MEET OUR PRESCHOOL STAFF

Preschool Staff

Kathy Petrill, Preschool Director

Welcome to everyone here at Hope Community Preschool! My name is Kathy Petrill and I am the Director for our preschool I look forward to developing lasting relationships that benefit the church and the education of our children.
I am a graduate of Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. My bachelors’ degree is in Early Childhood Education and my masters’ degree is as a Reading Specialist. I was a public school teacher in Frederick and Washington counties for 16 years. Before coming to HOPE, I was a preschool teacher for a local church in Hagerstown.
I reside in Hagerstown with my 2 daughters, Addy, and Claire and boyfriend, Ron. I love spending time with my family, gardening and going to the beach.
I look forward to meeting all of the Hope Community Preschool families and having a wonderful year together!

Alison Humphrey

I am so excited to return to Hope Community Preschool this fall as an assistant to with 2’s and 3’s. I grew up on Long Island and moved to Maryland for college where I met my husband, Todd. I have a degree in Biology from Salisbury University. We moved to the Ballenger Creek area of Frederick 20 years ago and have three older children. We are members of Mount Carmel UMC where I work in the Nursery during Sunday services. I look forward to sharing in your children’s lives by being a part of the Hope Community Preschool Family!

Anne Bouwman-Jackson

Hi, my name is Anne Jackson. I am the assistant all day on Tuesday/Thursday for the 2’s classes at
Mount Carmel. I also teach the MWF 4’s class at New Market.
I am originally from Michigan, however I attended school in Florida. My husband, along with our two children moved to Maryland 10 years ago.
We currently reside in New Market along with our dog Sadie.
Our son Conner attends LSU studying Physics and our daughter is a competitive dancer still attending school in New Market. I love to spend time with my family, crafting when I have free time, skiing in the winter and being at the beach in the summer. I’m looking forward to a fun year and getting to know your children!

Deb Nylec

Hello! My name is Deb Nylec and I teach the morning 4’s class at Mt. Carmel. I have a degree in elementary education with a minor in early childhood education from the University of Delaware. I taught elementary school in Montgomery County for five years and left to raise my own children. I have also taught preschool in Frederick County over the years and have been at HOPE since fall of 2020.
My husband Mark and I successfully raised two amazing children! My daughter works in finance and currently lives in Florida. My son is a nuclear engineer and he lives with his wife in Pittsburgh. Sadly my husband very suddenly died in fall of 2020 and these two amazing children of ours have been a tremendous source of support. I live in Adamstown, MD with my two beautiful goldens and a cat who thinks he’s a dog.
In my non-school time, I can be found taking pictures (remnants of a photography business for 20 years), doing puzzles, walking the pups and writing a book. It is in teaching at HOPE that I began to find myself again through grief and I am so proud to be a part of this amazing team.

Dena Borchardt

My name is Dena Borchardt and I will be teaching the Two’s and Three’s programs at Hope Community Preschool and Family Ministries. I have worked in Frederick County as a preschool teacher and instructional assistant since 2000 and at Hope since it opened its doors in 2010. I receive so much joy working with the young children of our school. I look forward to meeting all of them and their families and helping them grow into wonderful students.
I have lived in New Market with my husband, David, since we were married in 1995. He is a retired Prince George’s firefighter of 24 years and now the Montgomery County Fire Marshal. We have two lovely daughters, Madeline and Rebecca. Madeline has graduated from Loyola and Rebecca from the University of Maryland.
We enjoy our time as a family canoeing and paddle boarding, going to the beach, and taking in a Raven's or Orioles game. Dave and I have found a new love of cruising and have taken several and have planned more!
I try to be very involved with my home church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian. I am the elected clerk and elder of faith formation. I try to bring God’s word into meaning in my life and I am so excited to be sharing my time at Hope and Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church again this year.

