Lakeside Children’s Academy Management and Teachers

Director and Owners:

Laura Hockensmith Schlereth

Laura Hockensmith Schlereth

Director/ Owner

Laura began teaching at Lakeside in 2008, in the one-year-old classroom. In May of 2009, she became the Business and Marketing Director. Laura became the Director in 2011. Laura has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Southeast Missouri State University. While at Southeast, she served as the Student Representative to the Board of Regents. She has taken college courses in Early Care and Education. Laura has her Director’s Certificate through the State of Missouri. Laura is a graduate of Parkway South High School and attended Carman Trails Elementary. She has her Class E Drivers License. Laura participates in Parkway School District studies, the West County Chamber of Commerce, the Valley Park Business Association, and other community events. She is looking forward to begin her Continuing Education training career with the community. Laura will train teachers on various topics concerning early education. Laura is married to Joe and they have a son, Benjamin. They live close by in West County.

Began teaching in: 2008
Family: Husband, Joe. Son, Benjamin.
Why you like working with children: Hugs and funny stories! I enjoy creating relationships with our children and families.
Hobbies: Reading, movies, and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Favorite quote: “Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero”
Favorite children’s book: Love You Forever.
Favorite children’s song: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Wheels on the Bus”.

Sue Hockensmith

Sue Hockensmith

Owner

Began Teaching in: 1992.
Family: Philip, Angela and Laura
Why you like working with children: Being the oldest of five children I have always been passionate about children. Children make me laugh and they are so filled with love.
Hobbies: Reading, gardening and music
Favorite Quote: “Nothing is ever easy and Always something”
Favorite Children’s Book: Too many to list
Favorite Children’s Song: Too many to list

Trish Kreutz

Trish Kreutz

Assistant Director

Began Teaching in: 1996.
Family: Husband (Nick), daughter (Clarabel), son (Camden), and dog (Charlie).
Why you like working with children: I love children’s excitement and magic in their eyes as they play, learn, and reach new milestones. They are so fun to work with and watch them grow up during their time with us.
Hobbies: Reading, digital scrapbooking, and catching up on TV shows.
Favorite Quote: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”
Favorite Children’s Book: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Favorite Children’s Song:“Who Came to School Today?”

Trish stared with Lakeside in January 2024 and began working in child care in 1996. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Fontbonne University in Family and Consumer Science, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Early Care and Education from STLCC. She is state certified in Early Childhood Education Birth-3rd grade, Elementary Education 1st-6th grade, and Family and Consumer Sciences Birth-12th grade. Trish grew up in Oakville with her parents and older sister, and graduated from Oakville High School. She now lives in Imperial with her husband Nick, daughter Clarabel, and son Camden. She loves spending time with her family and playing with her dog, a shih-poo named Charlie.

Supervisors:

Annie Riordan

Annie Riordan

Senior Supervisor

Began Teaching in: 2005, Lakeside May 2011.
Family: Husband Nick and 2 children, Larke and Lincoln.
Why you like working with children: The best part about working with children is everything they learn and milestones they reach. Watching them do it for the first time is rewarding.
Hobbies: I love being outside and anything that has to do with being by water.
Favorite Quote: “Everyone needs a passion. That’s what keeps life interesting. If you live without passion, you can go through life without leaving any footprints.” – Betty White
Favorite Children’s Book: There is an Alligator Under My Bed
Favorite Children’s Song: “It’s a Hard Knock Life” from the Annie movie.
Judi Parr

Judi Parr

Opening Supervisor

Began Teaching in: April 2009
Family: Husband (Steve), 3 sons (Jake, Sam and James), 1 daughter (Alison and Son-in-law, Tim) and 2 Grandchildren (Emilio and Charlotte)
Why you like working with children: Hugs, smiles and the messy learning process.
Hobbies: Reading and crafts
Favorite Quote: “I don’t know where I’m going but I’m on my way.” – Carol Sagan
Favorite Children’s Book: The Little Red Hen By J.P Miller
Favorite Children’s Song: “You are my Sunshine”

Megan Compton

Megan Compton

Closing Supervisor

Began Teaching in: May 2011
Family: My husband, Alexander, our son, Chase, and our dogs: Bentley, Finnegan, and Arfie.
Why you like working with children: I love watching the “light bulb” moments as children learn and They keep each day new and interesting.
Hobbies: Photography, being with friends and family, going to Blues games and being outside.
Favorite Quote: “To live would be an awfully big adventure.” – Peter Pan
Favorite Children’s Book: The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak
Favorite Children’s Song:  “You Are My Sunshine”
Joe Fischesser

Joe Fischesser

Lead Teacher – Pre School – 4 Year Olds/Kitchen

Began Teaching in: October 2002.
Family: Dad, mom, sister and nephew
Why you like working with children: It’s an adventure. I enjoy seeing what they will do, explore or get into. It’s also a rollercoaster, they are up and down, they are wild and calm. But, mostly because of what they will become.
Hobbies: Cardinal Baseball, sports and working out
Favorite Quote: “You can do anything if you think positive and put you mind towards it.” – Self
Favorite Children’s Book: Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom By Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Favorite Children’s Song: “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”

Thank you for 3+ years of dedication and loyalty to Lakeside!

