Meet Our Staff
Hello! My name is LaVae Tschetter and I love being at Westside Christian School. I retired from Teaching 1st and 2nd grade in 2024 and have returned to teach the Extended School Day program.
I find joy in the smiles and energy children bring with them. I have taught multi-grade English learner classrooms and a variety of grade levels. Walking alongside children has been my life passion as I love observing them experience and grow in who God has created them to be. Being part of that process in a Christian school where we pray together and see God at work daily will be a blessing, as we creatively explore how they learn best and provide learning opportunities to watch that happen.
Our family lived in Nebraska, Colorado, and Missouri before returning to Huron, South Dakota, my home, several years ago. I now enjoy living in Sioux Falls. My daughter and her family live near Sioux Falls and my son and his family live in Tennessee, where I love traveling to spend time. Things I enjoy are flowers, plants, reading, baking, walks, coffee, outdoors, Bible study, learning new things through taking classes.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Westside Christian community as a Kindergarten teacher. God has given me a deep love for teaching and serving others, and I feel blessed to use that passion to help guide young hearts toward Him.
I strive to create a classroom environment that nurtures each child’s sense of wonder and curiosity—a place where they feel known, loved, and excited to learn. My goal is to foster not only academic growth, but also a strong foundation of faith, helping each child grow in their understanding of God’s love for them and also how to serve out of that with great joy!
Outside of school, I cherish time with my husband Jake and our 3 children. We live on an acreage outside of Parker and love to be outside. My role as a mother has helped guide and refine me in the greatest ways possible as a teacher, I learn from them every single day.
A verse that inspires me every day is: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves”
I’m Sara, and I’m excited to be part of the Westside family this year! I’m originally from Sioux Falls and have a background in elementary education. I love teaching and had the privilege of serving for five years on the Kids Ministry Staff at Oak Hills Baptist Church.
Serving others has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. Whether through education, church ministry, or simply coming alongside people in my community, I’ve always found joy in helping others and investing in the lives of those around me. I especially love sharing Jesus with kids and encouraging them to know they are loved and valued.
I’m married to Joshua, and we have three boys: Nathan (19), who attends SDSMT; Owen (18), a senior at Roosevelt High School; and Rion (14), an 8th grader at Patrick Henry Middle School. When I’m not busy with my family, I enjoy gardening and getting creative in my spare time.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve and learn alongside the students, families, and staff at Westside, and am looking forward to a wonderful year!
Creativity is God’s gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift to God. Author: Julia Cameron
Greetings! I love teaching Art. I am looking forward to involving your students in many and varied creative art experiences that will grow and enhance their art skills and uniquely creative self-expression and our God-given gift of creativity.
My professional background includes: a double major in Elementary Education and K-12th Art Education, experience teaching K-2 Classroom in a rural school, K-8th Classroom in a Hutterite school, followed by instructing Elementary Art in several school districts, parochial (Mitchell Catholic then), Mitchell Christian, and public districts in South Dakota. I retired in 2021.
On a personal note: I'm originally from Illinois. I have two sons, both living with their families and my 6 grandchildren in the Sioux Falls area. Each of my sons attended Christian school during some of their education. I enjoy spending time with my grandchildren, designing and creating art/crafts, freelance writing and reading.
I am grateful for being called to and blessed with the privilege of teaching your young artists!
Hello! My name is Danielle Goo. I love teaching 3rd and 4th grade at Westside! I graduated from Dordt University with a B.A. in Elementary Education. I have had a wide variety of teaching experience from preschool up to fourth grade. I have been blessed to work primarily in Christian schools, where I love being able to share God's word with my students each day and in all things.
I love spending time outdoors hiking, walking, and playing sports with my husband and our two daughters. I also enjoy running and reading a good book!
I look forward to meeting you soon!
My name is Brenda Hill. I am incredibly blessed to be a part of Westside Christian School.
I love being able to talk with children and teach them about Jesus each and every day all day. We get to talk to Him, learn about Him, pray to Him for one another, learn about God's loving plan for the world and His story through it, and worship Him together. What a gift to be able to give children in a world quick to ignore Him.
I'm married to Donn, the love of my life. We are blessed with two incredible sons, two amazing daughter in-laws, and four of the sweetest grandchildren ever! When I am not working, I treasure time with family and friends!
My quiet time with Jesus is my favorite part of the day. Once in a great while I get to play around on the piano and sing. I love reading highly engaging books, walking and biking with friends, playing Scrabble, working on Quordle puzzles, and watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets with my sweet husband.
Hello! My name is Amanda Oines and I have the dual role of Office Manager and Dean of Students at Westside. I am a certified elementary teacher and I took time off from teaching when my 2 sons were little. I am so excited to have the opportunity to work at this school and be back in the education world! It brings me joy to support the amazing work that the teachers are doing here and build relationships with the students I see every day.
On a personal note, I love spending time with my husband, Andrew and our two boys, who also attend Westside. We love to go on walks and bike rides, spend time at parks, and play backyard baseball. I have a passion for music and also lead worship at my home church in Sioux Falls.
God’s faithfulness and provision has connected my family to Westside, and I’m excited to be a part of the work that He does in the coming years!
Hello! My name is Tim Thomas, and I am excited to teach the upper elementary students at Westside. I am passionate about teaching in ways that help students remember experiences. I receive my BA and MA in Elementary Education at Warner Pacific College in Portland, OR. Before coming to Westside, I taught locally in public schools and abroad in China.
On a more personal note, I love spending time with my family, reading research studies on topics I am curious about, creating and building things, including relationships with others. I look forward to working with you and your children!
My name is Tristen Jackson and am one of the P.E. teachers here at Westside Christian. I grew up in Le Mars, Iowa– which is the ice cream capital of the world. Blue Bunny ice cream is our claim to fame! I attended the University of Sioux Falls where I majored in Exercise Science. While in college, I worked for the Kids, Inc. Afterschool Program for 4 years. I met many kids who impacted my life while working in that program.
From there I knew I wanted to pursue a career that involved fitness and children. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in 2018, I started working full-time for GreatLIFE as their PlayEVERYTHING Coordinator. I like to spend my spare time with the loves of my life– Kelli and our daughter and son. I have a passion for fitness, children and the community of Sioux Falls.