SJNA Welcomes Teaching Staff Additions for 2024-25
With the 2024-25 academic year upon us, St. John’s Northwestern Academies has welcomed a number of new faces to it’s teaching staff as we continue to enhance our already strong academic program. Read below to learn a little bit more about each of the newest teachers at SJNA.
John Lui
Title: Director of E.R.A. – STEM Educator
Years of Experience: 28
Personal Info/Hobbies: I am married and have two adult boys that are now starting to listen to dad’s advice. My wife and I enjoy traveling and hiking. I also enjoy outdoor activities and you might see me at a Dockhound’s game.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? Over the many years of teaching, the one teaching strategy that has stayed with me is hands on learning such as labs or engineering projects. I try to make connections with the lessons I use to the students’ lives and the outside world. With my years of experience, I have learned to listen more and talk less. If the environment is created then students can be there own self motivated learners.
What excites you about working at SJNA? I am passionate about STEM and the SJNA community has put forth the time, resources, and commitment to build a great STEM program.
Steven Lewis
Title: Math Instructor & Head Cross Country/Track Coach
Years of Experience: 31
Personal Info/Hobbies: I enjoy relaxing with my wife of 34 years, our adult children, and our special friend, Spencer the cat.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? The feeling you get when a student or athlete that was struggling to understand a concept or lesson, finally gets it. That is why I do what I do.
What excites you about working at SJNA? The opportunity to help the students in this school to develop their depth of knowledge and skill growth, but in a much smaller class size setting than the local public school I retired from last year.
Bridget Weishaar
Title: Business Teacher
Years of Experience: 10
Personal Info/Hobbies: I am an avid reader, novice tennis player, and dog mom to my Cocker Spaniel, Millie. On weekends, I love to explore farm stands and antique shops and take short hikes on well cleared and labeled paths (otherwise I get lost). I’m excited to explore Wisconsin and plan to do all things fall and winter after having spent three years in Florida.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? There is no greater joy for me than helping others achieve their goals. I absolutely love helping students realize their dreams and achieve things they might find difficult or impossible. As my career has spanned both teaching and the business world, my hope is to help students bridge the gap between education and future careers by exposing them to a plethora of paths and giving them the skills demanded for success. My teaching philosophy skews towards problem and project based learning as I feel this helps meet these goals.
What excites you about working at SJNA? From the moment I set foot on the campus, SJNA impressed me with its openness to innovative instruction, commitment to high standards and academic achievement, and sincere care for educating the whole student. SJNA is a friendly, nurturing environment where students’ best interests are at the forefront. With its focus on educating students’ minds, bodies, and hearts, I see the school as a model for raising leaders of the future.
Bruce Bowerman
Title: Social Studies Teacher
Years of Experience: 35
Personal Info/Hobbies: With over thirty years of experience teaching Social Studies in both Wisconsin and South Carolina, I have had the privilege of working together with young people and promoting a love for learning. In addition to my teaching career, I’ve also coached three varsity sports, which was very rewarding. I’m happily married to my wife Janet, who is also a dedicated teacher. We have two amazing children: our son Lucas, who just graduated from law school, and our daughter Sadie, who is currently attending college in Minnesota, pursuing a degree in elementary education. Our family also includes our two dogs Bo and Chewy. In my free time I live to read, work out, and I am a huge fan of the Badgers and the Packers.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? What I love about teaching is the opportunity to inspire and engage young minds. Seeing students develop their own insights and understanding of the world is very rewarding. My teaching philosophy centers on fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment where every student feels valued and encouraged to participate. I believe in connecting the curriculum to real-world contexts to make learning relevant and meaningful. By promoting critical thinking and curiosity, I aim to equip students with the skills they need to be thoughtful, informed citizens.
What excites you about working at SJNA? What excites me about working at SJNA is the opportunity to be part of a community that values leadership, character development, and academic excellence. The unique blend of rigorous academics and leadership training provides a holistic education that prepares students for future success. I’m thrilled to contribute to a dynamic environment where students are encouraged to strive for their best and are supported in their personal growth.
Janet Bowerman
Title: Middle School English Teacher
Years of Experience: 35
Personal Info/Hobbies: My husband, Bruce, is also an educator. We have two wonderful children. Our son, Lucas recently graduated from Law School at Loyola University in Chicago. Our daughter, Sadie is pursuing a degree in education at Mankato State University. We also have two dogs, Bo and Chewy. I enjoy reading, cooking, spending time with family, biking, and walking.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? Teaching at the middle school level is incredibly rewarding for me because it allows me to engage with students at a critical stage of their development. I love the energy and curiosity they bring to the classroom, and I find it fulfilling to guide them as they explore new concepts and ideas. My teaching philosophy centers on creating a supportive and inclusive environment where every student feels valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. I believe in fostering critical thinking, promoting collaboration, and making learning relevant to students’ lives. By integrating real-world applications and encouraging a growth mindset, I aim to inspire a lifelong love of learning in my students.