Julie Bennett

I am an Assistant Teacher at HOPE Community Preschool. I have taught multiple age groups since the opening in 2010. I enjoy going to Jazzercise every morning. I also work at Tree Trekkers, an aerial zipline park. My family joined Mt. Carmel UMC in 2009. My husband, Scott, is an electrical engineer, plays in the Praise Band and coaches lacrosse. Our son, Caleb, is playing lacrosse and studying mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University. Our daughter, Sierra, was a cheerleader at Virginia Tech and recently graduated with a degree in elementary education.
We moved here from North Carolina, where I was active in our church preschool. I was a substitute teacher in classrooms from nursery to K-prep and Chairman of the Preschool Board for 5 years and also the Interim Director for two months. During my last year in NC, I enjoyed being the Assistant Teacher in a 3-year-old classroom.
When we lived in Richmond, VA, I taught High School Chemistry for 5 years. I have a BA from the University of Virginia with a Major in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry. I also have a Master’s in Education from Virginia Tech with a Major in Curriculum and Instruction.
I am enjoying teaching and sharing God's love with our community. May God bless you and your family each day!

Kelly Herzing

My name is Kelly Herzing and I am excited to be teaching in the Tuesday/Thursday morning 3’s class at Mt. Carmel. I started subbing at Hope this past school year after my daughter finished the 4’s program and entered kindergarten.

I have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in reading specialization. I taught for 10 years in Montgomery County Public Schools in kindergarten and first grade and have been a substitute teacher for Frederick County Public Schools for the past four years.

I grew up in Howard County and moved to Frederick 16 years ago. My family and I live in New Market. Bryan and I have two children, Derek and Brooke. Both children play soccer and Brooke also does gymnastics. Derek has recently discovered he likes theater and acting. We enjoy camping and hiking and many outdoor activities as a family.

I am enjoying a wonderful year at Hope Community Preschool!

Kirstin Moyer

My name is Kirstin Moyer. I have been teaching at Hope Community Preschool for several years. I am enjoying teaching another wonderful group of 4-year old children. I grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I graduated from Moravian College with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Psychology. I taught Kindergarten and First Grade for seven years in Pennsylvania before relocating to Chandler, AZ. We spent three years in the southwest before moving to Maryland twelve years ago.
I live in New Market with my husband Dave and four wonderful children. Tommy, Matthew, Meredith and Carly.
I absolutely love to spend time with my family. We enjoy running local 5K’s together, spending time at the beach, and skiing in the winter.

I’m enjoying this wonderful year!

Meg Scholtes

I am so excited to be back at HOPE teaching a 3's class! I was an assistant at our New Market location for three years before becoming a lead teacher in 2021 at Mt.Carmel. I am originally from Silver Spring, MD and graduated from The George Washington University in 2001. My husband Jeremy and I have three children, Quinn, JJ and Luke. I also have a dog named Chewy. I moved around the country for many years while my husband served in the Army, and we finally settled in Ijamsville in 2012. We are members of Mountain View Community Church in Urbana. I enjoy running, spending time with friends and family, and watching my kids’ sporting events. I’m looking forward to another wonderful year of preschool !

Michele Stine

My name is Michele Stine and I live in Frederick with my husband Kenny, our daughter, Nicolina and our, son Kenneth. As a family, we enjoy being outgoing and like to travel together. We are all active members of the Mt. Carmel congregation. I enjoy teaching the children about fun and fitness through the “Let’s Play” program. I was honored to start the “Let’s Play Today” program for Hope Community Preschool in 2010.

Before serving at Hope Mt. Carmel, I served in the United States Marine Corps as a military police officer and continued in law enforcement as a Maryland State Trooper until retirement. I have been trained in physical fitness through the American Council on Exercise and held a certification in group fitness through USWFA. I also received a Child Development certification through Delaware County Vocational Tech School.
Fitness has always been a priority throughout my career and I am looking forward to motivating children to be active and healthy while having FUN!!!!

Michelle M..jpg

Hi! My name is Michelle Matusiak, but you can call me Mrs. M! I am so glad to be able to teach at Hope Preschool. I LOVE teaching and getting to be silly every day!
I live in New Market with my husband, Jason, and I have two kids (Noel and Joe), two dogs, and some fish. Both of my kids attended Hope Preschool and we have loved being a part of this wonderful school family!
I went to Christopher Newport University where I received a B.S. in Early Childhood Psychology and Notre Dame of Maryland University where I received a Master’s Degree in Leadership in Teaching. I have had several opportunities working with children including 1st grade teacher, preschool teacher, PreK Teacher, and Director of The Goddard School in Hanover.
We are going to have so much fun learning and growing together this year!

