Faces of GBAPS
The Green Bay Area Public School District is lucky to have staff and students with a wide range of talents, interests, and rich life experiences. Faces of GBAPS profiles these unique members of our community throughout the school year.
2024-2025
- Emily Lofdahl
- Braulio Torres Valdovinos
- Chris Williams
- Matt Tompkins
- Allyson Schiltz
- Tom Sebranek
- Peyton Kuehn
- Karly Slaughter
- Kristen & Cooper Worden
- Xai Lawrence
- Raegan Rentmeester
- Adam Wiskerchen
- Ryan Vandenboom
Emily Lofdahl
Meet Emily Lofdahl!
Emily is a 3rd grade teacher at Sullivan Elementary School. This school year is her second year teaching at Sullivan and she also student-taught there. Her peers say she is a teacher 24/7, meaning she never stops thinking and reflecting on how to help, or improve her students' academics, emotional, and social needs. Emily is also a GBAPS alumna, attending Red Smith School and graduating from Preble High School in 2019. Emily’s mother is also a teacher in the District, making her a second generation GBAPS teacher!
She loves working with her students at Sullivan, but outside of school her greatest love is her French bulldog, LuLu. She also loves to support her students by attending their extracurricular activities like soccer and football games.
Braulio Torres Valdovinos
Meet Braulio Torres Valdovinos!
Braulio is a new student and a sophomore at East High School. His charisma and personality have quickly made him an essential member of the East High Suicide Awareness Student Support Group. Over the past year, he has actively contributed to classroom presentations on suicide awareness in health class, even taking a leading role in teaching the topic. Braulio is an inquisitive student who consistently asks questions and has a strong desire to learn. As a multilingual learner, he is dedicated to improving his language skills.
Chris Williams
Meet Chris Williams!
Chris joined the Green Bay Area Public School District four years ago as a teacher at Franklin Middle School. He joined the team at Southwest High School for the 2024-25 school year as the new Athletics and Activities Director.
Chris and his family moved to Green Bay in 2016 when he was named the head coach of the Green Bay Blizzard arena football team. After his time with the Blizzard, his family wanted to stay in Green Bay because they said it was a great place to raise kids. Chris decided to use his Masters of Business Administration and seek a teaching license through the alternative process. He then joined the team at Franklin Middle School as a business teacher.
Chris said that although he loved being there for the students of GBAPS, he longed to get back into athletics and was thrilled by the opportunity at Southwest High School as the AD. Chris said he’s fortunate that his new role still allows him to make an impact on GBAPS students through his passion for athletics and activities.
Matt Tompkins
Meet Matt Tompkins!
Matt is a Facilities Carpenter for the Green Bay Area Public School District. He’s been with the District for four years. His teammates recognize him as a hard worker - he’s the first person in the parking lot each day. He is both a Green Bay Preble High School alumnus and a father of four GBAPS students.
Outside of work he coaches his children's sports and is active with school fundraisers. Matt and his family often host team dinners in their home. Matt works with a smile on his face and brightens the day of each person he meets. His dedication to our staff and students, and expert carpentry skills keep our schools safe and beautiful.
Allyson Schiltz
Meet Allyson Schiltz!
Allyson is an 11th grader at West High School. Allyson demonstrates a love of learning and pursuing her passion for music. She plays with the local band Johnny Wad and recently opened for the national act, Hairball. She participated in a The Tommy Foundation charity event to raise money for supporting children’s musical pursuits. For all her charity efforts and contributions to the musical community, Allyson won a drum set from The Tommy Foundation.
Allyson maintains good grades, participates in West’s wind ensemble, and school musical. Allyson works hard at her pursuit of fostering the arts in the Green Bay community.
Tom Sebranek
Meet Tom Sebranek!
Mr. Sebranek has been with the Green Bay Area Public School District as an Agriculture teacher for 32 years and currently teaches at Southwest High School. His peers say he is an amazing and dedicated teacher who spends so much time working on all things Agriculture - from honey to flowers to vegetables and more.
Mr. Sebranek’s colleagues say he is always available for his students, encouraging them and providing them with a plethora of real world opportunities. Students are excited to learn from Mr. Sebranek regarding real world applications of urban agriculture and conservation.
Peyton Kuehn
Meet Peyton Kuehn!
