I joined the preschool staff as director in August, 2015. As I look back upon my entire adult career, I have been called to vocations serving children, youth, and families and it is among these relationships that God uses me best and to which I feel most called. I thrive on affirming for children that they are known and beloved by God and journeying with them and their families in helping them become all God intends for them to be. So I am thrilled to be working with the preschool staff and families as together we do just this in a safe and supportive academic setting. I live east of Deming with my husband John, and daughters Sophia and Eleanor.
I am a retired music teacher, having spent most of my career split between elementary general music and secondary choir. I taught in the Ellensburg, Port Angeles, Bellevue, and Issaquah School Districts. More recently, I have been a student teaching supervisor, observing, evaluating, and guiding the music teachers of tomorrow for WWU. We moved to Whatcom County to be close to our daughter’s family (Sarah, Matt, and granddaughters Lena and Ellison), where they, too, are in education. We love living in Ferndale and recently became members of Christ Lutheran Church, where I serve as director of the music program. Our choir is vibrant, as is our many praise teams and instrumentalists who share their talents weekly with the worshipping community. Jenise, my wife, and I are “parents” to a Yellow Lab who keeps us active exploring the trails around Whatcom County.
A life-long member of CLC, Shay Andersen was born and raised in the PNW. After years of school, adventure, & non-profit work, she found herself settling down with her husband and two kids in Ferndale. Shay loves working with this church and this community!
