District Directory

Mr. B. began teaching in Morton during the 1993-94 school year. Prior to coming to Morton he taught one year in East Aurora. He is the Morton's head girl's basketball coach, having started in 1998.  He is married to Evelyn and they have three energetic kids, Bobby, Josi, and Maddy.

Mr. Becker's Mission
Mr. Becker wants all children to enjoy physical education.  Each day he tries to plan activities that are fun and promote action.  His goal is to have all of his students moving and having a great time.  If each child leaves his class feeling good about themselves and having pink cheeks and sweaty foreheads, his lesson has been successful.

Mrs. Brooks has been teaching at Lincoln since 2002. She taught kindergarten for six years before moving to first grade. She is originally from Morton and was a student at Lincoln Elementary from second through sixth grade. She graduated from Illinois State University in December of 2002 with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. Mrs. Brooks also has her Master's Degree in Reading and loves the energy and enthusiasm of young learners. Mrs. Brooks and her husband live in Morton with their three active children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to all her kids' events, shopping, decorating, walking, and reading.

Mission for the Class
Mrs. Brooks's mission for her class is to establish a safe classroom environment where all students feel comfortable to take risks in their learning. She will also help students to appreciate themselves as individuals while teaching them to work together as a team. Mrs. Brooks teaches using a variety activities so that each students' needs are met to help them feel successful and develop a love of learning.

Mrs. Chan has been teaching at Lincoln for eight years. After teaching in the Early Childhood during the 2007-2008 school year, Mrs. Chan is returning to the Early Childhood program. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Special Education and Early Childhood at Eastern Illinois University, along with an endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education. Mrs. Chan is currently attending Illinois State University working towards her Master's Degree in Special Education. She loves coaching the Morton Red Wing's Special Olympic basketball team. Mrs. Chan and her husband live in Morton with their two children, Brooklynn and Hudson. In her spare time, she enjoys exercising, crafting and spending time with her family

Mission for the Class
Mrs. Chan's goal is to build a nurturing, child-centered classroom with a high-quality educational program. By providing her students with an enriched and hands-on environment, she believes the students will learn to become active learners and develop to their fullest potential..

Mrs. Fitzpatrick earned her bachelors degree in music education from Bradley University and her masters in music education from Illinois State University. Along with directing the MJHS bands, she is the woodwind instructor for the MHS marching band.


Mission for the Class

To develop and enhance a musical community through independent musicianship, music performance, and music appreciation.

Mrs. Guetschow is very excited to be teaching third grade at Lincoln this year!  She previously taught first grade at Lincoln, second grade for two years in Geneseo, Illinois and one year of fourth grade in Prophetstown, Illinois.   She graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education with middle school endorsements in both Social Studies and Language Arts.  Mrs. Guetschow lives in East Peoria with her husband, David, and their cat, Maya.  Her hobbies include reading, traveling, and cheering on her favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals!

Mission for the Class
Mrs. Guetschow's mission for the class is to create a caring, positive learning environment that encourages all students to always try their best to reach their full social, emotional, and academic potentials.

I live in Peoria with my wonderful husband, who is also an educator. We got married in the summer of 2016 and purchased a house shortly before that keeps us very busy. I grew up in Waukegan, IL. I obtained my Bachelor's Degree from Illinois Wesleyan in 2011 and received a Masters in Reading Education in 2015 from St. Xavier University. I began teaching in Chillicothe, IL where I taught 5th grade for 6 years. I am incredibly excited to start my first year at Lincoln and I look forward to being a part of the Morton Community! Go Lions! 

Mission Statement
It is my personal mission as a fourth grade teacher to provide all students with the highest quality of education. I promise to do so in a safe learning environment that will continually support the academic, social, emotional, and physical growth of my students. I will strive to teach all students fourth grade curriculum in innovative ways. Not only will I teach and stress the importance of academics, I will also work hard to help students develop the skills they need to be knowledgeable, value-driven, and open-minded members of our community.

