can strive to be the best that they can be unto the Glory of God throughout their lives.

Bio coming soon…

My name is Joel Davis, and I am excited to be part of the Tall Oaks Academy faculty as the PE teacher this year. I am excited to teach the wonder of the human body created by God as well as our responsibility to care for it through exercise, nutrition, and rest. My professional background resides in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries where I have spent the past year working as a Regulatory consultant for a single pharmaceutical company on the east coast. Prior to that, I worked for almost 15 years at AbbVie, serving in various roles throughout my career there, primarily in Medical and Regulatory Affairs. I broke into my professional career as an RN and spent over 6 years in an intensive care unit specializing in cardiovascular surgery.

I have lived in Pleasant Prairie my entire life and a fun fact is that I have lived in the same house since my 10th birthday. I have 4 boys who all attend Tall Oaks Academy and keep me running as I coach their baseball, flag football, and basketball teams. My wonderful wife Danielle is a teacher at Tall Oaks Academy as well, and we just celebrated our 19th anniversary. We have been part of Living Light Christian Church in Kenosha throughout our marriage. I look forward to the privilege of bringing to life the fascinating creation of the human body to the students this year!

Bio coming soon…

I’m Rudy McPherson and I am looking forward to teaching 6th grade Math this year at Tall Oaks Academy. I was a substitute teacher for Tall Oaks during the 2022 - 2023 school year. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education at Taylor University in Indiana. While living in Michigan, I taught Math, and other subjects, at Faith Christian Academy. I served the citizens of Michigan for 25 years as a Trooper with the Michigan State Police.

My wife, Joyce, and I relocated to Kenosha from Michigan in 2013. We enjoy spending time with our children and grandchildren, and going to movies. I like antiques, old books, and I enjoy playing sports, especially football and basketball, but also like watching my grandkids play sports.

Hi! My name is Joyce McPherson. My husband, Rudy, and I moved from Michigan to Kenosha nine years ago. While in Michigan, I was the Administrative Assistant for Faith Christian Academy, which was founded by our church. I believe it is vital for children to be raised with a love for God and a commitment to taking a stand for the truths of God. My husband and I were youth leaders for many years and love being around children, teens & young adults. I have also been an Administrative Assistant in other fields of occupation. I look forward to being a part of Tall Oaks Academy & showing the love of Jesus to others.

Rudy & I have been married for 35 years. We have four grown children and seven grandchildren. However, we don’t believe that “family” is limited to our biological family. We feel blessed to have a “bonus” daughter, four “bonus” grandchildren. We have three great son-in-laws and one “bonus” son-in-law. I love to read, knit, and go for walks. We love to travel, go to baseball games, and as many of our grandkids activities as possible.

Email: [email protected]

My name is Lizzy Villarreal, and I am so excited to be a part of the Tall Oaks family. I have been working with kids for over 10 years in different settings, including daycare, church nursery, VBS and other outreach programs, and as a homeschool mom. I have always enjoyed being a part of their instruction and development.

My husband, Eddie, and I have been married since 2010 and we have 4 children. We love going on family road trips, exploring new places, bike riding together and just spending time with each other. I am currently working on my degree in psychology with Indiana Wesleyan University, and cannot wait to see what the future will bring. I am so happy to begin this new season at Tall Oaks, and look forward with excitement and joy to the upcoming school year!

Brad has been working in education for a decade, and has worked as a teacher in the classroom, as well as in student management as a dean of students. While in the classroom, Brad taught at the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade levels at various local public schools. He lead various extra curricular activities including intramural sports at the younger age levels, and also worked together with other employees to lead the development of an after school community service program that taught children how to give back to their community. Through his entire time in the classroom, Brad’s highlight moments always involved building relationships with students and connecting with families. Through these highlights, he developed an understanding of education as an atmosphere that needs to involve everyone in the child’s life.

Once Brad stepped into student management, he naturally was able to continue building relationships with families. From creating incentive structures for students to phone calls and strategic planning with parents, Brad enjoyed the process of family involvement. He also helped lead and develop various school wide structural programs that were implemented in order to increase student achievement and decrease behavioral problems.

In Brad’s free time, he mostly enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He is married to his lovely wife, Kelly, and they have four young children named Vivianne, Graham, Hazel, and Wilson. The Potts family loves to get outside as much as possible and enjoy God’s creation, and also love to dance to all kinds of music together. The Potts family also loves to gather on the couch and read a good story together. Feel free to ask us about some of our favorite books to read together! When not with his family or friends, Brad really loves to spend time exercising or reading. Along with reading God’s Word, he likes to continuously explore the classics.

Email: [email protected]