PRE-K TEACHERS

LISA JACOBS ~ I am a graduate of St. Ambrose Catholic School (1995), Marquette Catholic High School (1999), and from Greenville College (2011).  I started working here as a teacher’s aide in the PK4 room with Mrs. Merkle (my 2nd grade teacher). I was soon asked to assist Mrs. Bachman in the Kindergarten classroom and became the substitute teacher for the whole-school, including the PK3s and PK4s. This August will be my 12th year at St. Ambrose. I have had the pleasure now of teaching PK3, PK4, Kindergarten and 2nd grade.  I also helped in our After-Care program. My husband Ryan and I have been married for 10 years. We have two wonderful and very energetic daughters, Kayli, who is 10 and Brianne “Bree” who is 6.  We enjoy going to Cardinals and Blues games and vacationing during the summer months.

KATE HOEFERT - I was born and raised in Sterling, IL where I attended St. Mary’s Catholic grade school and middle school and was very active in my church throughout high school. I graduated from Augustana College in 2009 and was hired as a third grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Sterling. I taught third grade for five years before moving down to Alton in 2014 with my husband, John. I took a break from teaching to raise our two children, Sophie (3rd grade) and Marlie (1st Grade), and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to be back in the classroom and work with your children.

RACHEL STATEN - BIO COMING SOON!

PRE-K AIDES

AMANDA MORRISEY ... BIO COMING SOON!

EMILY SUTTON ... BIO COMING SOON!

MAGGIE MONAHAN ~ My husband, Scott, and I have two sons, William and Jack. Since enrolling William in St. Ambrose, we absolutely fell in love with the school and all of the teachers and staff. Because of this, I have spent the past several years serving the school and church as a substitute teacher, as well as, a volunteer for St. Ambrose Parents Associates and other parish fundraisers and events, and have loved every minute of it!  I am so excited for the upcoming school year and look forward to meeting all the new students and their parents! 

KATE HARTMANN ... BIO COMING SOON!

KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

CHRIS BACHMAN - I grew up in Godfrey and was baptized at St. Ambrose Parish and have been a member ever since.  I am a graduate of St. Ambrose and Marquette Catholic High School.  I received my Bachelor’s Degree from SIUE and a Master of Arts in Education from Greenville College.  I have four children that graduated from St. Ambrose.  I have two grandchildren and I love reading, hiking, and spending time with my family.  After raising my children, I began teaching at St. Ambrose and this is my 15th year. 

1ST GRADE TEACHERS

DIANE FARNIOK - BIO COMING SOON!

BOBBIE MCCORMICK - BIO COMING SOON!

2ND GRADE TEACHERS

STEPHANIE MURPHY - Since graduating from SIUE with a Bachelor of Science Degree in elementary education, I have had the wonderful opportunity to teach at St. Ambrose Catholic School. Over the course of many years, I have had the opportunity to teach 6th, 4th, and 2nd grade students. Currently teaching 2nd grade, I enjoy teaching the children cursive handwriting skills, how to count money, and tell time.  Encouraging students to enjoy reading books, as much as I do, is one of my main goals each year. In my spare time, I like to read, cook, and travel.  Over the summer, I am usually at the farm picking peaches or working in the garden.  

ALLISON KANE - I am a teacher here at St. Ambrose.  I graduated from SIUE in 2020 with my BA in Elementary Education.  I am the proud mom of two amazing sons.  I was born and raised here in Godfrey. This is my fourth year of teaching and I am so excited to be part of the team at St. Ambrose.

3RD GRADE TEACHER

CATHY ROSE - I teach third grade at St. Ambrose. Prior to coming here two years ago, I taught for many years at St. Peter and Paul in Alton. I have taught second, third, and fourth grades. I am a graduate of SIUE with a BS Degree in Elementary Education (K-9). I was born in Alton and still live here today with my husband, Chris and our yellow lab, Sadie. I have two sons and daughter-in-laws as well as four grandchildren. Two of my grandchildren attend St. Ambrose in the second and fourth grades.  When I am not teaching, which I absolutely love doing, I like to read, go shopping, and spend time with my friends and family.

4TH GRADE TEACHER

MARCY FESSLER - I have been teaching for 29 years and 25 of those years have been at St. Ambrose. I was born and raised in Alton. I have been an active member of St. Mary’s Church in Alton all of my life. I attended St. Mary’s grade school and Marquette Catholic High School. I graduated in 1989 from Marquette and continued my education at SIUE. I graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Education. I was included in the 1993 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. For many years, I was Miss Lewis here at St. Ambrose. I have taught many grades, but the majority of my teaching career has been in 4th grade. I was included in the 2004 edition of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. I have also earned my advanced level catechist certification.  When I am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my husband.  I also enjoy gardening, cooking, and reading.

5TH GRADE TEACHER

JAMIE AUSTIN - BIO COMING SOON!

JUSTIN JOHNSON - BIO COMING SOON!

