New Faculty faces include alum

With several retirements last spring and 152 teens in the class of 2026, it’s no surprise that your Lakeside Lutheran has quite a few new teacher faces, as well as a new full-time counselor. Add these to our new Development Director (p. 2), new roles for current faculty (p. 3), and new part-time staff in the front office and kitchen, and there have been intros galore! If you missed the annual fun and informative What’s New at Lakeside video, check it out—too many blessings to count!

Steven Springborn

Our new Choral Director handles A Cappella, Cantate, Freshmen Chorus and Swing Choir—and teaches composition. “I’m excited to work with so many young Christians, to train them to be lifelong, active worshippers,” he says. Steven grew up in Northern Minnesota and attended high school at St. Croix in West St. Paul. His focus at MLC was elementary education and secondary choral music education. Hobbies include piano playing (see @TheLutheranPianist on Facebook), musical theatre, and weightlifting. He and his wife, Amy (from Lebanon, Wis.), taught at a bilingual school in the Dominican Republic for a year and then began teaching careers in Arizona. Most recently, he taught at Nebraska Lutheran High School in Waco. Amy teaches Spanish for Amazing Grace Virtual Academy while she “directs” their four children: Josiah (8), Violet (6), Leo (4) and Stella (1).

Tanya Tomfohrde

Called to fill a new math department position, she also assists with cross country. “I’m most excited to get back into full-time teaching with my own classroom since I have been away from it for the past four year to spend more time with my family,” she says. Tomfohrde went to Nebraska Lutheran High School and MLC. She recently completed a master’s degree in mathematics education from the University of Nebraska-Kearney. She and her husband, Matt, have three children Kaylee (11), Aaron (9), and Nathan (6). They love to go to the beach and travel out west. The family lives in Lake Mills.

Katelyn Edwards

Miss Edwards was assigned to Lakeside at MLC’s call day last spring. She teaches English and works with the yearbook and dance team. The oldest of nine children, she was homeschooled through eighth grade and then attended West Lutheran High School, Plymouth, Minn. Her favorite hobby is dancing. “I’ve performed, choreographed, and taught dance for many years,” she says. “Last summer I was blessed with the opportunity to dance the lead in a mini ballet production of Sleeping Beauty.”

Dustin Yahnke

Pastor Yahnke teaches junior and senior religion, leads the Operation Go mission trip program, and assists with boys varsity soccer. “What excites me most is building relationships with students so I can help them grow in their love and knowledge of their Savior Jesus, with whom they will spend eternity!” says Yahnke, who graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2005. “There are so many challenges we all face in the world, and it seems like young people are facing more than ever before. I am excited to do my best to prepare Lakeside students to meet those challenges, and I hope to become one of the people in their lives that they know they can turn to if they want to hear the truth in love.” Yahnke and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for 21 years and have six children: Ellie (19), Jay (17), Elijah (16), Matthias (13), Lily (11), and Solomon (8). He most recently served as pastor at Trinity, Watertown, for over six years, and the family continues their membership there. scan with your phone camera!

Rebecca Johnson

Martin Luther College also assigned Miss Johnson to us last May. She double majored in Elementary and Special Education. Johnson supports students in the Extended Learning Center and teaches pre-algebra. She also assists with Teens for Christ service group and the yearbook. Middle sib of three, she was raised in Delaware. “I have been to Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Costa Rica through the blessing of a dad who works for American Airlines,” she admits. In her free time she enjoys knitting and reading. “I am really excited to get to know everyone on the faculty at Lakeside and to be able to build relationships with all the students that I will be working with throughout this school year,” she says.

Hannah Uher

A familiar face on campus—former teacher and still varsity girls soccer coach—Uher returns as a full-time school counselor. “I am so excited to see all of the students again every day! I have missed being with my Lakeside family over the last year, and I am over the moon excited to be back,” she says. She and husband, Eric, live in Sun Prairie and attend Peace, where he teaches sixth grade. They have a dog, Callie. In 2022, she received her MS Ed. in Professional School Counseling from Concordia University-Wisconsin. In her free time she enjoys reading, playing board games, and drinking coffee.

Two Forever Warriors found themselves back in LLHS classrooms this fall. However, this time they’re the ones encouraging learning and maintaining classroom discipline. Dennis Leckwee ‘93 teaches six sections of Freshman Religion. He also coaches football and golf. He has served in South Dakota and multiple locations in Wisconsin. In 2001, he was part of starting Grace Lutheran School in Kenai, Alaska and the family lived there for eight years. What kind of student was he in high school? The man voted Class Clown, Most Accident Prone, and Worst Car, says, “I was naughty. Not suspended-naughty, though.” He is glad to be back on campus. “I have heard great things about how Lakeside is growing and that it has a great culture and reputation. I am excited about being a part of that and having the opportunity to share the message of Jesus’ love with each and everyone of the students there.” Leckwee enjoys hunting, boating, and fishing. He and his wife, Christin, have six daughters Madison (Nathan) Boulden, Clara, Patricia, Aurora, Faith, and Bethel.

Jason Fry ‘03 is an adjunct who teaches Junior Religion (Doctrine) and Practical Math. He also coaches the 7th grade Junior Warriors football team. Voted Most Involved, Best Personality and Biggest Mouth in his class, he’s happy to be teaching at his alma mater. “I thoroughly and genuinely enjoyed my time at Lakeside as a student,” he says. He can’t pinpoint a best memory because he has so many, having been active in band and choir, three sports, and three drama productions. “Every one of those experiences left me with great memories.” That’s why he’s been trying to make high school a time with great memories for this generation of students. “So far it has been a great experience. I relate to the students that some may label as ‘troublemakers.’ I see a lot of myself in them,” he says. “Many of them are like me when I was a student ... spirited.” Fry, who once worked on a charter fishing boat in Alaska, is married to Kayla and they have five children: McKenna 10; Hugh 7; Jacqueline 4; Logan 1, and baby #5 due in December. Kayla serves as Early Childhood Center Director at St. Peter, Helenville. The family has also a dog, Poppy, and two cats, Pounce and Socks. In his spare time, “as an old man, I still play baseball in the summers with the Helenville Rebels,” he says. Called for 1 year, he’s making the most of it. “I don’t know how long Lakeside needs me, but while I’m here I am going to provide as much of a positive Christian influence on these students as I can,” he says. “These may be the last years to impress Christ-like values on our young adults before they’re off on their own.”

(Top): Leckwee clearly has freshmen attention already since the class of 2026 won a competition in order to be able to dress him like a baby for homecoming; with Christin, their six girls and a sonin-law (middle); LL yearbook candid from ‘92/93 (bottom).