THE TEAM

 Meet our staff of talented educators

Brittany Adamczyk

Brittany is proud to be a lead teacher at First Lutheran Preschool!  She is originally from Virginia and received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Virginia, and her Masters in Teaching from Loyola University Maryland. This is her third year at First Lutheran Preschool after seven years teaching as an elementary school teacher in Baltimore County Public Schools. 
 
She has three children, two of whom have attended First Lutheran Preschool, while the third will be there soon! She and her family love to go on outdoor adventures like camping, picnics, nature walks, and trips to the lake and beach.  She loves First Lutheran's focus on outdoor education, learning through play, and nurturing the whole child. 

Jen Copsey

Jen  is a lead teacher for the 5-day PreK class. She has been working at First Lutheran Preschool since 2018. She attended James Madison University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from University of Maryland, Baltimore. In addition, she has obtained the 90 hour Child Care Teacher Certification. She is married, has three daughters (all are First Lutheran Preschool alumni!) and one dog. Jen enjoys reading, gardening, traveling with her family, and watching college basketball. 

Kim Delmar

Kim Delmar is a Jersey girl through and through, and is enjoying exploring this beautiful state of Maryland for the past 6 years with her husband of almost 40 yrs, Chip. They raised two children, a daughter Rachel (in NJ) and son Nicholas (in WA)
She has loved the privilege of learning from each 3-4 yr old class since she started at First Lutheran in 2017.
Previously, she taught in a private elementary school in NJ, grades prek and 1st, having graduated from Rowan University in 2010 with an Education degree.
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She likes to crochet (or knit), garden, and travel, but mostly her energy is devoted to her grandson Ryder born in 2021. 
 
 “Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” – John F. Kennedy

Kelly Donovan

Kelly began her work with First Lutheran Preschool as a substitute teacher and very soon after she joined the staff as an assistant teacher. The welcoming and friendly staff and preschool families made her excited to join the team. 
 
Kelly graduated from the University of Dayton, Ohio with a degree in Communication Management. Kelly and her husband have three daughters. She enjoys travel, yoga, long walks w/ their dog, spending time with family + friends and being outdoors. 

Jeanette Gallo

Jeanette is mom of 3 boys.  Her youngest son attended First Lutheran Preschool for two years in the 3’s and PreK classes. She has been working at First Lutheran Preschool for 9 years, and absolutely loves coming to work everyday and seeing the children and their families.  She recently completed her 90 hour course work in child development and attends numerous trainings to stay current in the field.   In her spare time she can be found watching her boys play sports and taking care of their bunny Oreo.

Noelle Jackson

​Noelle has worked as an assistant since 2011, when her youngest daughter, Lauren, started Pre-K at First Lutheran Preschool. 
 
Noelle has Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Salisbury University.  Prior to her youngest daughter entering preschool, she worked as a Medical Surgical/Oncology Nurse at Howard County General Hospital for many years.  She  lives in Ellicott City with her husband, George, daughter, Lauren, and her dog, Charlie.  Lauren is a sophomore in High School. Her oldest daughter, Emily, is a junior engineering major at Virginia Tech.  In Noelle’s free time she enjoys attending her children’s activities and events.  As a dance and marching band mom, she keeps very busy in her time off work!   
 
Noelle considers the preschool staff to be an extension of her family and she greatly enjoys working with the children in the loving and nurturing environment of First Lutheran preschool!

Jenny James

Jenny is the director of First Lutheran Preschool and is proud to be part of its growth since 2008. She loves working with families, teachers, and children to provide a warm and inviting atmosphere for learning.   Jenny started her career in the Early Childhood Department at De Anza College in California.  After moving to Maryland,  she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from UMGC and her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction for Social Justice from Loyola University, Maryland.
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Her renewed interest in outdoor learning was the impetus to the creation of an outdoor classroom on First Lutheran's campus.  She is co-author of Dig In!  Outdoor STEM Learning With Young Children, a culmination of her research featuring the students and teachers at First Lutheran Preschool.  She and her husband Tom  have two grown sons, Clinton and Parker, and one adorable pet pug named Ryder.

Kelly Jensen

Kelly joined First Lutheran Preschool 2020 as the financial administrator.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics from Southern Methodist University.  Kelly and her husband have two children, Madeline and Micah, who are both alumni of First Lutheran Preschool, and a goldendoodle named Tucker.  In her free time, Kelly loves reading, watching movies and playing volleyball.  She finds that the camaraderie of the staff and the entertaining stories from the children make First Lutheran Preschool a great place to work.

Esther Kim

Esther is an assistant teacher for the 2 year olds. She has a bachelor of music in piano from University of Maryland Baltimore County. Also, she earned a master of music in piano pedagogy from George Mason University.
Esther is married and has a daughter who is 4 years old attending the public pre-k program here at First Lutheran Preschool. Esther enjoys listening to music and watching movies. She is looking forward to working with students and staff.

Susan Knoernschild

Susan is proud and excited to be the assistant director of First Lutheran Preschool. 
She earned a double major of Spanish and Accounting from the University of Virginia and a Masters Degree in Education from Marymount University.
Susan taught third grade in Virginia and taught preschool for many years in Maryland. She has assisted schools with curriculum development and accreditation. Prior to coming to First Lutheran Preschool, she worked at the University of Maryland guiding preschool teachers throughout Maryland during their first year of implementing the Children Discovering Their World curricula. She is very happy to be working with the amazing staff, children and families at First Lutheran Preschool.
Susan loves baking and cooking as well as running and cycling. She is married to her college sweetheart, and they have three wonderful sons. 

Andie Martin

Andie (Andrea) Martin is excited to be a lead teacher for the 3-year-old program at First Lutheran.  Andie has a degree in secondary education from the University of Dayton and a master's in Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College.  She has taught high school English, college writing classes, and preschool after staying at home with her young daughters.  Being in the classroom with young learners brings her such joy, and the welcoming staff at First Lutheran has made her feel at home.

Andie enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, traveling, and spending time with her husband, daughters, and labradoodle named Penny. 

Cyndi Naff

Hello! My name is Mrs. Cyndi Naff and I am so excited to join First Lutheran Preschool teaching 3's on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I have a strong love of teaching early childhood students and giving them a positive and strong foundation for their school years ahead. I retired in June after 34 years of teaching in the Maryland public school system. I am married and have 2 grown daughters. I also have a dog named Halo who I enjoy spoiling and walking. Exercise is an important part of my life. I enjoy riding the Peloton, as well as strength training and Pilates. I look forward to working with the staff, families and students to make this a wonderful year for everyone.

Bushra nazir

Bushra earned her Bachelor’s of Education at the University of Kashmir, India, and a Bachelor’s of literature from the American University of London.  She has also studied computer science.

Her time working as an assistant at First Lutheran Preschool started five years ago after her youngest son graduated from the PreK class.  

​Bushra enjoys spending time with family and friends.  Her hobbies include cooking and walking.  She says, "I enjoy the work atmosphere at First Lutheran Preschool-and team work efforts with my colleagues. I love learning and being in a learning environment."

Julia Sharp

Julia is a lead teacher for the 2 year olds and an assistant teacher for the 3 year olds. She graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and moved back to Maryland after graduation. Julia is married with two kids, Audrey and Charlie. She lives on a farm  with her two dogs, a horse and a plethora of other farm animals. She enjoys riding her horse, reading and spending time outside with her family.