Teacher Category: Grade School

Amy Stephens

Mrs. Stephens loves being the first/second grade teacher at Pilgrim Lutheran School. Previously, she served as the part-time preschool teacher at Pilgrim during the 2019/20 school year. 

Mrs. Stephens received her B.S. in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Pennsylvania State University and later received her Masters of Education from DePaul University. Before joining the Pilgrim staff, she was the preschool teacher at Saint Luke Academy in Chicago. 

In regards to teaching, Mrs. Stephens is especially passionate about utilizing technology to create an interactive and enhanced learning environment for students. She also wants to pass along her love of reading books to her students in her classroom.

When she is not serving as Pilgrim’s first grade teacher, Mrs. Stephens enjoys leading her daughter’s Girl Scout troop, participating in worship and activities at her church, hiking and fishing with her family, and relaxing at the beach in the summer. 

Paige Barclay

Mrs. Barclay loves serving as the second/third grade teacher at Pilgrim. Before joining Pilgrim, Mrs. Barclay served as a first grade teacher in the Indianapolis Public School District.

Mrs. Barclay received her B.S. in Elementary Education with a concentration in English Language Arts from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Mrs. Barclay’s goal is to encourage her students and help them unleash their full potential. She uses varied learning methods and teaching strategies to facilitate the learning of all students.

In her free time, Mrs. Barclay loves baking, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with her family.

Samantha Doerfler

Mrs. Doerfler is excited to serve as Pilgrim’s fourth and fifth grade teacher!

Mrs. Doerfler has been involved with Pilgrim Lutheran School in a variety of ways since 2010. Mrs. Doerfler completed student teaching for her masters degree with Kathy Tighe (a former Pilgrim teacher), served as a substitute teacher, coordinated auction fundraising, provided in-class support, tutored and worked one-on-one with students, and started teaching 3rd grade in the fall of 2020. Both of her children have attended Pilgrim Lutheran School since they were three-years-old, and her family loves being a part of the Pilgrim community.

When she is not teaching, Mrs. Doerfler enjoys reading, canning, and spending time outdoors with her family.

Angela Cardo

Mrs. Cardo is proud to serve as the 5th and 6th grade teacher at Pilgrim Lutheran School. Her first role at Pilgrim was as a lunchroom volunteer 19 years ago. Since then, she has worn many hats at Pilgrim including the Lunchroom Supervisor and the Operations Manager. After receiving her degree in education, Mrs. Cardo became the 5th and 6th grade teacher.

Mrs. Cardo was first drawn to Pilgrim because her husband attended the school and his parents were members of Pilgrim Lutheran Church. She is proud to be part of two generations of her own Pilgrim family as all three of her children are graduates of Pilgrim as well. Mrs. Cardo is excited to share the gift of a Pilgrim education with the current generation of students.

Paula Raabe

Mrs. Raabe considers her position as a faith nurturer and assistant in faith development, while serving as Pilgrim’s math teacher, a true vocation. She has taught in Lutheran schools for more than 25 years. Though Mrs. Raabe has taught in a range of grade levels and a variety of subjects, math has always been a central focus of her teaching and learning. She believes that everyone can learn the ideas of math. Everyone may not like math, and that is okay, but everyone can learn about numbers and how they work in our lives and world. Mrs. Raabe enjoys helping middle school students see the beauty and patterns of math, as well as make connections to other areas of life in general. In addition to her role at Pilgrim Lutheran School, she also works as an adjunct in the math education department at National Louis University.

Mrs. Raabe is married to another church professional, and a math teacher at that! She is the mother of three independent Christian women. In her spare time (a rarity during the school year), she enjoys walking, working outside, and reading fiction.

Andrew Yearick

Mr. Yearick serves as Pilgrim’s Lutheran School’s Pre-K through 8th grade Spanish teacher, the 4th, 7th, and 8th grade science teacher, and the 4th-8th grade music teacher.

Mr. Yearick graduated with a degree in Education from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in Spanish and German. In the classroom, Mr. Yearick is a strong proponent of creativity and adaptability: “Each class has a wide range of abilities and learning styles, so I try to vary the presentation of the material to reach all students. If they’re having fun, my job is easy.”

When not serving as the Spanish, science and music teacher at Pilgrim, Mr. Yearick performs as a folk rock musician and is the frontman for a progressive rock band.

Jami Hockensmith

Mr. Hockensmith began teaching band at Pilgrim during the 2021/22 school year. He is a Chicago-based band director, music teacher, and percussionist. He earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from Western Illinois University in 2015.

Over the past six years, Mr. Hockensmith has taught band at the beginning, middle, and high school levels in various school districts. One of his most recent teaching positions was 5th grade beginning band in Mount Prospect. He also taught and rehearsed both 5th grade bands at Fairview and Lions Park elementary schools, and coordinated three concerts throughout the school year with the middle school band director at Lincoln Middle school in the same district.

Mr. Hockensmith’s other previous experience includes serving as the Assistant Band Director at Fremd High School where he taught freshman band, percussion methods, and music theory, alongside marching band percussion for both Fremd and Waukegan high schools.

As a percussionist, Mr. Hockensmith is currently the principal timpanist for Lakeview Orchestra.