Cattie Tenzillo (“It’s pronounced ten-zil-o—it’s Italian”) joins us for the 2018-19 school year from Holy Family Catholic Academy in Inverness, where she taught third through fifth grade. She also served as a lead teacher, a good introduction to serving as a school administrator.

“I had a hand in all different things including hiring and advancEd. Staff would often came to me with questions.”

Before that she taught kindergarten and served as a substitute teacher at St. Mary’s School in Buffalo Grove. In addition to teaching experience, she brings to St. Roberts a valued skill set involving technology, curriculum, and data. At her last school, she implemented an International Baccalaureate (IB) program, helping to rewrite curriculum to fit the specialized model.

“I was trained in the IB program and supported teachers through the transition. It’s a wonderful inquiry-based model that includes a lot of technology innovation and using data to figure out where to make improvements to best support students. I hope to bring many of those ideas and pieces to St. Roberts.”

Mrs. Tenzillo completed her undergraduate degree at Indiana University- Bloomington then went on to complete a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision at Loyola University, where she was a part of a Catholic schools cohort.

“Loyola wants to see other Catholic schools succeed and offers this unique program. We still had to follow all the state guidelines to get certified but we all shared a bond within the experience of Catholic schools.”

That Catholic faith is something she values and appreciates.

“It’s important to remember that we are a Catholic school. We should show and live out our faith, especially for our students.”

She looks forward to what she calls a learning year, and will be working very closely with new principal, Ms. Deanne Roy, as they work out their respective responsibilities.

“There will be certain things she will handle and other things I will handle, but we will work very closely on many items.”

Thankfully, they have discovered that they work together well.

“We’ve already formed a bond. We’re very like minded.”

As they continue to grow their bond, Mrs. Tenzillo adds that she’s here to serve parents, too.

“I’m another resource for students, teachers, and parents to help make SRB the best school possible. We all want to continue the success seen here.”

After wrapping hiring decisions and making the last few updates to parent and staff handbooks, Mrs. Tenzillo also hopes to spend a little more downtime with her husband in the Lake View neighborhood where they love to try out new restaurants and explore the city. They both love to travel but have spent most of this summer close to home, visiting with her siblings soon back off to college. She’s primarily focused on August 20.

“This summer has been very different for many reasons but at this point, I’m just trying to get ready for school—that’s the big push right now!”