Catholic schools welcome new principals
By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor
As the 2025-2026 school year is getting underway, two Catholic high schools and five Catholic grade schools in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois are welcoming new principals to move them into the future. On Aug. 5, these individuals gathered at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Springfield to meet with the leadership of the Office for Catholic Schools to help prepare them for their own new leadership roles.
Let’s meet these leaders and see what they have to say about their new assignments:
Matt Snyder
St. Teresa High School
Decatur
Matt Snyder is moving forward in his career as the new principal at St. Teresa High School in Decatur, where he is leading about 25 staff members and 210 students in grades 9-12.
Snyder has his bachelor’s degree in history education from Millikin University as well as his master’s and superintendent endorsement from Eastern Illinois University.
He began his career as a high school teacher and coach, working in Olney for one year before moving on to Argenta-Oreana High School for nine years, and then on to Champaign Central High School from 2002 to 2005. He spent one year as dean of Decatur Eisenhower High School before becoming superintendent at Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education from 2006 to 2022. From 2022 to 2025 he was assistant principal and athletic director at St. Teresa High School.
Snyder is looking forward to continuing his career at St. Teresa. “My faith is important to me and to be able to combine education and religious practices for students and families is necessary in today’s world,” he said.
A member of Ss. James and Patrick Parish in Decatur, Snyder is married to Aleshia and they have a daughter, Delaney, and sons, Braden and Monty.
Danielle Evans
Routt Catholic High School
Jacksonville
Danielle Evans is the new principal of Routt Catholic High School in Jacksonville. There she is leading 107 students in grades 9-12.
She has her master’s degree from University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), her principal endorsement from Western Illinois University (WIU), and is currently a doctoral student at WIU.
Evans has been a fifth grade and second grade teacher at the Jacksonville School District and then at Franklin CUSD #1. For the last three years she has been curriculum director and assistant principal at Franklin CUSD #1.
“As a principal I was drawn to Catholic education because it allows me to lead in a setting where values, faith, and academic excellence are fully aligned,” Evans said. “Leading Routt Catholic High School gives me the opportunity to help students grow into responsible and compassionate individuals. Just as the mission of Catholic schools is to educate the whole child — mind, body, and spirit — it is our mission at Routt to provide an environment that promotes spiritual growth, academic achievement, physical health, and community service to each student. I feel that it is a privilege to help promote these values.”
Evans and her husband and their two sons live on a small farm outside of Jacksonville. As a family they enjoy being outdoors, traveling, and attending sporting events. They are members of Sacred Heart Parish in Franklin.
Catherine C. Cease-Flores
St. Mary’s School
Edwardsville
Catherine Cease-Flores is excited to be at St. Mary’s School in Edwardsville, where she is leading 22 staff members and 235 students in PreK3 through eighth grade.
Cease-Flores has a master’s of education degree in school administration and supervision from Charleston Southern University and will be working on her doctorate in educational and leadership administration at University of Mary, beginning this fall.
Her work in education has taken her to a variety of places. In Los Angeles, she taught English Language Arts for grades 6-8 at Our Lady of the Valley. In Germany, she was at Ramstein American High School (Department of Defense Schools, DODEA) where she taught grades 9-10 honors and AP and was a mentor teacher and the English Department Chair. In South Carolina, she taught honors and AP classes and was a Chair at Summerville High School. In Illinois she taught English Language Arts for grades 6-8 at Holy Childhood School in Mascoutah and then spent the last three years at Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville where she taught grades 9-12 honors and AP classes and was a guidance counselor.
Being a Catholic school leader is a vocation, Cease-Flores said. “God has placed it in my heart to serve Him in this capacity. I believe that the purpose of true education is to cultivate a habit whereby students seek the truth through the Word of God. The primary educators of students are the parents, and it is also a sacred duty of the Church, faithful to its mission. A Catholic school is the extension of the mission of the Church to evangelize and spread the Gospel,” she said. “Such an education seeks to form the whole person in mind, body, and spirit to lead students to a deeper understanding of reality and their place within it as children of God. In a Catholic school community, religious persons, parents, educators, staff, and students come together in friendship as they journey to seek God.”
Cease-Flores and her husband of 21 years, Francisco A. Flores (a retired USAF pilot), have five children: Isabella, 16; Natalia, 14; Gabriel, 12; Nicolas, 10; and Rafael, 9. They are members of St. Clare of Assisi Church in O’Fallon.
Charlotte Habing
Sacred Heart School
Effingham
Charlotte Habing is the new principal at Sacred Heart School in Effingham. There she is leading a staff of 40 along with about 200 students in PreK through eighth grade.
