Peakland Preschool's Team
Passionate, dedicated, and loving, Peakland Preschool teachers love their work and it shows in everything they do. Our goal is to make a positive difference on young kids who come to our Preschool.
Mrs. Annie Williams
Director
Annie grew up within the walls of Peakland United Methodist Church. She moved to Lynchburg when she was 10 and has since been active in the church. After graduating from the University of Lynchburg with a B.S. in Marketing, she moved to Durham, NC. Annie wore many hats as the office manager of a stationary manufacturer in Raleigh, NC. Since she was young, Annie has always enjoyed working with children. Ultimately, her love for children led her to teach preschool. She worked at Grove Park Preschool in Durham, then served as a 3 year old teacher at Peakland after their move back to Lynchburg.
Annie and her husband, Eddie, moved back to Lynchburg to raise their children and to be close to their families. Annie and Eddie have 2 young, active boys (Owen and Walker). They spend most of their weekends on the soccer field or at swim meets.
Mrs. Annie's favorite time of the day is greeting each student with a high five or hug as they walk into Peakland Preschool each morning!
Mrs. Alyssa Filiberto
Assistant Director
Mrs. Alyssa has been working professionally with children since 2010 and is honored to be able to continue that passion at Peakland. Alyssa believes the children are our future and she is glad to be able to guide these precious ones in class.
Alyssa received her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science- Fitness Specialist from Liberty University in 2015. After graduation, she worked in the healthcare field assisting people of all ages.
She enjoys teaching people, especially little ones, the importance of movement and taking care of our bodies. She looks forward to spending her time and energy investing in your little ones’ lives.
Mrs. Jane Stallings
2 Year Olds (Monday - Friday)
ARCH Teacher
Jane taught in the Richmond Public Schools and Lynchburg Public Schools before coming to Peakland Preschool as a two year old teacher. She is a Lynchburg native, is married to Rich, has two grown and married children and has 5 grandchildren: 4 boys and one princess! Jane is a member of First Presbyterian Church. She loves being at the beach with her family, gardening and yard work and she and Rich still have flip phones!
Mrs. Joy Harris
2 Year Olds (Mon/Wed/Fri, Tues/Thurs)
Joy Harris grow up in Chesterfield, Virginia. She met her husband while a student at Liberty University obtaining an elementary education degree. They have been married for 1 year and have a 1 year old son (Wesson). She is a huge NASCAR fan as well as a fan of the Washington Commanders. She has worked with children most of her life through church nursery, vacation Bible schools, after-school care, and preschools. She loves children and teaching littles is her passion. She loves to help children learn about their world and about the God who loves them. She is excited for her first year at Peakland Preschool and hopes to make many memories with her students.
Mrs. Kristen Sokira
2 & 3 Year Olds (Monday - Friday)
Kristen grew up in Upstate New York and attended Stony Brook University where she received her Bachelors degree and played Division 1 Womens Lacrosse. Post college, she was a substitute teacher as well as the middle school girls lacrosse coach. In 2015 a job opportunity opened up for Kristen's husband which brought them to Virginia. Kristen has two daughters (Charleigh and Clara) and on her free time she enjoys the outdoors and being with family. This is Kristen's fourth year at Peakland and she is so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful preschool.
Mrs. Cheryl Blankenship
3 Year Olds (Monday - Friday)
Mrs. Blankenship graduated from Cedarville College, now known as Cedarville University, located in Ohio. She was born and raised in Wisconsin but has lived in Lynchburg over half of her life now. Mrs. Blankenship and her husband have two grown daughters, both of whom attended Peakland Preschool! This will be her 14th year teaching three year olds at Peakland. It is her passion to help these little ones discover the world around them and to learn to be kind and caring individuals.
Mrs. Jessica Cooter
3 Year Olds (Mon/Wed/Fri, Tues/Thurs)
Jessica Cooter is a Lynchburg native who has been teaching for ten years. She has a B.A. in Spanish with a teacher’s licensure as well as an M. Ed. in Educational Technology and Online Instruction. She and her husband have been married for nine years and are both active in their church and in their various hobbies too, which include camping, hiking, travelling, and cooking. For most of her teaching career, Jessica worked as a high-school, Spanish teacher at a local public high school. She then took a crash course in “Preschool 101” by having three of her own in under three years. It was during this time that Jessica switched to teaching online with a Christian online academy, still teaching Spanish. In an effort to expand her teaching skills, in the spring semester of 2022, Jessica served as the short-term Spanish teacher at Peakland Preschool and immediately fell in love with both the students and the school as a whole. The following summer, she accepted a teaching position for the three-year-old, MWF and TR classes, enrolling her son and two daughters too, and is now enjoying playing, learning, laughing with, and getting to know all the little ones at Peakland Preschool, all while trying to sneak in some Spanish along the way!
Mrs. Caroline Bunque
PreK (Monday - Friday)
Mrs. Caroline has worked with children most of her life whether at church in the nursery, babysitting, or working in the field of education. She graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special education. More recently, she got her Master’s degree in Education with a Reading Specialist Endorsement. She taught at Linkhorne Elementary for 5 years. She is married to the love of her life, Jomer, and has one son who attends Peakland. She is so excited to be a part of Peakland and to watch the children fall in love with learning.
Mrs. Stacy Sumpman
PreK (Monday - Thursday)
Stacy Sumpman started teaching at Peakland Preschool in 2015. She is married and has two daughters who went to Peakland when they were little. Stacy herself went to preschool at Peakland when she was young. When she is not teaching, Stacy practices massage therapy and teaches dance classes for children at Lynchburg Parks and Rec. She loves to dance and garden in her spare time. Stacy is excited to meet the children in her class this year!
Mrs. Lizette Padgett
Transitional Kindergarten (Monday - Friday)
Mrs. Padgett graduated from Randolph Macon Woman's College with a Bachelor of Arts in English Lit/Art History. She worked as an Academic Coach at VES for 10 years before coming to Peakland Preschool. She is excited to start her 6th year at Peakland. Mrs. Padgett is married with 2 grown children and a Beagle. She enjoys spending time with her family and relaxing outdoors.
All teachers obtain a 4 year college dregree and are CPR/First Aid Certified.