Meet the Staff
Preschool Director: Stephanie Engle
Stephanie has been a teacher at Bethany Preschool for the past 8 years and took over as Director in July of 2020. She lives in Leesburg with her husband Prescott, and 5 children. She has 3 adult children who have started families of their own and is a proud “Mimi” to 7 grandchildren. Stephanie loves to make a positive difference in the life of a child. “It is a blessing to love on, nurture, and share God’s love with each preschooler that walks through the door here at Bethany Preschool.”
Ponies Teacher (4’s/Pre-k): Michelle Whittemore
Michelle has been a staff member at Bethany since 2003. She lives in Round Hill with her husband and has two grown children. Michelle loves to run, bike and hike but is especially passionate about people, particularly children. She loves the energy and excitement that young children display as they experience new things. Watching a child “get” a concept is one of the most rewarding feelings for a teacher and is why Michelle continues to teach at Bethany Preschool.
Dolphins Teacher (3’s): Tamara Tyler
Tamara started working at Bethany Preschool 20 years ago, when she enrolled her daughter here. Her husband likes to say, “Brianna graduated preschool 2 decades ago, but you keep staying back!”. Tamara loves the playful work environment, being part of a great community, falling in love with the little cherubs and watching the children blossom throughout the year.
Bunnies Teacher (3’s): Danielle Orender (Mrs. O)
Danielle has been a staff member at Bethany Preschool for the past 8 years. She currently lives in Purcellville with her husband Pat and 3 beautiful children. Danielle loves being a teacher and watching her students grow into the fantastic kiddos they are. You will often find the Bunnies class to be a lively bunch because learning can be fun!
Ducks Teacher (4 and 5’s/Pre-k): Melissa Quick
Melissa has been a staff member of Bethany Preschool for a total of 8 years. She currently lives in Purcellville with her husband Mike, their 3 kids (when they are not away at college), and 2 dogs. She loves teaching because she can impact children’s lives and watch them grow and learn. Melissa is always looking for new ways to make learning fun and exciting and is always available for hugs. During her free time, she loves to travel and go to Zumba.
Bears Teacher (4’s/Pre-k): Carla Ramsey
Carla has been a staff member at Bethany Preschool for 2 years, with this being her first year as the Bear’s teacher. She is originally from Pittsburgh but currently lives in Purcellville with her husband David, their two children and their yellow lab puppy. Carla’s background as a Reading Specialist, helps build a strong reading foundation for her students. She loves teaching preschoolers because of their excitement to learn!
Fish-Froggies Teacher (2’s): Beth Strandburg
Beth has been a staff member at Bethany Preschool since 2017 and is a former elementary and special education teacher. She lives in Purcellville with her husband Quentin, 3 children, 2 dogs and 1 crazy cat. All 3 children are Bethany Preschool graduates. Beth’s favorite thing about working with young children is the curiosity and excitement they bring to the classroom and how each day is a new adventure!
Teaching Assistant: Andrea Heskett
Andrea has been a staff member at Bethany Preschool for over 19 years. She lives in Purcellville with her husband Troy. She has 4 grown daughters and 2 grandkids, which she absolutely adores. Andrea loves to travel and go on cruises. She loves having fun with the preschoolers and doing silly dances with them.
Teaching Assistant: Annie Winkler
Annie has been a staff member of Bethany Preschool for the past 10 years. She taught the Bunnies class for several years and has been an assistant in many of the classes. She currently lives in Purcellville with her husband Erik and 4 dogs. She has 3 adult children that live close by in Northern Virginia. Her youngest attended Bethany Preschool is 2000 and that is how she became part of the Bethany Preschool family. Annie enjoys being a teacher and helping the preschoolers grow!
Teaching Assistant: Nichole Wilson
Nichole has been a teaching assistant for the past 5 years. Both of her girls attend Pre-K at Bethany and are now in Middle School. Nichole currently lives in Purcellville with her husband Scott, 2 daughters and their 4 dogs. She enjoys getting to know each of the students and takes pride in watching them discover and learn new things throughout the year.
Teaching Assistant: Vanessa Mula
Vanessa has been a part of the Bethany Preschool family as both a parent and teacher. She has been an assistant teacher for several years and both of her daughters attended Bethany Preschool. Vanessa currently lives in Purcellville with her husband Chris and their two daughters. She speaks French and Spanish fluently and loves art, which is her favorite thing to share with her students.
Teaching Assistant: Gayle Gonzales
This is Gayle’s second year at Bethany Preschool. Gayle was a high school counselor before working with preschoolers. She currently lives in Purcellville with her husband Pete and their 3 children. She loves this age group and watching the children gain a sense of self, build confidence, and explore friendships. Coloring is fun, too! Gayle enjoys running marathons, gardening, and photography.
Teaching Assistant: Sarah Weitlich
Sarah is excited to begin her first year at Bethany Preschool. She lives in Round Hill with her husband, 2 daughters and her dog. Sarah taught school for 7 years before becoming a “stay at home” mom. Now that her youngest in starting preschool at Bethany, she is excited to get back to teaching once again. Enabling the children to have fun as they learn is her favorite part of teaching.
Hours & Info
Preschool:
Mon-Fri, 8:45am to 12pm
Aftercare:
Mon-Fri, 12pm to 2:30pm
Summer office hours:
Tues-Thurs, 9am to 3pm
We follow the Loudoun County Public Schools for holidays and weather-related cancellations.
Bethany Preschool is a religious institution exempt from licensure.