What excites you about working at SJNA? I am excited to immerse myself in the cultural diversity of the student population. I am also excited about teaching reading and writing at the middle school levels again. The last few years, I was teaching at the elementary level, but previous to that, I taught middle school English Language Arts for many years.
Kate Berryman
Title: TLC Director
Years of Experience: 5
Personal Info/Hobbies: I am originally from Gurnee, Illinois and frequently make trips back to visit with family. I moved to Wisconsin for my undergraduate degree which I received from UW-Eau Claire. Right now, I currently live in Oconomowoc with my pet cat Mabel. I am an avid reader and have spent much of the summer reading and listening to audio books. I am also currently training to run my first marathon this fall as I am running the Chicago Marathon in October. I enjoy hiking, being outside, camping as well as spending time with my family and friends.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? What I love most about teaching is getting to know my students and helping them reach their educational goals- academic or socially. My students often teach me different perspectives as well as different ways to teach different materials. This not only teaches me something new but can help others learn in the classroom. When teaching, I value collaboration between myself and my students and overall encourage my students to be kind and have empathy towards others. This is extremely important to be as being kind to one another helps everyone learn and fosters a sense of community into the classroom.
What excites you about working at SJNA? This year I am excited to be the TLC director and to get to work with a variety of students as well as support classroom teachers. I am excited to be able to help students reach their academic goals through developing plans with them, helping them learn study skills techniques as well as become leaders inside and outside of the classroom through our peer tutoring program.
Chris Luedke
Title: Social Studies Teacher
Years of Experience: 14
Personal Info/Hobbies: I have participated in a number of kayak ultra-marathons including ten completed Missouri River 340’s from Kansas City to St. Charles Mo. I will paddle year round including winter paddles on the Oconomowoc River. I also coach ninja and parkour at Midwest Twisters. Apart from athletics I run a podcast and maintain an Art History Youtube Channel that was set up for my college classes. I also volunteer as a public historian for a fraternal organization and am involved with the board for Lake Country Swim.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? I love taking the abstract and making it concrete, sharing the stories that make up history in a way that is approachable to my audience. Teaching allows me to live in and share my passion for the stories of those who came before and organize them in a way that students can see not just the “great men” of history, but also the plights and successes of the common person. With this knowledge they can put themselves within a larger context so often missing in a world of individualized Instasnapachatabook feeds.
What excites you about working at SJNA? I am looking forward to moving from Art History into my chosen field, History. The challenge of teaching to an audience of 7th graders through seniors will encourage me to broaden how I approach the subject and allows me to address many of the issues I saw among freshman college students. I also look forward to being part of a historical institution that plays such a large role in the history of Delafield and the surrounding area. The very short commute from Nashotah will be a bonus.
Julia Hernandez
Title: Spanish Teacher
Years of Experience: 7
Personal Info/Hobbies: When I’m not trail running, I love to bike, read, and bake.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? I love developing relationships with my students and creating an environment where we learn from each other.
What excites you about working at SJNA? I am very excited to be working with such a diverse group of students!
Catherine Windish
Title: AP/English Teacher
Years of Experience: 25
Personal Info/Hobbies: I relocated from sunny Florida to teach here at SJNA. I am the proud mom of three beautiful daughters, one of whom married this past spring. This is my third independent boarding school adventure. I love learning and I am also a student at American Public University pursuing an MA in psychology- a life’s dream. Hobbies include traveling, reading, and meditation.
What you love about teaching and/or your teaching philosophies? For me, teaching is an adventure in learning and growing. I love facilitating the growth potential of each individual student who crosses my path, on not only their academic journey, but in composing chapters of their own personal story. My philosophy includes many “Windishisms” and one of those is: “Don’t be a bump on a pickle. Show up to your life!”
What excites you about working at SJNA? Teaching the diverse population on the grounds of this historic and beautiful campus and meeting new people is most exciting. I look forward to the leaves changing their coats to many colors.
St. John’s Northwestern Academies is a safe, structured environment that provides each student a foundation for life with specialized programs that are built with future aspirations in mind. Learn more at www.sjnacademies.org