6TH GRADE TEACHER

ABBY WIEGLUS (6-8 Language Arts & 6-8 Grade Composition) - I was born in Urbana and grew up in Blue Mound (a tiny town about two hours north of here.) I went to Meridian High School and graduated in 2006. I attended SIUE where I majored in Elementary Education with endorsements in Language Arts and Social Studies. While there, I met and worked with my future coworker, Mrs. Blevins. This is my eighth year at St. Ambrose. I started as the computer teacher for one year and moved to middle school my second year. My husband and I met in college and were married in 2016. We live in Troy with our baby Miles and our furbaby, Cooper.  In my free time, I love to spend time with my family, cook, and read. I love my job and teaching middle school. The students make teaching fun each and every day!

7TH GRADE TEACHER

ANNA LEEDS (6-8 Math) - I was born and raised in Alton, IL.  I graduated from St. Mary’s Elementary School, Marquette Catholic High School and Greenville College.  From Greenville I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Science in Elementary Education with endorsements in Math, Science, Social Science, and Language Arts.  I enjoy riding my bike on the River Road and the MCT trails in Edwardsville.  I also enjoy photography.  I am in my 11th year of teaching, including two years at St. Peter & Paul in Waterloo, five years at St. Peter & Paul in Alton, and the last three years here at St. Ambrose.

8TH GRADE TEACHER

DEBRA FREEMAN - BIO COMING SOON!

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER

JENNIFER BAIRD (6-8 Religion, 6^th Grade Social Studies, 8^th Grade Social Studies) - BIO COMING SOON!

SCHOOL SPECIALISTS

KARIE PRESTON (Dean of Students/Fine Arts) - I grew up in Bethalto, Illinois, graduating from Civic Memorial High School.  From there I went on to Illinois College and received a BA in Music Education.  I currently reside in Edwardsville, with my husband, daughter Elisabeth, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a pet rabbit. My daughter currently attends high school. I am a Girl Scout leader and a recognized Volunteer of Excellence. I serve on both the Girl Scout Service Unit as recording secretary and the board of the Goshen Theatre Project. I am a parishioner of St. Ambrose Church, where I serve as a cantor, lector, and Eucharistic minister.  In my spare time I loves reading, attending and performing in musicals, making crafts, puzzles, all things Disney, and spending time with my family. I am blessed to be able to share my gifts and love of Music and Fine Arts with all of my students!  For the last 22 years, I have been teaching at St. Ambrose Catholic School.  Over the years, I have built the Fine Arts program from a small general music program to a full-fledged Fine Arts program that includes music, art, dance, and theater. I love nurturing my students’ creativity and helping them to find their inner artists. Our students have been recognized in local and national art contests, such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Picture and Express the Music contests (2-year Maestro Award winner) and the MCA Christmas Card Contest.  In addition to teaching, I also direct the St. Ambrose Middle School Choir and lead the Drama Club.  I conduct two all school musical programs (Christmas and Spring), as well as choir concerts, drama productions, and art shows. Our choir students have participated in the district’s solo and ensemble contest and have been invited to sing at various events, such as Wreaths Across America.  I have directed many plays and musicals, including Once on This Island Jr., Little Mermaid Jr., Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, James and the Giant Peach Jr., and Newsies Jr.

LINDSEY HAMBURG (PE) - BIO COMING SOON!

KEVIN ROBERTSON (Character Counts) - BIO COMING SOON!

ADMINISTRATION AND OFFICE STAFF

ROBERT BAIRD, PRINICPAL - I grew up in Alton and am a graduate of Marquette Catholic High School.  I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Illinois State University and I received my Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  I taught for one year at Jerseyville Community High School and five years at St. John Neumann Catholic Elementary School.  From SJN I moved to Little Flower Catholic School (Richmond Heights, MO) and served as Principal there for three years.  After three wonderful years at Little Flower, I returned to my alma mater, Marquette Catholic High School to serve as Assistant Principal.  I worked at MCHS for eight years.  I was hired as Principal at St. Ambrose Catholic School in May 2020.  I live in Alton with my wife Jennifer and our son, who attends school here at St. Ambrose.  In my free time I enjoy officiating and coaching high school and youth sports as well as being outdoors and fishing.  

JEAN CONNOYER (Secretary) - I have been the office manager at St. Ambrose School for 12 years, stepping into the job when my mother retired from it after many years.  I am a graduate of St. Ambrose and my family has been a part of the parish since I began school here in Kindergarten.  I went to Marquette Catholic High School, and I graduated from Illinois College in Jacksonville with a BA in Art.  In my free time I enjoy spending time with my horse, gardening, photography, and knitting.

EMILY KRIBS (Office Assistant) - I have worked in the office at St. Ambrose for 6 years.  I am a graduate of St. Ambrose 6Catholic School (2000) and of Marquette Catholic High School (2004).  My husband and I, along with our two daughters, are lifelong members of the parish.  I graduated from the Nursing program at Lewis and Clark Community College.  I enjoy hiking, camping, and spending time outdoors with my family. 

ELI HAWKINS (IT Director) - BIO COMING SOON!

PEGGY KORY (IT Dept) - BIO COMING SOON!

TIM DOUGLAS (Maintenance) - Tim is our maintenance specialist.  Tim grew up in the area and is a graduate of Alton High School.  He has extensive maintenance experience, with the majority of his career being spent at St. Anthony's Hospital.  Tim has belonged to St. Ambrose for most of his life.

JOYCE STROMSKE (Custodian) - BIO COMING SOON!

VIC SPAGNOLA (Custodian) - BIO COMING SOON!