Bethel Junior Academy is blessed to have two wonderful teachers in addition to lots of volunteer staff. Learn more about our teachers from their bio's below.
Principal and Co-teacher for grades 1-8
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a Psychology emphasis from Southern Adventist University
- Certified by the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists for elementary with junior high endorsements in English, General Science, Religion, and Social Studies
- Kindergarten endorsement
- Pursuing a Master’s degree in Leadership at Andrews University
- 16 years of experience as a Principal/teacher in Adventist elementary schools
A Note From the Teacher
I consider myself blessed to have been a Military BRAT growing up. Blessed because I was able to travel and live in different countries and states, and blessed to attend a variety of interesting schools along the way. I was primarily educated in the Adventist school system, when it was possible. I moved many times as a child and attended enough schools to last me a lifetime by the time I graduated from high school, so I felt I was finished with education and would just start a career. God had other ideas for my life, and after allowing me a small break from school, He called me to pursue a degree in Education. Now I spend every day in the classroom, and I thank God that He had a better plan for my life than I had for myself. I have five great kids, and a wife who also support my work as a teacher. I still have to move from time to time, and I still have to go to school, and I thought I never wanted to do either in my adult life. I discovered that I am content to follow the path God has for my life and teach my students to do the same as they learn to follow His leading in their lives. I count showing my students how to have a relationship with God as my greatest accomplishment as a teacher.
Co-teacher for grades 1-8
Hi! My name is Danielle (Lawson) Lawrence or as the BJA students call me “Ms. Danielle.” I am the current 5th-8th grade homeroom teacher at Bethel Jr. Academy and I also teach math and social studies to grades 1-4. My husband Andrew and I reside in Sparta, Wisconsin with our cat Grrrr. I grew up in rural Southwest Wisconsin near La Crosse among the bluffs and hills of the Coulee Region. I gained a love of learning and teaching at a young age by being born into a family of teachers and it stuck. My K-10 years were spent at Hylandale SDA Church School near Rockland, Wisconsin. I graduated from Bangor High School in 1999. For my initial college years, I headed south and attended Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas where I graduated in 2003 with a B.S. in Broadcasting Communication and a Minor in History. I felt called to return to Wisconsin after graduating to teach at Hylandale. The “teaching” was supposed to be a temporary fill in until someone more permanent could be found, but after just a year I was hooked on teaching young people and sharing Jesus’ love with them. I finished my Post Baccalaureate Teacher Education program and requirements for my English degree at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 2015. I accepted a call to teach at Bethel Jr. Academy in August 2016 to the present. I am licensed through the State of Wisconsin to teach English Language Arts and Social Studies to grades 5-10 and in addition hold teaching certification through the North American Division of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. I am currently working towards a Masters Degree and a secondary endorsement in religion.
In my free time I enjoy singing and playing various musical instruments, hiking, swimming, treasure hunting for vintage items, traveling, reading, diving into history, writing, and spending time with all of our wonderful family. I harbor a life long love for green things including emeralds, Ireland, the Green-Bay Packers, and of course dill pickles.
One of my favorite quotes is by Ellen G. White stating, “So we should teach. Let the children learn to see in nature an expression of the love and the wisdom of God.