Four new teachers have been hired to fill positions at Pope John/St. Boniface schools here in Elgin.
Principal Lisa Schumacher announced the hirings. They are:
• Kara Schindler, third grade — Having earned a degree in elementary education and a minor in special education in December 2020, she has spent time as a maternity leave substitute teacher for both second grade and a special ed classroom.
“These were the same two classrooms I completed my student teaching in! It was a wonderful year spent with amazing staff and students, and it really solidified my desire to be an educator,” she said. Most recently, she taught preschool at Spalding Academy.
She and her husband Corey and their three boys live in Elgin and are members of St. Boniface Parish.
• Patrick Kratochvil, science — He has 24 years of teaching experience with stints at Maywood, Petersburg, Boone Central and, for the last 19 years, at Madison High School.
He and his wife Beth have four grown children and are members of St. Michael’s Parish in Albion
• Chris Grundmayer, history — For the last 30 years, she has been employed at Petersburg Public/Boone Central Schools as a history teacher.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota – Duluth and her Masters Degree at Wayne State College. She and her husband, Mark, have lived in Raeville for 31 years on the family farm. They have two children: Erin, who is a Cardiac Nurse at Children’s Hospital in Omaha, and Jake, who is the owner of his own business, County Line Repair; and a son–in-law, Austin Mead. Austin has his doctorate in physical therapy.
She is a member of St. Bonaventure’s Church in Raeville.
• The latest addition to the faculty is Father Joseph Sund. He will be teaching high school theology next year.
One position remains open. Mrs. Schumacher said they hope to soon name a new math teacher to replace Sister Patricia Hoffman who retired.
