MEET OUR FACULTY AND STAFF...

Lumen Chrsti Catholic School is blessed with an incredible team of teachers and administrators who are passionately dedicated to their mission. Every day they allow the Holy Spirit to work through them and make our mission a reality!

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Bob Collins
HEADMASTER
​TEACHER: H.s. US History; Public Speaking GRADES 7-8 

BA Urban Studies, Yale University
MA Liberal Studies, Wesleyan University
bcollins@lumenchristischool.org

Mr. Collins

​My work in education began right after college, and I taught at Catholic high schools in Ohio and Connecticut for 11 years. After that, I was a writer and editor for a range of companies and non-profit organizations, both as a staff member and consultant.  My career also includes stints in the office of Sen. Richard Lugar, and as an adjunct economics instructor at Butler University.  

​I have served as headmaster at Lumen Christi since June 2017.  Before that, I was a member of the board and taught a class in the high school each semester while working at Eli Lilly and Company. I'm a member of Holy Rosary Parish, Kairos Prison Ministry, and the Knights of Columbus.

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STACEY DOWELL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
​TEACHER: GRADE 2

BS Elementary Education with Computer Literacy Endorsement - Indiana State University
sdowell@lumenchristischool.org​
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Mrs. Dowell

I was born and raised in Terre Haute, Indiana.   My husband and I met in high school and have been together ever since.  I was a cheerleader and he played football.  I have three children; Makayla, Maximus, and Graham.  We belong to Holy Rosary Catholic Church, and I am a convert.  My husband inspired me to join the faith.

I have taught in Atlanta, Georgia, for two years, then Curtis Wilson Primary School in Indianapolis for five years, and I’ve been at Lumen Christi since.  I love teaching and feel so blessed to get to guide and teach students on a daily basis.  That moment when they grasp something for the first time makes everything worth it!

Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:31

Mary Rose Collins
HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
TEACHER: H.S. RELIGION, history, ENGLISH

BA History, Mars Hill College
MA History, University of Maryland
MA Theology, Xavier University
Th.D. Theology, Graduate Theological Foundation
mcollins@lumenchristischool.org
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Dr. Collins

I'm a career teacher--since 1980--as well as having some government work experience (CIA) and being a mom. I have a permanent teaching license and I've taught at Lumen Christi since 2005.

Bob and I have been married for 28 years. Our adult children went to Lumen Christi. We are members of Holy Rosary parish.

I encourage lifelong learning for our high school students with the motto "Live and learn," and I encourage students' keeping temptation at bay socially by "Keeping good company." Attending Lumen Christi high school supports both goals

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Kris Barnes
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
​TEACHER: MATH grade 4 & grades 7-8 

BS Accounting, Miami University (Ohio)
kbarnes@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Barnes

Tom and I have been married for 37 years and are the parents of six children ages 20-35, and two grandchildren. I home schooled each of them for differing amounts of time and when given the chance to go back to work and send the youngest ones to Lumen Christi OR work at Lumen Christi with them, it was an easy choice.

Here I have taught many different classes over my years at Lumen Christi.  This year I will be teaching 4th Grade Math and Pre-algebra.

Academically: I love teaching Math because I believe all children can be good at it if they acquire structure and confidence.

Spiritually: Lumen Christ has kept my family in the presence of God over the past 12 years......And so, we daily give ourselves to the work of Lumen Christi.... for the children's salvation and my own.

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​If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.
--St. Charles Borromeo

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ellen sanders
​development director

BA, Biology, Washington University in St. Louis
MS, Immunology, Northwestern University
Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising course sponsored by the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving
at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
​esanders@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Sanders

​God gave me this amazing gift when I began working as the Development Director for Lumen Christi Catholic School and High School. I retired after 30 wonderful years as an IT Manager at Eli Lilly and now have second career supporting fundraising and enrollment for Lumen Christi. 

I'm a member of St. Monica Catholic Church where I'm an extraordinary minister and serve on the finance committee, and I'm very involved in the Cursillo movement.

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MARIE ANN MASCARI 
School Secretary

Oldest Employee of Lumen Christi (in age!)
University of Hard Knocks -- Street Cred
Graduate Sacred Heart High School, Class of '65
mmascari@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Mascari

I was born and raised in this Italian neighborhood and am lifelong member of Holy Rosary. My three children were educated in Catholic schools, central Catholic and Roncalli. 

