Sister Margaret Schmidt, SSND
Principal, 7th & 8th Grade Instructor

I am from a family of 8 girls. We grew up in the little Missouri town of Crystal City. Being he had only girls, my dad was a very strong, early supporter of women’s rights. He lobbied the local Catholic high school for girls’ sports teams and pushed girls to run for school offices and clubs. He taught me quite a lot about standing up for my rights. I entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame after my first year of college and took first vows in 1972. I have served in elementary and secondary schools in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Japan.

I attended Catholic grade and high school. I received my B.A. in History and English from Notre Dame College in St. Louis. I did my graduate work at Mundelein College in Chicago, earning an M.A. in Religious Studies. I have done post-graduate work in Catholic School Administration at San Francisco University. I am accredited to teach in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa. I chose to return to St. Theresa in 2005 because the spirit of community here is so strong among faculty and students. I wanted to continue to nurture that.

Mrs. Marcia Lever
Kindergarten Instructor

I was born in Chicago and grew up in Northern Indiana with my parents and one older sister. I always wanted to be a teacher and realized my goal after I graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington with a B.S. in Elementary Education. Before coming to St. Theresa, I taught fourth grade in Indiana and then Rantoul, Illinois. I got married along the way and when my children were older, I worked in this area as a substitute teacher.

I have been teaching kindergarten at St. Theresa School for 17 years. I love the students, the smaller class size, and the family feeling here. St. Theresa is a wonderful place to teach.

Mrs. Sarah Steinkamp
1st & 2nd Grade Instructor

I was born in Centralia and grew up in Sandoval. I have a younger brother and sister. I always wanted to be a teacher. My cousins and I always played school after church on Sundays when we were younger. I made good grades in school and loved playing sports. I played basketball, volleyball, cross-country, and softball. After graduating from Sandoval High School, I went on to Kaskaskia College to obtain my Associate in Arts. From there, I went on to Eastern Illinois University to obtain my Bachelor of Science in Education. I worked as an area substitute in Marion, Clinton, and Washington counties for two years. I am presently teaching 1st and 2nd grade here at St. Theresa. I have got a great bunch of students and a wonderful faculty to work with.

Mrs. Deborah Champion
3rd & 4th Grade Instructor

I grew up in the German-Catholic community of Carlyle in Clinton County Illinois.  I attended St. Mary’s Grade School in Carlyle and Mater Dei High School in Breese. I have two children and four grandchildren.

After marrying Tom Champion and beginning a family, I graduated from Kaskaskia Jr. College and then received a B.A. in Elementary Education from Eastern Illinois University. I have taught Religion at St. Theresa’s since 1982. I joined the school faculty in 1986. I presently teach 3rd and 4th year students. Every year I find myself saying, ‘This is the best class I have ever taught’. This year is no exception.

Mrs. Jacqueline Lyons
5th & 6th Grade Instructor

My family moved to St. Louis when I was two years old. I have six brothers and two sisters. Since my mother’s employment kept her away from home until after dinner, my father encouraged me to learn to cook at a young age. He also encouraged me to be all I wanted by valuing education and learning new things. I am sure his influence and the encouragement of my husband, Joe, were two reasons I chose to attend college. I met my husband in Salem and have lived in this are since 1963. I have two daughters and four grandchildren. My grandchildren attend St. Theresa.

After my girls were in school, I decided to earn a teacher’s aide certificate. I worked as an aide for 11 years. Since I enjoyed that, I continued my education with night and summer courses, earning my B.A. in History from Eastern Illinois University and later my M.A. in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University. I love learning and wanted to help students ‘catch’ this love. I enjoy teaching at St. Theresa and wake up every school day with a smile on my face.

Mrs. Monica Watson
Keyboarding Instructor & Administrative Assistant

Although I was born in Indiana, I was raised in the small town of Lewisville, Texas, approximately 20 miles north of Dallas. My two sisters and parents still reside there. I am married to Pete Watson and have two children, Tyler (21) and Natalie (18), both of whom graduated from St. Theresa. We moved to Salem in the fall of 1994.

After high school, I attended Executive Secretarial School in Dallas, TX. I also hold credit for Para pro Assessment Test from Illinois State Board. All of my work experience has been in the professional office area. I have worked in various professional offices: doctors’ office, law firm, software support center, financial printing company, CPA firms, and staffing service as well as other professional business offices over the past 25 years. I have been administrative assistant at St. Theresa since August of 2002 where I also teach keyboarding classes.

Our students are fantastic and represent our school and community well. Our school environment is inspiring. Christian values and prayer play important roles in what our school community is about and I am happy to be a part of such a school.