When the 2026-27 school year kicks off, students, staff, and families at Holmes Primary School will notice a couple of new faces in the front office. At the end of the last school year, Assistant Principal Megan Hansen announced she would be leaving the district to pursue other opportunities after many years of service and dedication to Maercker D60.

We are fortunate to have two incredible retired educators stepping into that role this year as they serve as Co-Interim Assistant Principal for Holmes Primary School. Cathy Slee and Teresa Martin are career educators who both admit that their retirement journey reminded them how much they loved being around students and staff and supporting the process of teaching and learning. These two educators will be working closely as they split their time at Holmes to support the day-to-day life at school.

We are excited to welcome them to the district and caught up with both of them to get to know them a bit more!

Cathy Slee started her career in education in the classroom, being passionate about first grade, she was initially reluctant to take a position teaching fifth grade, but found that she absolutely loved it, eventually moving on to teaching middle school. She became an elementary principal in Homer Glen before moving to Lemont-Bromberek 113A for 10 years and eventually taking over as principal of Reed School in Will County D92 until her retirement.

“I was enjoying some travel and new activities but when an interim position opened up for half a year, I decided to give it a shot because I didn’t realize how much I missed it,” said Slee. “I jumped at the chance to continue that at Holmes because my heart is really in the younger grades and I really love mentoring new teachers and lending a hand anyway that I can to help.”

When she is not working, she really enjoys exercise and spending time with her family including her new grandkids who live in Florida. She also enjoys traveling and is looking forward to a few upcoming trips. She says she’s excited to meet the team at Maercker D60 and work closely with Co-Interim Assistant Principal Teresa Martin who she has worked with and known for many years.

“I love working with Teresa and we will work closely together to connect with families and provide the support needed to make sure that we are all on the same page and supporting these amazing kiddos,” said Slee. “Every day that I can find a way to bring joy, I will do it!”

Teresa Martin is the other Co-Interim Assistant Principal for the 2026-27 school year at Holmes Primary School and is looking to build upon her many years of experience in education to support staff and students.

She started as a special education teacher in a co-op with a self-contained program for primary aged students from two counties. She says she doesn’t remember exactly what sparked her drive to pursue administration, but she found herself working toward it before taking a job in southern Illinois for seven years. She and her husband Bill ultimately ended up back north where she spent 23 years as the principal at Walsh School in Will County School District 92 before she retired in 2024.

“I love retirement but I definitely had the feeling of ‘what do I do now?’ pretty early on,” said Martin. “I definitely needed a kid fix to be able to be part of the school day and the process of building a love of learning. The age of the kids at Holmes is so perfect and I am excited to be a part of the team!”

She says that she lives close enough to a school building that if the wind is just right, she can hear the giggling on the playground, which reminds her of her time supporting so many students and families. In her free time she loves to travel, having recently visited Jamaica with a trip to Granada and some smaller road trips coming up. She’s excited to join the team at Maercker D60 because of the district’s size and reputation for supporting all students.

“I am excited to have those experiences and build meaningful connections not only with students, but also with staff,” said Martin. “Our staff work incredibly hard to support students, and we look forward to partnering with them and contributing in ways that help everyone succeed.”