Meet Our Teachers
Ms. Karen and Ms. Jennie's First Day of Preschool for the 22-23 Academic Year! It's going to be a great year!
Karen Beck, Director and Teacher - 16 years with UHP
Karen became a part of the UHP community while living in Eagle Heights from 1998-2002. Her two children, Ellie and Alex, attended UHP. Karen was the Treasurer Board Member, a Parent Helper, and a Substitute Teacher before the Board hired her as the Director.
Karen loves to garden. She has two rain gardens filled with native perennials to help replenish ground water and keep the lakes clean as well as for pollinators. She has a love for insects, bugs, and being outside. She is a backyard beekeeper and has Walking Stick Insects and Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches in the classroom. She enjoys sharing her passion for insects, nature, science, math, and building with the kids! Plus, she loves singing, dancing and doing process art and science as well as hands on projects with the children.
Karen also enjoys kayak camping in the Apostle Islands, Wisconsin and tent camping in the Porcupine Mountains, Michigan.
Karen has been teaching for over 16 years. Her most recent accomplishment was earning her initial PreK - 3 teaching license through Concordia College receiving it in June 2020.
Jennie Leunig - 2022-23 Morning and Afternoon Teacher - Second year with UHP
Hello! I’m Jennie and I’m so excited to be at UHP! I love working with kids, especially at camp or anywhere I can spend a good bit of time outdoors. My favorite summer camp, which I went to for nine summers as a camper and worked at for two summers, is the Concordia Language Villages’ German village, Waldsee.
I majored in Italian and International Studies at UW-Madison and I love learning new languages. This passion has taken me to study abroad years in Germany and Italy, and I am currently in the pursuit of learning French and Spanish. My love for languages coupled with my desire to work with children in a school setting steered me towards speech-language pathology and back to UW, where I am finished up the Communication Sciences & Disorders Capstone Program. When I’m not at preschool or in class, you can find me reading, baking, doing yoga, skiing (if there’s enough snow at Cascade Mountain), singing, or going for a walk by Lake Monona.
UHP is the perfect place to see smiling faces. Thanks for the warm welcome!
Maeve Ryan - Substitute Teacher and 23 Summer Camp Teacher - New to UHP
Maeve a UW-Madison student pursuing her passion for teaching. She has experience working with small and large groups of children meeting needs and alternative needs with children ages 6 months to 10 years.
We are excited to have her join our team!
Renee Deschard - Substitute Teacher - 3 years with UHP
Renee has two children who attend UHP and is also the President of the UHP Board. Renee was a public school librarian for 8 years in Wisconsin and is looking forward to working with children again (and reading fun stories!). Her favorite past times are dancing, listening to music, singing and playing tennis. Her favorite children's book author is Mo Willems.
Our teachers are the heart of UHP. The work we do together as a team betters the lives of the children and families we serve. If you love children, play-based curriculum and being outside, you might be a good fit. Please apply by emailing a letter of interest and resume to kmbeck@uhpparentcooperative.org. Here are the job descriptions:
§ UHP 4K Teacher 23-24 Academic Year
Pay range is $14 – 18 per hour depending on experience. Teachers receive a Child Care Counts Subsidy through January 2024.