Welcome to
St. Mary School
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Jayne Genta, P-3 Teaching AssistantBio Coming Soon! |
Tracy Collings, Preschool-4 Tracy Collings has been teaching at St. Mary for 14 years, and this is her 7th year teaching preschool. She has three children, Cooper, Cayden, and Quincy, and a wonderful husnband, Jeff. She enjoys reading, crafts, and being with her family during her free time. Mrs. Collings loves teaching preschool because every day is an opportunity to touch a young child's mind and to encourage learning through play. |
| Gina Blanchette, Recess/Lunch Duty and P-3 Teaching Assistant
Photo & Bio Coming Soon!!! |
Regina Lane, P-4 Teaching AssistantRegina Lane has been a preschool aide with St. Mary School for the past two years. She assists in the four year-old classrom in the morning, and assists in the three/four year-old classroom in the afternoons. She and her husband, Jason, have a daughter, MiKayla, who attends St. Mary School. Mrs. Lane has her A.A.S. and child care certification, and she is currently working on her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Mrs. Lane's hobbies include spending time with her family, going to the movies, and swimming. |
| Kristen Smith, P-4 Teaching Assistant Photo & Bio Coming Soon!!! |
Chris Kolling, KindergartenChris Kolling is known as "Miss Chris" at St. Mary School. This is her second time teaching at St. Mary's because her first years were from 1995 to 2002, teaching preschool. Then she took a six-year break before returning in 2008 to teach Kindergarten. She is married to Paul, and they live in Charleston with their two sons, Ryan (6) and Alec (3). She's so happy to be back at St. Mary School and to see so many familiar faces. |
Lana Croy, 1st GradeLana Croy has been teaching at St. Mary School for almost five years. Prior to St. Mary's, she taught in the Mattoon Public Schools as well as in the Arthur School District. She lives in Mattoon with her husband, Jeff, and two of their three children, Ryan and Grace. Their daughter, Allie, lives in Mattoon with her husband, Sam. Lana is involved in the Immaculate Conception Parish as a Eucharistic Minister for the homebound, which she thoroughly enjoys. Most recently, she is participating in the Why Catholic groups. She has enjoyed sharing her faith with other parishioners and making new friends. She enjoys spending time with family, gardening, and bike riding. Mrs. Croy greatly enjoys teaching at St. Mary School, because not only does she get to help children learn, but she also gets to help them grow in their faith. |
Ginger Douglas, 2nd GradeThis is Mrs. Douglas's second year of teaching at St. Mary School. She and her husband, Brian, have three children. Their son, Danny is 22 years-old and will graduate from EIU in December. Their daughter, Sarah Marie, is 20 years-old and is attending Lake Land College. Katie, their little "bonus baby," is five years-old and is in kindergarten at St. Mary School. They also have a dog named "Buddy," and three cats: "Boo," "Oliver," and "Bob." They have a very lively home! In her spare time, Mrs. Douglas enjoys traveling, especially to Chicago to visit her family. She is very happy and proud to be a part of St. Mary School! |
Kyla Ballinger, 3rd GradeKyla Ballinger has taught at St. Mary School since August, 2003. Mrs. Ballinger received an Associate in Arts and Associates in Applied Science degrees at Lake Land College. She obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in elementary education at |
Michelle Laue, 4th GradeMichelle Laue has been teaching at St. Mary School for the past nine years. Mrs. Laue has a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from EIU, and is currently working on her Masters Degree from the U of I, with a anticipated graduation date of December 2010. She is also the Director of the Extended Care Program and is the school's RTI Coordinator. Mrs. Laue earned the Who's Who Among America's Teachers Award in 2005-2006, and is an Approved Professional Development Provider for the state of Illinois.
Mrs. Laue uses a "Classroom Economy" to teach consumerism and math to her students. Her 4th and 5th science classes enjoy incubating chicken eggs and virtual frog dissections. "Masters of Multiplication" and "Doctors of Division" are awarded to the students who master the multiplication assessment in 4th grade. Students in Mrs. Laue's classroom enjoy becoming immersed in a novel like "Frindle" or "Shiloh" as they read chapter books together aloud. Mrs. Laue also trains the students to be Altar Servers during their 4th grade year. Mrs. Laue resides in Mattoon with her husband of 18 years, Shannon (a St. Mary alumnus) and their son, Jacob, who is also a student at St. Mary School. She enjoys reading, cooking, drinking coffee with friends and family, shopping, and gardening. Mrs. Laue loves her St. Mary family and welcomes parents and visitors into her classroom anytime!
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Kristen Brummer, 5th GradeMrs. Brummer is the newest addition to the St. Mary staff. She graduated from EIU with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Mrs. Brummer is originally from Newton, and was recently married. She resides in rural Dieterich (Bishop Creek) with her husband, Greg, on their farm. Mrs. Brummer wants every student to know God's unconditional love for them. She hopes to create a positive and exciting learning environment to engage students in their daily lessons. Visitors are always welcome in her classroom! Welcome, Mrs. Brummer! |
| Carol Mausehund, Music Mrs. Carol Mausehund teaches general music classes to all of the St. Mary students twice a week in grades K- 5. She is a graduate of |
Tony Coffey, Maintenance |
Miss Catherine, The Lunch LadyCatherine Plankey has been at St. Mary School for the past seven years. She enjoys working in the lunch room and seeing the happy faces on the students every day. She thinks it is fun to cook for children because they are so easy to please and enjoy helping serve when in the 4th and 5th grades. This in turn earns them an “Ice Cream Party” at the end of the school year, which is always a lot of fun! Miss Catherine lives in Mattoon along with her husband, Jim, and their two boys, David and Shawn. She enjoys spending time with her family, boating, skiing, and attending sporting events. In her spare time she likes to do gardening, crafts, and reading. She and her family are members of the Immaculate Conception Church and attend worship regularly as a family. She looks forward to her job at St. Mary School and feels fortunate to be a part of the school family! |
Kristen Watson, SecretaryKristen Watson has been working as secretary at St. Mary School since 2004. She and her husband, John, have three children and enjoy their life in the country. She is a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception Church and attended St. Mary School. She enjoys going to her children's sporting events/activities and having family time. Mrs. Watson likes helping with the school children and watching how they change as the year passes. She tries to make each school year a positive experience for the children and parents of St. Mary School. |
Nicole Durbin, PrincipalNicole Durbin began her profession at |
| Rev. Dennis D. Kollross, Pastor |