Diana Nolan

Diana Nolan

Lead Teacher Two-Year-Olds

Began Teaching in: August 2004.
Family: I have been married to Larry Nolan for 18 years; between us we have 5 children. The oldest is 38 and the youngest is 23. We have 9 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Why you like working with children: Working with two year olds keeps me happy. They have a way of brightening even the darkest day. It is exciting to see them reach new milestones. This is an exciting age.
Hobbies: I enjoying making things out of wood. Quilt racks, benches and plaques. I spend time on Facebook, my grandchildren live in different parts of the country. It is good to see pictures of them and how they are changing.
Favorite Quote: “A hundred years for now…It will not matter what kind of car I drive, what kind of house I lived in, nor how much money I had in my bank account. But the world may be better because I was important in the life of a child.”
Favorite Children’s Book: The Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle
Favorite Children’s Song: My favorite songs include motions and funny voices. “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” is high on my list. We sing three versions. The original version, “The Great BIG Spider” and “The Itsy Bitsy Tiny Little Spider.” I smile as I watch the children mimic the different faces and voices I use with each version.
Elizabeth (Beth) Dotson

Elizabeth (Beth) Dotson

Lead Teacher Infant Program

Began Teaching in: 1995.
Family: Daughter (Amanda), Son-in-law (Sean), 2 granddaughters (Alaina and Adelynn), son (Jaycen), and Dog (Shilo). I have both of my parents, sister, and a lot of cousins and extended family.
Why you like working with children: Knowing that I can be a positive influence in the growth and development of infants and toddlers.
Hobbies: Anything with my grandkids, kids, and movies.
Favorite Quote: From the “The Starfish Story” by Loren Eiseleg, “I can make a difference to this one”
Favorite Children’s Book: The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Favorite Children’s Song: “Five Little Ducks”
Christa Davis

Christa Davis

Lead Teacher

Began Teaching in: September 2012.
Family: Husband (Nathan), mom, dad, sister, brother, 2 brother-in-laws, 2 sister-in-laws, 3 nephews and 1 niece.
Why you like working with children: I like hearing the children’s ideas and watching them grow. Also, how they interact with each other.
Hobbies: Scrapbooking and needle pointing.
Favorite Quote: “Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” – Charles R. Swindoll
Favorite Children’s Book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle and the Piggy and Elephant series by Mo Willems
Favorite Children’s Song: “You are my Sunshine”

Laura Olson

Laura Olson

Lead Teacher

Began Teaching in May 2018.
Family: I have a wonderful mother and father, an older brother and a grandmother who lives in one of the cottages at Cape Albeon.
Why you like working with children: I love teaching the children new things and they make me laugh. Watching them write letters for the first time is really special.
Hobbies: I love taking pictures, being outdoors, and watching TV series.
Favorite Quote: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein
Favorite Children’s Book: Corduroy by Don Freeman
Favorite Children’s Song: “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and “Take me out to the Ballgame”

Carol Pate

Carol Pate

Assistant

Began Teaching in: April 2012
Family: 2 daughters (Tina and Brenda), 4 grandsons (Cody, Austin, Sam and Jake), 2 great granddaughters (Piper and Haven), 1 stepdaughter (Julie), 2 step granddaughters (Hannah and Rachel) and 2 step great granddaughters (Autumn and Ahmani).
Why you like working with children: I love watching them learn how to do new things and I love listening to the children learn how to talk, children are and funny. They make you feel happy.
Hobbies: I like spending time with my grandkids (going to school activities and sports activities) I enjoy sports and going to the movies.
Favorite Quote: “Time spent playing with children, it’s never wasted.”
Favorite Children’s Books: Bambi
Favorite Children’s Song: “10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”
Pam Hunt

Pam Hunt

Assistant

Began Teaching in: August 2014.
Family: I have a great nephew and 2 great nieces.
Why you like working with children: They teach me something new daily.
Hobbies: Being in a pool, reading and watching TV.
Favorite Quotes: “The 5 P’s: Prior Planning Prevents Present Problems” – Anonymous
Favorite Children’s Book: Love You Forever By Robert Munsch
Favorite Children’s Song: “The Wheels on the Bus”
Michelle Schilli

Michelle Schilli

Assistant

Began Teaching in: March 2017.
Family: I am married to my wonderful husband, and have a daughter named Abigail.
Why you like working with children: I love working with children because they bring a lot of joy, and a lot of smiles. The greatest thing is when a child discovers something new and gets all excited about it. That is the greatest teaching moment. The hugs are the best, I love my job.
Hobbies: I love spending time with my family and visit many fun places with them like the zoo, and Six Flags to name a few.
Favorite Quote: “A life with love will have some thorns, but a life without love will have no roses.” And also “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world” – Dr. Seuss
Favorite Children’s Book: On the Night You Were Born
Favorite Children’s Song: I like any children’s song by Raffi.

Billlie Layfield

Teacher

Began Teaching in February 2017.
Family: I have a husband, Nathan, we got married June of 2019. I am the oldest of 7 kids! I have two younger brothers and 4 younger sisters. I also have two nieces and two nephews.
Why you like working with children: I love watching them as they learn new skills! It’s so incredible to witness them as they develop!
Hobbies: I love crafting, crocheting, photography, reading, and playing cozy games on my computer or Switch.
Favorite Quote: “No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” – Taylor Swift
Favorite Children’s Book: The Monster at the End of the Book
Favorite Children’s Song: “Hickey Pickey Bumblebee”

Shelby Barger

Teacher

Began Teaching in 2020.
Family: Husband, Nathan. Daughter, Huntleigh.
Why you like working with children: I love watching them grow and achieve as they reach new milestones or achievements. It is rewarding knowing you had a part in their story to reach that point.
Hobbies: Building cornhole sets with my husband
Favorite Quote: While we try to teach children all about life…Children teach us what life is all about.
Favorite Children’s Book: The Wonderful Things You Will Be, God Gave Us You, and Goodnight Moon.
Favorite Children’s Song: “Tiny Tim” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It”