I worked for 11+ years as the Secretary of the Central Catholic Board of Education. I also served in the same position on the Holy Rosary Parish Council. I work part time for Holy Rosary as the Parish Wedding Coordinator and I help with the church cleaning, (lots of prayer time).
I have shared with many families the story of how I begged the school’s founder, Edie Fitzgerald, to allow me to work as Lumen Christi’s admin assistant. I enjoy keeping busy and accomplishing something every day.

I feel privileged to be part of the children’s daily adventures in learning and witnessing their growth in faith. I love children and being around them makes me feel young again! ​

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life
-- Confucius

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EMILY ROSKO
DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS PRE-K TO 12

BA, Political Science, Purdue University
JD, Cum Laude, Indiana University
​erosko@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Rosko

I have worked as a Real Estate Attorney for Family Dollar Stores, Inc, in North Carolina, and as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Indiana.  After the birth of our first child, I decided to be a stay at home mother.  My husband, Scot, and I have 4 children, two of whom currently attend Lumen Christi and two who have graduated.  We are members of Holy Rosary and Our Lady of the Greenwood and have been at Lumen Christi since 2009.  I have been the Admissions Director since 2011 and I have been helping in the high school since 2013.  I am always happy to speak with anyone about our faithfully Catholic school!

SHANNON DENNY
TEACHER: PRE-KINDERGARTEN

​sdenney@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Denney

I grew up in Greenwood and studied early childhood education at IUPUI.  I was an assistant director at a daycare center in Greenwood, where I implemented all preschool programs ages 2-5.  After years of teaching, I was offered a job in the cosmetics field where I worked until the birth of my third child.
 
After being brought up in the Methodist Church, I joined the Catholic Church in 1998. My husband, Todd, and I have seven children ages 21-8: two in college, two in high school, and three in the elementary school at Lumen Christi this year:  A.J. in 3rd grade, Nolan in 5th, and Sophia in 7th. We are members at Holy Rosary Church, and our children play CYO sports through Holy Name, where I have also coached.
 
This is my fifth year teaching Pre-K at Lumen Christi and our 16th year as a family.  I am blessed to be able to teach these children and to be in this building every day.  I am also grateful to be supported by other families and teachers that uphold traditional Catholic values and education.  I consider it my utmost responsibility as a teacher at Lumen Christi to uphold and teach the values that we were founded on: Faith, Virtue, Truth and Reason.

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SARA BUTTERFIELD
TEACHER: KINDERGARTEN​

BA Liberal Arts, Purdue University
sbutterfield@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Butterfield

I have been teaching at Lumen Christi since 2003, but teaching was not my first career.
After graduating from Purdue in 1982 with a liberal arts degree, I worked as a commercial interior designer for an architectural firm.  I loved the work, but after I met and married my husband Scott, I chose to be a “stay at home mom” when our son Kevin was born.  We were sadly unable to have more children, so when Kevin went to school I went back to school as well – this time to the University of Indianapolis, to get my teaching license.

I then worked in a Decatur Township elementary school.  At the time, we lived next to one of the founding families of Lumen Christi, and when they told me of an opening at this budding elementary school I decided to make a change, and I have been very happy ever since.
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As a child, I too went to a Catholic school, St. Barnabas, where my parents were one of the founding families. It is such a pleasure to work with the children in the loving, nurturing Catholic environment that Lumen Christi is.

MARIBETH SHEWMAKER
TEACHER: grade 1

BA Elementary Education, Saint Mary's College at Notre Dame
mshewmaker@lumenchristischool.org

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Mrs. Shewmaker

I’m a graduate of Cathedral High School, Indianapolis, and Saint Mary’s College at Notre Dame, with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, a Reading Minor, with Concentration in Theology.

I worked as an elementary teacher at Our Lady of Mount Carmel for seven years – grades 1, 2, and 5.  I also home schooled our children for eight years, grades pre-K through 7.  I have taught 1st and 5th grades at Lumen Christi over the past four years.

My husband, Barry, and I met in the high school youth group at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish.  We continue to worship and serve at OLMC with our eight children: Zachary, 21; Nathan, 20; Jeremy, 19; Avery, 17; Jill, 16; Benjamin, 14; Joseph, 11; and Matthew, 8.

