FOUNDER

My name is Kelsie Buhl and I am a wife, business owner, and mother to 4 wonderful, spunky, incredible kids.

I believe there are a million different ways to be an incredible mother.

As mothers, we are blessed with intuition, revelation and gut feelings of what is right for our babies.

Since my oldest was born, I had that gut feeling that we would be pulled to alternative education. At first, I thought it meant traditionally homeschooling my children. I quickly learned (by meeting my child LOL) that he didn’t want to be my student, and that I was not cut out to be his teacher!

This idea was born through lots of prayer, research, thought and many many miracles, and now we have The Village Schoolhouse! A homeschool alternative that gives the deep love, connection and individualized education that homeschool brings, with the structured, paced education taught by some of the finest educators in Las Vegas (instead of by me haha!).

The Village Schoolhouse was created to foster a deep love of learning in each and every child, by first loving THEM!

”A love of learning has a lot to do with learning that we are loved.”

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

My name is Denise Burchell and I have been a teacher for over 10 years, teaching kindergarten and 1st grade.

I moved to Las Vegas 20 years ago from New Jersey. My husband and I have 3 beautiful daughters. As a family we enjoy traveling, hiking, and exploring.

This is going to be a great year! I am looking forward to making many memories with your kiddos.

KINDERGARTEN

Hello Families! My name is Ozra Kiss and I am so excited to be your child’s Kindergarten teacher! I received my Bachelors Degree at UNLV in 2011 (GO Rebels!!) in elementary education. I’ve taught grades from Kindergarten-2nd in all school settings-private, public, charter.

I married my high school sweetheart and together we have two beautiful children! In my spare time, I love to spend time traveling, reading, shopping, be with my family and practice photography. I’m looking forward to spending this year learning, loving, growing, and having fun with your child!

1ST GRADE

My name is Kaitlin Ploof and I am so excited to be your child’s first grade teacher this school year! I have been teaching preschool for the past three years and prior to that I taught first grade for two years in New Jersey.

I am a proud military spouse to my wonderful husband and a blessed mama to my two beautiful boys!! When I’m not working, you can find me at the ice rink cheering on my boys during their hockey games or cheering on our Golden and Silver Knights to victory! Our family loves all things sports, being outdoors, and enjoying our family pizza/movie nights!

I am so excited for our adventure through first grade and the many memories we will make along the way! I can’t wait to get to know both you and your first grader!

SECOND GRADE

Hi! I’m Natalia Preussler, and I’m so excited to be joining the VSH community as the second-grade teacher. I’ve been in education for over 10 years and have worked as both a classroom teacher and a reading specialist in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Portland, Oregon. I also have a Master’s degree in Education and a reading intervention endorsement. Teaching has always been a passion of mine, and I love helping students grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

Spanish is my first language, and I’ve taught in Spanish Immersion programs, which helped shape my belief in the importance of language, culture, and inclusion. My goal is to make every student feel welcome, valued, and excited to learn!

When I’m not teaching, I love exploring new places with my fiancé, spending time with our sweet dog, cuddling with our cats, or curling up with a good book. I’m so happy to be part of the VSH family and can’t wait for a year full of growth, laughter, and meaningful learning!

3RD-4TH GRADE

Hello families! My name is Gillian Kinghorn! I am so excited to be your kiddos 3/4 teacher this year! I have taught grades 2nd-4th and have 5 years of teaching experience.

I live with my two kids and husband. I love being outdoors, hiking, and traveling with my kids. I enjoy baking, cooking, and most of all…eating good food. If I’m not running around with my toddlers, I like reading books and going for walks. My favorite color is orange and my favorite subject growing up was reading and math. I love doing hands on learning and exploring with my students. Creating relationships is important to me and something I strive for with all my students.

LEAD AIDE

Hello families! My name is Audra Le Van, and I’m so excited to be part of your child’s educational journey this year! I studied at both NAU and UNLV, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education.

I’m part of a small but mighty family of three, and we love spending our time collecting Pokémon cards, & visiting Disneyland! In my free time you can often find me with a good book, watching anime, or behind the camera running my photography business here in Las Vegas!

I can’t wait for a fun-filled year ahead with your amazing kiddos!

AIDE

Hi, my name is Elizabeth Leavitt, or Ms. Liz! I was born and raised in Texas, then received a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University in 2008. Since then I have been home with my 4 kids (three boys followed by a cute girl). Now that they are all in school, I’m so excited to get back into a classroom setting here at VSH!

In my spare time I love photography, working out, trying new restaurants, hiking, traveling with my husband and game nights with friends!

AIDE

Hi friends! I’m Janette Glenn. I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, but I’ve called Las Vegas home for the last 26 years. My husband Doug is a born-and-raised Vegas guy, and we’ll be celebrating 36 years of marriage this August! We’ve raised six incredible kids—four daughters, two sons, and picked up four awesome sons-in-law along the way. We’re also the proud (and slightly obsessed) grandparents of nine grandkids… with two more on the way! Grandkids, by the way, are the best!

I’ve always loved working with kids. For more than 40 years, I’ve taught swimming lessons, and I still can’t get over how fun—and hilarious—it is watching kids gain confidence in the water. Over the years, I’ve had opportunities to work with children in all kinds of ways, and I’ve come to realize how much joy I get from simply being part of their growth and energy.

Outside of school, I’m usually on the move—traveling, learning about other cultures, or heading to the lake for some water skiing (my jam!). I also love cycling, dancing anytime I get the chance, lifting weights, and soaking up time with my grandkids—especially if it involves snuggling.

I’m so excited to be part of the Village School House family and can’t wait for all the fun, learning, and laughter ahead!