Faculty & Staff

In the 1960s, Laurie Stephens’ mom taught many deaf students in her classroom—the result of a German measles epidemic a few years earlier. Her mother’s example showed her the impact a teacher can make. “Growing up, I saw the influence she had,” Mrs. Stephens says. “She’s got students from that era who are in their 50s now—and they still keep in touch with her.”

Mrs. Stephens began her teaching career in 1996, serving in Massachusetts and Indiana schools before meeting her husband and moving to Champaign. She began teaching at St. John in 2016.

“I love teaching middle school,” she says. “Some people don’t, but I do. I get these kids for three years. I get to watch them grow and mature. I get to be part of their inside jokes and their conversations about their faith. They trust me to be part of that.”

She’s also glad that her students are old enough to do service projects, like delivering food to residents at Round Barn Manor. “Our kids get to show that loving the Lord means being His hands and feet to other people,” she says. “And they want to do that.” Mrs. Stephens has a Bachelor of Arts in History with minors in Secondary Education & Religion from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois.