Mr. Darren Eultgen
Parish Life Coordinator

My family lived in Chesterfield, Missouri and were members of Ascension Parish.  I attended Ascension Catholic Grade School and St. Louis Preparatory Seminary High School.   My parents and my one sister and her family now live in Eureka, MO.  My wife, Cindy, is the Parish Life Coordinator at St. Lawrence in Sandoval, IL.  We were married in 1995.

After high school, I attended the University of Missouri and received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1991.  After college I owned my own business for about 6 years then went back to school and studied Ministry at Aquinas Institute of Theology at Saint Louis University and graduated with a Masters of Divinity in 1998.  I was the Pastoral Associate at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Godfrey, IL for 3 years.  Then in the spring of 2001 Bishop Wilton Gregory asked us to move to Salem, Illinois and become Parish Life Coordinators at St. Theresa of Avila and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

St. Theresa School is a special place were our children have the chance to grow spiritually and academically, their parents sacrifice financially and volunteer to keep the school viable, and the faculty and staff are dedicated giving countless extra hour and love the children as their own.

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.

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.

I am from a small family. My parents and one sister, Stephanie and her husband, live in Salem also. I was born in Flora, Illinois, but moved several times before I was in sixth grade. For a period of time, I lived in the suburbs of Chicago. Then we moved to Teutopolis, Illinois and there I attended Catholic school for two years. This was my introduction to the Catholic faith. We finally settled in Salem. When I attended SCHS, I was a student helper at St. Theresa School with Sr. Adelma.

After high school, I attended Kaskaskia College and received an Associates Degree in Applied Science. I was a secretary for several years and worked for Coca-Cola. In 1998, after I married Rodney, I decided to fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher. I went back to school and received my B.A. from St. Mary-of-the-Woods in Terre Haute, Indiana. I taught the computer class at Selmaville School and then came to St. Theresa School. I have been here three years. I am accredited to teach in Illinois and Indiana. I am currently working on endorsement for middle school. I enjoy teaching at St. Theresa because of the one-on-one attention I can give the students since our classes are relatively small.

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. My parents still live in Clinton County. I have two children and two 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 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.

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, Joye, 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.

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 (17) and Natalie (14), 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.

Having done undergraduate and graduate work at Illinois State and University of Illinois, I was granted a life time teaching certificate.

After many varied career experiences including being a mother of four, I finally retired from the University of Illinois Extension staff.

I then became a volunteer at St. Theresa School. I work in the library and also work with individual students. Being a participant in helping children get a Christian education has been a highlight of a long career.

I am a 1979 graduate of St. Theresa School. I am married to Todd Diss and have two children. Our daughter, Rachael, is a 2006 graduate of St. Theresa and now attends SCHS; while our son, Riley, is currently a sixth grader at St. Theresa.

Todd and I own T&C Trucking, Inc. I also work part time for D Mechanical, Inc. in Salem. When not volunteering at he Music Teacher at St. Theresa, I enjoy walking, swimming, and painting.

Each year, we put on a wonderful Christmas program. It is great to work at St. Theresa due to the help and cooperation I receive from the other instructors...and the kids are great!