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Love the children, then teach them.  
– Saint Theodore Guerin

mary tune
TEACHER: grades 2-3

BS Interdisciplinary Studies, MEd Education Curriculum and Instruction 
Texas A&M University
​mtune@lumenchristischool.org 

Mrs. Tune

I was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas with my brother and 2 sisters. We attended Catholic school from kindergarten through 12th grade. I received my BS in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Math in 1992 and an MEd in Education Curriculum and Instruction in 1994 from Texas A&M University.

I taught kindergarten at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Bedford, TX from 1994 to 1997 and 4th grade from 2000-2001. I was actually introduced to my husband, John David, by one of my kindergarteners and his family. We have been married for nearly 23 years and have been blessed with four children, Johnathan (17), Will (16), Caitie (12), and Caroline (10). I stayed at home with our children for 15 years and returned to teach at St. Malachy school, our home parish, in 2016.

For me, it is so important for our children and our students to learn to share their faith, live their faith, and defend their faith. Educationally, I believe every child deserves the opportunity to grow, to become confident learners, and I will work with them individually to help them find success.

BETH RICHERT
Teacher: GRADE 4

BS Elementary Education, Indiana University
brichert@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Richert

I worked as a special education resource aide and a substitute teacher in elementary schools before beginning a career at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis as a full-time educator.  Later, I stayed home to raise my family and home school my five children.   As a teacher at Lumen Christi, I hope to instill in my students an enthusiasm for learning, an appreciation for beauty, and a desire to store treasure in heaven.

christina kolb
​TEACHER: GRADES 5-6

BS Biology, Marian University
ckolb@lumenchristischool.org

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Mrs. Kolb

I grew up on the southeast side of Indianapolis and attended St. Jude Grade School and Roncalli High School. I received a Bachelor's degree in Biology at Marian University to round out my Catholic education.

I began with an internship at the Department of Health and then began working at Roche Diagnostics as a scientist.

​I was introduced to home schooling by a friend when my daughter Anna was born. Then a few years after my son was born, I took them to Catholic Schoolhouse, a home school group. The first year, I was a substitute for the program; the second year, I filled the nursery helper position. Then Holy Spirit needed a full-time science teacher, and so God led me to be a full-time teacher and I enjoyed it.

I have always loved Lumen Christi's program, curricula and faith-filled foundation.  I joined Lumen Christi's staff as the fifth and sixth grade teacher in the fall of 2019. I am excited to teach and be taught as we are all on this journey together.

Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.   - St. Francis of Assisi

STARLYN LAZARUS
TEACHER: GRADES 7-8; H.S. LATIN

BA English, Aquinas College
slazarus@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Lazarus

I grew up in Daleville, Indiana, but lived in Middle Tennessee from 1988-2017. I have three sons and six wonderful grandchildren.  I home schooled all three of my children and went back to school as a non-traditional student in 2011.  I moved back to Indiana in late October of 2017.  I am a convert to the Catholic faith and attend Holy Rosary Catholic Church.  I love all types of literature, but love the literature of the Early Modern era (particularly Shakespeare).
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I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Aquinas College in Nashville, TN and was the recipient of the St. Augustine Award for Excellence in the Liberal Arts.  I am currently working toward my Master of Arts degree in English at Belmont University in Nashville. I have completed all course work, but need to finish up with thesis writing.  In my thesis, I am doing research on adaptations of Macbeth.

Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.  It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.
- C. S. Lewis​

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JULIE CHADWICK
TEACHER:  MATH Grades 7-8, science Grade 8; h.s. physics, pre-calculus, & calculus

BS Chemical Engineering, University of Kentucky
jchadwick@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Chadwick

I have a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.  I worked as an engineer for Dow Chemical for six years until my family relocated to Louisiana.  While in Louisiana, I worked for Curtiss Wright for two years until we relocated to Michigan.  I have three daughters and decided to stay home with them while they were young.  I volunteered in their classrooms and discovered my love of teaching children and sharing my knowledge.  I have tutored children in both math and chemistry.  This is my third year teaching at Lumen Christi.

Rob and I have been married for 19 years.  We have three daughters: Madelyn, Katie, and Olivia.  We are currently living in Zionsville, Indiana.  Most of our free time is spent watching the girls play soccer, basketball, and cross country. 

