We are excited to welcome three new faculty members for the 2022-2023 school year. Meet Mr. Jeremy Burford, Mrs. Emily Steimle & Ms. Amy Wibbenmeyer!
Mr. Jeremy Burford
We are excited to be welcoming back Jeremy Burford! Mr. Burford will be teaching Journalism, Yearbook and Web Broadcasting for the 2022-2023 school year. He previously taught in the Communication Arts Department at Notre Dame from 2013-2018, and has fourteen years of experience as a radio producer and on-air personality.
Mr. Burford is a 1996 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. He said that “the school has remained a fixture in his life ever since” and that he hopes to carry the mission of the school forward as a faculty member.
“We welcome back Jeremy Burford,” said Assistant Principal Paul Unterreiner. “As incredible as he is in the classroom and with our students, he’s an even better husband and father. He will no doubt make a positive impact on the students at Notre Dame and be a great role model of a Catholic man. Simply put, he’s an inspiring educator and just a good person.”
“More than anything else, I’m excited about working in a classroom environment and building relationships there,” said Mr. Burford. “I look forward to facilitating opportunities for my students to apply their talents in exciting ways, with a focus on real-world experiences.”
Mr. Burford and his wife, Andrea, recently celebrated twenty years of marriage. Mrs. Burford is a 1996 graduate of Notre Dame and is the Notre Dame Boys Volleyball head coach and the freshman coach for the girls’ volleyball team. Their daughter, Cora, will be a sophomore at ND, and their son, Loren, will be an eighth grader. Mr. Burford enjoys hiking, disc golf, music production and playing/collecting board games.
Mrs. Emily Steimle
A visit to the school’s youth trick-or-treating event led Emily Steimle to Notre Dame.
“In October of 2021, I brought my daughter and niece up to trick-or-treat through Notre Dame. My experience that day left me feeling that this place was special. I can’t really describe how I felt other than to say that there was just this sense of peace within these halls that you don’t feel at other schools.
I literally called my husband and said ‘if that theatre spot ever opens up, I’m applying.’ Lucky for me,” said Mrs. Steimle, “I saw that there was an opening just three months later. And the rest is history.”
Mrs. Steimle will be teaching Drama, English 3/4, Business Math and Earth Science. She said it’s “kind of a wild mix, but I like the variety.”
She holds a Masters in Business Administration with teaching certificates for science, theatre and speech. Additionally, she has over a decade of experience backstage and on stage in the theatre, most recently Sikeston Little Theatre.
Before coming to Notre Dame, she spent three years as a science teacher at Kelly Middle School, and then moved to the Sikeston school district to start up their theatre department.
“My favorite hobby is theatre. I spent a good part of my life believing that it would always JUST be a hobby, and have been incredibly fortunate to find a career that lets me do what I love to do all day,” said Mrs. Steimle.
“The foundation that Cindy King laid, and what she has done for Notre Dame and theatre for the last 50 years is incredible,” said Assistant Principal Paul Unterreiner. “Emily Steimle is the perfect person to take those reigns and lead ND theatre into the future. She has immense experience with the Sikeston Little Theatre and we are grateful to have her. The diverse range of subjects she can teach makes her so valuable for us. Under her direction, I truly feel Notre Dame will become the destination for all young people dedicated to theatre.”
Mrs. Steimle is looking forward to her time at Notre Dame. “I’m excited about the fall play, of course. I can’t wait to get started. I’m excited about the spring musical, too! I’m even excited to be teaching science again for one hour a day! I’m really excited for Activity Week because I think it will be a wildly fun time.”
“Obviously, it’s not too hard to get me hyped up. I jump into everything I do with a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. “So, even though I’m definitely soaking in these last weeks of summer with my girl, I very much look forward to August.”
Mrs. Steimle and her husband have been married for nine years, and have a seven-year-old daughter named Lucy. They live in New Hamburg with their two dogs, Lexie and Sunny.
Ms. Amy Wibbenmeyer
Notre Dame is home to Amy Wibbenmeyer.
“I chose to work at Notre Dame because when I attended it was my second home,” she said. “I remember coming home on my first day freshman year and I was like ‘wow’ that place is awesome. I hated leaving my senior year, so I am very excited to be home this next school year!”
Ms. Wibbenmeyer will be teaching Foods I, Foods II, International Foods, Life Skills, Clothing Construction, and Housing and Interior Design. She will also be the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) adviser.
Ms. Wibbenmeyer graduated from Notre Dame in 2012. She attended East Central College for one year to play volleyball, and then attended Missouri State University to finish her undergraduate degree. She also holds a Masters in Family and Consumer Sciences Secondary Education from MSU.
Ms. Wibbenmeyer comes to us from Cape Central High School where she taught Family & Consumer Science (FACS) for the 2021-2022 school year. Previously, she spent five years teaching at Oran High School, while also being the FCCLA adviser and on the volleyball coaching staff. She is on the MoEFCS board which helps put on professional development for FACS teachers in Missouri and across the country.
“Amy Wibbenmeyer will take the foundation laid by Tanya Davis, and make our Family and Consumer Science Department the best in Southeast Missouri,” said Assistant Principal Paul Unterreiner. “With her having great experience in the classroom setting and in conferences, Notre Dame’s FCCLA program will take off under her leadership. I truly look forward to seeing her light up our hallways and guide our students at Notre Dame.”
“I am excited to get to meet all the students and help them grow every year in their faith and academics, and push them to be the best adults they can be – just like my teachers did when I went to school here,” said Ms. Wibbenmeyer.
Ms. Wibbenmeyer is engaged to Blake Neal and they welcomed a son, Colton, earlier this year. She has three dogs named Oliver, Spade and Mia, and a cat named Titan. Her hobbies include working out, cooking, shopping, coaching volleyball and hanging out with her family.