About Mrs. Amy Pickard:
I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home and was saved at a young age after hearing the Gospel during Awana at church. My family moved several times during my growing up years which gave me a variety of education experiences. I started elementary in a public school. We moved when I was entering 4th grade and I had the privilege of attending a Christian school for three years before another moved led my parents to homeschool. It was the teachers at my Christian school that inspired me to become a teacher.
I earned my elementary education degree from Pensacola Christian College and took my first teaching position at a Christian school on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. I taught 3rd grade there for four years before moving home to Minnesota. This transition allowed me the opportunity to pursue a Master’s degree through Liberty University. In 2011 God opened the door for me to come teach first grade at FBCS. My husband Ivan and I met here at Fourth Baptist Church and we were married in 2017. God blessed us with two beautiful girls and graciously allowed me to stay home with them for four years. I returned to FBCS in 2023. Last school year, I worked as a classroom aide and halfway through the school year, my son was born! As I have a strong desire to return to teaching while balancing also being at home with my youngest child, this school year I am the Fourth Grade Section A primary teacher in the mornings, and Mrs. Kim Morrell will take over in the afternoons. God’s plans are always the best and I am eager to see what He has in store for this year!
About Mrs. Patricia Coelho:
Hi, my name is Patricia Coelho. I am the daughter of Italian immigrants, born and raised in Brazil, and I first came to know the Lord at age fourteen when a missionary shared the gospel with my family.
For the past 27 years, I’ve been married to my husband, Dr. Roberto Coelho, and together we have three children—Samuel, Sophia, and Isabella. We also serve in ministry as church planters in São Paulo – Brazil, which has been a blessing and a constant source of growth in our faith.
I hold a BA degree in Portuguese and English Literature, a second degree in Elementary Education, and an MA in Bilingual Education from UniDomBosco, Curitiba-Paraná, Brazil. I have 19 years of teaching experience.
My academic background and ministry experience have given me opportunities to work closely with children and families, both in education and in church settings. I am passionate about serving others and grateful for the chance to contribute to this school community.
I am passionate about learning and sharing knowledge with students. I believe that appropriate lessons will promote and motivate children to be better thinkers!
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”- Benjamin Franklin
About Mrs. Kim Morrell:
I was raised in a Christian family. I accepted Jesus as my personal savior when I was 11 years old. I knew I was a sinner in need of a savior. After church one Sunday, I talked to my pastor. It was then that I put my faith and trust in Jesus. I attended Northland Baptist Bible College and majored in Elementary Education. It was there that I met my husband Matt. We were married after I graduated in 1999 and moved to MN for Matt to attend seminary. While in seminary, Matt became the youth pastor at Chicago Lakes Baptist Church. I also taught 3rd grade at the Christian school there until my oldest was born. After he was born, I had the privilege of staying home with him and the rest of my children. In 2008, God led our family to Fourth Baptist Church where Matt serves as the senior pastor. Matt and I have 5 children. Our oldest 3 have graduated from college now, our second-youngest is beginning college. Our youngest is a high school student at FBCS.
Over the last 20 plus years as a pastors’s wife, God has given me many opportunities to work with children in the church and school. In 2020, I began working at FBCS as an elementary teacher’s aide and substitute teacher. I came on full-time as a seconda grade teacher several years ago. Because we didn’t need two sections of 2nd grade this school year, I am a classroom aide for 4th grade section A in the mornings, and will be the teacher for academic subjects in the afternoons for both 4th grade classes.