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​SHERYL DYE
TEACHER: Latin GRADES 4-5, 6-8 & H.s. 

​BA Psychology & Sociology, Butler University
MA Social Work, IUPUI
Certificate: Elementary Education, Ball State University
​sdye@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Dye

After working as a children's therapist for 5 years I left the workforce to stay home with my children.  During this time, I began substitute teaching and fell in love with the profession.  I earned my teaching certificate through the Ball State Transition to Teaching program. I spent 8 years as a 4th grade teacher at St. Maria Goretti in Westfield before joining Lumen Christi. ​

​The entire effort of the Catholic teacher is oriented toward an integral formation of each student.
– William Cardinal Baum

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CARIS ROLLER
TEACHER: ART GRADES 1-8 AND H.s.; PHYSICAL EDUCATION Grades 1-6

BA Fine Arts, Indiana University Herron School of Art
croller@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Roller

My husband, Rob, and I are members of Holy Rosary, we are very active in the parish and are constantly volunteering for one thing or another (maybe we just have a problem saying "No" to Our amazing Priest!).

As well as working part time at Lumen Christi, I Coach Gymnastics at a non-competitive gym called The Rec Room. I have been coaching gymnastics for 20 years.

I also work for the parish. Father McCarthy and I are the dynamic duo behind the altar flowers. He brings me lovely fresh flowers every week and I arrange them.

I have been teaching for over 20 years, 13 of those at Lumen Christi! I believe that creating art takes skill, confidence and bravery. My goal is to help my students gain artistic skill so that they feel enough confidence to express themselves and brave enough to make mistakes and work through them.

It makes me sad when people tell me they "can't draw a straight line." I say..."Who needs a straight line anyway?" ​

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
-- Pablo Picasso

ELIZABETH WELCH
TEACHER: ALL GRADES MUSIC AND CHOIR; Theology of the Body 4-5, 6-8;
​H.s. ENGLISH and vocabulary

Bachelor of Science in Music, University of Indianapolis 2006. 
ewelch@lumenchristischool.org

Miss Welch

I have been performing, teaching, and directing music for many years.  In addition to teaching at Lumen Christi, I am the music director at Holy Rosary Parish.  I enjoy helping others find their true musical voice through the acquisition of technical skill and music literacy.

​TOM COPE
TEACHER: Science 5, 6 & 7, Math Grades 7/8; H.s. algebra II

BS Anthropology, Southern Illinois University
MA Behavioral Sciences, Southern Illinois University
MS Anthropology, University of Wisconsin
tcope@lumenchristischool.org

Mr. Cope

The greatest strength of the Catholic Church in the United States is seldom acknowledged, it is this: We have the best schools! Previous generations created and passed them on to us. We must preserve and cherish what they gave us, and then pass it on to future generations.

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
-- Walt Disney

JEANNE CARR
TEACHER: H.s. HEALTH

BA Journalism, AD Nursing, Indiana University
jcarr@lumenchristischool.org

Miss Carr

I work full-time as a nurse at a downtown hospital and very part-time as health and grammar teacher at the high school since 2008.  

​I’m a member of Holy Rosary Church and the Indianapolis secular Carmelite community.

“God save us from gloomy saints.”  
-- St. Teresa of Avila

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​ANN LEWIS
TEACHER: H.s. ENGLISH 

BA English, Michigan State University
alewis@lumenchristischool.org

Mrs. Lewis

I was born and raised in Waterford, Michigan, and attended Michigan State University, where I received a degree in English Secondary Education. My love for writing and creating led me to New York City where I worked in publishing and internet content development. I then went on to write fiction, and have published several works of my own over the years. At Lumen Christi, I teach high school literature and composition, where I hope to inspire in students a love for the English language.

Dr. Kevin Deardorf
Teacher: h.s. CHEMISTRY

BS, MA, DDS, MSD (Dentistry), Indiana University
kdeardorf@lumenchristischool.org

Dr. Deardorf

An Indianapolis native, I was fortunate to have received a primary and secondary Catholic education from my parents.  My professional career was devoted to private practice at Indianapolis Endodontics, augmented by a part-time position in the Endo Department at the IU School of Dentistry.  What a blessing it is now to be a part of Lumen Christi!

Seek to serve.