Say hello to the staff and faculty at St. Peter's Lutheran Church and School!

Oliver LaMie is the Pastor at Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church. He also teaches the religion class for 6^th through 8^th grade. He attended St. Paul's Lutheran School in Woodworth IL, Christ Lutheran High School in Buckley IL. He earned a degree in Lay Ministry and Theology from Concordia University Wisconsin, where he met his wife Bethany. He graduated with a Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary St. Louis, having received the call to serve as Pastor in Prairietown. He enjoys cooking, music, and collecting antique rifles.

Mrs. Melissa Burns is our current Principal and Teacher of Grades K-3. She has been a life-long member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, attended St. Peter’s Lutheran School in grades 1st -8th, went to Edwardsville High School, and continued her education with a basketball scholarship to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where she earned her degree in Elementary Education in 1991.  She taught at St. Peter’s for three years and then stayed home with her three children, Jessica, Molly and Garrett. She returned to teaching at Zion Staunton, and then came back to St. Peter’s where she has been since then. Director of VBS, Retired Prairietown Volunteer Fireman, Sunday School Superintendent, and Past Youth Group Director are other titles that she carries and enjoys volunteer work within her community. 

Karlie earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and later completed her Special Education Endorsement through Greenville University. This year, 2025, marks the seventh year in her teaching profession.

A fun fact about her: she actually attended St. Peter’s Lutheran School from Kindergarten through 8th grade, so it’s very special to now be teaching here. She lives in Holiday Shores with her husband and their two children. When she's not in the classroom, she enjoys spending time with my family and sewing in her free time.

Mollie Lavezzi is a lifelong member at Zion Bethalto where she attended school and then went to Metro East Lutheran. She graduated from 2012 from Southeast Missouri State with a degree in teaching. She married her husband in 2016, and they currently live in Wood River. Mrs. Lavezzi loves working with her preschoolers to help them learn more about God and the world he made, she especially loves teaching science classes and sharing her joy of reading. 

Tara Robertson is our current Secretary and Treasurer. She is a current member of St. Peters Lutheran Church. She attended Edwardsville High school and continued her education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where she obtained a Bachelors Degree in Sociology with an emphasis in employment relations. She was married to her husband, Andrew, in 2014 at St. Peters Lutheran Church. They have two children, Elena and Wyatt, who currently attend St. Peters Lutheran school. Tara had 8 years of experience in the finance industry before staying home to raise her two children. Tara enjoys camping, fall weather, beach vacations, spending time with her family and friends and hosting events.

Maria Day is happy to be teaching at St. Peter’s Lutheran school. She has over 40 years of experience in education. She received both her BS and MS from SIU-E. She loves being a teacher! Her family includes her husband, 2 daughters and 2 dogs. She visits Honduras during the summer doing mission work. She likes gardening and reading. She and her husband also pastor a church in Sorento.