Rosemarie Lapham

My name is Rosemarie Lapham and I have been in the preschool setting for over 24 years.
I was born and raised in New York on Long Island. A little over 20 years ago, my family decided to move to Maryland.

I was a preschool teacher since 2000 in Frederick County teaching in a three and four-year-old program.

In 2007, I decided to take a course to become a preschool director and when I completed it, I became a director at a preschool in Rockville. I was there for 15 years until the school closed.
I am married and have four children. I also have 3 grandchildren.
I love to travel, go to the beach and read.

I am so happy to be back in the classroom and love working at Hope Community Preschool!

Sharon Coleman

My name is Sharon Coleman. I am an assistant to the 3’s and 4's morning classes. The past few years I was a substitute teacher at both New Market and Mt. Carmel. I was also the New Market United Methodist Church secretary for 9 years.
I am originally from South Florida and moved to Maryland over 10 years ago. My husband, Kevin, works for the Department of Education. I have 2 daughters and 2 stepsons. They keep us very busy with all their activities. We also have lots of pets (4 cats, 2 dogs, and a turtle)!
As a family we enjoy hiking, traveling, tubing down Antietam in the summer, and concerts. I also enjoy reading and spending time with friends.
I’m looking forward to a wonderful year!

Maria Koehler

My name is Maria Koehler. I am excited to be back at Hope Preschool. I am an assistant in the Kindergarten Prep class at the New Market location. My husband, Mark, and I live in Lake Linganore and have three sons. I grew up in New Jersey and have lived in Maryland now for over 20 years. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, exercising, and cooking. I look forward to working with you and your children as they begin their school journey.

Krista Crow

Hi! My name is Krista Crow, and I will be the assistant in the T/TH afternoon class at New Market. My husband and I have lived in New Market for 9 years and we love it here. I graduated from college as an RN and I worked in both the hospital and outpatient setting until we had our first child. We have two sons, Tanner, and Cooper. Both of our kids graduated from Hope Preschool, and I knew I wanted to work here one day.
As a family we enjoy spending time in the outdoors. We like to go fishing, kayaking, and I especially love anything with a beach. I enjoy watching the kids play all kinds of sports and chauffeuring them around. We also love all kinds of animals and would like to have more one day. We currently have a schnauzer/poodle mix (schnoodle) named Rylee.
I am really looking forward to this school year and being with your children.

Robin Clark

I am excited to be returning to Hope Community Preschool this year! For those who don’t know me, I am a mother of 3 and I have worked with children since I was in my teens, when I worked in a local daycare with 2 and 3-year-old children.

While I was in school getting my AA Degree, I worked with many families with children who had special needs, including one family with triplets. Once I earned my degree, I left the field to pursue a career, only to return shortly after I had my second child.

I opened a home daycare working with children aged 6 weeks to 7 years, where I used a preschool program that included library reading time, and a program for an English-as-second-language child.

Although I loved running my own daycare, we decided to move to Frederick, where I was able to stay at home to work with my oldest child, who we discovered had his own special needs. Today he is a successful paramedic, pursuing a career in emergency medicine while raising his own daughter.

I have more than 90 hours of education in Early Childhood Education, and I hope to become an advocate for young children, after seeing the challenges that parents of children with special needs face.

I am looking forward to teaching an active and unique class this year!

Candice Jenkins

My name is Candice Jenkins! I am a teacher assistant in a few of the classes here at Hope. I grew up in Damascus and now reside in New Market with my husband and two girls. We enjoy anything and everything outdoors! I always say if we could live outside we would. I started nannying when I was younger and that’s when I realized I loved being with children. I previously worked as a preschool teacher in Montgomery County up until my first daughter was born. I was blessed to stay home with my girls for 7 years up until they started school. I am excited to return back to doing what I love.