Peyton is a well-rounded Preble High School three-sport athlete and scholar. He plays football, basketball and baseball. He also ran cross country. Peyton is a team leader and earned FRCC All-Conference Baseball honors as an outfielder. His teachers and peers say Peyton has an incredible work ethic and he leads by example.
In his free time, Peyton enjoys fishing and spending time with family. He plans to attend UW-LaCrosse next year and will pitch for the Eagles baseball team.
Karly Slaughter
Meet Karly Slaughter!
Karly is a First Nations Specialist at Fort Howard Elementary School. She has been with the Green Bay Area Public School District for four years. Karly supports the efforts of GBAPS to meet academic, cultural, and language needs of First Nations students at Fort Howard. Karly supports native students with trips to Tsyunhekhkwa Farm and literacy support in classrooms, including assisting students in choosing native books. Karly also supports parents at the Parent Advisory Committee Meetings (PAC) while working with students in culturally responsive activities.
Kristen & Cooper Worden
Meet Kristen & Cooper Worden!
Kristen Worden is the Principal at Chappell Elementary School and her pal Cooper Worden is a certified therapy dog.
Students love having Cooper at school and he motivates some of the students to write and read more and work on self-management skills. Students who reach milestones have the opportunity to walk Cooper with Principal Worden. Some students have even talked through some of their problems with him.
“At conferences, I heard from so many families that when their child gets home they hear about Cooper every day,” Principal Worden said. “He has been a game changer with some of our students and brought such joy to so many.”
Cooper has a full day at Chappell! He greets students as they come to school and he makes frequent visits to classrooms throughout the day. Cooper joins Principal Worden while she does classroom observations and students understand that this is a time when he is also observing so they cannot interact with him.
The Chappell team says students have been amazing and they realize that in order to keep Cooper safe students need to be calm and in control of their bodies.
“Students have also learned about safety when working with a dog , how to approach a dog and how to pet them,” Principal Worden said.
Cooper is certified through the Alliance for Therapy Dogs and he volunteered at Aurora Hospital for about a year before he joined the team at Chappell. Cooper and Principal Worden went through extensive training prior to him being tested through the Alliance for Therapy Dogs. Many steps were taken to ensure Cooper meets the Green Bay Area Public Schools Board of Education policy, including additional liability coverage for him, up-to-date vaccinations, and vet visits.
Xai Lawrence
Meet Xai Lawrence!
Xai is the Senior Administrative Assistant in Special Education at the Green Bay Area Public School District Office. She has been in her current role for seven years, and has worked in the District for nine.
Xai exudes professionalism and goes out of her way to make others feel welcome when visiting or working in the District Office. Xai will do anything to help others and works above and beyond her role. Her teammates say she never lets you feel like you are an imposition or that she is too busy to help.
Raegan Rentmeester
Meet Raegan Rentmeester!
Raegan is an 8th grader at Red Smith School. Her teachers say she is an all-around great student and school citizen. Raegan is a three-sport athlete who plays softball, basketball, and volleyball. Her coaches say she gives each sport her all and then some.
She is strong in academics and is recognized overall as a leader among her peers. Raegan is a kind-hearted, driven and tenacious young lady.
Adam Wiskerchen
Meet Adam Wiskerchen!
Mr. Wiskerchen is an Associate Principal at Preble High School. He has been at Preble for 18 years, and in the Green Bay Area Public School District for 20. He is in his third year as an Associate Principal.
He brings the same passion for education he had as a teacher to his leadership role, fostering a supportive environment for both staff and students.
Outside of work, Mr. Wiskerchen enjoys hitting the golf course—though he humbly admits he’s often on the losing side when playing with his colleagues. His commitment to education runs in the family, as his wife also serves as an administrator within the District. Together, they’re raising children who attend GBAPS schools, making education a core part of their family life.
With a long history of dedication and service to Preble, Mr. Wiskerchen exemplifies what it means to be a committed educator and leader at GBAPS.
Ryan Vandenboom
Meet Ryan Vandenboom!
Mr. Vandenboom teaches 7th grade math at Edison Middle School and has been with the Green Bay Area Public School District for five years.
Mr. Vandenboom is a well-respected teacher who thinks about how he can be better for his students and his fellow teachers. His math teammates say he goes above and beyond in the classroom, as a coworker, and as the Assistant Athletic Director.
He makes a significant impact on students' lives and math ability. An 8th grade math teacher says students often talk about what a great teacher Mr. Vandenboom is.