I grew up in Salem, Oregon and always loved children so much that I started volunteering for children’s ministry at my church and babysitting as soon as I was old enough. As a young adult, I was a camp counselor and women’s chaplain at Canyonview Camp, where I met my husband Eric and learned to more fully rely on God. 

I graduated from Corban with a degree in elementary education in 2008 and earned my master’s degree in 2011.  I taught for 7 years at Grant Community School and Englewood Elementary School here in Salem before leaving in 2015 to stay home with my son. My husband and two children, Andrew and Alaina are my very favorite people. We enjoy playing board games, going on bike rides, camping, traveling, and reading together. 

Once Andrew and Alaina were in school I started working at OSCS as the Academic Director and eventually as a principal. I love being able to work somewhere where I get to openly praise God and teach children about Him. Leading chapel is always the highlight of my week! I am so thankful to be a part of this community and to be able to raise my children alongside others who are learning all about Jesus at the same time as they are learning reading, writing, and math. My goal is to make sure all children are challenged and pushed to reach their full potential both academically and in Christ.

Hello my name is Miss Tonya. I am one of the lead preschool teachers here at Our Savior’s Christian Elementary/Ark Angels. This is my 3rd year of teaching preschool. I have worked with children most of my adult life. I have 16 years of experience in Early Childhood Education. I am also the preschool music teacher for the 2nd year. I have an Associates degree in Early Childhood Education.

I have been married for 18 years and have three children of my own. I have 2 boys who are 11 and 17 and one girl who is 13. We are really into sports in my family so I spend a lot of my time outside of work watching, traveling and enjoying my children playing their sport. As a family we love to kayak, swim, camp, and watch movies. I love Jesus, reading, shopping, butterflies, and being creative. 

God leads me each day to do my best and share his love with my students. I am looking forward to sharing his word this year with the children just beginning preschool and continued growth for those returning.

My name is Annabelle Frith. I’m so excited to teach preschool this year! I grew up here in Salem and attended OSCS before it was a full elementary school. I’ve been working with kids since I was 14 as a teaching assistant for S.K.I.T. theater and working here at OSCS as an assistant for 3 years now. I’ve been all over the school from 3rd grade to preschool, which is definitely where my heart lies. I love being able to create a faithful foundation in our youngest students and teach them His word and love. 

When I’m not teaching I’m spending time with my family. My fiancé Skyler and I have three cats and are extremely family-oriented. I’m lucky to be surrounded by family here in Salem, and together we love to bake, work in our church’s ministries and, currently, plan my wedding. On my own I love to teach singing classes and sing in my church’s worship team. Faith has always been a big part of my life, and I try to see His love and glory in every situation. in faith I have followed through with many goals and feel it has brought me here to this position. 

I can’t wait for this school year and I think I am most excited to get to work with our wonderful staff and meet all these amazing kids! 

I am the proud mom of three children and an absurdly hilarious dalmatian named Apollo. I have previously served as Education Director at SKIT theatre and have taught children ages 1-12th grade for 13 years. My heart is for teaching children to know the love of Christ across all subjects, to pursue all that God has made them to be and to do so in technicolor. I love bringing language arts to life, adapting classic literature to the youngest learners and fostering a love of the spoken word as well as life-long learning and reading!

When I am not teaching, I volunteer my time as an international ambassador for the Love Me Love My Face Foundation which supports children born with the rare genetic condition known as Treacher Collins Syndrome. I also volunteer at children’s hospitals and private events as a Disney princess through the Oregon Fairtytale Project.

I am looking forward to teaching kinder for my second year at what I like to call “the loveliest private school community in the valley”. It has been my joy to put down roots here, singing and dancing along the way.

My name is Samantha Powell and I am so excited to be returning to OSCS this year after taking a year off to care for the newest addition to our family! Our family now consists of my husband and I, our 6 month old daughter, and 2 large dogs, which can lead to some wonderful chaos at times. In the moments between the chaos, I enjoy playing board games and doing crafty things like crochet or painting miniature models. I spent several years working as a kindergarten assistant in public schools before teaching 4th & 5th grade at OSCS, so this will be a fun return to my roots! I am looking forward to teaching kindergarten in a setting where I can share the truth of God’s love with students and help them see the wonders of God’s creation! It’s going to be an amazing year!

My name is Erin Petrillo. I have two daughters. My oldest is about to enter high school and my youngest is going into middle school. I recently moved to Salem from the Portland area and am very excited to be adding a step-daughter to our family soon who will be a 4th grader this year at OSCS. I enjoy hiking and traveling but I also love sitting at home playing games with my kids or reading. 

I have been in education for around 18 years. I have taught every grade from preschool to 5th grade. I also was an Education Specialist for several years and I facilitated workshops and created trainings to support employees and community members. I taught in AZ for 8 years in a Title One school and I was at a private Christian school in Portland for the last 6 years. I have enjoyed the challenges and rewarding experiences that come with each age.

