Staff Introductions

My name is Rachelle Schurman. This is my sixth year teaching with DC West and I absolutely enjoy every second of it! I appreciate having the ability to build relationships with the faculty, parents, and of course the students. I am excited to begin teaching this year and I look forward to many new learning experiences as well as, working with you to promote an optimal learning experience for your child.

Other than my work with DC West I was a preschool teacher and education specialist at Bright Horizons for seven years. Before working for Bright Horizons I worked at a small Catholic School/Child Care as a preschool teacher and summer camp coordinator. I feel that all of my past teaching opportunities have presented rewards and yet challenges that has influenced my current teaching style. In addition to my working experiences, I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with an undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education Unified, which encompasses both general and special education. I then graduated from Peru State College with a graduate degree in Curriculum Instruction.

Now to share a bit about family and myself. I was born and raised in South Omaha having moved to Yutan eight years ago. I was lucky enough to marry my husband six summers ago and this summer we celebrated our son, Cameron’s fifth birthday! In October we will be celebrating our daughter Avery’s second birthday! We enjoy spending time together outdoors, swimming, and traveling across the states to various sporting events. Overall, we are very laid back and value the simple things in life.

In preschool we are fortunate to have a great team of teachers and paraprofessionals to work with your child throughout the day! Miss. Billie and Miss. Jana will be working with me in the preschool classroom each day. Miss. Sarah Hoffman is the other preschool teacher who will work with Miss. Shawn and Miss. Jen in her classroom. We are so lucky to have such a great team!

Miss. Billie

My name is Miss Billie and I live in Valley with my daughter Zoe - 9. I grew up in Waterloo and have been a member of the Waterloo/Valley community my whole life. I love to read, spend time with my family, and celebrate the holidays - it's my favorite time of year! When my daughter was born I was thrilled to be a stay-at-home mom. It was during my time at home with her that I began to dream of a career working with young children. After Zoe started kindergarten at DC West I decided to enroll at MCC to earn my associates degree in early childhood education. I love to be with these sweet kiddos, and feel blessed to help them grow and learn a little more every day.

Miss. Jana

My name is Miss Jana and I live in Elkhorn with my husband and kids, Cameron - 13 and Ella - 10. We opted into the DC West schools a few years ago and love the teachers and parents that we have met. This is my first year in the preschool and I am really looking forward to working with the kids!

Mrs. Birks

This is my third year at DC West but my 15^th year teaching. I started my teaching career with Omaha Catholic Schools teaching Kindergarten for 2 years. I taught for Omaha Public Schools for 9 years teaching Head Start, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten. I also was the Director of a Child Care Center for 1 year. I have my Masters in Early Childhood Education and am currently working on my Early Childhood Special Education Endorsement.

When I’m not in the classroom, I enjoy spending time with my family. I live in Fremont with my husband, Bryan (we just got married in May ☺) and 2 ½ year old son Paxton. We also have 2 dogs, Bella and Snickers. I also enjoy shopping, being outside when it’s nice, Husker Football and spending time with friends!

Miss. Shawn

My name is Miss Shawn, My husband and I have three kids, David -24, Emily-21, Sarah-19. We have a dog, named CoCo and a cat named Katie. We live in Waterloo. I've worked in the Valley, DCWEST preschool for over 20 years! I love watching my kids sporting events, going to the movies, and hanging out with my family! At school, I love to play with Glitter and give hugs! I feel blessed to be working in the preschool, I love the things the kids say and do.

Miss. Jen

My name is Miss Jen and my husband's name is Russ. We have 3 boys; Brandon 23, Devin 21 and Zachary 18. We have lived in Elkhorn for almost 9 years with a Yorkie named Zoey. Before that, we lived in Valley for 14 years. All 3 of our boys have gone to DC West Schools. I've been working in the DC West preschool for almost 3 years and feel honored to be a part of this program! I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, being outside and doing crafts. I love being a part of your child's learning experience and can't wait for another school year with them!