Faculty & Staff - Fines Arts, Foreign Language and STEM Lab
Mrs. Linda McElherne | Art teacher
Mrs. McElherne has been at St. Isaac Jogues School since 2003. Her degrees in Art Education and in Design are from Northern Illinois University, with a Masters from the University of Minnesota. She utilizes in STEAM teaching where art is interwoven with class-related science, technology, language art, and math. Her path has taken her in a few directions, and offered her a broad creative perspective by working in marketing communications, advertising, graphic design, and architectural design for major corporations. As an author of two books, she earned the National Teachers’ Choice Award, she has spoken at national curricular, gifted, and art education conferences and conventions. She has also taught at the college level but her favorite effort has been developing creative art projects for the children at St. Isaac's.
Mrs. McElherne has resided in Hinsdale for many years, and served on the Board of the Design Review Commission for the Village, been a Cub Scout leader, and she is a parent of four, two boys and two girls.
Mrs. McElherne has resided in Hinsdale for many years, and served on the Board of the Design Review Commission for the Village, been a Cub Scout leader, and she is a parent of four, two boys and two girls.
Mrs. Kathy Reagin | PreK-grade 8 STEM Instructor
Mrs. Reagin is thrilled to be teaching the STEM curriculum at St. Isaac Jogues School. She has been a member of the St. Isaac Jogues family for about 19 years. She has earned her BA in Art and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in Art, Science, Social Studies, and STEM certification. Mrs. Reagin had the pleasure of teaching 3rd and 4th grades at St, Isaac’s, moving from 4th grade Science to STEM. Being the PreK-8 Lead Instructor for Project Lead The Way program, Mrs. Reagin is proud to teach the PLTW multidisciplinary and programming curriculum which engage her students in hands-on activities, projects, and problems that are reflective of real-world challenges. She hopes to empower her students to become independent, confident learners who like to think outside the box!
Mrs. Maura Tkach | Spanish Teacher
Mrs. Tkach received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Speech Communication from the University of Illinois and currently teaches Spanish to grades 3-8. She studied in Sevilla, Spain for a semester through a study abroad program in college. She is a returning teacher, having taught at St. Isaac’s from 2002-2008. Maura believes that learning other languages improves brain function by constantly challenging it to recognize and discern meaning during conversations and classwork.
In her free time, Mrs. Tkach enjoys being with her two daughters, Fiona (12) and Emma (11), as well as her husband, Kent. She also enjoys playing volleyball, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.
In her free time, Mrs. Tkach enjoys being with her two daughters, Fiona (12) and Emma (11), as well as her husband, Kent. She also enjoys playing volleyball, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.