I am so excited to teach 2nd grade this year and get to know my students as well as all of the rest of the Ocelots! This year I am looking forward to Chapel. This was one of my students’ favorite parts of the week. I am excited to worship and praise Jesus with my new students. One verse that I refer to often as a teacher is Psalms 118:24 “This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it”. This verse reminds me that each day is a new start and while we all have challenging days, we have the opportunity to start each day fresh.

I grew up in Salem, went to North High School, and got my bachelor’s in elementary education from Western Oregon University. I have two amazing daughters, Eden and Opal. I love camping, charcuterie, macrame, and God. My faith has grown stronger and deeper through each difficult season of my life. I’m proud to be at this amazing school where His loving embrace is evident. I’m thrilled to teach your kiddo academics and deep personal faith this year. 

My name is Tami Biamont and I’m excited to teach 4th grade at Our Savior’s this year. After graduating from Warner Pacific College,  I worked there before starting my teaching career. This will be my 13th year teaching in both high school and elementary schools.

I have 3 grown children. My oldest is also a teacher and my son is an engineer. My 3 grandchildren attend Country Christian, where all my children went to school. We believe in the importance of Christian education and my joy in life is teaching.

I’m looking forward to this year and having a class where learning is an adventure, putting Christ in our class to learn more about Him. It is a privilege to teach at a Christian School where I can allow my faith to shine each day, have my Bible on my desk and pray with my students.

In addition to teaching, I enjoy painting, both watercolors and murals, in my hometown of Silverton, as well as gardening, reading, teaching Sunday School, hiking and kayaking.

Hi!  My name is Deanna Jones and I will be teaching 5th grade this year!  Many of you may already know me, as I have been at OSCS since 2016 in a variety of roles.  During that time I taught half-time first grade, worked with small math groups and assisted with recess duties.  Before my time at OSCS, I taught 4th grade for 6 years at Aumsville Elementary and had several long-term substitute positions at both Cascade and Salem-Keizer schools.  

I am married to my husband Tracy, and we have one daughter, Addison, who will be a sophomore in high school this year.  We also have a dog, Marlee, and a bunny, Opal. We love to go camping at the coast (yes, we take our bunny camping!), hiking to waterfalls and kayaking.  I just got a paddleboard for my birthday so I am excited to add that to our outdoor fun! When we are home, we like to play games, do crafts and watch football (Go Hawks!)  We attend Salem Heights church and are active in the ministries there.  

I am so excited for this school year! One of my favorite aspects of teaching is getting to know each student as an individual and figuring out how to help each one be the most successful learner they can be. I try to capture their enthusiasm and inspire a love and passion for learning. God has “fearfully and wonderfully made” each child and I want them to understand and be confident of this truth. I also get to guide them as they interact with others and walk alongside them as they grow in their walk with Jesus. What an amazing privilege that I take very seriously!   

Hello! My name is Kristi Lineburger and this is my seventh year as the lead teacher of Physical Education at Our Saviors Christian School. I have a background in Children’s Ministry as well, having spent ten years as a Co-Director of Children’s Education at Our Saviors Lutheran Church. I am extremely passionate about teaching children to love activities that benefit their lives now, while preparing for their future activity choices. In my opinion, this only works when bringing them JOY during the process. That is my favorite part!My husband and I celebrated our twenty year anniversary this summer and the blessing of that does not go unnoticed by us. I’m a mom of two teenagers–our daughter is almost sixteen and our son is thirteen. We have a three year old dog that we still (and will forever) consider a puppy. Her name is Sky and she’s an Alaskan Klei Kai (mini husky) and has maxed out at 12.5 lbs. I love blue sky, fresh air, hiking, swimming/paddle boarding in lakes, music, exercising in my garage home gym, board games, and watching my kids find JOY in things they love.My faith in Jesus has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. It’s a consistent work in progress, just as I believe it should be. I consider it an honor to be able to share His love with the children at our school. I look forward to sharing JOY with each of them in the year ahead!

My name is Monica Lewin. I grew up in Salem and attended Corban university where I majored in music education and oboe performance. This is also where I met my husband David. We have three kids, ages 6, 4 and 1.  Our oldest will be attending OSCS as a first grader this year. We all love to spend time outside; gardening, going on walks, playing at parks, or just sitting and talking. I also thoroughly enjoy cooking and baking. After I graduated from Corban in 2014, I worked as a substitute teacher for Salem-Keizer for one year and then taught elementary music in the Mt Angel school district and at Salem Academy. I am very excited to continue my teaching at OSCS this year! I love Jesus and I love learning more about Him and His character. I love that we can learn about Jesus through music and I am so excited to share in that with all of the kids at Our Saviors!