Meet Our Bright Beginnings Teachers
Julie Sahlin
Director & 4-Day AM Teacher (3-Year-Olds)
I’m Julie Sahlin, the director of Bright Beginnings Preschool. Along with directing, I will be teaching the four-day three-year-old class. I hold a degree in elementary education with a specialization in early childhood education and am licensed in Iowa to teach pre-kindergarten to sixth grade. Between public and private schools, I have over twenty-five years of experience. The last fifteen years have been spent teaching pre-kindergarten at another United Methodist Church as a community partner with Des Moines Public Schools. Besides nineteen years as a pre-kindergarten teacher, I have also taught first, second, and third grades. Outside of the classroom, one of my favorite experiences as an educator was serving on a team that wrote the elementary science curriculum for a large school district in Texas.
My husband and I reside in Johnston. We have two daughters in the almost-grown-and-flown stage of life. One has recently graduated from college, becoming the fifth generation to pursue a career in education. My younger daughter is currently a student at Rice University in Houston, where she is majoring in chemical engineering and is a member of the Rice Owl Dance Team.
I am also a native Houstonian. Traveling there? I’m more than happy to discuss my favorite city. The Houston Astros are my favorite sports team. Being married to a University of Southern California graduate, I’ve adopted them as my favorite college football team, aside from my SFA Lumberjacks.
My husband and I reside in Johnston. We have two daughters in the almost-grown-and-flown stage of life. One has recently graduated from college, becoming the fifth generation to pursue a career in education. My younger daughter is currently a student at Rice University in Houston, where she is majoring in chemical engineering and is a member of the Rice Owl Dance Team.
I am also a native Houstonian. Traveling there? I’m more than happy to discuss my favorite city. The Houston Astros are my favorite sports team. Being married to a University of Southern California graduate, I’ve adopted them as my favorite college football team, aside from my SFA Lumberjacks.
Lucia Arreola
5-Day AM Teacher (4-Year-Olds)
My name is Lucia Arreola. I have been a substitute teacher in Iowa for the past couple of years, and I am so excited to have a group of students I will be able to see every day this school year. One of my passions is working with young students to help them learn and grow with compassion and faith. I am eager to meet the students and learn just as much from them as I hope they do from me. I went to the University of California, Irvine, am bilingual, and during High School and college, I worked as a teacher’s assistant.
Shauna Gilchrist
Parents Morning Out Teacher (2-Year-Olds)
I have 5 years of experience educating young children, and I especially love 2-year-olds. I went to DMACC. I am a mother of two. I believe in living life with purpose and passion. I love spending time with family and friends, shopping, and modeling. I also love journaling and planning trips.
