Headmaster and Pastor
Pastor Mark Faugstad attended Scarville Lutheran School through eighth grade. After receiving his AA degree from Bethany, he married Marlene. He farmed with his father north of Scarville, until the family moved to Sheridan, Wyoming. In Wyoming, they home schooled their four children. It was also in Wyoming that Mark was introduced to classical education. The concept of being a lifetime learner of what is good, true, and beautiful was something he wanted to instill in his children. Mark returned to attend Bethany Lutheran College to earn his BA in Liberal Arts and attended Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. Mark was ordained as a pastor in 2011 and served four years at Lengby Lutheran Parish. In 2015, he accepted the call to be associate pastor and teacher at Christ Lutheran Church and School in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. After eleven years in Florida, Mark accepted the call to be associate pastor, principal, and teacher of grades 5-8 at Scarville Lutheran Church & School. He was installed on July 19, 2026. Mark enjoys talking sports, building things, and spending time with family and friends.
K-8 Head Teacher
Mrs. Marlene Faugstad is married to Pastor Mark Faugstad and they are blessed with four children and their spouses. Their 10th grandchild is due in December. Three of their children started school at Scarville Lutheran School (Pastor Faugstad’s alma mater) before the Faugstads moved to Wyoming where they began the journey of homeschooling. While homeschooling they were introduced to Lutheran classical education and they haven’t looked back. Marlene attended Bethany Lutheran College and Bemidji State University for her elementary education degree. She also graduated from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin with her master’s in education with a literacy focus. Mrs. Faugstad is an Iowa licensed teacher in K-12 Reading, K-12 ESE(Special Ed), 5-8 Social Studies, and K-6th Elementary Education. When not in the classroom, you’ll find Mrs. Faugstad experimenting with baking bread, fermenting food, and collecting books. She loves visiting her children and grandchildren and exploring old and new places. Wyoming is her favorite place to be.
Pastor
Pastor Josh Skogen hails from Princeton, MN. Since graduating in 2002 with a B.S. in Secondary Education, Mathematics, he spent some time in the workforce teaching and working other jobs such as gaining experience in construction. In 2004, he returned to Bethany Lutheran College for his languages and eventually enrolled in the Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary to become a pastor. He has been serving as pastor since 2010 and has been serving the Scarville and Center congregations since 2018.
He loves providing families a classical Christian education, because such an education trains children to be what God made them to be, that is, in short, to belong to Him, to love what is God pleasing, and to capably think and speak about those things for the good of their neighbor and for God’s glory. Pastor Skogen teaches religion classes and Latin.
Pastor Skogen is married to Katie Skogen, and they enjoy life together with their six children. They keep busy with the church and school and with their children’s athletics. Pastor Skogen also tries to find time to play some disc golf.
K-8 Teacher
Born and raised in a loving, large family, Katie Skogen is a Lutheran, wife, mother, and teacher who loves old books, long conversations, and blueberry coffeecake. With a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Bethany Lutheran College (Mankato, MN), Katie has had a lifelong enthusiasm for learning and sharing the Truth of God’s Word and the marvelous order and beauty of God’s creation. In 2009, while contemplating the type of education she wanted for her then new baby and future children, Katie stumbled upon a blog post about classical Lutheran education. She has been joyfully attempting to plumb the depths of this philosophy and method ever since. Katie lives in a parsonage in Scarville, IA with her dear husband and six children. Soli Deo Gloria!
9-12 Teacher
Mrs. Maria Smith attended Scarville Lutheran School through 8 th grade. She graduated with an AA from Bethany Lutheran College, and then received a BA in Education from Wisconsin Lutheran College. After homeschooling for 16 years, she now teaches History, Literature, and Physical Education. She and her husband Glenn have been married for 24 years and have 6 children. They live in Forest City, Iowa, where he is the pastor of three area ELS churches.
Math and Science
Mrs. Elizabeth Sulzle is a wife to Matthew (since 2008) and a mother to their three sons. She grew up near Scarville and attended Scarville Lutheran School as a child. She earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts (concentration in Music and minor in Spanish) in 2008 from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN. She loves teaching Spanish, co-teaching upper-grade math classes with Mrs. Skogen, and co-directing (with Mrs. Langhorst) the youth choir for grades 3-8 at Scarville Lutheran Church. Mrs. Sulzle enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, gardening, and reading classic literature.
Choir and Piano
Mr. Matthew Sulzle is husband to Elizabeth (married in 2008) and the father to their three sons. He graduated from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN, in 2008 with a degree in music. Mr. Sulzle has a lifelong passion for music and currently serves as an adjunct instructor at Bethany Lutheran College as a private lesson instructor, teaching piano. He enjoys sharing his love of music with students and helping them grow in both skill and confidence. Outside of teaching, Mr. Sulzle enjoys spending time with his family.
Science
Mrs. Tousey, born in Calgary, Alberta, spent her childhood moving between Canada and England, fostering her adaptability to frequent moves and travels with her husband, Nick. A non-traditional student, she earned her BS in Mathematics (minor in Spanish) in 2006 and has worked in various fields, including math proficiency, ACT training, job coaching, ESL teaching in Peru, and tutoring.
After moving to Lake Mills in 2022, she began teaching high school science part-time, finding joy in exploring the beauty and interconnectedness of math, physics, biology, and chemistry. She delights in presenting science as God’s handiwork and witnessing her students grow in understanding.
Mrs. Tousey values lifelong learning and is currently taking a course in chemistry while enjoying time with Nick. They are grateful to be part of a vibrant Confessional Lutheran congregation and Classical school community.
