Meet Our Preschool Staff!

Traci Waugh-Rinehart

Director of St. Matthew Preschool

I joined St. Matthew Preschool in the 2020-2021 school year. I have two sons (Cetan who is 31 and James who is 14), two daughters (Loralie who is 15 and Madeline Renee is a heaven baby), and several foster children. I assist coach baseball for a competitive high school team. My youngest son, James, plays baseball and basketball almost year-round. My daughter, Loralie, is very much into art, music, and writing. I enjoy nature walks, reading, and painting. Warm weather is my favorite time of the year especially if it involves a beach. I am a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church. I am grateful to be able to guide children, families, and staff to know Jesus. I am blessed to work with such wonderful staff members who share their passion for teaching and love of Jesus.

Katie Smith

Administrative Assistant

Hi, I’m Katie Smith. I have been at St. Matthew Preschool for almost four years. I was a teacher for almost two years then on the administration/office side for two years. I’ve been a member of St. Matthews Lutheran Church for five years with my husband and four children. Our oldest two play soccer in the spring and fall. We love being outside camping, fishing, and boating with our family. I’m also active with the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

Stable Room - PreK+ (M to F)

Karin Dillabough

Stable Room Lead Teacher and Assistant Director

Hi! My name is Karin Dillabough (pronounced Dill-ah-bow). I will be starting my 8th year as a teacher at St Matthew this school year. I am the lead in the Stable Room and I serve as the Assistant to the Preschool Director.

I am originally from the Detroit area, but I moved to Lee’s Summit 26 years ago to start my family with my husband, Jason. We have 4 kids. Our oldest, Jordan, graduated from college in 2024 and moved to Disney World to be a performer. Our son, Kannon, will be a sophomore at UMKC studying business and Human Resources. Our youngest are twin girls, Jenna & Kenedie. They are juniors at LSW and spend all of their time with friends, in dance or theatre, and working their part-time jobs. The girls are proud graduates of St Matthew Preschool.

My background is in Biology and art, but I love to teach this age! I was honored to receive the 2023 Excellence in Early Care and Education Award and bring some more attention to our sweet school. I like to give one-on-one attention to our little learners and meet them where they are socially, emotionally, and academically. In our classroom we learn a lot of big kid words, do lots of messy science experiments, and practice being great humans to our family and friends.

When I am not at school playing and creating, I am usually in the audience of a dance competition or theatre performance or planning a trip to Disney. I own the preschool’s Disney room and can talk Disney for hours!

My family attends St. Matthew to worship - usually on Saturday nights. I am so very passionate about what we do at the preschool and so grateful to be a part of this amazing team.

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Lisa Koenig

Stable Room Assistant Teacher

Hello! My name is Lisa Koenig. I have just completed my first year of teaching at St Matthew’s Preschool. I was able to sub at the end of last after teaching preschool for 15 years at Messiah Lutheran. I am a church member at Timothy Lutheran in Blue Springs. My husband Corey and I have been married for just over 30 years. Now that our two boys are on their own, we spend our time playing pickleball and walking our 130-pound Bernese Mountain dog. I love to read books, walk, and cheer on our local Kansas City teams, especially the Chiefs!

Children's Room - PreK+ (M to F)

Sheri Clark

Children’s Room Lead Teacher

Hi, my name is Sheri Clark. I have been a teacher here at St. Matthew for 19 years. I am one of the PreK teachers. I started as a mom, as both of my girls attended and graduated from St. Matthew Preschool. I am married to my husband Doug and have 2 grown girls. Doug and I have been members of St. Matthew for 30 years. In my spare time, I enjoy playing pickleball, walking, baking, and spending time with friends and family.

Teaching children is never a dull moment. I LOVE what I do!!

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Rachel Falke

Children’s Room Assistant Teacher

My name is Rachel Falke. This is my first year at St. Matthew Preschool as the assistant teacher in the Children’s room with Ms. Sheri. I attend Woods Chapel Church. I have been married to my husband, Cody, for 13 years and we have two children, Zach and Tommy. I enjoy reading and spending time with my family, especially outdoors. We enjoy disc golfing, hiking, and fishing.

Noah Room - Preschool and PreK (M to F)

Mindy Pollo

Noah Room Lead Teacher

My name is Mindy, this is my 8th year teaching at St. Matthew Preschool. I am married to my husband Brian, and we have 1 daughter, Jordy, and 1 son, Caden. Both kids keep us busy on the softball/baseball fields. So, in my spare time, I love watching my kids do what they love. If we have any downtime, we love to travel to the beach and relax. We also have our fur baby, Axel. I attend Holy Spirit Catholic Church. I LOVE working at St. Matthew. Helping kids learn to love school and watching them grow is truly amazing. My favorite part of St Matthew Preschool is teaching through play. We have so much fun throughout our day that they don’t realize they are learning.

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Sandy White

Noah Room Assistant Teacher

My name is Sandy White. I have the pleasure of working in the Noah Room with the preschool kids. I enjoy helping lead songs during chapel and working with the kids on their Bible verses. When not at school, I enjoy attending church at Abundant Life Church here in Lee’s Summit where I also serve in the preschool area. I am married to Abe, and we have 3 children, all of whom attended St. Matthew Preschool. Emily is 13, Liam is 10 and Rebekah is 7. As a family, we like to watch movies and play board games, and we especially like to travel. I also enjoy tending to my yard and building projects for my home and the preschool.

Ocean Room - Preschool (M to F)

Michelle Jeffries

Ocean Room Lead Teacher

I am Michelle Jeffries, I am the lead teacher in the Ocean room. My family and I attend Journey international church. I love spending time with my family, crafting, and being outside. In my free time, I love to read, volunteer at my girls’ schools, and enjoy all the lake life activities. I am married with 2 beautiful daughters, Peyton and Hailey! My favorite part about working at St. Matthew Preschool is I get to use my creativity to make learning fun. I love helping our youngest students learn to be independent and develop an excitement to learn.

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Anna Butler

Ocean Room Assistant Teacher

Hello, my name is Anna! I am 23 years old and just graduated from Missouri State University with my Bachelor in Fine Art in Photography. I have two little brothers and a dog named Rocky. One thing I am passionate about is art. I believe art is such a beautiful way to connect with God. He is the ultimate artist and we are His masterpiece. I go to Journey Church International and Paradigm at Abundant Life. Some things I love to do include reading, running, crocheting, and taking pictures.