Faculty & Staff

"My goals as an educator are to be a reflection of Christ to my students while teaching them about their full potential the natural gifts God has given to each one of them."

Mr. Gary Stott is in his first year at St. John’s Lutheran School. He has been working with adolescents for most of his life as a youth pastor. In 2017, he decided to go into the world of education, working in middle schools while getting his teaching degree. He has degrees from Emmaus Bible College (2005-2009), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2011-2013), and National Louis University (2018-2020). Mr. Stott is eager to serve at St. John’s, where he can put his faith, experience, and education into practice.

“Preschool is such an exciting time for children! It is a joy to share the day with these little learners! They are so eager to learn and explore! It is my goal to create a loving, Christian learning environment where each child develops a love for learning and is excited to come to school each new day!”

Linda Childers makes sure each child receives the genuine, loving care and attention needed to learn and grow and is very skilled at working with each individual student at their own level. She makes sure that her preschool students develop a love for learning by doing a lot of creative hands-on activities.

Mrs. Childers graduated on the Dean’s List from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. She was a member of Kappa Delta Pi (an Honor Society in Education) and Mu Alpha Theta (a National Mathematics Club). She has been teaching preschool since 1999.

Mrs. Childers is a lifelong member of St. John’s. She and her three children all attended St. John’s Lutheran School from Preschool and Kindergarten through 8th Grade.

"I was blessed to have been able to attend Lutheran education from preschool to my senior year of high school, and I am so excited and grateful to be able to teach God’s word and love to students like how I was taught.

I graduated from Aurora University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Coaching and Youth Sports Development. While being the 5th through 8th-grade math and science teacher, I also hope to help with coaching here through my love of sports as well.

It is important for me in my classroom to have a positive and fun learning environment. I want students to feel comfortable, confident, and respect one another. As a role model to my students, I will show them the way of God, and that anything is achievable when living through Him. One of my favorite bible verses goes along with this, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13. I not only want my students to grow academically but to also grow in their faith in God, and St. John’s is the perfect school for that. I am so excited to begin teaching at St. John’s!

“The best part of teaching in a Lutheran school is that I can teach the Gospel to the students so they can grow in their faith.”

As a classroom teacher it is my job to educate, care for, and nurture the students in my class. One of my roles as a teacher is to encourage my students to work to the best of their abilities and to give each of them the unique support they need in the classroom. The best part of teaching in a Lutheran school is that I can teach the Gospel to the students so they can grow in their faith.

I attended a Lutheran school from Kindergarten through 9th grade in Wisconsin. I then received my Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University River Forest with an Elementary Education major and concentrations in Math and Youth Ministry. This fall I will begin my 24th year of teaching. I have taught at 3 other Lutheran schools in Wisconsin and Illinois. My responsibilities have included teaching in grades 3rd, 4th, and 5th along with a special needs teacher for reading and math in 1st grade through 7th grade.

“I love to encourage children to learn, explore and discover the world around them each and every day. All children are a gift from God. I strive to integrate a safe and creative learning environment for all of my students to share their unique personalities and talents throughout the school year and beyond.”

Lisa Gallery got her Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from St. Mary’s College in Winona, MN, and her Master in Early Childhood Education degree from National Louis University in Chicago, IL. She has been teaching for more than 28 years in Chicago.

Ms. Gallery has been a teacher for the Chicago Archdiocese for over 20 years. She also had the joy of teaching music and movement to infants and toddlers, implementing learning workshops at The Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier in Chicago, and creating after-school programs for preschool-2nd grade students. Her greatest joy is being a full-time teacher in a Christian classroom with her students on a daily basis.

Ms. Gallery is looking forward to implementing creative and interactive lessons for her Kindergarteners this school year. She loves to help her students grow and discover new things in class and from each other every day. She also plans to keep special St. John’s Kindergarten projects and traditions alive this year. Ms. Gallery wants her students and families to share in those special St. John’s school memories.
Since moving to South Elgin this past year, Ms. Gallery is very excited to be part of the St. John’s family. She looks forward to building new and inspiring relationships with her students, colleagues, and especially the families of this special community.

With these words representing her philosophy, Linda Hoffmann is an important liaison for the school as she answers students’ questions, greets parents who stop by the office, and assists teachers during the school day. She makes everyone feel special, parents and students alike. For her, St. John’s has a family atmosphere, and she especially loves how the school has many second and third generation families. All three of her children attended and graduated from St. John’s.

Mrs. Hoffmann received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Penn State University and has used her talents at our school for the past sixteen years.

What a great opportunity to learn Lianne Piel gives to her students! Her passion is children's literature, and she loves incorporating books from all subject areas into her classroom teaching. She has a personal love of reading and desires to inspire a similar passion for reading in her students. To do this, she draws from her knowledge of available children’s literature gained during her high school and college years working at Barnes and Noble. In addition, she enjoys coaching Battle of the Books, working in the school library, and planning for Lutheran Schools Week.

She has a lifetime of exposure to Lutheran education as both her parents are Lutheran school teachers at St. Peter Arlington Heights where she attended elementary school.

Miss Piel graduated from Concordia University Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education. While at Concordia she sang in the performing choir, Kapelle. Their tours included trips to the East Coast, the Pacific Northwest, and Poland.

“I am passionate about what I do and am always thinking of new ways to motivate students to learn and to make my classroom fun.”

Mrs. Van Arsdale loves teaching in Early Childhood because of young children’s excitement and love of learning. It is most rewarding to her to see her students learn and grow.

Mrs. Van Arsdale graduated summa cum laude from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. She was also on the Dean’s List. She has 8 years of experience teaching preschool and 3 years of experience teaching Kindergarten.

Mrs. Van Arsdale attended Immanuel Lutheran School in Crystal Lake from preschool-8th grade. She has been working in Lutheran Schools for the past 7 years.

What a great reason for Dale Woock to teach!  He graduated from Concordia College, St. Paul, Minnesota, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He is the music director for St. John’s Lutheran School and Church and has been teaching since 1980.

For Mr. Woock, music is his family’s passion. His wife, who also teaches kindergarten at St. John’s School, is the director of the Adult Chancel Choir and two of the school's choirs.

Mr. Woock loves to encourage students to develop their musical talent and is very passionate about his calling. He teaches music for grades 1-8 and is responsible for the Primary Choir. As he works with the students, he helps them engage in musical opportunities for school events and Sunday morning worship. His devotion to his students and to his faith is evident in all that he does.