Habing has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and is working toward a master’s in administration. She taught at Sacred Heart in Effingham for three years and at St. Michael School in Sigel for 12 years.
“I am a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Effingham and my husband and my children attended Sacred Heart,” she said. “Because I have been an active member of the school for many years, the parish and the school are close to my heart, and the teachers, staff, parents, and students are family. Being a part of a Catholic school means we have the privilege of teaching and learning about God in everything we do and infusing faith throughout the curriculum. It means that every interaction we have is an opportunity to deepen faith and spiritual understanding.”
Habing and her husband of 28 years, Tim, live on a farm near Effingham and have three grown children who are 26, 25, and 23.
Stephanie Kuhn
St. Paul Catholic School
Highland
Stephanie Kuhn is now principal at St. Paul Catholic School in Highland, where she has been teaching for 18 years. She is leading 36 staff members and about 250 students in PreK3 through eighth grade.
She has a bachelor’s degree from SIUE in elementary education with a middle school endorsement in mathematics, a master’s degree from Concordia University in educational technology with Type 10 certificate for technology specialist, a specialist degree from SIUE in educational administration, and is currently a student at American College of Education working toward a doctoral degree in educational administration.
“St. Paul has been my second home for 18 years. I love watching the students grow within our school and our community each year,” Kuhn said. “I believe that leading a Catholic school is not just about academics and knowledge of content, but also about faith and integrity. I want to support and guide our staff in becoming the best versions of themselves as educators, and to continue building a culture of collaboration and unity. I am excited to provide support to teachers and staff, encouraging teamwork, to ensure every student feels valued, known, and loved.”
Kuhn, who is a member of St. Paul Parish in Highland, is married and she and her husband have two children who are 15 and 4.
Dr. Vince Schlueter
St. Francis Holy Ghost Catholic School
Jerseyville
Dr. Vince Schlueter recently retired from 30 years of service with public schools and has accepted the position of principal of St. Francis Holy Ghost Catholic School in Jerseyville. He is the leader of 55 staff members and approximately 330 students in PreK3 through eighth grade.
Early on he earned an associate’s degree in pre-engineering from Lewis & Clark Community College. He then went on to SIUE where he earned a bachelor’s degree in math education, a master’s degree in administration, a specialist in education leadership, and a doctorate in education leadership.
Schlueter taught middle school math and science in Alton for five years and then taught math at Alton High School for two years. He taught math at Edwardsville High School for three years while completing his master’s and serving in the intern program for administration at EHS. He moved into the role of assistant principal of Sparta High School for two years. He then returned to the Edwardsville School District where he served as principal for Columbus Elementary School for 10 years and then as assistant principal for Edwardsville High School for eight years.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity of helping to lead the children and staff at St. Francis Holy Ghost Catholic School in their faith and education, while deepening my own faith,” he said. “I began my journey with Catholic schools in 1970 as a kindergarten student at St. Boniface in Edwardsville where I attended through eighth grade. As life comes full circle, I am pleased to be able to end my career by returning to Catholic education and working with children to develop disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Schlueter, a member of St. Boniface Parish in Edwardsville, has been married to his wife, Jan, for 37 years. They have three grown sons and three daughters-in-law: Kaleb and his wife Cayla; Luke and his wife Kerrington; and Benjamin and his wife Natalie.
Beth Shade
Blessed Sacrament School
Springfield
Beth Shade is the new principal of Blessed Sacrament School in Springfield, where she is guiding approximately 50 staff members and 430 students in preschool through eighth grade.
Shade graduated from Quincy College (now Quincy University) in 1992. She will graduate with her master’s from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville this December.
She taught for one year at St. Boniface School in Quincy and then for seven years in the Meredosia-Chambersburg School District. She spent the last 22 years teaching at Our Saviour School in Jacksonville.
“I am a product of the Catholic education system in Quincy, attending Catholic schools there from first grade through college,” Shade said. “During my time at Our Saviour School, I started to feel the call to becoming a principal. When I began my master’s degree program it was with the hope of becoming a Catholic school principal, as Catholic schools have always felt like home. My time as a student and then as a teacher in Catholic schools has deepened my understanding of the beauty of my Catholic faith, increased my appreciation for the Eucharist, and helped me to develop a deeply personal relationship with Christ. I want to lead a Catholic school so I can play a role in giving back what I have received. Just as Jesus was a servant leader, I want to be a servant leader at Blessed Sacrament School.”
Shade is a member of Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville. She and her husband, Jeff, just celebrated their 20th anniversary. They are a blended family with four adult children. She and her husband have two grandsons, and a third one is due at any time now.