Thank you for taking time to visit the Lincoln Elementary School website. I consider it a privilege to serve the students, families and teachers of Lincoln School and the Morton-Groveland community. I grew up in Morton and am a proud graduate of Morton High School. A little background about my professional path that brought me back to Morton…I attended Illinois State University, obtaining undergraduate degrees in Mass Communication and Elementary Education. I taught sixth grade for seven years at Northwest School in Lincoln. While there, I pursued a Master’s Degree in Administration, also from Illinois State. I began my administrative career at Thomas Metcalf School in Normal, working as assistant principal and athletic director for four years. For the next nine years, I worked as principal at Midland Elementary School, a Pre-K to 4th grade school in the rural community of Lacon. I truly consider it such an honor to now serve as your principal, in the community where I was raised and where my family continues to reside. I will strive to maintain open, direct communication with parents and families, create a positive school environment for our teachers and students and provide a welcoming setting for all families and stakeholders who visit our school. I encourage parents and families to become involved in all of the wonderful activities at our school. As parents, you are the key to your child’s success, and I thank you in advance for all that you will do to contribute to your child’s academic and emotional success this year. I know that you will work collaboratively with our teachers and staff members, while I have high expectations for me, our teachers and faculty to provide the best educational experience possible for your child. Please know that I am always available to meet with you, communicate via email or talk with you about any concerns or suggestions you wish to share or discuss. (Well…except on Sundays during football season, when I am watching and cheering on my beloved Green Bay Packers!!

Please stop in to introduce yourself and say hello…my door is always open!

Sincerely,

Julie Horchem

I met my incredible husband, Andy, at Morton High School, and we have been married for 19 years.  After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagin, we settled in Mahomet where I spent seven years teaching junior high language arts.  During that time, I also earned my Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois.  In 2004, I decided to stay home with our daughters, Aleksi (now a sophomore at MHS), and Ilyse (now a 7th grader at MJHS).  In 2005, Andy’s job brought us back to Morton.  I volunteered and subbed at Lincoln before deciding to return to teaching in 2014.  I have taught 3rd and 4th grades at Lincoln and am excited to be teaching the 6th grade this year!  Aside from teaching, I keep busy with traveling, photography, pickle ball, and tennis.    

Mission Statement:
“You can do more than you think you can” became my classroom mantra in 2014, and I can sincerely say that it is incredibly fulfilling to watch children embrace this notion.  It has always been my philosophy that children should feel loved, valued, and respected academically as well as emotionally before any learning will occur.  I run a “silly but strict” classroom.  Your children can probably describe this better than I can.  Basically, I love to laugh and to see your children laugh.  However, my expectations for work ethic and respect for one another are high.  I have no tolerance for bullying or misbehavior in a safety situation.  Even though you can expect me to push your child to do his/her best, I consider myself pretty laid back.  Additionally, I sincerely believe that your child’s education has to be a partnership between home and school.  It takes all of us to ensure your child’s success! 

Mrs. Levitt joins the Lincoln family after teaching at Morton High School for 8 years.  She is excited to join the team and to work with younger students in the Middle Instructional Program.  She has her Bachelor's Degree in Special and Elementary Education from Greenville College, and her Master's Degree in Special Education from Illinois State University.  She is also a National Board Certified Teacher.  Mrs. Levitt lives in Morton with her husband, Rob, and their two daughters.  She enjoys spending time with family and friends, learning new things, and reading.

I graduated from the University of Illinois in 1990. I have been teaching orchestra in Morton for 22 years. I have 4 daughters who have all played in the orchestra. I also coach the girls' tennis team at the high school and spend my free time running/working out and hanging with my family!

Mission
To provide students with the opportunity of artistic achievement and enrichment through the study and performance of high quality and stylistically diverse orchestral music.To create an atmosphere of musical and personal growth through commitment to high standards, respect and cooperation for members of the ensemble, instructors, facilities, music materials, and the rehearsal process. To enjoy the process of learning and have fun making music!!!

About the Teacher
Mrs. McKee began teaching at Lincoln in 2003. She is originally from Morton and was a student at Jefferson Elementary from kindergarten through 6th grade. She graduated from Eureka College in December of 2002 with a Bachelor^aEURTMs of Science in Elementary Education and a Math Minor. Mrs. McKee also has her Master's Degree in Technology Integration and loves to integrate technology whenever she can. Mrs. McKee and her husband live in Morton with their two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys running, digital scrap booking and spending time with her family.

Mission for the Class
Mrs. McKee's mission is to establish positive relationships with students by getting to know each child as an individual. She will also help students realize they can do anything they put their minds to. In her classroom several different approaches to learning will be used so every student is able to achieve success and connect to the material, allowing the students to develop the same joy of learning that she has.

Mrs. Miller started teaching at Lincoln in 2011. She grew up on a farm outside of Mackinaw and graduated from Deer Creek Mackinaw High School. She attended Illinois Central College and transferred to Illinois State University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Miller also has her Master’s Degree in Reading from Illinois State University. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, working out, grabbing a good cup of coffee, and being outdoors. She enjoys cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Illinois State University Men’s Basketball team.

Mission Statement:
Miss Schwarting’s mission for the class is to create a positive learning environment filled with engaging lessons and activities where all of the different learning styles present in the classroom can be met. Her goal is to spark her students’ interest and build the foundation to create lifelong learners.

I am excited to be a Lincoln Lion! I am a native Texan. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, I spent seven years in the elementary classroom. I then pursued my Masters in Educational Administration at Bradley University.I spent the last two years as assistant principal at Pepper Ridge and Fox Creek Elementary schools in McLean County Unit 5 school district in Bloomington/Normal.


I live in Morton with my husband and two beautiful daughters. I also have a 90-pound Labrador named Lily. I love to travel back home to Texas to visit friends and family as much as possible. In my spare time, I love to take walks with my family. I have a soft spot for dogs and have trained three dogs to work as service dogs through Paws Giving Independence.

My office door is always open! Please stop by and introduce yourself. You will find I have a strong passion for educating children and always have a smile on my face. I am thrilled to be the first assistant principal at Lincoln and am proud to be a lion!

Mrs. Robinson began her career as a speech-language pathologist in 2000.  She earned her master's degree from Illinois State University.  She has 2 children, Skyler and Heleyna.  They live in Morton.  Ms. Robinson enjoys going to movies, music and theater, and spending time with her family.
 
Mission for the Class
Ms. Robinson strives to create an enjoyable environment in which students with various speech and language delays can improve their communication skills.

Mr. Rocke teaches general music at Lincoln Elementary School and Morton Academy. He also directs the Morton Elementary Chorus, which is made up of 5th and 6th grade students from all over the district. He spends a great deal of time in the world of music both at work and at play. He lives in Eureka with his wife, Meg, and children, Gabe, Elias and Cadence. In his spare time he golfs and works on his Masterss degree as a student at Illinois State University.

He also, apparently, enjoys talking about himself in the third person.

Miss Schmitt is teaching physical education at Lincoln. She also coaches 8th Grade Girls Basketball and 7th Grade Girls Volleyball at MJHS. She is excited about the opportunities to teach, encourage, and inspire students.

Miss Schmitt graduated Magna Cum Laude in May of 2017 from Greenville College, and received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in Physical Education and Social Studies. While in college she was also a 4-year starter on the women's basketball team as a point guard. She was also chosen as the MVP of the NCCAA National Tournament her senior year. Miss Schmitt enjoys sports, photography, playing music as well as spending time with her family and friends!

Mr. Smith grew up on a farm near Blandinsville, IL, with five brothers and sisters.  He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Western Illinois University and taught sixth grade in Canton for 8 years.  This is his fifth year at Lincoln. He also coaches the freshmen football team and Morton High School.  He enjoys watching the Cubs and Bears and spending time with his wife, Sheryl, and children, Lilli and Hank.

Mission for the Class
Mr. Smith's mission for his class is for all of his students to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. 

Mrs. Spinder truly loves being an administrative assistant for Lincoln School.  Everyone is so encouraging and helpful. She cannot think of anywhere else that she would rather be than here with the staff and students!  The children of this school are so very special to her.  She loves seeing the smiles on their faces as they walk down the hall.  It is truly a pleasure to listen to what they have to say when we are just chatting.
Mrs. Spinder's family has been a part of the Lincoln Lions since 1992 when her children first started school here. She and her husband, John, have 3 great kids who have made that walk across the street to school over the years.  Having been in the halls of Lincoln since her first child was in kindergarten(1992)  she has stayed here longer than any of her children!   Her son, Elliott attends Knox College in Galesburg.  Her daughters are both out of college and enjoying life in their own ways.  In her free time she enjoys reading mystery novels and playing with her cats.  Her newest pasttime(don't laugh) is showing purebred Maine Coon Cats at cat shows throughout the midwest region.  She truly enjoys the whole process of showing her furry friends.

Mrs. Stephens started working at Lincoln in 2003. She is originally from Washington, Illinois. She attended Illinois State University and graduated in December of 2002 with a Bachelors Degree in Special Education. In June of 2006, she received her Masters Degree from Olivet Nazarene University in Curriculum and Instruction. She lives in Morton with her husband, Tyler, daughter, Lily, and son, Hunter. In her free time, she loves playing with her children, reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Mission for the Class
Her mission for the class is to help her students work to the best of their abilities and succeed in the regular education classroom.